CHAPTER 21: OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM
1843 Hours, October 14, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Continent of Sanas
"Alpha 1-3, this is Alpha 1-1, over?"
"Alpha 1-1, got your loud and clear."
"Alpha 1-3, the compound has been secured. Be advised, gas has been released in the AO. I say again, gas in the AO. Make sure to seal your helmet when approaching, how copy?"
"Good copy, sealing helmet now, on approach. Are there any survivors left, over?"
"Negative, no survivors in the AO. All enemies KIA."
"Roger that… 1-3 out."
"Alpha 1-1, this is Alpha 1-2."
"Alpha 1-2, send it."
"One enemy tried to run, I detained her. What do you want me to do with her, over?"
"1-2, is your hostage carrying any critical intel?"
"1-1, no sensitive items or intel, looks like a grunt."
"Terminate then."
"Roger, good copy. 1-2 out."
The Master Chief turned his attention from the com chatter and back to his environment. He moved his head in a full circle to survey his surroundings; while doing so, he also kept an eye on his motion tracker from his peripheral vision. As he had reported, there were no more live enemies, but better to be safe than sorry. More than a few times, insurrectionists had attempted to play dead in order to carry out suicide attacks. He would not put it past the White Fang to resort to similar acts of desperation.
Over the last week, he and his team had been picking off White Fang locations. Usually, the number of enemy positions that had assaulted would merit at least a great deal more time and manpower to contend with, but in the interest of speed and maintaining the element of surprise, they had hastily moved from one place to the next. So far, nobody had escaped from them, not even the runners, and no information had been leaked, but that could change at any time.
The spartan, each time they fought, took note of the faunus terrorists and made mental notes about how they compared to the Insurrectionists. The two shared many similarities, as expected of a terrorist group. Guerilla warfare, intimidation tactics, violence, executions, all of these things could be found in evidence at each position. Physical documents and scrolls provided enough of that.
Of particular interest was the Vale branch and its ongoing actions. Adam Taurus was something of a rogue element as well as an extremist. It seemed like he had potential plans to make the White Fang into something of a faunus supremacist group. Judging by the evidence alone, perhaps he had future plans to get back at mankind by forcing people to submit and declaring the faunus the superior species.
John did not care for the reasons behind the actions of these terrorists. The fact of the matter was that they were the bad guys in all of this. His only job was to put down said bad guys and present the evidence to the proper authorities and let them sort out the legality behind it all. Once the Vale branch was wiped out, he intended to do just that.
Then it would be onto the rest of Remnant.
Xiao Long's sounded on the coms. "1-1, this is 1-3, coming in now."
"Roger that, 1-3." The Master Chief responded.
The sound of someone breathing had him turning his head to see Belladonna finishing up the last of the survivors. Surprisingly enough, she had been extremely easy to control. Perhaps it was the sight of her former comrades being cut down so easily that made her not dare to even look the wrong way. Or maybe she was the sort of person that required a strong hand to guide her. Regardless, she was proving to be useful.
A minute later, he picked up the blonde girl's IFF. A glance at her armor indicated that there would likely be no maintenance necessary. This had been a fairly quick and easy raid, but now they had to search the bodies.
"You know the drill." The spartan spoke to her.
Xiao Long's visor met his own. "On it, Chief."
One by one, the two of them went to each body, rolled them over, making sure there were no hidden explosives of any kind. Weapons were disassembled and their parts scattered. Any items that might be important were taken and analyzed.
Belladonna merely stood and watched them, her gaze never wavering.
Eleven bodies later, there was little for them to worry about.
"We're finished here." John decided that what they had found wasn't worth sticking around. "We'll SP in ten mikes."
The grenadier flashed a thumbs-up. "Too easy."
The two of them descended into silence. The man in MJOLNIR armor simply stood there, observing the cat faunus girl who kept her head down and her mouth shut.
The human female removed her helmet to take a drink of water.
"Chief, question." Xiao Long removed the canteen from her mouth.
The senior NCO met her eyes. "Go on."
"What's our estimated time to complete this mission?" The grenadier posed her question.
At the question, his golden visor locked onto the black-haired girl, who merely cowers under his gaze. After regarding her for a moment, he chooses to answer.
His answer was confident. "A month."
