RWBY: Shadow Company
Chapter 13
"You know, I was hoping for a more vibrant set of people when I entered the hangar." The general of the Shadow Company said as he relaxed inside his office, playing a game of chess with Ares.
"And to be honest with you, I was pleased with this year's applicants. And, the number of civilians that have signed up has doubled since last year. Even Nicholas's and James's kids are here as well. Normally, I thought that the young Ironwood would join up with his father." Jon said as he finished moving his pawn forward. "A little surprised, but a nice welcome addition nonetheless."
"Well, yes. I was somewhat surprised when I first bumped into that Arc boy, and even more when I saw Ironwood's kid here. But I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity when I saw their faces, but maybe it's because they resembled a lot like them." Ares moved his knight to capture a rook.
"I have to thank you again for coming up here to the office and playing a game of chess with me, even though you should be resting by now." Jon laughs as he moves his bishop to defend his king.
"I am a little tired after that mission in the mountains. Those kids really shouldn't have been there. And that Alpha was a mysterious one as well. I've never seen a Taijitu like that before. It was larger and more armored than a regular one and could control the other Grimms to its every whim." Ares said.
"Yes, about that. I wanted to speak with you about it as soon as you get back."
"Checkmate, I win," Ares said.
Jon stopped and looked at the board. Ares had dominated the battlefield, and Jon's king piece had nowhere else to move. And leaving Jon with no other choice but to admit defeat.
"Good game," Jon concluded.
"Always swift and brutal, aren't you, Ares?"
"When you're on the battlefield, you can't afford to make mistakes. Quickness is the essence of the war. That's what you taught me."
"I did, but you don't have to take everything I've said so seriously." Jon laughs a little.
"So, what's this about that Grimm that you wanted to discuss?"
Jon pushes the chessboard aside and pulls out his scroll, "You know by now that what you saw back at Mountain Glenn was no ordinary Grimm. I've looked through your helmet cam footage and found this."
Ares takes the scroll from Jon and watches the footage.
It showed the battle of the tunnels again. Ares could see his hands trying to pull down the rubble with his powers, trying to burry it. But the footage was slow, "This Alpha is indeed a mysterious one. Taijitu doesn't have armor, and this is the first I've seen that has it."
Ares stares at the screen in disbelief, "Strange. I've never noticed it when it came up close."
"And that's not all, take a look at this. Our Captain-General has also found something very similar to this not too long ago." Jon places a file on the table. Ares grabs it and opens it up to see photos of an oversized Ursa looming over the trees near the mountain, followed by other images of its traces.
Overwhelmed by the discovery, Ares tries to comprehend it.
"You don't have to speak if you have nothing to say. I was speechless myself when I saw the reports." Jon said as he stood up from his seat and walked over to his desk.
"All those people on the island, they don't stand a chance against that." If this Ursa is an Alpha, then, "Wait, if this is what I think it is, then you mean." Ares said, but Jon cut him off.
"Yes, this isn't the only Alpha that has existed in Remnant, and I fear that there will be lots more to come. We just don't where when and where that is."
Ares sighs as he puts down the folder, "These Alphas would be incredibly hard to kill, I suppose."
"But it's nothing that the Black Lotus couldn't handle, do you remember Argus?"
Ares smirks, "Heh, you mean that leviathan? It barely did anything to them."
"And when Qrow tried to distract it but ended up failing miserably?" Jon said, causing both of them to laugh at the memory of Qrow's failure. Qrow was still a rookie and had a terrible hand in making plans.
Jon wipes a tear from his eye and takes a breather.
"In the meantime, we must plan for the difficult and do what we can while it is still manageable," Jon said.
"Always staying wise. That is what I appreciate about you, Jon."
"Oh, that reminds me. How are the boys doing?" Jon asked.
Ares sighs, "They are, okay, I guess. They haven't talked much after that incident. It's just that they didn't expect their chapter to end so soon. The chances of revitalizing it are slim. It wouldn't be the same without their captain."
Jon nods in agreement, "Hm, yes. It was a shame indeed. Sometimes I wish we could have done something to prevent this."
"It's been years, Jon. And they still mourn for their captain, and I can see it clearly in their faces."
"Hopefully, things will get better for them, and to us as well."
Ares nods and gets up from the table, "Thanks for the game, Jon. I'll be heading back to my room. Let me know when my next mission starts."
"See you later, Ares."
/-/
Pyrrha sighs as she lounges in the living room. It was her day off today, and she could have slept in and skipped breakfast. But then she would miss the news of the shadows.
Still dressed in her pajamas, she sits on the couch and waits for the news to start, clutching the remote in her hands.
She could hear her mother's footsteps walking down the stairs behind her, "I'll be out to the grocery store, dear. Do you want anything?" She asked.
"No, mom. I'm fine."
"Alright, dear. Enjoy your day off."
But Pyrrha wasn't watching the local news. She was watching Vale's news.
But only a specific part of it, if they ever appeared on the screen. Usually, there were photos, but rare if they were videos about them. And Pyrrha had been interested in the shadows for quite some time.
Pyrrha had a hunch that her dad lived in Shadow Company.
Why? Shadow Company is very secretive when it comes to its soldiers. No one knows who is working for the shadows. And that's not all. There is a particular shadow that she couldn't help but wonder.
