This chapter is dedicated in loving memory of Jonah (2002 - 2017), a good cat who was always nice and gentle to everyone who came into our house and always wanted to be pet and have his chin and cheeks rubbed, I loved him for most of my life, he will be missed dearly by me and my family.
So with that in mind, the theme for this chapter: Pet Sematary by The Ramones
RWBY: Destiny of Remnant
Chapter 58: Arrivals and Departures
It was already past midnight in Vacuo, but the lateness of the hour didn't quite bother Qrow as he walked towards the main entrance of the Tarshta Civil Police Headquarters, with Vacuo Ranger Santaro following close behind him. Around them, officers and a few civilians populated the side corridors while yet more people waited patiently on neat rows of plastic chairs for their turn at the line of counters to make whatever reports or grievances to the police officers on duty. He was honestly glad to be out of the building's rather hot and stuffy confines, despite the large amount of fans already installed within the ceilings which did little to cool down the desert-dry atmosphere outside.
"Are you sure you have a good lead on their trail?" The lieutenant inquired as he and the Huntsman waded their way through the crowd in the main hallway.
"If my Semblance is right, which it usually is, I should have a pretty solid way to follow the perps to wherever they're heading and find out what they're up to. Once these assholes are caught the Vacuo justice system can try them for every crime they've committed." Qrow replied as he pushed open the main doors and began to walk down the stone steps leading to the main street.
"Well, it looks to me that you have pretty much planned your next move." Santaro mentioned, "...but what about backup? Are you really that good of a Huntsman or just arrogant?"
"Both actually." Qrow answered with a smirk on his face, "In all seriousness, I will get backup when the time comes to arrest and bring them in for questioning. First, I want to see what Callows and those people working with him are up to, and who they're working for."
"You think they're working for someone?" The Vacuo Ranger lieutenant said as they stopped at under a pedestrian bridge, while cars continued to drive by.
"Yep, I have a pretty good hunch that Callows works for the same individual that Adam Taurus answered to when he seized control of the White Fang, and same person the terrorist Cinder Fall works for as well." Qrow said while being as vague as he could. Only very few individuals know about the existence of Salem and her inner circle, and the majority of those very same individuals belong to the Guardians of Remnant and the Remnant Knight Order, and certain trustworthy members of the Kingdoms' Councils. The populace of Remnant simply weren't prepared to know that there's someone out there who can control the Grimm, and was actively seeking to destroy all life on Remnant by acquiring the power of the Relics.
The dusty Huntsman crossed his arms and continued, "Chances are that these Red Fang punks are still in league with this mastermind, and I'm willing to bet that Tyrian Callows is the link to finding exactly who that is. He wasn't a Faunus before and now he is, and an insect one at that, not exactly natural, right? Given how this unsavory group have dabbled in good old fashioned mad science, it's a sure bet they have something to do with it."
"That makes sense." Santaro concurred as he nodded his head, "I presume you have an airship? You're going to have to go quite far and fast to catch up with them."
Qrow gave the lieutenant a roll of his eyes and lied, "Of course I have one. What, do you think I walked here? I left it with an old acquaintance on the other side of town. Once I have checked through all the information you have transferred to my scroll I will get to it and be on my way. Don't worry, once I have a solid lead on their position I'll contact the Vacuo Rangers, and together we will bring them to justice."
"That's the best case scenario, and hopefully you'll pull it off without any casualties." Santaro voiced as he leaned against the metal framework of the bridge, eyeing the colorful cars travelling in both directions before turning his attention back to Qrow.
"Actually, the best case scenario is if they were to show up right in front of your police headquarters and surrender themselves, before giving away every little dirty secret they have in their heads, but I personally don't see that happening." The dusty Huntsman remarked dryly.
That earned a chuckle from the lieutenant as a grin cracked his features, "If only our jobs were that easy. I will make sure your backup is on stand-by and ready to move out once we get your message. Best of luck out there, and good hunting."
Qrow nodded in appreciation before shaking the Ranger's hand, before walking down to the street at the far side of the bridge and disappearing into the night
Once he had walked far enough away he turned into a dark and secluded alleyway, Qrow followed along the backstreets until he reached a relatively deserted area which faced a dead end. After making sure that no one was around, he promptly transformed into his avian form and spread his wings, taking off into the starry night sky in a matter of seconds. Thanks to the eyes of his superior crow form, he could easily see the slightly faded trails of aura heading north-west once he found what he was looking for.
His wings flapped rapidly as he flew out past the treelines that fronted the city and out towards the desert.
'Whatever they are up to, it's clearly not good. Stealing Dust and then stockpiling it, just like what Ruby and Yang said after discovering what that Torchwick guy was doing for them in Vale. Are they going to try another breach or something worse?' Qrow mused privately to himself, 'Maybe they are planning an anonymous terrorist attack on one of the Kingdoms, sowing chaos and leaving the public of that Kingdom pointing fingers at others to find out who did it, all the while creating mistrust and fear to attract enough Grimm to attack the innocent and create even more fear.'
He increased the frequency of his wing movements, and soon he began to cover more ground, with the various landscape of Vacuo ranging from buildings to desert dunes and the like zooming speedily by beneath him.
'I won't know for sure until I find them, since I only have hunches and suspicions at the moment.' Qrow thought to himself as he kept flying into the Vacuo night. 'Can't get distracted, I have to keep moving so that I can catch up with them.'
As Qrow kept flying towards his intended destination, his mind began to wander, thinking of his family.
Family.
For a long time he had no other family but Raven, but when they both came to Beacon he became partners with Taiyang while Raven had gotten herself paired with Summer Rose. From then on the blond man and the silver-eyed woman had stuck with them through thick and thin, and they both reminded him what it was like to trust others and to form bonds, something he had been afraid of doing ever since Vernal turned the the rest of the Clan on his family.
The bonds became so great that he chose to stay with Taiyang and Summer after Raven left, leaving the blond Huntsman alone with a baby girl. He couldn't leave Taiyang, especially not now that he had Yang, the first blood relative he had besides Raven in years, and there was no way he would be abandoning her.
Qrow remembered the first time he saw Raven again after she ran off, which had been in Ozpin's tower nearly a full year later. He managed to punch her right in the face during that reunion, and it had been the only time he had ever actually managed to hurt her. Had Ozpin not been there to stop them, their fight would have easily torn apart his office, and possibly the whole tower as well.
He remembered playing with Yang when she was a toddler, he treated her like a gift from Oum, babysitting her when Taiyang and Summer took on a variety of missions to pay the bills. He had been overjoyed when Taiyang and Summer revealed how serious their relationship was becoming, with new wedding rings on their fingers and a new life forming in Summer's belly.
That life turned out to be Ruby Rose, one of the most precious people in Qrow's life. Despite the fact that Ruby wasn't blood-related, he still considered her to be. She had always been close to him, close enough that some people actually thought she was his daughter, which only escalated when she created Crescent Rose and learned how to use it by training with him.
He remembered Ruby's first birthday, Summer had baby Ruby in a high-chair and was trying to feed her bits of the birthday cake, only for the little one to get some right on her mother's nose. He mentally laughed as he remembered how the three year old Yang would run from person to person and beg to be held, and then run to the next before anyone could even try to. When he had managed to eventually get a hold of her Qrow decided to tease her by eating some cake in front of her and not letting her have any, Yang refused to cry and instead just gave off the most adorable pout and then hid her lilac eyes in her hands, pretending to cry and looking through her fingers every moment or so to make sure they were paying attention to her. Qrow put an end to it when he began to feed her some cake, which she ate up heartily just like her father would.
How he wished Raven had been there to see treasured moments like that.
Instead, Summer had been there, treating Yang as if she were her own daughter, loving her just as much as Ruby. He remembered how Summer would sing to the two young girls every night, her melodic voice lulling them to sleep. She would play with them, and would do her best to follow along with little Yang and Ruby's energy as they learned to speak for the first time and try to understand what they were saying.
He sighed inwardly, and wished Summer was still here, and while a piece of her soul was within Ruby, it wasn't the same as having her there in flesh and blood with all of them. Maybe if he and Taiyang had gotten back sooner…
' No, it's all in the past, there's no point in blaming yourself anymore.' He thought to himself. He had gone over that terrible day in his head more than a thousand times. Taiyang would have sacrificed himself for her, and so would he since he loved Summer like another sister, a bond that became even stronger after Raven took off.
It was no good wondering about the 'ifs' and 'what could have been', as he couldn't change the past. However, he could still change the future, and by that it meant what was currently happening in the here and now, and right now he needed to go faster to catch up with his 'prey'.
And so Qrow discarded his thoughts and instead focused his attention on finding where the agents of Salem have gone to, and perhaps he just might thwart another of their disastrous plans before it causes any irrecoverable damage to innocent people in Vacuo.
Meanwhile, a great many miles ahead of Qrow was a moderate-sized supply ship slowly flew over the deserts of Vacuo towards the capital. On the outside, it looked normal like all the other generic supply ships that come and go through the western Kingdom's secure borders, but within the airship were several dozen large containers filled with numerous Dust crystals which were stolen right from a local Tarshta Dust supplier. The pilots were dead, their bodies stashed in a forgotten alley with knives embedded on their backs while their identities and access codes were utilized for the Red Fang's purposes.
Within the cramped cargo hold of the ship, a certain freckled girl dressed in a navy-colored form-fitting sleeveless stealth suit laid upon one of the large containers, ignoring everything that was happening around her since it would be a few hours before the airship would reach the capital. Her legs were dangling over the edge and hung in the air, while her red and white Grimm Mask with chameleon horns was placed beside her head as she read off a news report on her scroll. Chancing upon one of the latest headlines, she grimaced as she read one in particular for what felt like the hundredth time; 'Another Drug Bust by the Reformed White Fang!'
The tanned brown skin of Ilia Amitola briefly changed color to a dark green as she read about the efforts of ex-Elite Guard commander Razor and some of his crew, apparently having exposed another large drug operation in the seedy Mistral underground, resulting in more drugs taken off the streets and several dozen drug pushers arrested, with more solid leads on other drug suppliers as well. The Fusion Faunus silently read the descriptions of Razor's team, recognizing most of them; Kane, Selena, Teresa, Russell and many others. However, in one description the report mentioned in particular was someone else who was familiar to her but wasn't part of Razor's crew: A certain feline Faunus that led the raid was said to have orange eyes and a pair of Bengal Tiger ears atop her head, with dark skin and complexion plus wild black, chin length hair with an asymmetrical bob-cut style, her tattooed body clad in a complicated black and red outfit.
It didn't take much for a bell to ring in Ilia's mind as she instantly recognized the described Faunus as Sienna Khan, one of the highly respected leaders of the White Fang's many sub-factions who served as the public face for the White Fang in Menagerie to appear amicable to its Faunus population. She had never been overly fond of Adam, even less so after the Fall of Beacon, which led to her distancing herself from the bulk of the White Fang but not totally severing ties with them. This led to Ilia suspecting that Sienna had been cautious due to the fact she was indeed wary of Adam and what he was capable was doing. Though, if Riley and the others who spoke out against Adam and were sent to die in that doomed desert outpost were anything to go by, then Khan was right not to put her trust in him.
"Amitola, what are you looking at?" A deep voice caught her attention and she pushed herself up and glanced over the edge, seeing the muscular form of commander Hui looking at her from below.
Ilia sat up and looked back down at Hui, once the faithful lieutenant of Adam Taurus, and was now the newly promoted commander of the reforged Red Fang, though he was little more than a figure head, as Salem held the real power, and they all knew it. "I noticed another news article about Razor and the reformed White Fang, it seems that they've taken down another drug operation in Mistral in their efforts to change the public perception of them." She reported, her skin changing back to its normal brown and added, "Looks like Sienna Khan had recently joined up with them."
Hui growled when he heard Sienna Khan's name being mentioned, "I wondered what happened to that traitorous bitch after she began to put some distance between her cell with the rest of the White Fang. She never trusted Adam, so it's not surprising that she allied herself with Razor and his pack of cowards."
The Fusion Faunus nodded in reply, "I wonder if we'll ever run into them, since we're all that's left of Adam's White Fang."