"Fuck me." Xiao Long groaned, taking another sip of water, then growled. "These guys are like fucking rabbits, so gods-damned many of them."
John noted her attitude and responded in kind. "You'll be alright."
"I'm not saying this ain't fun. It is. I'm gettin' to do all the action that I've ever wanted, but every time we finish, I feel tired." The blonde girl stared into her canteen. "It feels like this'll never end."
The Master Chief understood. "This is a job, nothing more, nothing less. We are not here for praise, accolades, or attention. We do what we must and we move on. Service is its own reward."
"Maybe. I don't know." Xiao Long sounded so unsure. "It just feels like… something's missing."
The spartan regarded his second recruit. He had always known the girl to be confident in everything she did. Whether it was true faith in her abilities or her putting up a front to appear confident, his overall image was that of a girl that was not afraid to face danger or to back down from a challenge, at least in terms of combat.
But what did he know about her internal struggles?
John frowned for a moment before an idea sprang to mind. "Once the White Fang presence is gone from Vale, we will take a break."
"I look forward to it." Xiao Long seemed excited about that. "Make sure you tell Ruby. I think she'll want the time off."
The Master Chief shifted his gaze back to Belladonna. "I'll talk with her, but she might not be receptive."
"Why not?" Xiao Long inquired. "Sure, she's dedicated to this job and shit, but even she needs a break."
The spartan then stared in no particular direction. "I think you understand why. She's dedicated to what she does. She is single-minded in her goals. Once, it was to be a huntress, now it's to become the best operator."
"You got a point there." The grenadier capped her canteen and placed it in a pouch. "She knows what she wants and she's willing to put in the work to get it, not like me. I'm just in this for the thrills and adventure. Doing good and knocking off bad guys is just a plus."
The Master Chief let his left hand on his weapon hang to his side. "And how long will that keep you going?"
In his youth, he knew that feeling, but once Sam was killed in combat, never again did he consider fighting to be fun in any capacity.
Xiao Long appeared to not have an answer to his question and he did not want to sink further into his own memories.
"Belladonna, with me. Xiao Long, meet up at our rendezvous point when you're done."
"Got it, Chief."
Without a word, the girl with gold eyes followed closely to him. She had not spoken a word to him since their first assault. She had merely fallen into a routine of joining them in killing her former comrades. It would seem that like anyone involved in terrorism, their courage faded in the face of a threat that appeared unbeatable.
The spartan still had no sympathy or care for the girl. Her being here was strictly because of her usefulness both as a hostage and as a means of pre-infiltration into White Fang territory. If she did, the team would survive the inconvenience.
Even Cortana would have no sympathy. John frowned at the thought of his deceased A.I. companion. But I also can't help but feel that she would be conflicted about this as well.
He had to shake his head slightly. What she would think about his treatment of this faunus girl was pointless. He would never know what she would think because she was dead and gone.
The Master Chief had only himself to rely on for decisions, easy and hard for the sake of himself and his team.
"Keep pace." He noticed the faunus falling behind.
She hurried her steps to match his.
Halo - - - RWBY
2314 Hours, October 15, 2557 (Military Calendar)
Blake used to be able to get at least a modicum of sleep in the past. These past few days had proven to be anything but restful. More likely than not, any attempt to sleep on her part would be met with a nightmare.
More specifically, she would imagine Adam's broken corpse, completely lifeless, far from the powerful individual she had known him to be. Above him was the massive figure of the Master Chief, the man in green armor.
In lieu of sleep, she opted to keep herself awake, maintaining her weapons, maybe doing some light exercise, even meditating, anything but sleep. She knew logically that sooner or later, she would collapse from a lack of sleep, but compared to the nightmares, anything was preferable.
Regardless of what she did, there was always someone watching over her. They took turns watching her and getting sleep. They didn't trust her not to run or attack them in their sleep, not that she blamed them. Over the course of a few days, she had come to associate the three of them with names and faces.
Ruby was the short black-haired girl with silver eyes. She had this intense look in her eyes whenever they made eye contact. It seemed like a silent reminder of what would befall the faunus girl if she dared to step out of line.
Yang was the one with the laid-back attitude, but always in her hand was her weapon at the ready, practically daring the former terrorist to make a hostile move. On top of that, daily insults and slurs were thrown at her.
The two girls scared Blake, but not compared to the one who led them.
