RWBY: Shadow Company
Chapter 20
"Argh!"
"Shit, he's fast."
"Fall back to the loading bay! Move!"
Strange, and yet it looked so familiar to him. He puts his hand on his chin, thinking about what he has just seen for the third time.
"It can't be." He said.
He hits replay.
His moves were fast and smooth.
"Argh!"
And no matter how many he had seen, he chose not to say it. It may have been too obvious, at least for now.
"Take cover, don't stand in the open!"
Yes, just who is he? Who is this man who came at the most vital timing?
A knock came on his door.
He turns off the screen and turns around, "Come in."
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes, Clover. I did. And thank you for coming."
He felt nervous, "What is it, sir?"
Ironwood sighs, "It's a lot of things. The attack, Jauques's death, and Weiss Schnee's kidnapping. And now this," He turns the screen back on and shows Frost.
Clover looks at the screen. Oh, yes. That shadow.
"The Sentinels called him a hero. And had it not been for him, they'd be all dead by now. Despite the losses." Clover said.
And they were still new, no doubt about that. Of course, something like this would happen. But didn't know it would, and who could have?
And the footage from the fight was nothing. It didn't explain much, only that this shadow was capable enough to fight off a handful of armed guys.
Or maybe he hasn't seen anybody who fights like that.
But for all he knows, he might be one of the old shadows back then. He was wearing the old black armor underneath the white cloak.
"Sir, going back on the shadow that helped us. Do you know anything about him?" Clover asked.
Ironwood stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking, "I believe that I do. But I can't confirm that yet. It doesn't make sense."
"You might have an idea on who he is, sir?"
"Yes. But, I had my suspicions that it might be an old operative of ours." Said Ironwood.
"He was one of us?"
"He is one of us." He nodded.
Ironwood pauses the video and opens up his drawer. Out of all the files that sit inside, he pulls out an old folder and places it on the table for Clover to see.
"Here, you may take a look at it."
Clover takes the file from the table and examines it. Upon opening the file, he noticed that most pages had their information redacted by someone.
There wasn't much to read on it. Whatever was important was blacked out by markers.
He continues to flip through the pages and finds an old photo of a young man in the mountains. But he doesn't recognize him.
"Uh, sir, this file almost has nothing left to read on it."
The only thing left on the file was a name, "Frost."
"His name is Frost. And he used to be one of ours."
"What makes you think it's him?" Clover asked.
The screen pops up and zooms in on the guns he's using.
"His revolvers, I'd recognized them anywhere. For all I know, it had to be him."
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Clover added. "It might not be him."
"Maybe." Ironwood nods, "You know the founder of the SDC, Clover?"
"Of course, sir. It's Nicholas Schnee. He killed a bunch of bandits up in the mountains. They called him the gunslinger."
"And do you know the tale of it?" Ironwood urges on.
Clover nods, "Yeah, the gunslinger in the north. He who strikes down the evil and protects the weak. Every child in Atlas, and Mantle, knows this story."
"Yes, correct. We all know that story. I think the shadow from last night might be him." Ironwood said.
Clover looks at him in disbelief, "Him? No, it can't be. It's only a bedtime story for kids. He's older than both of us. How can he still keep fighting after all these years?"
"Old habits die hard."
"Okay, but, even if it might be him, there's no telling that you may be right, sir."
"You're right, Clover. But it's too much of a coincidence."
Clover puts down the file.
"But who is this Frost, sir? What can you tell me about him?" Clover asked.
Ironwood looks at him, "He was my mentor. Before I became a general, and long before I was a captain."
That caught Clover by surprise.
Ironwood looks down and laughs, "I wasn't always like this. I was just like everyone else. When I first graduated from the academy, I was piss poor. I couldn't fight, couldn't swim, not even able to hold my rifle together. And I was a joke."
Clover stays silent and listens.
"During a mission, I almost got myself killed. I got my team dead and half of my body destroyed by the Grimm. I was the only one rescued. And when I got back, everyone looked at me like I was a fool. And I am."
Clover looks down.
"Not all of us are perfect. My past is a lot worse than you think. Or it used to be until he came to me, and at the time, he was just a well-renowned captain. Everyone loves him. The respect that everyone gave him. At first, I thought he was there to kick me out of the military."
"But he didn't." Said Clover.
Ironwood smiles at the memory, "No, he didn't. He took me under his wing. And I wouldn't be here without him. He was the only thing I had close to a family. Nicholas Schnee was everything that I wanted to be."
"Oh." Clover said, "Wait, why did you share this with me, sir? Why not Winter?"
Ironwood sighs, "Because I trust you enough to keep this a secret. Everything I have said in this room stays between us. Winter shouldn't know. At least, not yet. Do you understand?"
"I guess, sir."
"By the way. How is Winter?" Ironwood asked.
"She's doing fine. Last time I checked. Her injuries aren't grave, but her mental stability is unstable."
"Hm, I may need to do something about that. How is your part in the White Vanguard, Clover?"
"It's an honor to serve, sir. Thank you for the promotion."
To join the shadows was no easy feat in Atlas.
"Why do you ask?"
A/N: So, is Nicholas Schnee, Frost? What do you think? Is it him or someone else?
So, I have a bit planned for Blake, I have forgotten that these characters are still in Volume 1 attitude. So Blake will still be a bit "Pro Faunus". But she'll get better. Same with Weiss. For Yang and Ruby again, I have a bit of trouble trying to make them relevant, sad to say. As of now, they are far from any real danger. They might have to appear much later.
Jaune's friends were fun to create. Will was because of the relationship between Ironwood and Glynda. I'm pretty sure they were together at one point. And then I thought, "This is a likable original character that won't look too far-fetched." But they are still OCs even if they are related to the canon characters. Like Ares and Leon.
How well is this story going for you guys? Feel free to leave some feedback and reviews.
Thank you for reading.