RWBY: Shadow Company
Chapter 15
Ironwood paced around his office while hearing Winter's distress on the phone. Winter did her best to remain calm as she explained the situation to him.
"And when we arrived at the loading bay, we were too late to stop it. They have Weiss, and I have no idea where they are taking her." Winter said.
"I see." He said. "And that shadow you've mentioned earlier, he just vanished soon after he helped you?"
Winter nodded, "Yes, sir. But I do not know if he was there to help us." She said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, first, he wasn't wearing white armor. He wore black armor and had a white cloak. He didn't look like one of ours, sir. Maybe he was with the Black Chapters?"
"Maybe, but since he hasn't said a thing when he first appeared, we won't know for sure."
It was strange, unusual.
"His demeanor showed that he was not a rookie. He was able to wipe them out with little trouble. Almost as if he's been doing it for a long while now."
"And the attackers, what did you know about them?" He asked.
"Not much, sir. They're anti-Atlas. But they do possess the same weaponry and armor as us. But they didn't have any identity on them."
"All of them?" Ironwood asked. All of this doesn't make sense to him. And it was starting to annoy him.
She shook her head, "Nothing."
Great, this was just what he needed. First, his son left Atlas to join Jon, the White Fang still at large and on the run. A new terrorist group attacked Winter's family and killed Jacques as well.
Oh, right. Jacques had been killed point-blank to the face, as told by Winter.
"About your father, Winter. I am sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, sir. I know I hate him, but I wouldn't go as far to want him dead. His death was quick and sudden that we didn't see it coming. But why did they only kill him? There were other rich political figures in the room as well." She said.
"That is true. I've checked the guest list. Most of them were. Or maybe they didn't have time if it weren't for him. Had he not stopped them in time, who knows what else they would have done."
"Wait until I get my hands on them. They got lucky because we got caught by surprise." Winter snorts.
"You're not the only one, Winter."
Winter moaned, "Had we've been more vigilant." Tears began to escape her eyes.
"We've all made mistakes, but don't beat yourself for it. Don't dwell on the past."
Winter wipes her eyes, "But sir, now that my father is now dead and my sister kidnapped. I'm not sure how we could recover from this. I feared that it might cause some significant problems for the SDC."
"Winter, listen to me," "Yes, sir?"
"I need you to stay calm. Right now, the Golden Company has proven to be a threat. And I'm sure that they will target others as well. For now, I want you and your men to bring your family back to base. They will be much safer here."
"Yes, sir. But what about my sister? She's still out there, somewhere."
"I'll think of a way to solve it. Make sure the guests don't leak anything. I'll see what I can do from my end. We'll get her back, Winter."
"I hope so, General. Winter out." Winter ended the call. Ironwood was left alone with his thoughts. With Jacques Schnee dead, the SDC will have a much harder time without him. And with Weiss Schnee gone, the public would fear for their safety as well.
But what if.
He grabbed his scroll and dialed a number. He hoped that he would be awake at this hour.
The screen showed Pietro in bed, rubbing his eyes while he yawned.
"Hello, who is it?" Pietro asked as he wore his glasses.
"Pietro, it's James."
"Oh, what wrong, boy? Is it your arm or your leg acting up again? Do you need me over to fix it for you?" Pietro adjusted and sat upon his bed.
"No, it's not why I called you for."
"Well, what is it then, dear boy?"
He sighed, "Jacques Schnee is dead. And his youngest daughter Weiss has been kidnapped by a new terrorist group."
"Oh, dear." Pietro placed his hand on his face. "This is all very sudden to hear, James. A little warning would be nice."
"I'm sorry, Pietro. But I needed to discuss this with you."
"What happened to him?"
"He's been shot. It was an insurgent group. They have your weapons, Pietro. I don't know how, but they have airships as well. There's no telling if they have tanks or bombers with them."
Pietro nodded his head, "Well, that's certainly not good."
"It isn't. And I don't know for sure about what's going to happen next." Ironwood placed his hand on his face.
"I'm sure there is a way to stop them, James. It saddens me to see you like this."
"I've thought of a way to deal with the situation."
"And how do you plan on dealing with it?"
"I have an idea. How is the new project coming along?"
"You should see it for yourself. I think you will be surprised once you see it. Why do you ask?" Pietro smiles with joy.
"Because my idea might have that in mind."
Pietro's smile dropped, "Does it involve what I think it does?"
"Yes, it does involve it."
"What is it?"
He knew this would backfire once the truth was out. But was there any other plan? It sounded crazy and downright insane to do it.
"Delay the debut. For now, I would like to make a few slight adjustments to ease the public."