"Not exactly, as I have managed to track down quite a number of White Fang cells who escaped, Faunus like Fennec and Corsac Albain, and they have were eager to join us since they want revenge for what happened to Adam." Hui answered before his fists began to clench incredibly tight and he swore furiously, "And I hope we do run into them, because when that day comes, I vow it will be a day of reckoning for them."
Ilia nodded again, not bothering to argue with the Bear Faunus. She thought for a moment, and simply added, "And I guess that goes for Blake too, right?"
Hui stared at her before confirming, "She will suffer the most of all, but are you willing to help defeat her?"
She gave one more nod of her head, "I will help fight her, and make her understand the gravity of what she did to us."
No sooner had the words left Ilia's mouth, they both heard a mocking snicker coming from nearby. The cargo bay wasn't brightly lit since all available power had been channeled to the engines, so there were some noticeable shadows in the vicinity of the two Red Fang members. Their heads turned to see the form of their 'leader', Tyrian Callows, using his scorpion tail to hang from a steel support beam while his long pony-tail hair hung down as well, swinging in the air as he giggled. His usual insane grin was plastered on his psychotic-looking face, making it look like everything that happened in the world was just a dark but hilarious joke to him.
"Why do you guys take everything so seriously? Come on, lighten up a bit." He cackled at them, "So what if the big piggy and his band of do-gooders are going around and 'fighting for righteousness and justice' and all that shit?"
"If you haven't noticed, Callows, Razor and his reformed White Fang are a significant threat to us." Hui stated blandly, "We're basically a mess they want to find and clean up."
"Right. They won't exactly be in a listening mood if we do run into them, since they've already captured several Red Fang operatives and turned them over to the authorities." Ilia reminded Salem's assassin as she jumped down from the large transport crate, her simple black boots ringing on the metal decking.
"Who are all in prison now and they won't say anything because they are far too scared of what we will do if they do rat us out." Tyrian shot back, swinging his arms out to either side, "Besides, I figure you guys would appreciate this little crusade they're on, 'a heroic team of Faunus fighting against evil and crime wherever it may be!' That's actually doing your kind some favors!"
"Spare me, Callows. Don't forget that you are technically one of us now, as much as I hate to admit it." Ilia sneered at Tyrian, as he released himself and landed on his feet after performing a somersault through the air, his scorpion tail curling up behind him.
"Oh my, I can totally feel the 'brotherly love' coming off of you guys." Tyrian chuckled snarkily as he stretched his arms out.
"You weren't born a Faunus, you were altered into one. That makes you unnatural, so you will never be one of us." Hui remarked darkly as he crossed his tattooed arms.
"Unnatural? That's probably the three-hundred-and-eighty-sixth time I have heard someone use that word to describe me. Never gets old." Tyrian commented with a roll of his eyes, "Anyway, we are halfway to the capital by now, and once we get this Dust to Ante we can begin our search again."
The atmosphere in the cargo bay changed slightly once the search for the Summer Maiden was mentioned, and both Ilia and Hui straightened a little while Tyrian merely rubbed his hands together in glee.
"Do you really think the Summer Maiden is there?" Ilia inquired carefully.
"Correct, Spots. Ante reported that one of the major gangs under his control ran into a little... trouble with a rather powerful fighter, one whose fighting skills and powers match those of the Summer Maiden. It's a lead that's too damn good to pass up." Tyrian said as he began to walk away.
"So this little Dust delivery mission is just a bonus gift for Ante when we get there?" Ilia questioned with a tilt of her head.
"More firepower for him. If she's there, then we're going to need all the help we can get to defeat her, and for that to happen we are gonna need a whole shitload of Dust." Tyrian elaborated as he spread his arms theatrically, "Makes a really fun mid-day firestorm, doesn't it?" Both Ilia and Hui remained silent as they stared at him.
He then turned his head and looked at Ilia, and a lecherous smirk appeared on his face as he sauntered over to her, "Like all great predators, Mistress Salem is just waiting for the right moment to strike and land a fatal blow that will cripple the enemy, or the prey. Since you're a Faunus, you should know that principle." He stopped once he was right in front of her and then suddenly reached up to cup the Fusion Faunus' cheek, "So don't go around questioning her if you know what's good for you. It never goes well for anyone who does."
Quick as lightning, Ilia's hand shot up and grabbed Tyrian's arm tightly, forcing it away as she backed away, "Keep your hands off me, creep." She snarled as she pulled out her weapon, a lengthy grey-colored rapier-like weapon with twin chambers positioned near the handle. The entire length of the sharp blade was covered with sharp segments spaced at regular intervals, and it crackled with lightning energy as she thumbed its extended mode.
"Shit, I'm never able to keep up with how many times someone has called me that." Tyrian remarked dryly as he shrugged his shoulders candidly with a humorous grin. "Relax, Spots. You're way too young for my taste, but since you're going to be sticking with me for a while, I want you to know that if you ever pull your weapon on me again..." The scorpion-tailed man lurched forward suddenly and got up into Ilia's face before Hui could react, his voice now furious and raising as his face turned excessively unhinged, "I will teach you a harsh lesson in how I am NOT the man to fuck with!"
He grabbed Ilia by the chin, and lifted her up with little effort, "So from now on, let's just do our best to not get on each other's nerves, 'kay?" His voice softening a little as his scorpion tail moved up to point at Ilia's face.
"That's enough!" Hui shouted as he brought his fists up in a battle ready stance, but his only answer was the tail moving towards him.
"All right." Ilia managed to spit out as she glared at Tyrian.
"Good." Tyrian said before he dropped her to the floor, casually walking away as if nothing had happened. A beep caught his attention, and after flicking open his own scroll he continued, "Mistress Salem needs to see me, I'll be in the communications room for the next hour or so. Bother me at your own risk." He turned around at the cargo bay's exit, sticking his tongue out at them as he executed a theatrical bow before saying, "Later!"
As he vanished behind the closing cargo bay doors, Ilia rubbed the underside of her chin and said, "I really, really hate that man."
"As do I, but we must put up with him for the time being. Hopefully Salem will understand that he is not the one to lead us." Hui replied as he adjusted his mask.
"And who should be leading the Red Fang?" Ilia questioned, her eyebrow raised.
"Adam-"
"Adam's gone, Hui. I don't like it anymore than you do, but in the end… in the end I think he became something horrible. I never doubted him or his vision, but I think he went too far with how he wanted to achieve that vision." Ilia said firmly as she looked up at him.
Hui heaved a sigh as he leaned against the opposite crate, "I... understand that Adam eventually became obsessed and he did actually do some terrible things. I helped do some of them after all, but I told myself that it was all for a good cause because Blake and Claudandus' methods would never producing any effective results."
"And did it work out in the end?" Ilia asked, despite already knowing the answer.
Hui glared at her before turning and walking away, exiting the cargo bay and leaving the girl to stew in her own thoughts. Once he disappeared down another hallway, Ilia backed up against one of the large Dust containers and slowly slid down to sit on the cold steel floor.
"Damn it Blake, why did you have to screw everything up for all of us?" She asked herself bitterly. "Why did I have to volunteer to get experimented on? Why didn't I just stay with Adam and the others?"
She began to wonder, did Blake ever really care about Faunus like herself? The ones who had everything taken from them by humans? Did she care about all the Faunus who were rotting in prisons because of her and her human friends? Did she even care about justice for her own parents who were killed during the riots?
Ilia didn't know, but what she did know was that Blake was responsible for the White Fang being destroyed and reduced to a small group of freedom fighters, while the rest of them were imprisoned, on the run, or part of the Red Fang like herself.
She didn't like her current position, it was just so messed up and difficult, and the future didn't look like it would be getting any easier.
Ilia sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the airship, a hard scowl forming on her face. She wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for Blake. She could be working a job in some town or a beggar girl, or anything else except what she was now; a fugitive, an accessory to horrific crimes, and a freak.
"Damn you." She muttered to herself, though if she were honest with herself, she didn't know who that was directed at.
Elsewhere in the airship, Tyrian locked the door to the communications room and walked over to the computer banks and activated the system, stepping in front of the screen and the hologram transmitter so he could bear witness to whatever his venerated leader was up to.
Deep within Salem's palace, there was a lower level audience chamber that viewed the dark inky pools of the Grimm Spawning Pits. On the flat plateaus before those pits, Dr. West and the Grimm Knights worked to get the massive crates into place while up above, the Dark Queen was having a conversation with Hazel, Dr. Watts, Sheer Kaa, Anastasia, Matilda as well as several other Grimm Keepers, when they were interrupted by Tyrian's hologram appearing as from a portable holographic generator held by a Grimm Knight standing nearby.
"You summoned me, Mistress?" Tyrian asked with a subdued voice while bowing to her.
"I did Tyrian, so good of you to join us. How goes your journey to the capital?" Salem asked softly.
"Smoothly, Mistress. Nothing out the ordinary and we'll be arriving at the city by morning. The Amitola girl found another news report about that new White Fang group. Apparently, they're making trouble for the hard working crooks in Mistral, and they got another big name figure from the old Fang to join them on their little crusade. Name was Khan or something." The Human-Faunus hybrid recalled, noting Sheer Kaa's ears perking up at the mention of the name.
"We will deal with them when the time comes. For now, we have other matters to attend to. I have been telling Hazel and Sheer Kaa about the progress of my newest pupil." Salem informed her assassin.
"Is that what this is about? Has he already gotten his first mission?"
"He has, and we shall see him soon enough, but he is only part of this meeting. Our leader has another sight for us to see." Hazel told his cohort.
"Ooh, all sorts of surprises! Mistress, you spoil us! What is it?" Tyrian asked Salem with a horrible smile on his face, while the others rolled their eyes.
"You'll find out soon." She promised him as the ornate door to the side opened, allowing Cinder with Emerald and Mercury, as well as the Grimm Commanders Anansi, Ziz and Mavis to enter the sanctum. Salem looked to them and smiled warmly, "Ah, good evening my young friends. So good of you all to join us."
"You summoned us and we answered, Master." Cinder said as she bowed her head, "I presume you have an announcement to make?"
"Indeed I do, apprentice." Salem's smirk grew on her bone-white face.
"And while I'm in the dark about what it is, I can guess it still has nothing to do with the Maidens." Anastasia commented bitterly.
Salem shared a look with Watts and Hazel before she lectured her student, "We do have a lead on the Summer Maiden's location, and we know of several places in which the Winter Maiden uses as her sanctuaries. I am simply waiting for the right moment to seize the opportunity. Patience, Bloom. You will get what you desire soon enough."
"And here I thought you would have understood that patience is a virtue by now, Anastasia." Cinder remarked, eyeing the Spring Maiden candidate.
"Easy for you to say, you already have your maiden powers!" Anastasia shot back darkly.
"Because the time was right and the opportunity presented itself. One of Cinder's many qualities is patience, something you could learn from her." Salem told Anastasia as she sat back on the throne, "As for what I am about to reveal to you all tonight, I shall announce it once the others have arrived."
It wasn't long before Steppenwolffe entered the audience chamber, and the holograms of Dr. Sherizawa and Dr. Cadmus appeared as well. They greeted their powerful leader respectfully, bowing to her.
"Ah, Doctors Sherizawa and Cadmus. How goes the production of the Grimm Knights?" Salem inquired in a soft yet authoritative voice.
"The production is on schedule, ma'am. The additional upgrades are in place and all the factories' outputs are operating at the expected parameters." Cadmus reported cautiously, "As of the present, we have enough Grimm Knights to take five major cities, if you wish it."
"As tempting as that sounds, I will wait until the time comes to make appropriate use of them." The dark mistress remarked before switching to another subject, "Norvik, are you still here?"
"Yes, Mistress." A deep, wet and garbled voice of Norvik's monstrous form announced his appearance as he lurched out from a shadowy alcove off to the side, which was located just before the cliff that overlooked the main spawning pit.
The others tensed slightly, and Mavis visibly flinched upon seeing the grotesque thing before her. She could never stand to see Norvik in the flesh, and quickly moved behind Ziz and Sheer Kaa, both of whom gave her small reassuring looks before returning their gazes to Salem. Mercury and Emerald both looked uneasy at the sudden emergence of the chimera beast, but they also knew that he wouldn't try anything in the presence of Salem.
