The Grey Freelancer of Remnant Volume 2
Chapter Five
"Interference"
To Councilman Julius Aurelius, from Headmaster Ozpin, of Beacon Academy:
Dear Councilman, James is a dear friend of mine, and I respect your decision to bring him in to work more closely with us on this matter, but, I must ask, do you truly think it wise to involve a military superpower in the internal affairs of our kingdom? As far as I can see, the matter of the crashed ship is completely contained as a concern of Vale, not Atlas.
Cars were upturned all around. People were screaming. A panic had set in. And yet, former agent Washington sat calm, looking through the scope of his battle rifle to find the new threat that had emerged to threaten an already-wounded group of people. Wash thought he was ready to face whatever came through the smoke, but he was wrong, for, emerging from the debris, was the thing he had least wanted to see come through.
"It's the Meta!" He called frantically, alerting South and Cadell.
"What?" exclaimed South, who was none too happy to hear that the power-hungry brute was now headed in her general direction.
"Who's the Meta?" asked Cadell.
"The guy from the docks with the white armor," answered South.
"Well, crap," replied a less-then-enthusiastic Cadell.
"Get as many civilians away from here as possible, I'll hold him off," said Wash.
"No way, I'm not leaving you behind, not again," South staunchly refused.
"Just go," said an annoyed Washington, "now's not the time for false promises, just get civilians out of here, preferably without leaving any behind as a sacrifice."
South recoiled, as though physically struck by Wash's words, but did as she was told. "Come on," she told Cadell.
The blue-clad swordsman followed her lead and went to help evacuate the civilians, while Wash dealt with the Meta. The ex-freelancer took a kneeling stance behind an overturned car and sighted his target through his rifle's scope. A low growl could be heard from the imposing figure of the Meta as he drew nearer, loading a chain of grenades into his brute shot.
"Alright, you bastard," he said quietly, meaning Sigma, rather than the now all-but-gone Agent Maine, "let's do this."
However, just as he was about to release his first burst, half a dozen White Fang members came running past him on either side, their approach shrouded in the fog.
"Damn," he swore.
Wash sighted a new target, centering his crosshairs over one of the lead White Fang members. With three successive cracks of the rifle, he was on his back, a cluster of three holes centered around his chest.
"We're under fire!" One of the other terrorists exclaimed.
"Do you think its Vale police?" another asked her comrade.
Another burst tore through the smoke-shrouded air, sending the first terrorist to the ground with a strangled cry, his throat having been the recipient of three 7.62 rounds. The other White Fang member turned, whipping her head back and forth, trying to see the shooter through the fog, but to no avail. She too was cut down by a burst of battle rifle fire, the high-caliber rounds tearing through her upper chest.
The remaining three insurgents had quickly dashed behind the ample amounts of cover scattered all around the highway, being in no mood to meet similar fates to their comrades. The Meta, meanwhile, waled past the bodies unphased. A series of bursts slammed into the Meta's torso and head, but, rather than embed themselves in his armor, they seemed to simply bounce off.
"What the hell?" Wash muttered to himself. He sent two more burst Meta's way, only for the same thing to happen once again. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "He has aura!" he exclaimed.
The Meta's helmeted head whirled around as the A.I.'s in his head honed on his voice. He turned and leveled his brute shot in Wash's general direction.
"Aw, hell," muttered Wash.
The ex-freelancer dove to the side as a barrage of grenades slammed into the chasis of the car he had been hiding behind, blowing it to pieces. Wash rolled and took a kneeling position, firing two more bursts at the Meta, which, once again, did nothing against his newly-activated aura. Another grenade slammed into his chest and he sent flying back into another car, in which he left a large, human-sized indent. Suddenly, a hail of assault rifle fire came in overhead. It was South!
The purple-clad huntress in-training jumped atop the roof of a car and, which her modified MA5B in marksman rifle mode, sent several 7.72 modified dust rounds at her former comrade. Wash, meanwhile, got back up to his feet and fired into the Meta's back as he fired on South. The marksman strafed to the right, trying to keep himself behind the brainwashed brute, but to no avail. The Meta whirled around and fired another barrage of grenades at his former friend.
Wash picked up his pace, sprinted along the width of the highway, spraying the man formerly known as Maine down until he came to the edge of the highway. A sudden burst of heat from just below his feet sent him tumbling over the guard raill, avoiding the Meta's explosive. But, as he fell, he slung his battle rifle over his shoulder, drew his magnum, and fired his grappling hook into he side of the highway.