That was because her mom wasn't doing a fine job of being secretive on the phone. Pyrrha has been wondering about dad and what happened to him.
One night when little Pyrrha was walking downstairs to get a glass of water, she could hear the muffled laughter coming from the kitchen.
She sneaks up and finds mom talking on the phone with someone, so she decides to eavesdrop on their conversation, the voice on the other end is soft, but she could distinguish it to be a man's voice.
At first, Pyrrha thought that mom was talking to a friend. But some of the conversations sounded a little too friendly for her liking. Maybe she's secretly seeing him.
It stung Pyrrah a little.
But that pain faded away when she mentioned dad's name. And from right then and there, she realized that mom was talking to him, talking to dad.
But Pyrrha couldn't ask her.
Mom kept it a secret from her. But there must be a reason for it. Their conversations only mentioned them, but not who. So somebody was behind this, that someone wanted dad gone.
Around the house were lots of portraits of her, mom, and dad when he was still around. But there was little that she knew about him. She knows that he was a decorated soldier from the army.
When she was a child, she would stare longingly at their photos. Thinking what will it be like if her father was still around them.
Mom would share lots of his stories when he was in the army. She jokes that he only joined to get paid but stayed when he had discovered that he had a talent for killing Grimm.
And he had shown to be pretty damn good at it.
He joined at the young age of 18 and fought in the infantry. But the pay wasn't enough, his family was poor, and he needed the money to support them.
Luckily, he was promoted for his performance and placed in charge of a fire team. There is a photo of him with his team, standing in front of a dead Deathstalker slowly fading away behind them, with metal debris punctured violently into its body.
That day he discovered his powers, as her mom told her.
But that was the thing. Dad has the same powers that she has. And because of that, the army promoted him to a high-ranking officer.
Everyone says he was a great guy.
So what happened to him? Why did he suddenly disappear?
Come to think of it. Dad went missing when Pyrrha was still a toddler. Her memories are fuzzy, and all she can recall is her mother crying that day.
There was one thing that Pyrrha saw that caught her interest. It was his signature red scarf that he wore around his neck. That scarf was in every photo. Mom said that grandma made it for him before he left for the army and has been wearing it ever since.
And now she has one too, but it's more of a sash than a scarf. It's a tribute to honor and remember.
She wanted to be like her dad, to be strong and brave. She became popular to get into television, hoping that he's there on the other side of the screen, watching back at her proudly.
She noticed that there was a shadow that wore a red shoulder cape. But that shadow was the only one wearing that cape and sticking out like a sore thumb.
Nah, it could just be a coincidence.
One more year, she thought. She couldn't wait to get out of Argus and head straight to Vale to look for him.
"I'll find you, dad."
Back in the Citadel, Ares was about to sleep in his bed. He let out a very loud sneeze. "Guess my nose is a little itchy."
/-/
"Is everything ready?" A mysterious figure asked his advisor, his back facing him, looking out the window.
"Almost, commander. There are still things to be prepared," said the advisor. The commander turns around and looks at him.
"How much more time?"
"A week, at best."
He sighed, "And, how are the men and women?" He asked.
"They are ready, sir. They are very eager to commence the campaign. They appreciate the gear that they have been receiving from the scientist. These new toys from Atlas will surely help to balance the scale."
"Yes, that doctor sure has a way to surprise us one way or another. Thanks to his connections within the Kingdom. We now have the firepower to compete against our enemies." Said the commander.
"But, I have just one small concern."
"Speak freely. What is it that concerns you so much."
"It is our goals, commander. Why are we diverging from our original purpose? The scientist and his associates, they've managed to convince her to allow this pursuit. A pursuit in which we are not a part of in the first place." Said the advisor.
The commander nods in agreement, "Hm, yes. I agree that it is wrong to mingle with others' affairs that aren't ours. But we must return the favor in due. However, I do not favor that little girl and her minions. Something seemed odd about her."
"This is not right, commander. It's not who we are anymore." Said the advisor.
"For now, it's will only be a farce. In time, we will reveal our true colors to them. It is best to play along and stick to the plan."
The advisor groans in frustration. "And that thief from Vale. They said that he's joining us. Roman Torchwick was his name, and I don't like his demeanor of his."
"Do not let this distract you, my loyal advisor. For he is another man who thinks he's a gift to Remnant. Or maybe he too is hiding behind something." Siad the commander.
"Everyone's got something to hide." The advisor chuckles.
"But still, in the following week, we will commence the mission. It won't be easy. Once we make our move, the shadow will be onto us. We may be strong, but the boys in black are no novice in combat. They will hunt us down."
"Our followers have faith in you, and that delusional convict says otherwise."
"This is our chance. We must strike while the iron is still hot. We begin our crusade and lay out the red path for her."
End of Chapter 13
A/N: Short chapter today. I needed to take some time to update my other stories.
So, I uh, ended up making Pyrrha like Yang, looking for her missing parent. I gave a little back story to explain Ares's background. Since the show never did anything much about Pyrrha either.
Jaune and Blake will begin their training arc. Weiss as well, along with two new characters helping her. There's a new faction, don't be deceived by their appearance. The big event is coming up soon.