"Excellent. Now that we are all in attendance, let us get down to business." Salem began as she looked at the assembled group.
"Uh, excuse me Mistress... but what about our other allies, like that Ante guy? And what about Thorn?" Mavis queried, plucking up her courage to speak.
"Ah. Very observant, dear Mavis." Salem's lips curled into a small smile as she looked at the youngest Grimm Commander, "Ante and his Enforcers don't need to see the first subject of this meeting as they will all know soon enough. And as for Thorn, she will show up any moment now."
True to her word, at that very moment Thorn appeared via her teleportation Semblance, with a fearsome figure clad in thick dark armor standing beside her.
"Someone say my name?" She asked cheekily as she let go of the Son's arm.
"I take it you planned that little entrance, Master?" Cinder asked Salem who gave a nod.
"I do have a sense of humor, despite my usual demeanor." Salem replied with a gentle smile on her face as the Son moved quietly towards his 'mother' and stopped to stand beside her throne in silence, taking up the position of a sentinel, "Now, some of you may be wondering who this armored man is."
"The question has probably crossed everyone's minds." Sherizawa's hologram voiced quietly as he eyed the Son, especially the helmet which was shaped like a Grimm Wyvern's.
"He is the result of something Dr. Watts, Dr. West and myself have been working on for some time, with some aid from the departed doctors Merlot and Giger. By taking the recently deceased bodies of talented fighters and warriors and keeping them in stasis to prevent decay, and fusing them together with experimental science, we have managed to craft a formidable fighter from those usable body parts that were still usable. He is a fierce, powerful warrior who is more than capable of dealing deadly blows to our enemies even while they are still at full strength," She paused for a moment and added, "His creation is not to reflect negatively on any of you, as you have all done commendable jobs for the most part... but I feel that we need every advantage we can possibly have in our struggle to liberate Remnant from itself."
Cinder was intrigued by the Son, she walked forwards a few paces to get a better look at him. She had to admit he looked quite impressive and intimidating. This new development could prove both interesting, but dangerous to her position within Salem's faction, so she made a mental note to watch the Son carefully along with the rest of Salem's associates.
"I assumed he's been trained in combat?" She asked quietly and Salem responded with a nod.
"He was brought to life about six months ago, and we have subjected him to an intense training regime ensure that he is ready to serve our leader. Hazel, Tyrian, and Sheer Kaa have all assisted in this endeavor to make sure he was everything Mistress Salem wanted." Watts said, adjusting his coat.
"And how does he perform?" Cinder questioned, sizing the Son up with judgmental eyes.
"Quite well, just ask him." Hazel grunted.
Cinder exchanged looks with Emerald and Mercury before she looked to the Son and asked, "So, are you truly worthy to join us? Are you good enough to fight alongside us?"
There was a soft clatter of armor plates as the Son's Wyvern-shaped helmet turned to focus at Cinder, his face hidden behind the blank mask. The dark warrior said nothing, he merely breathed.
"My apologies, but you won't get anything out of him. While his vocal cords are still in place, there's still a little something missing." Watts began as he cupped his chin.
"A soul." Salem finished for him and everyone looked to her.
"Without a soul he cannot be persuaded or distracted by any sort of emotion. He is simply a living killing machine who will follow any task we give him to the letter, without any deviation. He has no ambition, no fear, no love, no empathy, nothing that can get in the way of his mission, and nothing that can free him from our control." She finished as she gestured and the Son knelt by her throne, allowing her to place a black-veined hand atop his head almost affectionately.
"We've kept him a secret for months now, to keep it a surprise I suppose." Sheer Kaa remarked, "Tonight was his first true mission, and how did he perform in the field?"
"The task he was given was to eliminate a loose end tied to CraftTech. A simple assassination, plus a little robbery as a bonus. Thorn was also there to assist him. So how did he do, my dear?" Salem asked the pale woman.
Thorn smirked as she began, "He did a pretty good job, granted you gave him the easiest mission possible, but he did what was needed pretty flawlessly. Meredith was stupid enough to bring bodyguards, which is exactly what he was instructed not to, but Sonny boy here took care of them easily. The loose end known as Charles Meredith is officially tied, or to give it a more accurate description, reduced to a freaking piece garbage from a barbecue that got out of hand. There were no survivors and the warehouse was emptied, and the message was deliberately left behind, which is going to make certain things very clear."
"What message?" Mavis asked.
"A message to those who serve us; the criminals, the corrupt business-people and politicians, we have so many underlings working for us that some of them are bound to get cold feet and attempt to betray us. Meredith was a loose end left by Ante, but one that was used greatly to our advantage. It will make all who serve us, no matter how minor they are, understand that attempting or even thinking about betraying us, would be the worst, and likely the last, mistake of their lives." Salem finished, looking at the Son with an expression that echoed pride.
"Still, killing a couple of sloppily trained guards and a defenseless businessman doesn't automatically make him a competent fighter." Steppenwolffe commented, arms crossed.
"I personally helped oversee his training," Sheer Kaa spoke up, "I watched as he took out several squadrons of Grimm Knights on the highest settings. As for to his combat prowess in battle against our enemies, we simply need to wait for the right time to unleash him on a target. It's as Mistress Salem said; patience."
The Grimm Commander nodded to his old comrade and stood down as Salem rose from her throne.
"Now then, onto the other topic for tonight... many years ago when I was still human, I learned of the world before Remnant, before the moon was shattered. Before even that, the world was primitive and wild, ruled over by giant beasts known as Dinosaurs that eventually died out, giving rise to mammals and, eventually, mankind. I had forgotten about them until the late Dr. Merlot, an associate no longer with us, discovered this as well and saw potential within these long dead creatures, and so I gave him permission to search for them. Sadly, he never got to fully examine his findings before his life was ended at the teeth and claws of another of his pet projects, the mutant Grimm."
"Mutant… mutant Grimm?" Mercury repeated, a bit lost and a little fearful.
"Yes, he wanted to create a serum that would empower the average Grimm and make them even more dangerous. It was a mistake and in the end I had to clear up the mess myself. Merlot was once an important figure in my organization, but in the end his ambition was his undoing; a moral you should all take to heart. However, all was not lost. Dr. West recently uncovered Merlot's records of these creatures, and an underground location where we could find them. Dr. West, if you would be so kind?" Salem spoke as she gestured to West, who was returning to the plateau after making sure everything was in place.
West bowed and began, "It would be my honor, Mistress. Now, within these crates are the remains of a mighty creature we found thanks to Dr. Merlot's notes. From what I can gather, the name of its species is known as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, or 'Tyrant Lizard King', and prior to its extinction, it was the greatest predator to ever walk the planet. We found the skeleton in an underground chamber, in what we think was a museum of old world, and in remarkably good shape considering how long it was buried underground. It's appearance is everything we hoped it would be, and everything Mistress Salem needs for a new creation."
"A new creation?" Cinder murmured, very much intrigued.
"Indeed. You are all about to bear witness to the new birth of a new type of Grimm, and an Elder Grimm at that. Salem replied.
"Whoa, I saw that thing in that cavern, and you're gonna turn that thing into a Grimm?" Ziz asked and shared some concerned looks with the other Grimm Commanders.
"Must I repeat myself?" Salem said sharply and Ziz immediately looked uncomfortable, before she stood and walked down the steps of her throne, until she was overlooking the balcony which extended from the plateau, seeing the gleaming white bones in the now open crates. Everyone else, save for the three represented by holograms, gave in to their curiosity and looked over the rock as well, looking at the bones of the Tyrannosaur.
"It's everything Merlot hoped it would be." Watts commented, impressed.
"It looks ferocious, and the transformation will multiply that substantially. I must admit it will be a great threat to our enemies, but what if it goes rogue? Large Grimm are always unpredictable when they're first spawned." Hazel said to Salem.
"There's no need to worry, Rainart. I will make sure it doesn't get out of hand." Salem assured him before looking at Matilda, who nodded and signaled to her fellow Grimm Keepers, who then checked that the power cells of their rifles were set to stun and their long cattle prods were at maximum setting.
"Just asking, which of us will control it?" Mavis questioned hesitantly, "I mean, none of us have been given control of an Elder Grimm, but since this one is just being born..."
Sheer Kaa provided the answer to the Siren, "The Elder Grimm can only be controlled by Mistress Salem. We can guide them, point them in the right direction, but not fully control them."
Mavis nodded as West took out an electronic tablet and pressed the screen several times activating a tiny hologram transmitter that began to project life-sized holograms of the bones all around them. He then manipulated the controls which caused an animation to run and show how the separate body parts all fit together and where they specifically connected.
"Now everyone, please step back. I think it's better for our safety that we give Mistress Salem room." Watts suggested as he moved towards the throne. Cinder was among the first to do so, giving the Mistress of Grimm a wide berth as she went to the edge of the plateau.
Salem looked down to the bones, and then looked at the animated holograms that surrounded her, observing them silently to take in all of the details. She looked down once more and held out her hands palms out, a dark energy pouring out from them and gently dropping down to surround the remains, covering them fully and then carefully lifting them up into the air.
The look on Salem's face was one of pure concentration as the bones began to come together, the individual sections of vertebrae; cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal, were all reunited as the ribs were reattached to the dorsal portion. The feet reclaimed their sharp claws as they was rejoined with the fibula, which were in turned attached to the femurs, which united at the ilium. The small, clawed hands met the arm, and then the sternum while the skull and the powerful jaw were reconnected, all of the teeth being carefully placed into their proper positions.
Salem's disciples watched in awe of the sight before them. No one said anything as they witnessed the sheer power of their Dark Mistress. They simply couldn't find the courage to break the silence. Soon, all the bones were back in place, and the magnificent specimen was whole again.
"It looks far more impressive whole than in pieces." Watts commented to Salem as he admired the finished skeleton.
"Indeed, dear doctor. Now, onto the next step." Salem mentioned as she used her powers to levitate the reconstructed dinosaur remains over the inky black pit. The Dark Queen then lowered the bones into the pool of tar-like liquid.
Once it was fully submerged into the Spawning Pits, Salem crossed her black-veined arms and said, "Now, we simply wait a few moments, and see the results."
The Son of Salem moved towards his 'mother', with Hazel and Dr. Watts following close behind. Cinder looked to her students, giving them a look that told them to stay while she went ahead, while Thorn and Anastasia walked right beside her.
"Should we…?" Mavis began to ask, only for Sheer Kaa to shake his head. It was clear he didn't want to be too close to the beast when it was awoke.
No one, however, even tried to intervene when Norvik began to move forward, his chimera body making heavy thudding sounds as walked out.
"I don't know which would be worse, Norvik or that big lizard thing." Anansi whispered to Ziz, who smirked and nodded in agreement.
West stayed behind as he had seen the remains up close and knew that whatever would come out of the pits would be truly monstrous, but said nothing as Tyrian whined about not being able to see it. Meanwhile, Matilda and the rest of the Keepers joined the others in looking over the parapet to see that the inky black fluids of the pool was now beginning to bubble and shift as though violent torrents were moving underneath it. Small waves began to clash against stone walls as the oily substance bubbled more and more furiously.
Soon, movement could be seen beneath the waves, and then something else could be seen taking shape. It was vague, but they all knew it was the birth of a new breed of monster, a massive creature of Grimm was coming to life right before their eyes.
Two red lights appeared in the pitch black pool...two red eyes.
Finally, it began to surface from the bubbling surface of the Spawning Pit. Salem smiled darkly as the head of the creature emerged, and differences could be seen instantly between the Grimm version and the original dinosaur. It had enlarged teeth and large white bone plating masking the skull, and lines of small horns emerging at the crown. Echoing cracking sounds could be heard as the spinal vertebrae elongated, becoming sharper and emerging out of the regenerating black skin all the way down to the tail as additional bone armor spread out along the back with a spike-like stinger at the end of the tail. The arms and the sharp claws connected to them began to enlarge unnaturally as the spikes like those of a Beowolf began to emerge along the arm.