South meanwhile swore into the stock of her rifle, while the Meta turned its menacing gaze on her, letting out an intimidating growl. "Damn," South swore, leaping from the top of the car as it was blown apart by a series of grenades fro the Meta;s brute shot. South sent a barrage of rounds at the Meta, but to no avail, as he flung his brute shot through the air at South. Spinning through the air, the massive blade of the brute shot sheared through South's assault rifle.
"Oh, shit!" swore South.
She dove out of the way as the Meta came sprinting her way, trying to tackle her to the ground. She drew Imbre, her submachine gun, and transformed it into axe form. However, the Meta blocked her initial swing, before lashing out with a hard right hook to South's jaw. She staggered back and swept her axe out at the Meta, but the blow bounced off of his chestpiece. A hard backhand than sent her flying into an abandoned car.
Suddenly, Wash came swinging from beneath the overpass and, before Meta could finish South off, slammed both of his feet into the back of the Meta's head. The Meta staggered away and withdrew his brute shot from the side of car, holding it up to deflect a barrage of gunfirre from Wash's magnum. Then, Wash's gun suddenly clicked empty.
"Aw hell," Wash swore quietly.
A sinister growl came from behind the cold visage of the Meta's visor, and he ran forward bringing his blade to bear against his foe. He swung the massive blade at Wash, but he stepped back to avoid a series of devastating blows. Until one caught him across the chest, sending him flying into a car, knocking it aside and sliding along the hard, concrete street.
South, meanwhile, unloaded as many rounds as she could from her submachine gun. As the 9mm rounds bounced harmlessly off its aura, Maine whirled around and fired a grenade directly into South's chest, sending her flying into a car, in which she left a human-sized imprint. As the hulking brute drew nearer. Wash leapt on his back and tried to wrestle him to the ground. He had his knife in one hand and was thrusting down at his foe. Maine's aura flaired up, and he swung his elbow up into Wash's ace, throwing him off of his back.
The ex-freelancer landed hardly on the ground, where Maine tried to stomp his head in, but he rolled to the side to left his armor-clad foot pass, sending cracks running through the grey concrete. Wash kipped up to his feet, but was immediately caught with a right hook, followed by an uppercut, which once again sent him sprawling. The Meta grabbed his leg as he fell back and flung him through the air, slamming him into the road, before slamming back into the spot where he'd picked him up.
Then, while South was getting back up to her feet, the Meta turned around and threw Wash at her, sending them both crashing into the ground. Wash's grey aura shimmered and sizzled, looking like it was about to crack.
Wash and South both slowly got to their feet, while Meta loaded a fresh belt of grenades into his brute shot. Wash rolled to the side, withdrawing his battle rifle and released a series of bursts at him, while South loaded a fresh magazine into her AR and began spraying her foe down with 7.62 caliber rounds.
The Meta's aura finally cracked under the barrage of gunfire, shattering and allowing the bullets to hit him directly, not that it slowed him down. The hulking brute set down his brute shot, picked up a sedan and flung it at the two ex-freelancers.
"Why do cars hate me?" Wash asked no one in particular.
Suddenly, Cadell leapt into the fray, Silvershard in-hand. The blade of his sword was glowing a brilliant silver, and he cut the thrown car in half. The two haves of the car rolled harmlessly to the side, while the Meta picked up his brute shot and fired a series of grenades at his prey.
The three huntsmen-in-training dodged the grenades and ran in to close the distance on the Meta. Cadell arrived first, bringing his balde down on the Meta in an overhead blow, but the Meta parried the strike with the blade of his brute shot. Cadell let his sword slide along the blade of the brute shot, before spinning around and putting all of his might into a cut across Maine's face, drawing a long scar through Maine's opaque golden visor.
The Meta retaliated with a heavy slash to Cadell's upper body, followed by another to his stomach, throwing him back several feet. Suddenly, South's axe came flying in, bouncing off Maine's helmet. South caught it as it flew back and continued her attack with another slash. Wash then came in from behind, ramming his bayonet through an exposed part if Maine's armor over the back shoulder.
The Meta roared in anger and hit Wash across the face with an elbow strike, followed by a backfist, and then a hard uppercut, which propelled Wash off of the ground. The Meta slashed its brute shot across Wash's abdomen, sending him flying back and shattering his aura.
South landed two more slices with her axe, before the Meta finally caught the handle of her axe in an outstretched hand. He headbutted South, causing her to reel back. he then wrenched the axe from her grasp and flung it away, before hitting her with a brutal series of three heavy blows.