The doctor sighs as he lays back down on his bed, "I think I know what you mean by that, James." He rubs his face.
"I'll send you some references to get you started. But not now, of course. You can start later in the morning."
"Of course, I will have it down in a couple of days." Pietro yawned.
"I'll send Winter's contacts to you then. I'll let her know. Have a good rest, Pietro."
"Yes, goodnight, James." Pietro yawns before ending the call.
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Jaune yawns as he sits down at the table to eat his breakfast. The smell of food made him feel relaxed after a whole week of training. The mess hall has a wide variety of food here.
Who knew that these guys get to eat good food like this every day. He could get used to this. Not sure if the spicy food is worth trying, though.
He guessed that maybe they got some extra money to improve their meals.
"Good morning, Jaune." A shadow greeted him. Aside from Will, Milo, and Knox, Jaune made a few new friends. Most of them are the older ones.
They were easier to talk with, "There you are. I was having trouble trying to find you after you ran off like that." Will said as he sats down beside him with his tray of food.
"Sorry, the smell of freshly made food was too strong for me to handle, and I wanted to eat."
Will shakes his head, "Would it kill you to wait for me? We're partners, remember? Don't leave my side like that again, you hear?"
"I'll try not to."
They both dig in to eat their meal, "So, I heard that we're starting some firearms training soon. Aren't you excited about that, Jaune? I bet you've never fired a gun before."
Jaune shook his head, "No, I didn't. But I did learn the ins and outs of the rifles. I helped my dad and grandpa in inspecting and assembling it. But I've never shot it. Dad didn't want me to."
"Oh, should I be expecting a pro master of the arc rifle?" Will smirks.
"Heh, I wouldn't call myself a pro."
Milo drags Knox over to the duo, "Come on, Knox. They're right over there."
"I don't want to sit with them, Milo. Couldn't we sit somewhere else?"
"And have another quiet morning? Not a chance, dude."
Knox dreads as Milo stops and sits down in front of Jaune and Will. He signaled Knox to come and sit beside him.
He sighed in defeat and placed his tray on the table. "Good morning. Been wanting to share a table with you guys, but Knox here wouldn't let me." Said Milo.
Jaune could see that. Knox looked like he was about to leave on his own. He stared, facing down on his plate, not looking at him or Will. He didn't even acknowledge them.
"I hate the training. But I understand the need for it. I want to get this done and over with and go back home."
"It's not that bad, Knox. The recruits back at Atlas used to be like you all the time, but you will get used to it. I'm sure it would get better." Will said.
Knox scowls, "I wasn't talking to you, Ironwood."
Will frowns, "Hey, we're all brothers here. There's no need to be so hostile towards each other."
"We're not brothers, nor are we friends. I want to get this over with so that Milo and I can go home." He scoffs, "Look. I came here for training. Not to make friends."
"But Milo is your friend." Will counters.
"That's because he's not human." He exclaims.
Jaune noticed Will's frown depends and replied, "Oh, so having human friends is bad for you. I'm trying to be friendly, Knox. Maybe you should try that yourself. It could save your life. But with that attitude of yours, it's going to get you killed."
Knox mockingly laughs at him, "That's funny, coming from you, Ironwood. Didn't your mommy and daddy used to have a real good marriage?"
Will stood up from the table.
"Quit being such a prick, and watch your mouth, you stinking beast."
Knox stood up as well.
But then someone placed a hand on both of them. "Okay, I think that's enough arguing from the both of you," Jaune said.
"Get your hand off me." Knox swipes his hand away. Jaune backs away, pulling Will with him.
"We're all shadows here. We're not enemies. Right, Knox?" Milo empathized on the last part. The four stared quietly at each other.
Until a few shadows ran past them, "What's up with them?" Milo asked.
"I don't know, but I think it's important," Jaune said.
Will's scroll vibrates and takes it out. He brought it up to his face and began reading it. Shock began to fill his face as he stared in doubt.
Jaune began to take out his scroll and check the news.
A live news broadcast was airing on the Vale News Network.
It was about Atlas. At Weiss's home.
Lisa Lavender was on the screen.
"As you can see by the footage, the Schnee manor was attacked last night. An insurgent group dubbed the golden company is responsible for the attack. Reports have confirmed that Jacques Schnee, the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, was killed during the attack."
"Good riddance, hope the whole family's dead," Knox commented.
"Shut it!" Jaune scowled as he continued watching.
"The guests had suffered severe injuries, along with a few casualties. However, the rest of the Schnee family are safe and sound. The wife of the CEO will take over the company."