The beast emerged from the pool, its gigantic legs lifting its body out of the pit as it walked towards higher ground, the black liquid dripping off of it in long rivulets. Its legs were now much thicker thanks to the armored bones, and the bird-like feet were slightly bigger with sharper claws.
Cinder's eyes widened upon seeing the full and terrible sight of the massive Grimm, ignoring the startled exclamation of "Holy Shit!" from Mercury. Tyrian, however, just had a look on his face that told them this was the best thing he had ever laid eyes on.
The newly-born beast breathed out, steam bursting from its nostrils before its massive, fearsome head lifted up to look at them, its blood red eyes staring right at them. It opened its mouth slightly, lowered its head before bringing it up and letting out an incredibly deafening roar of primordial fury, thick slimy saliva flying everywhere.
Everyone flinched or drew back, most covering their ears as the terrifying sight of the Grimmified Tyrannosaurs came up to the balcony-like structure of the plateau, it's menacing visage was enough to make Cinder, Watts, Hazel, and Anastasia wisely back away while Thorn simply teleported to the far side of the room.
The Son of Salem, sensing a threat to his 'mother', withdrew Chaos Edge and moved to defend her by stepping in front of the Dark Mistress, the resurrected Grimm Tyrannosaur snarling angrily at him. Cinder silently observed the intimidating warrior, seeing how he moved in between Salem and the beast without even the slightest hesitation or concern for his own safety and thought to herself that he would be an obvious 'no' for a list of potential traitors, and could be a great threat to her interests. She would have to watch him closely... and make certain adjustments to her plan to deal with him if necessary.
Norvik placed his forelegs on the parapet and looked directly into the eyes of the enormous creature, which stopped looking at Salem and moved its head slightly to observe Norvik for a few moments. The two monsters gazed at each other before the newborn Elder Grimm let out another mighty roar and snapped menacingly at Norvik. The Grimmified dinosaur's heavy jaws slammed down on thin air as the Grimm Chimera leapt back just in time.
"Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent. I can't wait to see it kill." Norvik said to himself, as the beast kept snarling at him.
"Should we attempt to tame it, Mistress Salem or do you want to do it yourself?" Matilda asked her master cautiously as the resurrected Tyrannosaurs abruptly swerved its head back to them, making the head of the Grimm Keepers jump back in fright.
The Son of Salem got into a pose that made it look like he was about to leap into the air, his sword ready to strike the beast, before Salem gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head to look at her, they shared a brief look before he nodded and seemed to relax, stepping aside for his 'mother' to walk forward while he kept his sword unsheathed, guard up.
One of the Grimm Keepers made sure his electrical prod was at maximum setting as he began to slowly walk forwards, only to trip over a rock and fall forwards onto the parapet, accidentally attracting the newly-born Grimm's attention. Its head lurched forward without warning as he forced himself up, but it was already too late for him.
Before he could scream the reborn dinosaur swung its head with its powerful jaws open and caught him, lifting the unfortunate Keeper off the ground into the air. The other Keepers began to fire their stun guns at the beast, electric blasts sparking off its thick hide while their comrade screamed and begged for help before the Grimmified Dinosaur began to shake him wildly, like a dog would with a raggedy old toy. His screams became louder as the beast bit down, its sharp teeth severing the right arm and leg from body instantly, and the violent shaking caused those body parts to go flying onto the ground of the plateau with red blood spattering onto the smooth black marble. The sight alone was enough to make almost everyone recoil, and more than a few of them gave out gasps of shock and terror.
Ziz immediately covered Mavis's eyes and extended her wings to their maximum length, looking as if she were ready to shield the girl, while Emerald and Mercury got ready to fight.
The chilling screams of the unfortunate Keeper continued for several seconds until the beast bit down again, weakening his cries as it slammed him down to the ground and began to rip him apart. Its sharp fangs tore out chunks of the Keeper's body within its mouth, reducing the flesh to ragged pieces and cracking bones apart as it ate its first meal.
After devouring the ill-fated Grimm Keeper, the abomination raised its head once more, letting bits of gore drop from its mouth and blood drop from its horrifying jaws. It's mouth was now covered with what remained of the Keeper, torn flesh stuck in between the teeth, but none of these factors seemed to bother Salem as she stood serenely before the monstrosity.
"A truly marvelous creature, don't you think?" She spoke as she walked past the Son, ignoring the fearsome snarls of the monster. It moved as though to attack once more, only for Salem to hold out her hand and place it atop the snout of the beast.
"Sleep." She commanded.
The giant Grimm pulled back from her, its eyes looking right at its creator as it slowly calmed down and lowered its head. Soon enough the Elder Grimm had laid its entire body down on the ground before the Spawning Pits and promptly fell asleep.
"An acceptable field test, Dr. West." Salem announced as she turned back to face said Doctor who was standing a respectful distance from her, "I am not disappointed in the slightest, this creature will indeed be a great asset to our future plans."
West bowed to her as he came forward, a look of pride written on his face as he tried to ignore the spattered bloodstains at his feet.
"Its name means Tyrant Lizard King, correct?" She asked him.
"Uh, yes it does, my queen." West confirmed.
Salem hummed and said, "An appropriate name, but I think I shall name it the Tyrant."
"An excellent choice, Mistress." Watts praised, while Hazel merely nodded in agreement.
"Hell yeah! When are we gonna let it loose?" Tyrian's shimmering hologram asked her.
"When the time is right, dear Tyrian. I think a creature as powerful as the Tyrant deserves a worthy target. I shall make my choice in due time." Salem told him.
"I honestly feel a bit sorry for whoever or whatever it attacks. I mean, if that thing were out in the wild there would be no stopping it." Mercury voiced nervously.
"Indeed, it would take more than a few Huntsmen to bring it down." Steppenwolffe agreed.
Norvik crawled over to the severed arm and leg and asked, "So, anyone want a piece?"
Almost everyone shuddered or cringed at the thought, and Sheer Kaa spoke for everyone when he bluntly stated, "You're disgusting."
"I still can't decide which one is more disturbing." Anansi quipped as his extended spider legs clacked around himself.
"And that says something coming from a guy with spiders living in his shirt." Ziz remarked dryly.
Salem shook her head before saying, "Now that the demonstration is over...Sheer Kaa, Ziz, Steppenwolffe, I want the three of you to keep watch on the Tyrant. Thorn, I require you to help Matilda and the other Keepers transport the Tyrant to the resting place I have chosen for it. Mavis and Anansi, you two can keep the other Grimm calm for the time being, the birth of a new Elder Grimm can be a bit exciting."
Thorn and the Grimm Hybrids set to work, and eventually the Tyrant was teleported to its chosen prison for the time being, awaiting its chance to be unleashed again.
Cinder, however, was more preoccupied with looking at the Son of Salem, "Master, I think Steppenwolffe raised a valid point earlier about the Son. Stealth and assassinations are one thing, but full on combat is another. When the time comes for a full scale battle, will he be of use?" She asked while gesturing to him.
Salem turned her head slightly so that she was looking at Cinder from over her shoulder, giving the Fall Maiden a smile as she answered, " I assure you that in time he will prove to you how capable he truly is, my disciple. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with him. You are all dismissed for tonight. Thank you for joining me and may you all have a pleasant evening.
With this, the Mistress of Grimm walked towards the largest door leading out of the Spawning Pits which opened automatically to admit her into the darkness beyond, and closed it behind her, leaving her underlings to disperse at their leisure.
As the Grimm Keepers went about their assigned jobs, Cinder instead crossed her arms as her amber eyes focused in the Son's direction. He seemed to be looking back at her, but it was hard to tell due to the mask concealing his face. Eventually, he was led out of the room by Hazel while Watts began to speak to West and the holograms of Sherizawa and Cadmus, and a bored Tyrian simply deactivated his hologram and left.
Norvik took his leave, the severed limbs still dangling from his mouth, while Anastasia walked away muttering in a whiny voice as she made expressive gestures with her hands, "'Wait, all in due time, have patience'. Gods, I am probably going to have gray hair by the time I get my Maiden powers!"
Exactly what Salem saw in Anastasia Bloom, Cinder didn't know. She simply shook her head at her petulant whining, but still...
"So what do you think?" Emerald's voice snapped her out of deep thought.
"About what exactly? The Tyrant or the Son?" Cinder queried as she led the thief and assassin out of the cavern.
"Both, I guess." Emerald answered with a shrug.
"The Tyrant will undoubtedly make a very useful tool of destruction, and by creating such a creature it tells me that my Master is planning to strike at one of the Kingdoms soon. I can't tell when, but a battle is coming, there's no mistaking that." Cinder surmised, placing a gloved hand beneath her chin as her amber eyes narrowed a faction.
"And what about zombie boy?" Mercury inquired, "I mean, stringing a bunch of dead bodies together to make a super soldier? Where do I even begin to describe how messed up that is?"
"I admit I'm curious about him, why make something like him? She already has more than enough servants that could serve as assassins, so why does she want him? As a bodyguard?" Cinder reflected, sharing a brief look with Emerald who gave a shrug in return.
"Yeah, why would she need a bodyguard?" Mercury pointed out, "She's so powerful, all she needs to do is look at something and wham! Instant pain."
"True, but a bodyguard would probably give an enemy a false sense of security. We shall have to see how he performs before we judge the Son." Cinder said thoughtfully before adding, "Still there's something else..."
While she noticed the concerned looks that her students were giving her, the Fall Maiden couldn't bring herself to say anything that would alarm them. She struggled to find the words momentarily, but couldn't in the end, "Never mind, it's nothing."
She then turned and walked down the hallway back up to the higher levels of the castle in silence, with Emerald and Mercury looking at each other in confusion.
If there's one thing the continent of Solitas had in abundance, besides snow, it would have to be mountains. The various sharp-edged ranges and peaks stretched away to the horizon, clustering themselves close to each other as though they were huddling together for warmth. Numerous valleys and gorges were carved into the lower regions over long periods of time naturally by the unforgiving weather.
While a few wider valleys have been remade into major transit pathways for the extensive Atlesian train transport network to connect between various major cities, many were left untouched due to the risk of avalanches, ice, and significant concentrations of Grimm which many would do well to avoid. While expeditions had been launched in the past, the few brave souls had to bring experienced climbers and security forces, lest they fall prey to accidents or worse.
And where the majority of Atlas' population avoided or shunned the area, the very same mountains could also be used by certain individuals to run their own operations away from prying eyes.
In the shadows of a hidden crevice that offered an unobstructed view of the sharply-curving valley below, a pair of operatives from Task Force Omega silently observed the activity within the moderately-sized Red Fang base below. Thick white snow fell around them and freezing gusts of wind blew past them and disturbed the external crystalline panels of their advanced full-body armor suits. The two were hidden by the crevice even as they rested on their front, the electronic sensors of their armoured helmets set at maximum to make sure they didn't miss any crucial detail.
The Omega trooper on the left cradled a heavily-customized and scoped sniper rifle pointed down into the valley, slowly panning from left to right while his female companion had two armoured fingers at the side of her helmet, tuned in to the same view he was seeing through the scope. While their helmets concealed any noise from the outside world, the quick movements of their helmets signified unspoken responses to each other even as they relayed intelligence through a heavily-encrypted channel back to Commander Central.
The sniper, known as Javelin, and the spotter, known as Jammer, were both chosen by Central to join his hand-picked cadre of elite Atlesian soldiers because they were highly trained in their respective specializations. Others that made up the team were also chosen for their skills, courage, initiative and resourcefulness they had exhibited within the various branches of the Atlesian military before they were recruited.
Below them the valley curved sharply to either side, with a roughly square-ish base sitting at the foot. In the snow-covered courtyard small ships sat idling underneath white tarps to protect them from the harsh weather, along with an assortment of a few tanks and assault tech. At the other side of the base were the hulking forms of extensively-modified mechanical Paladins, possibly stolen from Atlas by Torchwick and then smuggled away after the death of Adam Taurus. Sentries wielding assault rifles were stationed all over the temporary Red Fang base, and regular patrols walked in circuits outside its low walls.