A quiet charging noise then sounded from behind him. The Meta turned to see Cadell in a kneeling position, with his sword in railgun mode. The massive hunter turned and leveled his brute shot at Cadell, but it was too late, and a silver projectile hurtling towards him, slamming into his chest and sending him flying down to the ground. This, however, was not enough to put him down, not even close, and he got back up to his feet only moments later.
"Seriously?" exclaimed Cadell, "again?"
Cadell charged up another railgun shot, while Wash and South levelled their firearms at him. As a barrage of gunfire and railgun slugs surged forth, the Meta slammed his fist into the ground and he became surrounded in a domed energy shield.
"Is this his semblance?" asked Cadell.
"Something like that," mumbled Wash.
The Meta then suddenly leapt out from the top of the domed energy shield and fired a barrage of grenades at the three huntsmen, blasting Cadell back while the others rolled out of the way. The Meta turned to the side and threw its brute shot at South, who let it fly past her and embed into another car. But The Meta rapidly closed the distance between it and her, ignoring the gunfire from both her and Wash.
He barreled directly into South, throwing her to the ground and weapon the rife from her grasp. She immediately popped back up to her feet and landed two body shots, before she was caught by a brutal series of hooks from Maine. South staggered back, but, as he drew back his fist for a massive blow, Wash's grappling hook wrapped itself around his hand.
Maine looked at the hook in confusion, before Wash tugged with all his might, throwing him off balance. The Meta reaffirmed his footing before pulling on the line and ripping Wash off his feet. As he drew near, the Meta clotheslined him on an outstretched arm. The Meta tried to curbstomp him, but Wash rolled aside, elbowing the outside of his knee, while South leapt on his back. The Meta threw South of his back, hurling her into a guard rail where her aura sparked and finally cracked.
Wash drew his knife in a reverse grip. He thrust high and low at Maine, but it parried with his forearm gauntlet, before he eventually struck back with a left jab, however Wash quickly dodged back and landed a spinning back kick to his sternum. Wash turned and hit Maine with a flying front kick to the face before it rammed its massive shoulder forward into him. Wash dodged behind him and rammed his blade through a gap in The Meta's armor just below the armpit. The Meta let out a low growl before rounding on Wash with a spinning backfist. He pulled his knife free as he ducked the blow, but The Meta's attack was unrelenting. Hard blows carrying enough force to shatter bones came out at blistering speeds, and Wash was forced to duck, dodge, and desperatly parry.
He felt a gust of air blow across his face as he narrowly avoided a sharp jab, before slashing up at Maine's hand, cutting open its glove, before lunging in for more. He lunged for Maine's neck, but his thick, white-clad forearm rose to meet him. Blocked, Wash tried for the gab between his chestpiece and codpiece, but Maine blocked low and caught Wash's hungry blade. Maine shot back with an air-splitting right hook, but Wash stepped to the side, throwing his knife up into the air and catching it in his opposite hand as it spun circled through the air. He slashed down at Maine's outstretched arm, just narrowly missing the wrist before another blow came hurtling in to take his head off.
Wash dodged to the side, throwing up his knife and switching back to the right hand as he slashed at Maine's forearm, drawing a long, black scar in the white edifice of his armor. But a hammerfist from The Meta jarred Wash's shoulder and the hulking brute wrapped one massive hand around his throat, before lifting him him up, staring at him from behind the cold veneer of its visor. Wash gasped for air as he felt his windpipe cinstrict. He hammered at Maine's forearm with blow after blow, but its grip was iron. But, finally, Wash drove his knife throguh the gap in maine;s armor at the elbow, eliciting an ear-splitting roar as the behemoth finally let go.
However, as Wash pulled free his knife and drew forward, The Meta slashed his brutal blade across Wash's chest, tearing a bloody gash in his torso, before landing a hard kick to the chest, sending Wash careening back into an abandoned car. However, the Meta had not gotten off scot-free. Wash looked up, new cuts on his face but with a small smirk nonetheless.
"Gotcha."
The Meta heard a sizzling noise and looked down to its chest, only to find a spike grenade latched firmly onto his chest. He let out a loud roar and ran at Wash, but the grenade detonated before he could reach him, and he was thrown over the guard rail of the highway. And so The Meta disappeared just as he had arrived: suddenly, and in a cloud of smoke.
With the Meta gone, Wash pushed himself up against the hulk of a destroyed car. South and Cadell both ran over to him. He was dimly aware that he should probably activate his healing unit, but that thought was hazy and far away. He felt a warm, tingling sensation run through his body and he smirked lightly to himself. He could've sworn he heard voices, but they seemed far off, as if hollering down a long tunnel. Then, the world went black.
And the concrete ground rose up to meet him.
To Be Continued...