The Master Chief, who was currently watching her, was the one that truly terrified her. He was the one who had killed Adam, which made him terrifying in her eyes. Her old mentor was on the level of professional huntsmen, so to see him be killed at all was a testament to the armor giant's skill in combat.
Furthermore, the helmet and gold visor didn't let her even know what was behind that mask. She could only imagine that there was a face with scars and perhaps a deformation. A monster in her mind, perhaps not even accurate, but her mind couldn't conjure anything positive to think about the man.
His mere presence alone was enough to cow her into submission. With the other two, they were scary, but she could at least get a basic read on them. This one, she could watch him, but she couldn't be sure. That uncertainty made her fall into line whenever he gave her an order. She had no chance against him.
The cat girl reached atop her head to feel the ears atop of her head. Normally, she would have concealed her traits, but someone along the line, her bow had been lost and in light of her desire to keep her life, that bow seemed inconsequential by comparison.
When she looked up, her eyes met his visor and she looked away again.
"Look at me Belladonna." That grave voice spoke to her.
Blake wanted to obey, but her fear prevented her from doing so.
She felt footsteps approach her, heavy ones. Then before she could do anything, she felt her head in the grasp of a cold metal gauntlet. Her head was forced to loop her, her golden eyes meeting his golden visor.
"Yes s-sir?"
"You will address me as Master Chief Petty Officer or Master Chief for short." He leaned his head in closer, practically invading her personal space. "You will never address me as sir. Do I make myself clear?"
Blake weakly responded. "Y-yes, Master Chief."
"Do I make myself clear?" He raised his voice, not enough to shout, but still enough to emphasize displeasure.
This time, the cat faunus somehow managed not to stutter. "Yes, Master Chief."
He didn't release her, merely continued to stare at her, or at least that was the best guess that she could surmise. That helmet didn't give her any clue as to what he might be doing behind it. He could very well be making goofy faces and she wouldn't even know, although that seemed unlikely given rather serious demeanor.
He released her from his grasp. "Go to sleep. There's nothing else for you to do."
"I-I can't." Blake managed weakly.
He was still. "Why not?"
"...nightmares." Her right hand grasped at her left arm. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Ada… I see HIM."
The Master Chief seemed to understand. "Taurus."
"...yes." Even hearing his name was taxing for Blake.
Her captor wasn't affected in the least. "One way or another, he was going to die. His crimes were too many and too heinous to be forgiven."
That couldn't be denied. No matter how Adam chose to justify what he was doing, at the end of the day, his actions were inexcusable.
"...that doesn't mean he should've been killed." And yet there were some lingering emotions attached to him.
The armored giant looked away. "If not me, then someone else would have killed him, likely in a less than humane fashion. He died in combat; there are worse ways to go."
That wording made her wince, but it didn't make it any less true. Adam had no doubt made enemies, some of which would probably love nothing more than to see him suffer. Him dying as he did might have been the greatest mercy. He certainly wouldn't have been afforded the same treatment in a court of law.
Knowing that didn't make her feel any better.
"It should've been me." Blake bitterly spoke the words. "Things would've been much better that way."
Silence.
Then the Chief responded. "There's no point in debating hypotheticals. You're alive and that's the only thing that matters."
The dam broke for her.
"For what?!" Blake's voice cracked. "Without Adam, I'm nothing! I'm just a fighter! I can't lead people like him! I can't even fight as good as him! He was the one who mattered and I would've followed him to hell if I could!"
This was highly unusual behavior, even for her, but right now, what did she have to lose? If she was going to spend either a good chunk of her life or maybe the rest of her life behind bars, what was the point in holding it in?
He didn't look at her. His visor stared off into the darkness of the night. The fact that he was so indifferent to her suffering only made her seethe. How dare he kill her partner and not feel a damn thing.
"Who are you to take life?! Who gave you the authority to play god?!" Blake now felt her rage spill out. "What right do you have to take everything from me?! I HATE YOU!"
Then her body moved on instinct. She might not have an aura to back her up, but fuck it. Maybe Adam had the right idea dying. She might as well join him. There was nothing left for her anyway.
If her mind was in a more rational state, she would remember that without aura, her overall physical ability was reduced greatly, a fact that didn't register in her mind until she moved in with Gambol Shroud, only for her right wrist to be caught in his gauntlet.