"Omega One, are you seeing this? Target area looks hot." Javelin murmured to himself as he increased the magnification, seeing a number of Red Fang soldiers unloading thick crates containing ammunition and weapons, "I count quite a number of heavy armor including transport trucks, a troop carrier, one battle tanks, and at least four stolen modified Paladin units."
"And it seems our suspicions were confirmed, they did repurpose that abandoned outpost from the Second Great War." Jammer added while zooming in through the suite of sensors within her helmet, "Our target is probably hiding in one of those buildings, we might him there if we move quickly."
"Acknowledged." Central's voice came through the communication channel,"We'll make those command and control buildings our main objective once we land boots on the ground."
"Wait, I see something happening near the base." Jammer's companion sighted down his scope at the couple of trucks parked near an opening carved into the rock of the mountain. It looks like a rather deep cave despite the falling snow hampering his view a little, and it seemed to burrow deep into the roots of the mountain, "I don't remember such a tunnel opening here."
"Many people don't." Jammer offered helpfully beside him, "Back in the Second Great War, tunnels like that one were used by the resistance to travel freely in and out of Mantle. While a few of them were created through artificial means, the majority are caused by natural erosion over long periods of times, and sometimes have concentrations of Grimm living within. After the war, the government sealed off most of them to prevent further Grimm incursions to the Kingdom's borders, but I guess this one escaped notice."
"And do we know where this particular tunnel leads?" Central asked.
Jammer thought for a moment before continuing, "Not without a thorough scan through the cave network. Which we obviously can't given the circumstances and mission parameters. We have to find another way to close that tunnel."
"A strategic airstrike would have been ideal." Javelin commented as he shifted his sniper rifle slightly to the right to look at something else, "They're all bunched up inside the confines of the base, just asking for it. We could also seal off that tunnel entrance at the same time. Two birds with one stone."
"Negative. You know the objectives of the mission, Omega Four." Central reiterated while Jammer turned her helmet slightly to the left to glance at her fellow Omega trooper carefully, "High Command rejected the airstrike option as they want the primary target alive. Apparently it's so important to the intelligence branch that they sent our team to handle it personally."
"Actually the primary target is not an inert object, Commander." N1CK3L's cool, modulated voice smoothly cutting into the channel as his identification icon chimed with Javelin and Jammer's helmets' retinal displays, "It is actually an individual, or more specifically a high-ranking White Fang officer who served Adam Taurus in the past and joined the Red Fang after its collapse."
"Draco Sanguine, right?" The sniper grunted as he adjusted the scope of his sniper rifle to focus on the cluster of pitted concrete buildings within the base, watching the small groups of Red Fang soldiers go about their business.
"Correct, he is a Vampire Bat Faunus who was in charge of Blood Reavers gang in Vacuo makes it clear he was a threat even before he joined the White Fang." N1CK3L informed them. "Draco was a staunch loyalist to Adam Taurus, and was considered the one of his most dangerous Oblivion Vanguards due to his handling of certain sensitive matters for the ex-leader of the White Fang. After the main White Fang faction fell, he was among those that escaped capture and disappeared, until the Red Fang began to surface, and then the Special Operatives Unit managed to obtain some information as to his whereabouts and what he had been doing. From what the intelligence branch have pieced together, it seems that Draco has made a new Blood Reavers gang within the Red Fang, in preparation to perform attacks or whoever's in control of the Red Fang at the moment."
"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Javelin quipped and then added a few seconds later, " I have a feeling that he isn't going to surrender without a fight, but I don't see him within the Red Fang base anywhere..."
"He's probably in one of those buildings." Jammer replied as she looked through the three-dimensional hologram of the Red Fang base crafted by her suit's high-tech sensors, "Most likely the large one in the middle of the base, with the tower, it would provide a good vantage point to see the entire cell assembling and make a quick getaway, there's an adjacent landing pad with a heavily armed Bullhead on it."
"Good eye, Omega Three." The commander acknowledged, "We'd have to disable or destroy it before he tries to make a getaway when things go south. There's also a secondary objective for you once you gain access to their command center, are you clear on that?"
The tech ops specialist gave a tiny nod of her helmet as she sent a signal of acknowledgement, "Hacking their systems to find out if they're are other active cells hiding in Atlas? Just give me two minutes, and I can get you all the information you need to burn them out of their hiding places."
"Just do what you do and we'll be fine." Central answered and began to deliver precise reminders to each respective Omega Trooper with regards to their role within his team, but for some reason he had left out what role N1CK3L had to play in the upcoming mission. None of the members of his personal team questioned him, since they knew that Central often keeps something in reserve so that he doesn't commit everything at once, and it has paid off in the previous assignments they have been tasked with.
"...after we have captured Draco and sliced into the Blood Reaver's computer database to get whatever we can on their operations, we will make for the primary extraction site and Raider will drop in with Retribution to pick us and our target up. Omega Six will then blow the explosives he planted at the tunnel entrance once everyone is on board. Everyone clear?" Central finished as though he had rehearsed the briefing countless times before, his voice carrying his orders smoothly to every single member of his team, who all gave out signals of acknowledgment. "Good. Task Force Omega, move out."
Javelin and Jammer both cut the communications link and slowly lifted themselves from the snow, their armour suits' external panels camouflaging them in the mountain surface behind them. Moving with care, the two began their silent and careful descent downwards to the Red Fang base, with the rest of their team doing the same thing from other separate locations.
"What's your opinion of the robot?" Javelin suddenly spoke up as he lowered himself slowly onto the ledge below him, "I don't quite like how his voice can suddenly cut into our communications channels."
"Strangely, I find N1CK3L interesting." Jammer answered as she adjusted her grip and dropped down onto the ledge with her fellow Omega trooper, "He doesn't behave like any of those Atlesian knight models we have seen marching around headquarters, and he makes valid points and observations, but also seems to be trying to display emotions, though from what I understand he's still more robotic than that Penny android."
The sniper grunted as he and Jammer inched their way onto another lower ledge, "I still don't know why we need an enhanced tactical android attached to our team, we pretty much have every available role already filled."
"He's fully programmed for combat, so I think he could be our emergency backup." Jammer guessed and glanced at Javelin, tilting her head a little, "Who knows? Maybe he'll surprise us."
"We'll see." Javelin sighed as he continued his downward climb, "Let's just hope he doesn't end up like those disposable Atlesian Knights."
"Somehow, I doubt it." The tech specialist replied as they both reached another lower ledge which sloped steeply downward before evening out onto solid ground. Jogging through the snowstorm towards the Red Fang base in the distance as flakes of snow whipped into their faces, the two Omega agents gave one last check of their respective weapons and nodded at each other with a couple of quick hand gestures.
"Okay, let's get to work."
The moment the flash-bang grenade, thrown by Central himself, detonated within the command center of the base, there was only screams of shock and confusion following the bright searing flash of light within the confines of the compound. Moving quickly, with Jammer taking the left and another Omega Tropper, Shocker, taking the right, Central entered the facility and began to neutralize every single Red Fang soldier and officer he could see, the targets already tagged within his helmet's electronic display.
With his customized assault rifle braced against his shoulder, Central speedily shot the first Faunus clad in red and black, who was struggling to see as he brought up his own rifle to return fire, causing him to drop his weapon and tumble to the ground groaning in pain. Spinning around, he nailed another Red Fang grunt who was hiding behind a desk and was trying to draw a bead on Shocker who was grappling with another what looked like a burly-looking… Lizard Faunus?
This odd sight nearly allowed another Faunus to get the drop on him, but Jammer was covering him, her energy rifle sending blasts of blue energy across the length of the room, dropping any remaining enemy who couldn't find cover. Central signaled, thanking her as he snapped back into the here and now.
As the next enemy soldier fell backwards, clutching a shoulder wound inflicted by Central, Shocker dropped one hand and disengaged one of his twin shock batons, thumbing it to crackling life. He waited for an opening, then bashed the Lizard Faunus in the face with the butt of his assault rifle, before slamming the dangerous end of it into the Fusion Faunus' chest causing him to dance momentarily with his mouth open in a muffled scream as he began to visibly smoke due to the high voltage, the masked faunus slumped forward and collapsed with a loud thud once Shocker withdrew his sparking shock baton. As he brought up his assault rifle, he glanced down at the strange anomaly of a reptile Faunus once more before adding his gunfire to Central and Jammer's fusillade.
In a span of a few moments the unyielding floor of the command center was littered with groaning and unconscious Red Fang soldiers and officers. Marching over to the largest computer console in the room, Central picked up the hand of a high-ranking Red Fang officer who was knocked out cold from the ground and placed it on the scanning panel. Once the security system flashed green, he moved aside and nodded to Jammer, who was already jacking cables in through multiple open external cable ports and typing rapidly on the glowing electronic screen displayed on her forearm-mounted dock, already hacking through the base's firewalls and searching for whatever intelligence she could find within reach. The whole engagement took less than five minutes, and hopefully no alarm had been raised.
"Omega Five, watch the door." Central ordered as he saw the various wall-mounted computer screens displaying various scrolling data on other Red Fang operations scattered around Solitas, all of it being transferred to Jammer's mobile tactical database system within her suit and deleting everything from the Red Fang's systems, including all of their backups. True to her impressive hacking skills, the tech specialist of the team cracked the security mainframe within thirty seconds and quickly began her download, while attaching and priming a couple of EMP grenades to knock out the every piece of electronic hardware within the temporary command center.
"Omega One, we've checked the other rooms on this floor, no sign of Draco Sanguine." Javelin reported as he and two others, Invictus and Fieros, walked through the damaged doors of the command center, with Fieros bringing up his energy rifle to deliver a blast into a masked Red Fang soldier who was slowly crawling towards his discarded weapon, "Looks like the three of you have been very busy."
"Indeed." Shocker turned his helmet towards Javelin who shrugged his shoulders a little, "It must be really comfortable for you to sit somewhere high and snipe away at targets while the rest of us get dirty with enemy forces on the ground."
"Well, you know me, I always enjoy a view from above." The sniper gave a small chuckle as he chambered another round into his personal sniper rifle, and was about to say more when Central spoke up.
"Our secondary objectives have been completed, but we still need to capture Draco for the intelligence branch so as to ensure that our mission is a success. He must be in the vicinity of the base somewhere, since he isn't here in the temporary command center."
"He's likely in the tower overseeing the activity of his cell." Invictus, the heavy assault trooper mentioned as he shifted his portable multiple-missile launcher which was locked to his back, to which Javelin shook his helmeted head slowly, "I checked the tower on my way here with my rifle's scope. There's only a couple of grunts having a smoke up there, nothing else."
"Actually, why don't we ask someone around here?" Shocker dragged the Red Fang officer that Central had 'borrowed' his clearance to bypass the computer systems' security upright and zapped him awake with a small charge from his shock batons, "Rise and shine, Red Fang. We would like to ask you a few questions."
The masked Red Fang officer, a Jackal Faunus, glared hatefully at the melee specialist as he found himself handcuffed to one of the intact chairs, "You can do whatever you want to me, but I'm not saying anything to any of you."
"You might want to rethink that." Javelin snarked a little at his defiant outlook, "Because once my fellow agents here get to use their special talents, you're gonna regret saying that."
"If you want to skip all the unnecessary trouble, start by telling us where Draco Sanguine is." Central posed, his customized assault rifle lowered while giving orders through hand signals for Javelin, Invictus and Fieros to watch the doors.
Instead, the Faunus spat at Central's boots, the glob of phlegm spattered across the floor. The Task Force Commander gestured to Shocker who toyed with his collapsible laser sword which was held in a holster at his lower back, "Omega Five, think you can get him talking in the next two minutes?"
"I can make him sing soprano in one." Shocker said, stepping towards the terrified Red Fang officer.
Central watched him pull out the laser sword before turning to regard Jammer who was flicking through the immense amount of data she had transferred from the hacked computer systems. "Omega Three, I need a sitrep now."
"Almost done. Just leaving some surprises for the Red Fang should they somehow manage to access the computer mainframe after we leave." The tech genius was smiling behind her helmet as she tapped a few final commands and heard a series of soft beeps echo from her forearm-mounted dock's blue screen, "I've been coding and devising security measures since I was thirteen, commander. Their security systems are child's play for me. There, that's everything I have data-mined from their servers, I also erased everything from their computer systems too." She then detached the cables from the main computer console and checked the remaining charge on her energy rifle.