Jaune sighed in relief. That means that Weiss is still alive. So it's not that bad.
Jaune looked up at Will. He was fuming, "Excuse me, but I need to make a quick call right now." He said as he quickly walked out of the mess hall. Jaune decided to follow him.
After a few seconds of waiting, Will could hear his father's voice on the other end, "Good morning, William."
"Dad, what the hell is going on? I saw the news-"
Jaune left Will alone to talk with his dad, and maybe he should make a call for Weiss. Just to make sure that she's okay. He hoped that she was okay. He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up his call, "Come on, Weiss. Pick up the phone."
"We're sorry, but the number you're calling is unavailable, please-" He hanged up and tried again.
/-/
So you've heard about the fastest gun in the north. But, have you heard about the beast in the south?
And no, he's not a Faunus.
Only the locals believed the tale. But they haven't seen it with their own eyes.
He's not a hero, nor is he a villain per se. He's neutral, as long as you don't cross his path or upset him.
He is an amalgamation of beasts.
A kind where even the sanest person would go mad when they saw it.
Legends say that it is a curse by the god of beasts. A mishap in his creation morphed all of the creatures into one being.
And whoever has this curse will have it until their death, and the souls of the beats will choose another random host.
There was a tale that he alone was so strong that he destroyed a small town with barely anyone alive in it.
Except for one survivor, he was a thug. And he regrets the day he tormented a small child who had that curse.
Of course, not many believed him and his words stayed in their minds. He soon died by ending his own life after witnessing such horrors. His friend wasn't so lucky.
But nothing else happened after that.
They said he disappeared without a trace. But even after his disappearance. Parents would still use him as a scary bedtime story.
/-/
Leon walks along the busy streets of Mistral.
He breaths heavily as he clutches a wet bag in his hand. He could have just decided not to go for it.
The blood splatters on him were prominent. Some were still fresh, but at least it was not his blood.
Luckily he's on the shady side of Mistral. At least civilians and kids won't be able to see him and be scared out of their wits.
He should've waited for Frost to come instead of going out for one last bounty.
Leon walked towards an underground facility. The guards that were standing outside noticed him, "Hey, you can't be here- oh, it's you. I'm sorry. Please head in."
He bowed his head and opened the door, not even sparing a glance at him.
Leon enters the building, anyone that passes by backs away from him. He opens a door and enters a big room where most huntsmen would be.
Everyone suddenly looked at him and quickly looked away in fear.
Leon calmly walked over to the big table in the middle of the room, where the boss was sitting.
Leon places the dripping bag onto the table, making a loud thud as it lands, "Here's the bounty that you wanted."
The boss nods and places the money on the table, and Leon wastes no time and grabs it.
"You work fast, bounty hunter. I didn't expect you to be back so soon. Knowing how many boys he had guarding him."
The awkward silence after was gut retching for him as Leon stared at him.
"Is there anything else?" Leon asked.
The boss shakes his head, "No, no bounties at the moment. I swear you're making the others look bad. With how efficient you are, of course."
He heard Leon sigh as he placed his bounty hunter badge down on the table, "Does it look Like I care about what they think? I need work, and you're paying."
Leon turns and leaves.
"Wait, you're leaving already?" You just started here!"
He stops and looks over his shoulder, "I was planning on staying, but something else came up. And I owe an old friend something." Leon finishes and walks out of the building.
Upon exiting the building, he sees a figure in a white cloak walking towards him.
"You're filthy," Frost said.
"Frost, it's good to see you again. How's the family?" He asked.
"Hello to you too, Leon. And how's the kid?"
"Touche, old-timer."
Frost tosses him a piece of cloth, "Use this to pick up her scent. It was a part of her dress."
Leon catches it and rolls his eyes, "Guess you're in a hurry."
"I'm desperate."
"Yes, I can see that. You're lucky that you are my mentor. Otherwise, I would take this as an insult."
Frost sighs, "Come on, if I were to insult you, I would have done a better job than this. Now, are you going to smell it or what?"
"Alright, I'll do it."
"If my hunch is correct. Weiss shouldn't be too far from here. I saw them land here not too long ago. But they might have already moved her to another vehicle transport."
"Armored convoy? Sounds straightforward to me."
"Just try not to shoot her accidentally, hotshot?" Frost said.
"Hey, I'm a good sharpshooter. I can shoot straight."
"But not as good as me."
Leon laughs, "I guess we're back as an army of two again. Shall we?"
End of Chapter 15
A/N: Hm, just what is Ironwood's planning I wonder. Knox and Will are not on friendly terms right now.
And who are Frost and Leon, who do you think they are?