The cat faunus struggled for all she had, but in her current state, she couldn't even move the hand that held her, nevermind escaping.
And even knowing that she was fighting a battle she couldn't win, she used her other hand to strike using the sheathe. Aside from the sound of clashing metal, there was no effect to his armor.
So she hit him again.
Twice.
Three times.
Four.
Five hits.
Six.
Seven strikes.
Eight.
Nine nicks, maybe.
Ten.
All the while, she screamed at him.
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
She kept cursing his existence and hitting him until she was physically exhausted. When that happened, she collapsed, still being held by the wrist. Her weapon dropped from her grip, her free left hand grasping his forearm.
Blake felt a steam of tears in her eyes. "I hate you… I hate you…"
In her broken state, she failed to realize that both Rose and Xiao Long were at the scene as well, their weapons at the low-ready.
"You want us to kill her, Chief?"
"...no, go back to sleep."
"Chief?"
"Both of you, go back to sleep. I can handle things from here."
"...roger that, Chief."
"Yes, Master Chief."
Blake heard a brief exchange of words, but she paid no mind to it. She continued to stew in her own despair.
What was left for her?
"Are you finished?"
With red eyes and her face no doubt a mess, she lifted her head to look into his visor.
"...yes."
"Are you going to attack me again?"
"...no."
He immediately let her go.
Her footing was shaky before she gained control of her limbs.
Her eyes stayed on him.
His weapon hung loosely in his hands.
His visor once again stared off into the pitch black.
…such strength.
RWBY - - - Halo
0721 Hours, October 19, 2557 (Military Calendar)
Ruby and Yang were different, that much was clear to anyone who even looked at them fleetingly, but if there was one thing that the two of them had in common that wasn't as obvious was their observation skills.
Contrary to the former's hyperactivity and the latter's disregard for caution, they weren't oblivious to the world. They were well aware that the people around them were experiencing life just like they were. Growing, adapting, and changing was something that happened to everyone, big and small, obvious or subtle. And their keen skills of observation translated into hidden wisdom that was unlike anyone their age, another hidden trait that the two sisters possessed which wasn't noticeable at a glance.
For now, the first trait was being used more than the second.
Ever since Belladonna's outburst a few nights ago, she had changed in a way that the two of them found to be extremely disconcerting. The faunus with raven hair never strayed farther than a few meters from the Master Chief. In the beginning, the girl seemed so determined to steer clear of the man; now she seemed to almost crave his presence like a woman dying of water. Clearly, something had happened.
The two siblings could only assume that it was some form of voodoo or interrogation. The armored man seemed really good at getting into the minds of other people even unintentionally. Or maybe their POW was that mentally unstable that she was now willing to cling onto anyone that could provide even a modicum of protection, even if said protection was conditional and not born out of a sense of compassion.
Whatever the case, the two of them began to watch her for any signs that she might be trying to get closer to the Chief in order to drop his guard. Although he showed no signs of stopping this behavior, neither did he change in response to it either. Perhaps he did have everything under control.
Another thought, albeit one without substance or evidence had also surfaced in their mind. The chances were very slim, but it might be possible that Belladonna was replacing Taurus with the Master Chief, effectively making her overlord her most important person. It made sense, but again, a thought with no concrete proof.
Or maybe he's so focused on combat that he doesn't notice anything else. Both sisters had to wonder about that.
No matter their opinion on the matter, life went on. From one White Fang location to the next, they kept trucking along. As expected, the terrorist group was quite expansive not to mention varied. Yes, they all wore the same uniform and they all supposedly fought for the same overarching reasons, but they didn't necessarily all work the same way. Even as the four of them cut a swath through the wildlands of Vale, they always had new intel to file away. No doubt such info would be useful when they began operating outside the kingdom.
But neither of them were paid to care about that kind of thing.
In fact, they weren't being paid at all.
"Hey, Yang?"
"Yeah, Rubes?"
"Are we basically slave labor cause we don't get paid to do this job?"
"Huh…that's actually a good point. Yeah, I guess we are. That's kind of fucked up."
"...shouldn't we be, you know, worried about that? Labor laws and all that."
"We should be, but then again, we aren't exactly in the kingdom, are we? Plus, I don't really give a shit."