There was a brief scream as Central turned back to Shocker who was calmly wiping blood off his gauntleted fingers as he walked back to the commander's side and pointed at the wall-mounted display screens, "Looks like Draco had left to inspect the modifications on his personal Paladin battlesuit just a while ago. It's the closed hangar displayed at the top right hand screen."
"Are you sure, Omega Five?" Central checked his ammunition count for his assault rifle, and eyed the unconscious Red Fang officer being dragged away by Fieros, "Did that officer lie to you?"
"Well, he did at first." The melee specialist answered coolly, "But after I nearly chopped off his fingers with my sword, he told me the truth. Didn't stop me from punching him in the face again."
"Good work. We need to move quickly before any lingering patrols return and sound the alarm." Central spoke to the rest of the assembled team, "Let's go get Draco and finish this mission."
Within seconds, the elite team vanished down the darkened corridors of the Red Fang's base, heading towards the hangar where they would find their primary target and leaving a whole room of unconscious Red Fang personnel lying on the cold floor.
Stationed a short but safe distance away from the base and cloaked from all kinds of detection by its unique stealth technology, the Retribution floated smoothly between two mountain peaks, occasionally releasing small, short blasts from its maneuvering thrusters as the Strike Corvette maintained its current position without alerting the enemy of its presence while its main engines remained hot.
Despite the Corvette's smaller size compared to the other airships of the Atlesian military, it was nevertheless quite dangerous in its own right due its ability to carry a small army within its hangar bays and its formidable complement of armaments which included point defense gun turrets, concussion missile pods and a pair of twin mass-rail-gun cannons. Additionally, the Retribution also boasted its own barrier shields and its trio of primary engines were powered by an experimental dust-fusion reactor. Commissioned by General Ironwood for Task Force Omega, it served as the commando unit's main source of transport besides their advanced VTOL gunships and mobile bases.
Fast enough to surpass the speeds of other airships built by the other Kingdoms, yet capable of packing a fearsome punch with its powerful weapons whenever the need arose, the ship assigned to Central's team was crafted with the very best Atlas technology through and through. Of course, it was unique enough to have only have a very small number produced, and all of them were given either Atlesian specialists with stunning records, or commando units which have proven themselves many times over like Commander Central's.
Within the confines of the standing-by Retribution's bridge, the main pilot and engineering specialist of Central's team sat at the extensive navigation console, his helmeted face lit by the glow of many blue and green screens displaying a wide range of technical information which jockeyed for his attention all the way from left to right. Raider's, better known as Omega Two, hands were holding a large complex-looking joystick and dancing across the length of a complicated keyboard as he maintained the ship's position cautiously, waiting for the signal from the rest of Team 113 to execute a hot pick-up when they completed both the primary and secondary objectives of the mission.
A skilled pilot would still have some trouble moving the sleek Corvette through the narrow valleys between the massive mountains, but Raider was glad he had some assistance from the ship itself. In addition to its advanced stealth cloak, the Retribution had something else that has not been fully-implemented in other Atlesian airships: an Electronic Versatile Agent unit, a highly advanced battle interface pseudo-artificial intelligence that monitored critical information and coordinates overall tactical operations for the Task Force and could even auto-pilot the Strike Corvette whenever necessary.
Currently, the EVA unit was assisting him in keeping an eye out on the team's progress through their video and audio pickups, as well as on the status of N1CK3L, who was currently standing-by in the main hangar bay. Raider didn't know what role his commander has designated N1CK3L, but judging from what the 'brother' of Penny was packing within the massive metal crate which had been brought on-board along with him from the Spirit of Winter, the Task Force's pilot had a feeling that N1CK3L would be fully capable of dishing out a lot of damage should the need arise.
Such as the current situation the team was facing at the moment.
"Warning: Additional enemy forces inbound ." A cool female voice resonated within the Task Force pilot's helmet, and he sat up while changing the screens to show the muted video links from what the rest of his team was presently seeing. The situation facing them at the moment had deteriorated with every passing second, and it appeared that the entire Red Fang base had noticed their infiltration and were raining untold amounts of gunfire in their direction. Raider's hands clenched on the navigational joystick as he watched the battle unfolding from his team members' perspectives, and he forced himself to steady his breathing as he awaited the confirmation that he was to uncloak and rush in to pick up his team from the hot war zone.
He blinked away anything that was not relevant to his current situation, shuffling them away to the side or closing additional screens completely as he focused on the main screens showing the battle unfolding within the Red Fang base, explosions tearing through various parts of it at separate intervals. Thirty seconds, that was all he had to uncloak and deploy from the far end of the narrow valley and be directly over the outskirts of the base to pick up Central and the rest, before turning around and blasting off and re-cloaking the Retribution to prevent being followed.
The constant vibration of the engines informed Raider that it was ready to go once the order was given, but something began to bother him the longer he looked at the screens showing his other team members in combat. Normally, it would be that the enemy would be retreating from the Task Force, but this time it was Central and his team that were being gradually boxed in, with massive amounts of firepower hammering them from all sides even as they returned fire whenever they could, but it was clear they were fighting a losing battle.
He was about to tell the EVA unit to open a channel to Central when he saw the icon of his commander blink urgently. Looking at the video links, Raider could see that his leader was hunkering behind a barricade while firing his customized assault rifle at the incoming Red Fang soldiers who were firing so much ammo that they were punching large amounts of deep holes in the wall behind the commander himself.
He switched to audio, and Central's voice came over the deafening roar of weapons fire and several explosions. "Retribution, we have positive confirmation of Draco Sanguine, but we cannot get to him due to us being pinned down." His voice was nearly swallowed in static before it came back slightly clearer than before, "Omega Two, area is far too hot for you to attempt a pick-up."
"Omega One, I can still strafe the Red Fang forces with the Retribution's weaponry, buy you all some breathing room and perhaps allow you to still capture Draco. Then make your way to the extraction point and I'll be there to extract you." Raider answered as he adjusted the communication channel, watching Invictus's video feed as he fired his missile launcher which hit a Red Fang tank head-on, causing it to blow up in a spectacular fashion and sent hot shrapnel flying everywhere while a large fireball mushroomed into the air.
"Negative." Central's voice was hard as he continued gunning down any threat he could while running from cover to cover, avoiding missile blasts and the hailstorm of assault rifle fire coming his way, "We're switching over to the contingency plan. Patch me through to N1CK3L now."
"You sure, Commander?" Raider's gauntlet-clad fingers was already shifting to another holographic keyboard on his console as he connected the Task Force commander to the android once he received confirmation from Central. He could overhear everything Central said to N1CK3L, although it was rather short and straightforward since there wasn't much to say when one was fighting for his life against heavily-armed enemies who were actively trying to kill him and the rest of his team.
"Omega Two, do exactly what Omega Eight requests of you, our lives depend on your piloting skills once again."
Raider managed a small chuckle, and shook his head a little in response, "I may be a daredevil, but deploying an android into the battlefield in the midst of battle? Oh ye of little faith... I won't fail you."
"See that you don't, or we'll all be dead." Central managed a terse reply before cutting the communication channel, at which Raider switched over to N1CK3L as he brought the Retribution's engines and weapon systems online.
"Omega Eight, are you ready for your special drop? It's your first big engagement, right?"
"Affirmative." N1CK3L answered coolly from the Retribution's hangar bays, "I am aware of my primary and secondary targets. Mark II Full Armour Defense System online and operating at maximum efficiency. I am am prepared to engage enemy forces."
"You better be. Get ready to deploy once I open the hangar bay doors!" The pilot nodded to himself as he tapped multiple keys speedily and brought the experimental dust-fusion reactor to full power once more and waking the airship to full readiness in the span of a few seconds. The entire deck of the bridge rumbled as massive amounts of power was fed to those important areas of the ship, launching it quickly into the frenzy of the ensuing battle nearby.
He mentally prayed he would make it in time, because otherwise the consequences would be... horrifying.
No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy. That was a harsh lesson from the many battles that had taken place in the Three Great Wars, and many other conflicts that had ravaged Remnant in the past had taught. Of course, he should have expected it, but apparently things don't always go the way Central plans and sometimes, one has to improvise instantly during a battle to achieve victory.
Central ducked back behind the battered snow-covered emplacement walls as streams of bullets flew past him from the weapons of several Red Fang soldiers, striking the walls with percussive bangs and showering him with chips of concrete and flakes of snow. A lucky round bounced off his shoulder-plate, scattering tiny plumes of smoke into the cold air and ricocheted into the frozen ground a short distance away where it began smoking.
Poking his helmeted head out a little, he caught a glimpse the masked shooter who had scored the lucky shot, and when that particular Red Fang trooper paused to reload when his subordinates continued to open fire at him, he leaned out quickly, aimed and pulled the trigger, sending out a short burst from his customized advanced rifle, the armor-piercing rounds forming a neat formation on the shooter's chest which took him out of the fight.
The commander of Task Force Omega then pulled back again to avoid taking too much enemy fire, trusting in his teammates around him who were returning fire with their respective weapons against the steadily encroaching Blood Reavers. Despite the heavy snow fall around them, the air was punctuated with the shrieking sounds of missiles and what felt like a hailstorm of indiscriminate gunfire battering their steadily shrinking defensive perimeter.
His plan was going smoothly so far, after they left the cleared command center towards the warehouse where the leader of the Blood Reavers was said to be at the moment. The entire team of elite Atlesian troopers were moving silently and carefully across the vicinity of the base when they suddenly heard the wailing alarm which was somehow been triggered much earlier than any of them had expected it to. Within moments, every Red Fang soldier within the base went to full alert, and the next thing Central knew they were facing down massed gunfire from nearly every direction, with more enemy reinforcements coming with every passing moment. A few seconds later, the conversation of exchanging fire began with no signs of stopping.
The entire team, save for Raider and N1CK3L, was fighting by his side as they shot at whatever targets they could see. Off to his left was Shocker who was emptying his twin machine pistols methodically into enemy soldiers who dared to charge their defensive position, while on his right Fieros was bracing his heavily-modified plasma repeater rifle on a low wall and laying down intense blasts of scorching blue plasma energy at any available targets. A little bit further back firing his multiple missile launcher was Invictus, his large armored shape easily distinguishable from the rest of the team even as he slipped back into cover while Jammer covered him by adding her energy rifle's fire to the combined barrage. Somewhere out of sight, Javelin was sniping away at any target he could find as Central could see certain charging Red Fang soldiers suddenly jerking and then falling flat on their faces, or slumped to the ground wordlessly as Javelin's armor-piercing bullets found their targets unerringly.
Despite the amount of enemy forces they neutralized, yet more of the cell were still on the way. The Blood Reavers cell numbers must have increased drastically, as their number was much higher than previously believed, and as Central adjusted his helmet's magnification he saw two more battle tanks rumbling into attack formation, and behind them were the heavily modified Paladin battle-suits lumbering out of the warehouse hangars into battle as well. With their current weaponry at the moment, the team could only take out a small number of those targets, perhaps one of those Paladins, at best. If they were to run out of ammunition, which wasn't too far off from happening, the Blood Reavers would probably annihilate his entire team without a second thought.
"Omega One, we're getting hammered out here!" Shocker ducked back as he ejected his spent magazines from his twin machine pistols and slammed in fresh clips while Jammer covered him, "Is the coming to get us?"
"Not at the moment, Omega Five." Central fired off another burst from his assault rifle and ducked back just as a pair of shrieking rockets slammed into the ground a few meters in front of him, sending plumes of dirt and snow flying into the air, "I have called for reinforcements, they'll be here in four minutes."
"Four minutes?" Shocker did not keep the alarm from his tone, "We may be killed in half that!" He fired a burst from his twin machine pistols, knocking a shouting Red Fang soldier from his rattling machine-gun post. A hail of bullets and rockets answered his defiance, causing the Omega Trooper to seek cover once more or be reduced to bloody chunks by the ensuing shrapnel.
"Omega Three!" Central shouted into the channel as he gunned down enemy targets left and right while moving from cover to cover, "Can you take control of one of the enemy Atlesian paladins? We could buy ourselves a few more minutes by turning them against each other!"
"I've been trying," Jammer ejected a spent energy cell from her rifle and rapidly slid in a fresh one, and added more firepower to the team's return fire once more, "The Red Fang must have modified the control systems of those Paladins, because they have somehow managed to counter my remote hacking."
"Wonderful." Central muttered to himself as his rifle spat armor-piercing rounds continuously, holes appearing in the body armor of various masked Red Fang members as they fell, "Looks like we may have to get in close and take them out with EMP grenades then."
"Central, I gotta be level with you." Javelin's barely coherent voice somehow made it through the storm of static and weapons fire, his sniper rifle bring down target after target from his hidden position, including one Red Fang soldier who was about to throw a grenade but was shot in the shoulder and caused him to accidentally take out his group of allies as well.
"Javelin, if you crack another joke, then so help me..." Central was about to rebuke the sniper when he heard him reply.
"It's going to be a long four minutes." He simply grunted his answer and returned back to putting down as many enemy troopers permanently out of the fight as possible. "Oum, how many of them are there?!"
"Heads up, twelve o'clock!" Invictus fired another barrage of missiles from his missile launcher before pointing in the direction he had just said, "Looks like the leader of the Blood Reavers has joined in the battle, in a customized Paladin!"
Central risked a look out at the raging battlefield and felt something he hadn't felt in some time: dread. What strode out of the open doors of the warehouse was a massively modified Paladin that had far too many additional weapons and armor plating bolted onto its frame. One arm ended in a pair of multi-barreled gatling guns while the other arm had heavy energy blasters. Racks of missiles were mounted on its shoulders and the cockpit had a terrifying red grinning skull painted on it, while smears of red paint could also be seen on its expanded shoulders, reinforced torso and legs. At both sides of its shoulders were yet more guns and what looked like a twin artillery cannon protruded from its back.
"I think we can make a good guess as to where Sanguine is now." Shocker shared a look with Central who was slamming a fresh clip into his customized rifle, before the commander shouted for his team to scatter as the Red Fang cell leader's battle-suit unleashed its payload of massed missiles and artillery rounds. Central grabbed Shocker's arm and threw themselves behind a low wall as the whining sounds of missiles screamed through the air and detonated behind them, hurling both of them into the snow and showering them with clods of dirt and a mist of vaporized snow.
A second later the both of them were up and firing once more, with the rest of the team recovering as they staggered behind whatever cover they could find while pumping more lead and energy blasts in the direction of the enemy. It was clear that they needed heavy support, and fast. Bullets ricocheted from around them while more missiles and shells slammed into their increasingly decimated perimeter, fired by the incoming Red Fang forces as they continued to surround the elite team, cutting all avenues of escape.
"Omega Eight, please tell me you're close!" Central shouted into his communication channel, before he heard the deafening roar of airship engines and a rather large shadow fell upon them. He looked up, and saw the Retribution streak down from the snowing skies like an avenging angel, decloaking as its weapon ports opened and unleashed barrages of missiles and streams of shells into the Red Fang troops who were stunned at the vessel's sudden appearance.
As explosions blanketed the entire swathe of the base, the Strike Corvette banked around and its hangar bay opened and a figure leaped out with twin flames roaring from its jetpack. Slamming into the hardened ground in front of Central and other members of his personal team in a cloud of white snow and choking dust, cratering the ground upon which it stood. When the smoke cleared, it revealed the newcomer; N1CK3L had arrived, armed and ready for combat.
The Enhanced Tactical Android was wearing looked like a far smaller, but slightly more advanced version of the Paladin battle-suit, which was surprising for both sides. Clad fully in thick layers of titanium alloy plating and nanocomposite titanium fibers, the newest member of Task Force Omega was clearly designed for warfare as he straightened out the knee-guards of his Mark II Full Armour Defense System. A twin arm-mounted double-barreled gatling gun was mounted on the combat synthetic's right arm, while a huge twin beam rifle occupied his left, a series of thick missile pods was mounted on its right shoulder, while a huge gauss cannon protruded from its left shoulder pauldron plate. On both sides of its skirt-plated thighs were large tube-shaped claymore mines which had the ability to magnetize themselves onto potential targets to ensure their demise. The Android's head was protected by an additional helmet with enhanced communication capabilities and a motion sensor that can detect enemy forces across several kilometers of terrain and across flat surfaces with minimal destruction, complete with electronic map sensors and a myriad of other detection modes.
He looked more like a experimental bipedal armor defense system exoskeleton than a Paladin battle-suit, and its thick armor plates gleamed smoldering fires even as hot steaming smoke dissipated from a wide circle around its landing site. As the ventral and dorsal stabilizer thrusters finished stabilizing the android, the additional equipment folded smoothly into slots built within in the powered exoskeleton suit and its blue visor gleamed with bright electronic light as N1CK3L assessed the situation.
"Significant enemy presence detected. Combat mode initiated, executing secondary objectives." The newest member of Task Force Omega promptly activated every available weapon system available to him and announced the counter-attack by opening fire with its twin arm-mounted double-barreled gatling gun and twin beam rifle, reducing Red Fang armored vehicles to shattered wrecks torn by mass explosions and flying shrapnel, while enemy fire bounced off its thick armor plates harmlessly.
Shrugging off shells and armor-piercing rounds from the Red Fang soldiers as though they were harmless rain, N1CK3L sprinted towards the larger of the Red Fang tanks, dodging the high explosive shell that flew at him. The Red Fang soldier in its cupola howled in frustration as the combat android nimbly jinked from his line of machine gun fire, his thrusters throwing off the aim of his opponents before planting a claymore mine on the turret of the tank which detonated, tearing the cannon from its mount.
The double-barreled gatling gun roared furiously as its 20mm high explosive rounds reduced any Red Fang soldier who couldn't find cover to fresh corpses, while glowing beams of azure light shot across the battlefield, punching deep into the second tank, causing it to explode in terrifying massive explosions and even reducing one of the less heavily-armed enemy Paladin battle-suits to a smoking wreck. Missiles launched from the android's powered exoskeleton suit slammed into the Red Fang's airships which tried to chase after the Retribution or suppress the rest of Team 113, knocking them out of the sky to slam down in the midst of the war zone or explode into clouds of razor-sharp shrapnel in mid-air.
All the while, Central and the rest of his team watched from behind cover, their stunned and shocked faces concealed behind the blank face-plates of their armored helmets. The weapons that N1CK3L was wielding with him were designed for heavy combat in mind, and it showed with terrifying clarity. What they were witnessing was a literal near-unstoppable war machine in combat, with the firepower of an entire Atlesian army unit yet with the flexibility of a single combat android.
"I never thought I would say this..." Jammer stated as she stared at the flaming wrecks before them, "...but I kind of almost feel sorry for the Blood Reavers."
"Permission to pray to Oum that thing doesn't turn on us sir?" Javelin's voice came over the communication channel as he witnessed the carnage unfolding right in front of him, watching as N1CK3L dodged weapons fire from two separate Paladins before blasting one in the engine compartment with his shoulder-mounted gauss cannon, causing the enemy battle-suit to crash into the ground with thick black smoke wafting from its severely damaged engines.
"Feel free to, Omega Four." Central murmured as he watched the combat android systematically eliminating every threat he could find in the vicinity, leaving shattered wrecks of enemy vehicles and scattered bodies behind him. He was definitely glad N1CK3L was on their side, but the amount of force the synthetic was expending on neutralizing threats honestly seemed like overkill.
Reducing another Paladin to scattered pieces of flaming metal, N1CK3L staggered as a couple of missiles slammed into its front and covering it in explosions and grey smoke. A duo of Red Fang members cheered momentarily to see that they managed to damage the powered exoskeleton suit, but when the smoke cleared and it showed that it was encased in a shimmering shield, their cheers became gasps of shock before a retaliatory missile strike demolished the structure they were hiding in.
Jinking to his right to agilely avoid a pair of high explosive shells from a newly arrived tank, the combat android lifted his fist and extending a pair of open ports above his armor-plated wrist. A pair of missiles burst from those ports, slamming into the Red Fang heavy tank's armor and N1CK3L turned and walked away, his suit's heavy steps crunching into the snow as the aforementioned tank blew up in a spectacular series of explosions.
"Secondary objectives achieved. Proceeding to primary objective." The combat android strode into the middle of the burning Red Fang base, marching towards the remaining enemy Paladin battle-suit which presumably belonged to Draco Sanguine. Central could only imagine what the enemy commander was thinking, presumably unable to accept the fact that an android clad in a powered exoskeleton suit had single-handedly decimated his entire Blood Reavers cell. His battle-suit wasn't in good shape either as most of its weapons had been expended fighting N1CK3L, and what remained wasn't even enough to do any significant damage to the android.
The leader of the Blood Reavers must have realized this, because the next moment he simply charged towards N1CK3L in his battle-suit, intent to stamp the combat android to bits with the Paladin's clawed feet, but an answering fire of the suit's weapon arrays blew off one arm and reduced another leg to a smoking wreck, and the enemy battle-suit tumbled awkwardly in the last few steps before crashing right a few meters in front of N1CK3L, who brought up his twin beam rifle in salute to the rest of Central's team.
"Primary objective achieved, Commander." The combat android reported as he waited for Central and the rest of Team 113 to arrive at the severely damaged Paladin, and the commander of the Task Force watched as Invictus and Fieros blasted the cockpit's hatch and pulled it open, revealing a male winged Faunus dressed in the uniform of the Red Fang with dark scales on his face and exposed arms. He glared hatefully through yellow eyes at the gathered elite Atlesian troopers who had their weapons aimed at him, including N1CK3L who had also pointed the barrels of his smoking gatling gun at his head.
"Draco Sanguine I presume?" Central spoke as Invictus hauled the Red Fang cell leader out of his cockpit while Jammer slapped electronic hand-cuffs on his wrists which locked automatically with a sharp click, "You are under arrest for theft and possession of military-grade weapons, grievous assault on operatives of the Atlesian military forces and conspiracy to commit mass terrorism on the Kingdom of Atlas."
"You can do whatever you want with me, but I won't tell you anything." The Blood Reaver commander snarled defiantly, "You may have stopped me, but others will still succeed. It won't matter to me but it would make your precious Kingdom pay for what they have done to the Faunus race in the past. One day when the Faunus overthrow your corrupt government and you humans would serve us like the slaves you should be!"
"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the interrogators from the intel branch when you wake up." Javelin snarked, enjoying Draco's brief look of puzzlement before Shocker jammed his shock baton into the latter's chest, causing him to collapse in a bunch of twitching limbs while the rest watched impassively, while Jammer gave a small chuckle in response.
"Retribution, we're ready for pick-up. Mission accomplished." Central spoke into his helmet's communication channel as he looked at the blazing Red Fang base around them, torn bodies of Red Fang soldiers lying on the blood-stained snow and wrecked armored vehicles scattered everywhere. Some distance away, the severely damaged command building collapsed in a mushroom cloud of dust and crumbling concrete, "Tranquilize heavy. I don't want Draco waking up anytime soon until we can pass him over to the intelligence branch."
"Yes, Omega One." Jammer said as she produced a thin cylinder from her waist pouch and placed it on the unconscious Faunus' forearm, injecting the tranquilizer while reading something from her external scanning device.
He heard machine sounds and turned to see the N1CK3L stopping beside him as they watched Jammer go about her work while other members of his team kept watch for any remaining stragglers among the burning wreckage and falling snow, "Commendable work, N1CK3L. You have definitely proved your worth to us."
"Thank you for the compliment, Commander. I trust that I have performed amicably to your expectations?" The Android inquired.
"You saved our lives, N1CK3L, so I'd say you've performed very well." Central opened his helmet visor to take a look at the smoking battlefield around them as the Strike Corvette appeared in the distance, coming to hover above them as its hangar bays open once more to admit them into the military airship, "Next time, try not to be so... extravagant in your deployment, if you get what I'm trying to say."