"Okay then…"
The two of them, after affirming the realization that they had not been paid a single lien for their efforts, returned to overseeing the outpost that they were going to attack next. The terrain was ideal for sniping, so Ruby took her role as the shooter and Yang was acting as the spotter.
The two of them were breaking ever sniper convention by not only wearing gear that didn't blend in with the surroundings, but also talking to each other. Then again, they were a kilometer away, so it was probably okay.
Probably.
Ruby needed to continue their conversation. "Seriously, we should be concerned. I mean, we're risking life, limb, and eyesight to do the work that no one else is doing. I mean, do huntsmen even take this kind of job?"
"I'm pretty sure they do. Think Qrow's talked about some mission like that or whatever." Yang lifted her head from her rangefinder. "But I'm thinkin' that's not why anyone wants to become a huntsman."
Ruby gumbled lightly. "At least they get paid to do that. What do we get? Nothing."
"What brought this on?" Yang gave her sister a strange look. "You've never cared about lien as far as being about to get stuff for weapons."
"What about cookies and strawberries? Those cost lien too and I like to treat myself once in a while."
"..."
"What's that look for, blondie?"
"Isn't that somethin' your old self would've wanted?"
"Who says I can't want that stuff now? I still do. Yeah, I've changed, but my name's still Ruby Rose, badass sniper, weapon enthusiast, and cookie lover."
"Just not aspiring huntress and world savior." Yang pointed out.
Ruby scoffed. "Is there anyone who can really save the world? If there was, why are we still fighting the Grimm? Why did the Great War even happen?"
"History and human psychology aren't my areas of expertise, Rubes. I'm just a fighter and a thrill-seeker, same as always."
"You've changed too, Yang. You know that?"
"Have I? I wouldn't know if I have. I don't spend a lot of time thinkin' about life. What's different about me?"
"You're just… more mellow? I don't know how to put it. You seem like you like this life?"
"I guess… it is what it is."
Both of them returned to the site. No activity, which meant one of two things. Either the raid was already underway and no one was the wiser or everyone was already dead.
Ruby frowned. "What are we gonna tell dad whenever it is we get back?"
"Dunno. If you're worried about me throwing you under the bus, don't." Yang adjusted her sights. "I got you. I wonder what happened to Qrow."
Ruby moved her weapon closer to her body. "What about him?"
"He was the one who gave me your direction of travel when I first set out. Dad was in the loop." Yang clenched her fist to test blood flow. "I'm surprised he hasn't found us and dragged our asses back yet."
The younger sister kept her eyes on target"You think he might be tailing us?"
"If he is, he's doing a fuckin' outstanding job, but again, why not just grab us and go home?" Yang made some adjustments to her mils.
Ruby sighed. "Maybe he has his reasons."
"What reason does that guy have to leave his nieces suffering in the wilds like this?" Yang asked. "He's an asshole, but he's not heartless."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "And he disagreed with dad on our huntress training, remember? Uncle Qrow wanted to train us by example, dad wanted us to go by-the-book."
"You know why dad wanted to be close to him." Yang laughed at the mention of their father. "We all know why."
If there was one subject that had always been taboo in the past, it was talking about Summer. That was guaranteed to make everyone either emotional or angry.
Yet somehow, Ruby felt compelled to ask. "You think… you think mom would be proud of us?"
"No, she wouldn't be." Yang's answer was without hesitation. "She was a hero, a good person, a saint by the gods. She would've saved everyone if she could, even the bad guys. How many dudes have we killed?"
Ruby thought about it, then realized something. "...I don't know. I lost count."
"Exactly. That alone would horrify her." Yang summed up her own thoughts. "Add that to the fact that we don't even care about those people we killed, do you really want mom to see what we've become?"
"...I don't know." Ruby whispered quietly.
"Look, Rubes, don't think too hard 'bout it. We'll never know what she'd think of us now. She's dead and gone; we gotta do what we have to do to survive right now. I'm sure she'd understand that much."
"...yeah."
"Alpha 1-2, this Alpha 1-1." That was the Master Chief.
Ruby keyed into her radio. "This is Alpha 1-2, send it."
"Alpha, 1-2, all enemies KIA. You are clear to move into the AO. Be advised, the approach is still littered with unexploded ordnance. Proceed with caution, how copy?"