"I see. I will try to match your expectations in future, Commander." N1CK3L replied before an urgent communication chimed in Central's helmet and he activated the channel between he and Jammer.
"Omega Two, what is it?"
"Omega One, you might want to see this." Jammer ran up towards him as Invictus carried Draco over one shoulder bodily like a sack of potatoes, "I have run a scan on Draco's entire body and I've, uh... identified something peculiar: He had two animal traits instead of the usual one."
Central took the scanner from his tech ops specialist, scrolling through the information displayed on the scanner's blue screen, "I thought a Faunus can only have one animal trait?"
"That's right... but the evidence from the scanner shows that Drago is... different, sir." Jammer added as she walked beside her commander, with N1CK3L bringing up the rear in his heavy combat suit.
"Plus there was that one Faunus, he was a lizard, sir. That's not possible." Shocker reported.
"I'll bring this up with the intelligence department once we get back to the Decagon." Central viewed the rest of the information before returning the device to Jammer as he marched up the ramp of the Retribution, "Compile a full report and send it to me when you're done."
"Acknowledged, Omega One." Jammer nodded her head as she followed her commander up the ramp as well. When the entire team had embarked on the Strike Corvette and it lifted to return back to base, Central watched silently at the burning Red Fang base below even as Invictus triggered the explosives that will blow up the tunnel entrance and bury it under tons of rock, sealing that tunnel forever and rendering it useless to the Red Fang.
As he contemplated Draco's words even as the Blood Reavers' leader was put into a secure containment room for the duration of the journey, the Commander of Task Force Omega knew that they had only taken down one cell of the Red Fang, and unless the intelligence branch can extract any useful information from Draco Sanguine, the rest of the Red Fang would still continue in their acts of terrorism somewhere else in the continent of Solitas.
Somehow he could not shake the feeling that they may have won this battle, but something much bigger was imminent on the horizon. But what?
As the ramp closed and the Retribution's engines picked up its volume as it powered towards the borders of the Kingdom of Atlas, Central silently vowed to himself that he would make sure that no matter what happens, he would not allow the Red Fang to succeed, no matter the cost.
It was close to midnight in Atlas. The freezing wind blew fiercely to the west, taking drifts of snow with it. When one looks across the landscape of the Northern Kingdom, the high, snowy mountain ranges that covered the Solitas continent were the famous and distinctive features of the mighty Kingdom.
On one of the higher points of the Atlesian mountain range, upon a large flat land of stable rock which was covered by layers of snow and Frost, was Watchpoint Glacies. Within the compound, the entire facility was buzzing with activity as they prepared for the Winter Maiden's impending departure.
Meanwhile, General Ironwood's personally chosen elite Atlas Troopers and advanced Atlesian Knight-300s stood guard around the facility, even as the Winter Templar Knight Legion guarded the perimeter with them, they themselves ever vigilant by making sure that the Winter Maiden was properly protected.
Snow Blade made his way across the steel walkways behind the reinforced walls of Glacies's compound, making his way over to a fellow Winter Templar and asked, "Any sign of enemy activity?"
"Other than the wind and cold, nothing to report Knight Vanguard." The similarly gunmetal grey and white heavily-plated knight answered professionally, bringing one fist to his polished chest-plate, "The mountain patrols haven't reported so much as a single Grimm."
"Good, let's hope it stays that way. Carry on." Snow Blade replied before returning to his circuit around the perimeter of the facility, checking in with other Winter Templars stationed around the entire place at regular intervals as was his duty as the assigned Remnant Knight to Elsa Vorst.
The heavy blast doors to the main command center of Watchpoint Glacies opened once he had waited for the security systems to scan him fully, and the Knight Vanguard marched into the spotlessly white and grey control center and approached the Atlesian military officer in charge of the armed division which was deployed to garrison Watchpoint Glacies as well, "Has anything changed on the radar scans, Commander Antos?"
The armor clad Atlesian commander looked up from his surrounding bank of instruments and holographic screens, "Nothing to report on the radar scans at the moment. We've been using multiple scanners on a variety of frequencies and settings, so if anything is actively spying on us they will have to be beyond the range of our scanners and too damn far to see anything in the base, or they could be incredibly well hidden."
"My thanks for the update. I will inform the Winter Maiden about her airship's arrival. Carry on, commander." Snow Blade told the Atlesian officer who returned his salute before walking up the equally spaced steps up to the second floor of the main building.
Meanwhile, in the primary living quarters of the base, Elsa sighed as she packed in a change of clothes into her luggage. Due to where she had been living since she had inherited the Winter Maiden powers, there wasn't much variety in her usual clothes save for the ones that kept her warm and allowed her to move around comfortably when performing her Maiden duties. While she would be staying in Vale for a day or so, she would very much to be less thick clothing or she would be sweating buckets in warmer temperatures.
By the gods, how she wished she could visit the sandy beaches of Menagerie, or even the temperate areas of Vale where one could take long walks in the forest areas and enjoy the fresh warm air there.
"Kaifin, I wish it would be spring or summer, then I could at least enjoy a change of weather." She commented to her guardian who was closing another luggage case and placing it in the metal arms of a service bot.
"Winter in Vale is a far cry from here in Atlas. I'm sure it will be just a light breeze to you, my dear." He informed her as he made sure that his personal weapons were functioning properly before placing them within their respective holsters, just in case anything happened to them during the journey.
"You have a point. But still, I wish we have decided to take this journey when Vale has a decent temperature. A trip to the beach would do wonders for my skin, for example." Elsa mused to herself as she picked up her own crossbow weapon, which she had decided to bring as well.
"Perhaps once our lives aren't being threatened, that will be the first thing on our list." Kaifin replied and shared a warm smile with her, their eyes meeting each other as he saw her nod in agreement.
He also noticed Elsa checking over her weapon one last time and nodded in approval, happy that she was being cautious as well. Both of them had been on their guard as they were not taking a chance that Salem's forces would just leave them be.
"Ready?" He asked as she came over to him after allowing the service bot to pick up her luggage as well.
"Ready." Elsa confirmed as she leaned up and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
Her muscular guardian opened the main entrance of their living quarters to reveal the corridor outside was guarded by a quartet of Atlesian Knight-300s, half a dozen Atlesian soldiers armed with assault rifles, and a pair of Winter Templars. The Remnant Knights bowed in respect to the both of them as Snow Blade appeared around the corner, the lights built into the ceiling causing the segmented plates of his Aegis armor to glint slightly.
"Ah, Snow Blade. We were just about to ask for you. Is the coast clear, and has our transport airship arrived?" Elsa queried politely to her Knight Vanguard.
"With regards to the surroundings, I can assure you that there has been no Grimm activity as of yesterday, and the perimeter of Watchpoint Glacies has been completely secured, my lady. Your transport is prepped and ready, and all of its systems are fully operational." The commander of the Winter Templars informed her, "I have also received permission and the relevant clearance from General Ironwood and the Atlas Council, so we may leave whenever you wish."
"We leave right away." She told him.
"Very well then, maiden. Follow me." He replied before leading the way down the hallway. The Winter Maiden and her guardian followed him, with the two other Remnant Knights in tow, while the others marched slowly behind them.
The group proceeded to leave the interior of the main building and crossed the compound, before climbing the stairs that took them to the landing platform where a luxurious but well-shielded airship armed with substantial and capable weapon systems was waiting for them. It was just the type Elsa had requested, the outlook of which was shaped vaguely like a sideways L, with the pilot's cockpit at the top of the tower and the engine room at the base, which led to the long 'arm' of the 'L' where they would be residing within. At the end of the arm was an open observation deck, with the primary guns nested right below it. The ship was painted in a dark, midnight-blue color scheme with dark gray highlights. A pair of powerful Dust engines stood out from the rear of the vessel, not particularly large but reliable enough that would give the ship the speed it would need in order to make the journey on time.
"The Moonlight Serenity is ready for your use, and it's fully prepped with all systems ready to go. General Ironwood's military personnel are already on board, and my detachment of Knights are boarding even as we speak." Snow Blade reported when she looked at him in askance, extending a finger to point to several of his Winter Templars boarding the ship, "We would be taking a specially assigned route once we are on our way to Vale, to avoid any unwanted attention."
"Your concern for my safety is appreciated, Snow Blade." Elsa assured him with a smile, "I feel utterly safe and secure."
"I should hope so, my lady." He said as he led the way to the main boarding ramp and into the Moonlight Serenity.
It wasn't long before both Elsa and Kaifin were sitting within the first-class suite on the ship, and Snow Blade was with them to make sure they were settling in nicely. The Winter Maiden admired the view of the balcony-like viewing deck right in front of them, but those thoughts soon fell away from her mind when the Moonlight Serenity began to slowly rise into the air. With subtle, gentle movements, the lavish airship lifted off and accelerated smoothly into the relatively clear night.
"We should be reaching the Kingdom of Vale by early morning. If either of you need anything, please don't hesitate to inform the airship's officers or myself." The Knight Vanguard informed the couple.
"We are quite alright, but we'll keep that in mind." Kaifin answered with Elsa nodding in conformation.
"Very well. If you need anything at all, simply ring the assistance bell. If you need to inform me about anything, I'll be on the bridge. May you both have a good night, Maiden and Guardian." He executed a polite bow before he left the room and the suite's automatic door quietly shut behind him.
Once she was sure that it was safe to be out on the viewing deck, Elsa left the suite's confines and walked over to the edge, looking out and admiring the beautiful night sky filled with shining stars that stretched from horizon to horizon, as well as the broken moon. She breathed in the cool fresh air of the night in and out, her breath appearing before her in small clouds as her lover came up behind her to wrap his strong arms around her body and hold her close to his chest.
"You're happy to get away from the mountains." He observed.
"Of course. They're lovely, but a change of scenery, even for a brief time, is going to be wonderful." She replied in a content voice. Left unsaid was the fact that being cooped up in the mountains felt a little too much like she was imprisoned, and the armed forces guarding her felt more like jailers than protectors.
"I don't really care where I am, as long as I'm with you." He whispered back as he kissed her neck.
Elsa smiled happily as she began to sing a wordless melody to him, her beautiful voice a constant reward for his complete dedication to her. She nuzzled into his well-built body and raised her arm up to stroke his dark grey hair as she kept singing to him while he simply embraced his lover to keep her warm in return.
As the ship sailed away into the night sky towards the direction of Vale while being escorted by a number of Atlesian Eagles, Watchpoint Glacies was being systemically locked down by the military forces of Atlas, as well as a couple of Winter Templars who elected to stay behind to watch over the base.
Unbeknownst to everyone aboard the Moonlight Serenity, their departure was in fact all witnessed by a certain something. A couple of miles away, hidden in a small alcove among a number of mountain peaks, a Grimm Knight with advanced surveillance gear laid silently buried in the snow while still in stealth mode, its red optics being the only relevant parts exposed to the freezing cold so that it could observe the surroundings discreetly.
There were others of course, all cleverly hidden to keep track of the Winter Maiden's whereabouts, but this particular Grimm Knight recorded the departure of the said Maiden's airship when it left the mountains. After collating the newly-obtained information, the Grimm Knight activated its built-in data transmitter and sent the data back to its masters, who would be very pleased with this recent development.
This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader (who wrote the whole Task Force Omega sequence) with help from GojiGrimlockSaurus.
I'm sorry I've been taking so long, but with my cat passing, I needed time to myself and I'm afraid I might not be on top of things anymore. This will be the last chapter due to the Christmas hiatus, but in January, we'll be back with more chapters, and see Pyrrha meet Elsa and the other Maidens. And that's a promise.
Here's the crew of Task Force Omega:
Central - Commanding Officer "Omega One"
Raider - Pilot/Engineering Specialist "Omega Two"
Jammer - Tech Ops Splicer/Electronic Warfare Specialist "Omega Three"
Javelin - Sniper/Sharpshooter/Gunslinger "Omega Four"
Shocker - Melee/Knife/Shock Baton Specialist "Omega Five"
Invictus - Heavy Weapons and Explosives Specialist "Omega Six"
Fieros - Heavy Warfare Specialist (Plasma Repeater) "Omega Seven"
N1CK3L - Enhanced Tactical Android "Omega Eight"
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