"Afirm, unexploded ordnance is confirmed, we'll be on alert for them."
"Roger that, 1-1 out."
Halo - - - RWBY
2110 Hours, October 22, 2557 (Military Calendar) / Unknown System, Planet Remnant, Continent of Menagerie
"This is unusual for Brother Adam." Corsac crossed his arms, his mind trying to process the situation. "He has always made it a point to keep communications open with us. The fact that he has failed to answer our calls or reach out to us is concerning."
Fennec added his own two lien. "With his extreme philosophies, I have to wonder if perhaps… someone who disagreed clashed with him, perhaps even ended him."
"How many individuals do you know who are capable of contending with the man in combat?" Corsac shook his head. "Even the most deadly huntsmen and huntresses would have to work for a draw against him, let alone killing him."
The brother with fox ears sighed. "Apologies. I was merely throwing out ideas in the hopes of finding the true solution."
"No, you are right to consider the possibility. It has been nearly three weeks since our last contact." Corsac placed his hands behind his back. "However small the possibility is, he is still capable of bleeding."
Their conversation was halted momentarily by the sound of an incoming message via scroll. The two of them looked at each other before the Fennec activated the device and put it on projector mode.
The image of a female White Fang member appeared. She appeared to be in her late twenties. Her faunus trait was a patch of scales on her cheeks.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is Vale Branch, Outpost 1337, sending an urgent distress call! We're under attack, I say again, we're under attack! We've lost communication with Vale HQ! This is a distress call to all White Fang branches worldwide! The Vale Branch is being hunted by unknown persons! Armor suggests an Atlesian affiliation! Say again, Atlesian aff-"
The sound of weapon fire reverberated and the figure in the hologram looked behind her.
"AAAAAHHHH!" Before she could bring up her weapon, she was cut down by bullets.
Her figure fell to the ground unceremoniously. The visual feed cut out, but the audio still continued.
"Why are you here?" That was the original female.
Then a new female voice. "I'm here to fix my greatest mistake."
"Why you- traitor! Should've known! Your parents left, now you're joining them and you've brought Atlas with you! TRAITOR! When Adam finds out, you're fucked! You hear me?!"
"Adam's dead. I buried his body myself."
"No, impossible."
"Nothing's impossible."
"Doesn't matter. The rest of the White Fang will know you're a traitor and a sellout, Belladonna!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Getting the word out."
"PUT IT DOWN!"
"Too late! Send!"
Another shot reverberated and the message ended.
Fennec and Corsac gave each other a grave look.
"This is unpleasant news to say the least."
"Agreed."
There was a moment of silence between the two of them.
The former asked a question. "What now, brother? Should we inform High Leader Kahn about this development?"
The latter frowned in contemplation.
"...no, at least not immediately." Corsac gave his answer. "Although this evidence is quite damning, it might provide us with a window of opportunity."
"For what?" Fennec inquired.
"Atlas has always been a source of major anger for the White Fang. Nowhere else is faunus discrimination so clear." Corsac let a small smile adorn his face. "That was indeed Blake Belladonna. I would recognize her voice anywhere; if she has become a traitor, no doubt whoever is using her will make a show of it. We cannot be outdone in that regard. Thus, we must have a pawn of greater importance.
Fennec raised an eyebrow. "I assume you have someone in mind, brother?"
"We've had her in mind for some time and she will serve us well in making an example out of Atlas." Corsac gazed at the candles lit in the room. "Although we did not possess a suitable chance to kidnap her in the past, we might have one now.
"...you are talking about… the Schnee Dust Company heiress." Fennec came to a realization.
Corsac nodded. "Yes, but let us not get too hasty. Send a squad of scouts to confirm that message. If we find enough damning evidence, I will bring forward the proposed plan to High Leader Kahn."
Weiss Schnee had always been a target of interest because of her family. Her recent promotion to future heiress had only painted a larger target on the back of her head.
Now this excuse was going to make her target number one.
Welcome back. It's been a bit, but I'm still working on stories. Life just got busier.
Some of y'all have been guessing that this was going to happen. I have to say that I'm not supremely confident in this direction, but it was the best I could come up with. Whether it's a good or bad thing, I'm going to stand by it and see what happens.
Thoughts on this chapter? Reviews and feedback are always appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill