Saviors of Remnant: Book 1 Beginnings
Made possible by the joint efforts of Keeper Of The One Winged Angel and TheBoredBoot
AN: It's been a long time coming but it's finally here, another chapter in the reworked and re-titled Saviors of Remnant. I know now that it has been a literal hot minute since my partner and I have posted a chapter and I can't really make an excuse. Despite Covid and all the other events of the past year it's really come down to a lack of motivation. But now getting back into things, the creative juices are flowing once again and hopefully that combined with the new bit of free time obtained we can start pumping out more consistent chapters for you all.
Chapter 9
"Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course."
: William Shakespeare
En route to Atlas HQ
"I suppose this means we have another mission coming up?"
It was late in the afternoon, and once again Fenrir and Yang found themselves on their way to Atlas HQ. Out of the blue they received a message from Winter to report to Headquarters for a mission briefing. Her lack of explanation at the time had left the two curious as their ride glided down the busy highway.
"Honestly I'll just be glad to see some more action if that's the case, now that we've had a break from training and those painful classes Morven made us sit though, I'm raring to go." Fenrir muttered looking out the window.
"When Winter got the call to go in earlier she seemed a little more tense than usual," Yang commented quietly lounging in her seat. "It's possible that it could be a personal issue that she was upset about, but if something serious is happening then we should keep an open mind and be prepared for anything."
Hearing that caught his attention, he had arrived at the Schnee household after she had already left so he hadn't seen her all tense. In fact, now that he thought about it he hadn't seen Weiss around the manor either.
"Then if that's the case why weren't we at the meeting in the first place," Fenrir growled looking somewhat annoyed. "If we're all a team shouldn't we be getting briefed too? I mean we got praised at the end of our last mission so why the sudden secrecy?"
"I don't know what it is but I just have a feeling that there's more going on than just a mission briefing," Yang said, trying to be optimistic. Hearing Fenrir talk about their first mission she couldn't help but smile a bit. While she was no stranger to being praised, for some reason she found the words from Morven and Winter to be extremely satisfying.
"Yeah maybe your right blondie," Fenrir said as they pulled up to their destination. Giving the driver a nod of thanks the two exited the vehicle and started making their way up the steps. "There's probably something else going on, and if there's one thing I've learned since meeting Morven it's that jumping in blind is never a good idea unless absolutely necessary. He always lectures me about needing to look at the big picture more often. Still I'm sure whatever it is they'll tell us at the briefing,"
The two entered the building and were directed to one of the empty meeting chambers where they were told to wait.
"What do you think is going on anyway Yang?" Fenrir asked, taking a seat beside her. "This mission, do you think it might have something to do with what we found last time? Morven and the others seemed pretty interested in those files we recovered."
"Yeah, what did they say it was again? An anomalous energy reading out in the wastes." What exactly could it be?"
Yang and Fenrir continued theorizing about what the energy signature could be until they heard the familiar voices of Winter and Weiss outside the door.
"They are under our tutelage Weiss, with the rules and regulations as a Specialist we can't have a tagalong, and as for the other girl. The General only agreed to let her assist on a temporary basis as another trainee."
Winter was the first to enter followed by her sister, who Fenrir could already tell was irritated by something. The small bit of their conversation they heard before the two had entered had raised his curiosity, but it was Yang though who asked almost as if she was reading his mind. "So what's going on Weiss?"
"Well apparently I won't be allowed to accompany the three of you on your next mission. When I heard Winter was heading to a meeting with the General, I asked her if it would be possible if I could come along on a training basis too." Shooting an annoyed look at her sister she added, "But of course Winter says that because of what happened at Beacon and even though we both are still under student status, since I'm her sister she can't play favorites and have me as a trainee. Plus now that Morven has also agreed to take on Irithyll part time I have no other options."
Hearing that Fenrir suddenly stood up, his face momentarily contorting in anger before just as quickly calming down and remembering what Morven told him. Sighing quietly he turned to look at the older Schnee, and with a serious look he asked. "So what's going on then? If we were called in then it must be important right."
"Well in regards to why we were called in, the General took our assessment of the two of you for that first mission, he thinks you both show great promise." Taking her own seat near the head of the table. "While something minor has come up and it may be a little early, he has decided that an unsupervised mission may be a good way to test your judgment. In an uncertain situation and while the rest of us are occupied there may be times when that will be all you can rely on."
Fenrir couldn't help but let a toothy smile cross his face. He had been under the impression that they were going to be supervised on their next mission despite receiving such praise. But to hear that they were now going on an independent mission he couldn't help but think. "No pressure now Fen, things are different. I guess Morven wasn't saying I showed growth in controlling my emotions and actions only to me, that bastard must be singing my praise all the way up the chain"
"Now don't get too excited because this isn't a glamorous mission." Winter continued catching sight of Fenrir's happily wagging tail. "This is nothing fancy or even as dangerous as our last mission. To be honest it's just something that needs to be done, but before I explain the mission we need to wait for our last trainee."
"Can you at least tell us what kind of mission we'll be going on?" Fenrir asked, looking at Winter with a curious expression. Yang could hear the serious tone in his voice. "Because I don't think Morven would send us on a mission if he didn't think we'd be able to handle it."
"Well I suppose I can at least explain the situation, though the two of you will have to wait for Irithyll and Morven to get here and he'll fill in the objective for the mission." Putting on a more serious face, Winter began explaining the situation.
"Six hours ago near the southern border there was an accident in one of Mantle's dust mining towns. Now while there have been no casualties reported as of yet but there are still a large number of injured personnel and civilians."
"Talk about a lucky break," Yang chimed, a look of relief spreading across her face that Winter nodded in agreement with.
"Indeed. Your job will be to arrive at the site and assist rescue personnel, and in the case of a larger Grimm force appearing you'll provide protection for the evacuation."
"Will there be any other Specialists or trainees providing support as well or is it just the three of us?" Yang asked, trying to think of anything she's learned that would help her.
Fenrir closed his eyes slightly thinking of potential scenarios where he'd face off with some Grimm. "This is perfect, maybe a real mission is what I'll need to see if I can get those dust crystals to work."
"Besides the rescue personnel dispatched and the squad of troops already there, no. You three will be the only Specialist trainees out there, and while technically you will be senior to the troops they'll have their own orders already." Turning to Fenrir she frowned slightly and growled, "you may request their assistance but keep in mind they can listen to their better judgment if your orders are needlessly dangerous or a waste of their time."
"What's that supposed to mean!" Fenrir growled back glaring at Winter slamming the table. "You think I'll just waste their time?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Winter snapped back, returning his glare. "You probably would have them do all the work most likely so you could sit back and relax."
"Oh that's bullshit and you know it!"
From the door suddenly came an amused voice. "I finally see what Morven was talking about when he told me you two fight like cats and dogs, I guess it is probably for the best that you and Morven aren't coming, but don't you worry. I'll be sure to take the lead and make sure the rookies stay out of trouble."
Standing in the doorway with a smug look of superiority on her face Irithyll surveyed the room, looking from Winter to Yang before her gaze finally came to a rest on Fenrir, the smirk on her face speaking volumes.
"Rookies huh."
"Take the lead."
Yang and Fenrir both clenched their jaws but stopped when Morven, who had appeared behind her, slowly raised his hand signaling them to listen.
"Before we get into that please let me first finish the mission briefing," Moving to the head of the table waiting for Irithyll who sat beside him to his left. The room fell silent as he looked from Yang to Fenrir then finally to Weiss who still looked upset.
"Alright, now where to begin. I'm sure Winter has already informed you of the situation in the mining town, correct?" Seeing the nods Morven continued. "The suspected cause of the accident is the unstable dust being mined reacted to something and exploded destroying the mine shaft and part of the town, including a section of the wall that was their main source of protection."
Pulling up an image from his Scroll onto the holo-table of the town everyone gasped. It was a slightly fuzzy picture but they could all make out the gaping crater in the ground as well as the destroyed section of the town wall.
"By some miracle there have been no reported casualties and we assume for that reason there hasn't been any Grimm attacks, there are however a good amount of injured personnel and damage to the town's infrastructure."
"Do we know how many injured there are?" Fenrir asked in a serious tone. "Because I may not be the brightest guy here but even I know that our top priority should be keeping any survivors safe and being able to react to the Grimm."
"That is correct," Morven replied, giving Fenrir an approving nod. "The exact number of injured are still being counted but it's projected to be well over a dozen or so workers and civilians. As Winter already explained there will be rescue personnel as well as a squad of Atlas troops dispatched in the AO. While on the record your mission is to provide protection during the evacuation as well as assisting in locating additional civilians and workers, the true nature of dispatching Specialist trainees is of a more delicate and confidential matter."
The trio all froze at the mention of a secret objective and stared back at Morven, the serious expression on his face adding to the tension in the room. After a moment to Morvens surprise it was Yang who asked the question. "What are we really doing, Morven?"
Tapping the scroll blueprints of the mine appeared, showing the connection of a decently sized hidden facility built below the town.
"Your primary objective is to check the security of the secret lab and the personnel working within it. In the event of a breach and someone or something compromises security, protocol is that the security forces inside are to evacuate all personnel and the artifact that is located within." Morven fell silent again, a troubled look clearly on his face. "We've tried to establish communications with the personnel inside but we haven't received any sort of response, and even more concerning is that the distress beacon that would've activated in event of an emergency has not activated."
Irithyll pursed her lips as she thought about what Morven had explained before asking. "This artifact they have, what exactly is it and if it's so important why aren't you and Winter coming with us?"
"The artifact is a sealed container made of an unknown material with several icons carved into the side, as for what it actually is I couldn't tell you. Only that it's been a source of headache for all the scientists and researchers that have studied it. For the three of you being assigned to this mission there's another reason. Myself, Winter, and the other Specialists not currently on assignment have been called in for an emergency consensus by the council, and due to the sensitive nature of this mission we cannot delay in sending a force to investigate the lab."
Fenrir stood up and glanced at Yang before asking, "alright we have our mission so how soon till we leave?"
"The airship is done being fueled and your equipment has already been loaded. My only request is that all of you come back safe."
"And don't forget you'll be representing us out there as your teachers, which means if you all make an ass out of yourselves it'll reflect poorly on us as your mentors." Winter added while her gaze lingered on Fenrir.
"The three of you will do fine," Morven said, stopping Winter and Fenrir before turning to his ward. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, but Fenrir understood his mentor's message loud and clear.
"Something isn't right so stay alert little wolf."
Standing up, Morven raised his hand and yelled, "You are all dismissed, proceed to the hangar and head to the mission site. All of us at command are counting on you, so good luck."
The three trainees snapped a salute and left the conference room in a rush, making their way to the hangar leaving Morven and the two Schnees alone.
Waiting a moment, Winter turned to her partner and asked. "Morven is something wrong?"
"I don't know, I just feel like something is off about this. The timing is just too much of a coincidence." Pulling out his scroll again, he sent a short message to Fenrir sharing some of his own intel before quietly whispering.
"It's just a feeling I have Winter but we need to stay alert, now let's head to that meeting and find out what's so important."
Above the mission site one hour later
"We are approaching the landing zone, is everyone ready?"
Fenrir with his eyes closed listened to the Atlas soldiers chatter over the comm channel as they began their descent. Thanks to the medication Morven had packed for him before they left, Fen's normal air sickness was now just a light queasiness. Though if it was due to being airsick or just nerves he couldn't quite say, or maybe it was the contents of the last message Morven had sent him when he had boarded the airship.
"There's been a report of something being spotted near the AO, a humanoid figure in a black cloak with some sort of mask on. It is unclear if this is WF or another organization so stay alert. If it's something the three of you can't handle, fall back and issue an Omega 3 alert." Unconsciously patting the access card he had been given Fenrir took a deep breath to calm himself and turned to check on his fellow trainees.
Beside him Yang seemed to have a nervous fidget of her own, absentmindedly playing with her hair while across from him Irithyll sat calmly, working over her forearm scales with seemingly no sign of worry.
Despite being annoyed he couldn't help but think back to their match, "I'll admit I did enjoy our fight, and if Morven has accepted her I'll trust his judgment. Though I know that he probably has his own reasons, but that's not something I need to worry about now."
"Alright ladies," Fenrir said with a growl climbing to his feet. "Since we'll be landing soon, maybe we should come up with a plan on how to handle the situation?" First our number one priority is to assist in the search of casualties. Second we'll eliminate any Grimm we encounter before proceeding to the lab. Remember with an accident like this the emotions of the people involved will be all over the place. I'd expect the Grimm to show up at any time so try not to let the excitement get the better of you."
"I'm aware of what we need to do," Irithyll answered with a yawn of boredom flexing her claws. "We were all at the same mission briefing after all. This should be simple, in fact so simple I'm actually wondering why we are even here wasting our time. The rescue personnel and squad of troops they dispatched should be more than enough to deal with an accident like this, I mean you both saw the report. There aren't even any actual confirmed deaths yet. As for the lab, most likely the explosions from the different raw dust types are causing interference, that's why there is no distress signal."
Fenrir giving a shrug shook his head slightly. "I don't know about that, sure it's a possibility but we should still be alert, Morven must think something else is going on otherwise why would he leave something like this to us? You said it yourself, this should be easy."
"Yeah whatever," Irithyll snapped impatiently, rolling her eyes. "Let's just hurry up and get this job done so we can go back, I have more important things to do than a rookie mission like this." Getting to her feet she moved and opened the hatch, the wind roaring around them as the engines of the airship blew a torrent of falling snow everywhere.
"Ma'am wait we're just about to land…" The pilot called back, but Irithyll had already jumped ship heading straight for the landing zone.
"Don't worry about it Captain, we were planning on leaving this way from the start so relax." Flashing another smile and giving their pilot a thumbs up he added before leaping after Irithyll, "We'll keep in touch if we need a pick up until then do what you can to help the others."
Yang immediately followed after him, dropping the last hundred meters. When they got closer to the ground Fenrir switched his weapon to whip mode and used it to catch hold of an overhanging sign slowing his descent, while Yang behind him blasted the ground with Ember Celica to slow her fall.
Landing on the ground the two looked to find Irithyll already ahead of them talking to who appeared to be the current commander of the rescue operation. Hearing their approach she glanced back smugly and continued her briefing ignoring the glares that Fenrir and Yang shot her way.
"We appreciate the extra support being sent but honestly we have this under control. The injured are being evacuated and we have a secure perimeter of the surrounding area, what's more we've barely encountered any Grimm. By all accounts this should be a textbook operation, but if you want to do your own checks we won't interfere, and you all should have the frequency we are using so if you do find anything call it in and we'll provide assistance."
"We were given the channel on our way over so don't worry." Fenrir explained tapping his ear piece. "Right now we are planning on checking out the site of the accident first and rendering aid to the injured on the way there. That should keep all our bases covered so you and your men can stay in the loop."
"I appreciate the courtesy, just make sure the three of you stay safe while you're out there. There's only been minor Grimm activity since the accident but you can expect that to change at any time." The officer replied before turning back to his work leaving the three trainees discussing amongst themselves.
"So the entrance to the lab is supposed to be located near the outskirts of town," Fenrir said, pulling out his scroll and displaying the map of the area. "Starting from our landing point here, we'll begin moving towards the outer edge of the town providing any aid we can to the injured."
"If we encounter Grimm while helping civilians, I'll take care of them while Yang keeps providing aid." Irithyll volunteered, giving a lazy yawn and stretching.
Yang nodded in agreement and shifted her pack. It was their first unsupervised mission and she couldn't help but be slightly nervous as she motioned to Fenrir and Irithyll to start moving out, there were people who needed their help and she was going to make sure they got it.
Menagerie in Sienna's Palace
Sienna Khan sat quietly on her throne listening to the report of their recent attack carried out on the outskirts of Vale with little interest. For her their so-called victory of the attack on Beacon didn't sit quite right with her yet for a majority of the Fang it was seen as a successful strike against the tyrannical humans.
"Very well that's enough,"Sienna interrupted waving her hand, the young Faunus who was giving his report glanced up and could see the tired expression she wore, giving her a respectful nod he handed off his report before bowing and exiting the throne room leaving her alone with her guards.
"The attack on Beacon. We took part and struck a blow of fear into the humans yet why do I feel as though we missed something vital."
Leaving her throne room she made her way through the palace until she made it to her gardens, the relaxing effect of her own little sanctuary kicking in almost immediately. Getting down on her knees she gently reached out and checked a small group of flowers of varying shades of yellow, orange, and red. "You there, do you know what type of flower this is?" She asked, suddenly turning to one of the guards that had been following her.
"I'm sorry ma'am I do not," he replied stiffening in surprise at her question, keeping his eyes forward he could feel her still looking at him.
"It's called the Desert Mariposa Lily, and I'd have to say it's my favorite flower out here in my garden. I think of it almost as a metaphor for our organization," Sienna continued her gaze still lingering on her guard. His blue eyes nervously darted back from her to straight ahead of him.
"Through the hard work of our struggle, only then can the beauty of the Faunus people shine through the treachery of man. Much like how this flower here will grow in this harsh environment."
The guard didn't respond for a moment, instead he thoughtfully stared at Sienna with those unyielding blue eyes before quietly asking, "What about through peace with the humans? Do you think that is possible?"
"Peace? With humans?" Sienna shot her guard an incredulous look before raising her voice. "The humans have refused to treat us as equals for decades, the years of feeling hate don't just disappear, no matter how much we wish they would. We know that some wounds don't fully heal, and the scars that are left will be a constant reminder."
Her voice was harsh but there was an almost imperceptible waver in her tone as Sienna stood back up, looking out into the distance Sienna opened her mouth to say something else but stopped, instead standing in silence with her two guards looking out into the sunset.
Outskirts of Atlas Mining town
Patting the head of a little girl one last time after placing a bandage on her cheek, Yang steadily stood up again and motioned for the girl's parents to come over. Wiping the sweat from her forehead she calmly informed the parents that their daughter was fine now and that they could make their way to the evacuation staging point.
Yang couldn't help but be impressed with the people of this small mining town. Despite the number of injured civilians there was very little panic amongst its residents. Even the little girl she had just helped only cried for a moment before quickly calming down.
Fenrir, watching her out of the corner of his eye, smiling slightly as the family thanked her before walking away. While he had assisted in the recovery and aid of another group of civilians he couldn't help but watch Yang as she worked.
"Hey earth to Fen!" Came a voice suddenly snapping him out of his daydream. Shifting his gaze from Yang to Irithyll he could feel his cheeks burn slightly in embarrassment as she stared knowingly at him.
"What is it?" He snapped, turning away to hide his embarrassment.
"There is only one more group that needs to be checked before going to the evac zone, I say we let the troops take care of them and we start making our way to the lab. After all that's our primary objective, or would you rather we stick around here so you can keep staring at Yang?" Mentioning their teammate Irithyll's eyes lit up as a mischievous grin spread across her face.
"It's not what you think," Fenrir stammered quickly, turning away from where Yang was sitting. "I was just looking at her thinking how nice she is to everyone, whether they are human or Faunus. It's still new to me that humans can be this friendly."
Irithyll could hear the subtle change in Fenrir's voice and gave a little sigh of her own. "Ugh hearing you get all serious really is so annoying, let's just forget I said anything and go get a move on. The sooner we finish this mission the sooner we can get back to Atlas and deal with more important things."
Nodding in agreement Fenrir turned again and waved to Yang, motioning for her to join them.
"Are we about to head out?"
"Yeah, the remaining civilians should be fine with the troops already here, we need to get started on our primary objective." Pulling out his scroll Fenrir projected the map he had obtained from Morven and pointed to the south-eastern section. "This is where we can find an emergency hatch into the facility, from there we'll investigate and if necessary retrieve the artifact and return to Atlas."
"Should be pretty simple so lets get a move on," Irithyll replied, suddenly taking off in the direction of the hidden entrance. Her hurry to get the mission done brought a smile to her teammates faces who took off after her, also eager to complete their mission and return to Atlas.
Unknown to them though, they were approaching a danger the likes of which none of them could even imagine.
20 Minutes Later
Fenrir, slipping his scroll back into his pocket gave a tired sigh. "According to the map and schematics that Morven gave us, we should be approaching the access hatch. But since it's hidden we'll need to take it a little slower so that way we don't miss it."
"Yeah you're probably right, but isn't it weird how there's been no sign of lab occupants coming out this way, or anyone for that matter." Irithyll shivered slightly and adjusted her fur coat muttering to herself, "something isn't right around here."
"It's too quiet around here," Yang observed, also shivering slightly. For her it was less from uneasiness and more from the cold. Yet still there was a heaviness in her gut, a sense of unease as they moved forward before freezing at the sight of the once hidden entrance.
The normally blended in heavy hatch they had expected to find was torn off its hinges leaving a gaping dark hole leading into the underground facility.
"That was at least a foot of reinforced steel," Fenrir muttered shakily, kneeling down beside the hatch. His hands gingerly tracing across the remains of the hinges. "Whatever ripped the hatch off did it easily, there's no signs of stress on the frame or anything, that means it was torn off in an instant."
"This means there's been a breach and we have to get inside and search for survivors and the relic, and Fen we should let the forward commander know we might need some backup." Yang whispered, moving beside him shivering again as another chill passed through her body.
"I agree with Yang," Irithyll said, shuddering as well before peering into the dark. "We should let them know where we are, that way if something happens they at least know where to find us. I'm sure you guys can tell that we are not alone. I feel something but it's not Grimm. It's something empty, like a void moving ahead."
Fenrir nodded. "I'll reach out to the Commander then, just give me a second." Tapping his earpiece he keyed in but was immediately met with a harsh burst of static causing him to flinch.
"Dammit, something is causing interference," Fenrir muttered, shaking his head. "We are on our own here so let's be smart and take things slow, and if there are Grimm in here I'm sure the three of us can handle it so let's move out."
Peering through the hatch one last time Fenrir moved in first, followed by Yang and Irithyll as they made their way into the darkened entryway of the lab.
The trio walked in silence for quite some time when Irithyll abruptly stopped and whispered, "something is wrong here." Her hands shook slightly as the heavy darkness surrounding them seemed to physically thicken out of nowhere.
"We are not alone," Yang breathed. Hardly daring to make a noise as her heart pounded in her ears. The presence they had all felt approaching slowly had stopped just out of sight before a low rumbling was heard.
The rumble for Fenrir was less heard and more felt in his bones as he gritted his teeth, his vision darkening as Yang and Irithyll collapsed beside him. The movement in the tunnel started again, seemingly coming closer as another wave of nausea swept over him.
Falling to his knees Fenrir struggled to remain conscious, but the suffocating darkness finally overpowered him.
The final thing Fenrir saw before succumbing to unconsciousness was a glimpse of a man-like shape in the dark, its emerald eyes barely even glancing at them as it strode past the three, its mouth moving but the words it uttered were lost as everything faded to black.
Atlas Command four hours later
"Are there any indications on what caused them to fall unconscious?"
"No ma'am, their vitals are all in the green and they have no injuries indicating an ambush, the squad that recovered them stated that where they were found had no signs indicating conflict. Wait, we are getting eye movement from Mr. Argyros right now, someone go notify Morven and Winter immediately."
"Wha… what happened?"
Fenrir struggled for a moment before finally sitting up and finding himself back in the Atlas HQ medical ward. To his left he could see Yang and Irithyll both still unconscious in their own beds, while on his right he met the familiar crimson gaze of the chief medical officer.
With a slight edge to her voice, Eve grumbled. "It's good to see at least one of you kids have woken up now, the three of you had the staff worried sick. Not to mention your mentors who felt guilty that you even ended up in that situation."
"Eve? What happened?" Fenrir collapsed back onto his bed and squinted his eyes. He had a pounding headache, cotton mouth and no memory of having arrived back at Atlas.
"But I'm still alive," the thought clearly rang in his mind as he tried to remember what had happened. The mission, the hidden lab that they were searching for, the intruder…
"Argh," Fenrir clutched his temples as a sharp pain shot through his head. The vivid image of a shadowy figure with green eyes appearing in his memory, striding past the collapsed forms of him and his teammates.
"Mr. Argyros? Are you alright?"
Suddenly the vision was gone and once again Fenrir was looking into Eve's eyes, which shone with concern as she stared at him. Besides her, a younger medical aide stood by blushing, sharing her expression before nervously asking, "Mr. Argyros do you remember anything? Anything that could maybe tell us what happened to the three of you while on your mission."
"Yeah sorry, it's just my head is pounding. I think I do remember something, a man or something in the shape of a man was in the facility, all I remember was his eyes like green flames that looked through me. He might've said something but I couldn't hear it." Fenrir shuddered again at the memory, but shook his head and instead looked back towards his unconcious friends. "But what about them? Are they alright?"
"Your teammates are perfectly fine," Eve reassured gently, taking Fenrir's hand. "They were rendered unconscious in the same manner you were, I'd wager that because you are awake now your friends should be regaining consciousness soon so don't worry."
Fenrir gave a sigh of relief, pausing for a moment before asking, "what about the mission then? Did the survivors get away safely? And what about the lab and the personnel that worked in it."
Eve and the nearby nurses fell silent at his question and a dark mood filled the room, just thinking about it one of the aides looked slightly ill as if remembering something unpleasant.
"That's something we'll discuss in detail at a later time Fenrir," Morven said in a steely tone striding into the room. His expression softened as he approached Fenrir's bed, before ruffling the hair of his ward and gently saying, "I'm just glad that the three of you are alright. And I am sorry that I got you all in that situation Fenrir, if I had suspected that something like that was going to occur I would've gone on the mission myself."
"It was supposed to be an easy mission Morven, and you can't see the future so we don't blame you." Fenrir growled pushing away Morven's hand, his cheeks now a shade red darker from his embarrassment causing Morven to crack a slight smile.
"If you are feeling better now I'd like you to return with me, I had to excuse myself from the meeting when word of your recovery was brought to me. Right now they are probably still discussing intel that was sent to us from one of our undercover operatives, but I know that another topic to be discussed is about what you and Yang discovered during our mission to the northern outpost and the encounter with whatever you met on your latest mission. I'd like for you to explain what you believe happened."
"Wait, you mean it? Like you want my two cents on all the nonsense, what will the General say?"
"Not just the General but every Specialist called in, as well as the Atlas Council so try to keep it somewhat professional." Ruffling Fenrir's hair one last time on the head before looking over at Yang and Irithyll. "While the General and some of the Council have trust in you, remember that there are still those who are too close minded, but don't focus on them. Focus on your friends and those who support and care about you."
"Geez Morven, you don't need to get all sappy with me I get it. Now I guess we should get a move on then, that meeting is not going to wait forever right?" Moving to get up again Fenrir suddenly froze. "Eve… Where are my pants?"
Fifteen Minutes Later
"I swear everytime I'm in that room they take my pants off Morven, isn't that like sexual harassment or something."
"Well considering that you needed to be medically checked it's to be expected. But are you really complaining, Eve's little assistant seems to have taken a shine to you," Morven teased, stopping at the council chambers. "But we can talk about your love life later, right now we have important matters to discuss."
With a slow nod Fenrir took a deep breath and followed Morven into a familiar chamber, the same chamber where he was almost sentenced to imprisonment but instead was offered redemption. Glancing around the room he recognized a few familiar faces, like old man Kenrich who gave him a subtle nod of greeting when their eyes met, and the blue eyed woman who had been against him during his trial.
A slight chill went through the young Faunus's body as all eyes watched him take his seat to the right of Morven, the tense silence in the room telling him that this meeting involved something serious.
"Glad you decided to rejoin us Specialist Kenrich," came a languid voice from the gathered councilors. "While your loyalty to those serving under you is commendable in some regards, the fact that you believe he has insight on our current dilemma is… Foolish to say the least."
Inwardly Fenrir snarled at the councilman but bit his tongue when a response came to mind, his eyes finding the owner of the voice easily.
The offender as expected was a heavyset man with a thick bristly mustache and beady yellow eyes that glared back at him with visible disgust. Watching the noble stroke his mustache, Fenrir could see the multitude of flashy rings on his fat fingers before the man opened his mouth again, this time directing his question to the gathered room.
"Does anyone else feel as though our time waiting for the Specialists could be better spent? Like discussing our new plan for budgeting those new toys the R&D department has been cooking up. With this new rash of unexplained Specialists deaths, turning to these technological advancements might prevent the needless loss of life."
"After what happened at Beacon Academy you must be joking," snapped another Councilor. "With the breach of our digital security still in question, putting more of the Kingdom's reliance on these machines is just inviting another disaster."
"While both councilors have valid points on the matter, the issue still stands that the manpower we once had in regards to Specialists in the field has gone down by a significant margin. A more positive note however, our latest class of Centurions have graduated and are ready for deployment once their handler situation has been solved."
Fenrir, still quietly sitting, couldn't help but notice that at that last statement several sets of eyes had shifted their gaze to his mentor.
"While I've already told the General, I will have to decline the request to take charge of the new division of Centurions. My current mission is something that requires my full attention," glancing at Fenrir out of the corner of his eye he added in a steady tone. "While it might seem like a small endeavor. I believe in the future, while we can rely on a large standing military for things such as sieges or the new potential of the Grimm attacking en masse. We can also shift our training of new Specialists and Huntsmans into joint teams, and with the graduation of our newest division we can start implementing Centurian units."
Members of the council and gathered Specialists began to mutter quietly amongst themselves until Gerade raised his hand getting their attention.
"We can begin implementing those changes immediately unless anyone has a reason otherwise." The chamber remained silent and Gerade gave a small nod before turning his gaze upon Fenrir. "Now Mr. Argyros, I understand that this was your first mission. The one to investigate why outpost 46 went offline. You and Specialist trainee Yang Xiao-Long discovered something, something that possibly could have been overlooked if you had not brought it up with your seniors."
Fenrir nervously wetted his lips before in a steady voice he asked, "You mean the anomalous reading we found?" Getting a nod from Gerade Fenrir continued, "I honestly didn't and still don't know what it was. All I did was point out that the reading that was recorded on the same day the outpost went dark."
"What were you even doing poking around in that data?" A voice snapped accusingly, causing another round of chatter to start.
"She's right, do you even have authorization to be taking data from a secure outpost?"
"He was with the White Fang, perhaps he's still working for them. Stealing information from right under our very noses."
Fenrir gritted his teeth, about to snap back at the Councilors when Morven got to his feet and raised his voice.
"Enough! I won't have you degrade Mr. Argyros with these baseless accusations!" He yelled glaring at the Councilor, his normal expressionless demeanor now a threatening scowl. "He was under my orders along with Ms. Xiao-Long to secure the data while Winter and myself performed one last security sweep, before returning to our supporter. If anything his diligence in checking for anything out of the ordinary should be praised!"
Ironwood raised his hand and Morven immediately fell silent, the scowl that was on his face gone as quickly as it appeared. "I gave Specialists Schnee and Kenrich authorization to have the two trainees conduct themselves how their handlers see fit for the mission, if that means they had the two conduct file recovery then that is a call they are authorized to make."
The Councilors stiffened slightly as if wanting to argue but instead one of them gave an embarrassed cough changing the subject. "Well regardless of that, what of our other matter at hand, the matter of our missing Maiden? Could this anomalous reading have ties to her location Carter?"
Specialist Carter shook his head slightly, "we cannot confirm the exact location from the reading due to insufficient data. However, now that we have an example of the energy reading we can have our scanner specifically check for that signal. And if we do pick it up again we'll be able to triangulate it and get an exact location and hopefully find the Maiden."
There was the briefest of pauses before Gerade continued for them. "With the Winter maiden missing there has been a gap in Atlas's total protection, her recovery needs to be a top priority and if you can't recover her we need to have another option for a Maiden chosen, ironically our best option right now for her namesake may have cold feet when the time comes, or rather other responsibilities that she feels are more important."
Feeling his Grandfather's gaze Morven got to his feet again and replied in an even, emotionless voice. "While I understand the importance of this decision, it is not my decision to make. I'll advise her on the situation if it arises but in no way can I make that decision for her."
"Ridiculous," the heavyset Councilor from before gave Morven an amused look, shaking his head slightly. "If you can't reason with her, then what use is she? I say we start looking into finding another option for a replacement Winter Maiden."
"That's not an option we need to concern ourselves with right now," Ironwood snapped, slamming his hand down on the table. The casual way they spoke of replacing her it seemed had rubbed him the wrong way. "Winter is a solid option and I know if that situation comes to pass we can rely on her to take up the mantle of the Maiden. Right now I say we discuss this new issue that has come to our attention."
Receiving a nod from the General one of the gathered Specialists stood and moved to the center of the room activating the holo-table. "After another series of investigations on the site of the dust mine explosion, we have now come to the conclusion that it was an act of sabotage. The culprit has been identified but has since then vanished."
Another one of the Councilors rolled her eyes and hissed. "Vanished? Then what good is this information? Shouldnt you have people tracking down this bomber if you know who he is?"
"Who that man is, is a contractor." The Specialist said with a glare pushing up his glasses and displaying the man on the holo-table. "A contractor with quite a rap sheet. Espionage, assassination, kidnapping, contract terrorism backed by not only the White Fang but also by Bliss before we took them down."
"Wait a second, I know that face." Fenrir stared at the man's image trying to remember where he had seen him before when another voice suddenly spoke out.
"So Axel's finally shown himself again, the bastard."
"I take it you know the culprit Captain?"
"That is correct Carter," Captain Kendrick said with a slight grin before turning serious again. "Over the last three years we have had several encounters, though we've never been able to catch him, we know his work very well. That being said, this is not his usual MO. The fact that there were no casualties means that this was part of a bigger plan."
"This plan, do you think it has to do with the break in and execution of everyone in the lab?"
"Execution is putting it mildly," Carter replied with a grimace, changing the view on the holo-table again. "If you have a sensitive stomach I highly recommend that you don't look too closely."
"Oh good God!"
"Bloody hell!"
The room was suddenly in an uproar at the sight on the holo. Even Fenrir, who wasn't a stranger to the bloodier side of the job for a moment felt the bile rise in his throat at the sight of the carnage on screen.
The equipment and monitors in the lab were smashed and scattered around the room, along with the occupants. Viscera and bone fragments could be seen dotting the walls as the scene was shown from multiple angles, not one person was in a single solid piece. In the seats behind him, Fenrir heard the sound of someone losing their lunch but still he couldn't turn away.
"That was the lab we were supposed to check…" Wide eyed he tried again to recall what had happened before the three of them had fallen unconscious. The feeling that had crept through his body rooting him in place, the fear that had consumed him.
"There were no survivors, and the artifact that they were studying there was also taken." Carter averted his eye from the screen again before clicking to the next image adding. "We presume that the artifact was the end all target."
"And this artifact," Gerade looked a little paler but was still holding himself together. Gestured to the image of the Urn on the holo-table. "Do we know what exactly it was?"
"We do not, all we do know is that it was a pre-kingdom relic that appeared empty. But starting three years ago it began giving off a strange energy signature which we were heavily invested in studying, though its origin and cause were never discovered, and now will never be."
"Mr. Argyros," another Councilor asked, getting his attention. "We understand the three of you that went to check the lab never made it inside, and out of the three of you only you have recovered. Is there anything you can tell us about what happened before you fell unconscious, we've received a bit of information but we would like to hear any other details you could provide."
"Alright then." Fenrir began recounting the events of their mission from when they had first landed, going into as much detail as he could remember. Explaining when they had finished their rescue operations in the settlement they began their trek to the hidden entrance. When he mentioned that their communications with the other troops went down another Specialist chimed in. A bubblegum haired woman with the ends of her hair dyed blue that Fenrir felt he had seen somewhere around Atlas before.
"You said something about your comm system getting interference right? Preventing you from calling in backup."
"Yeah we did miss…"
"Ada," the woman replied, giving Fenrir a wink with her bright blue eyes before turning to the rest of the room's occupants. "This could be something we need to look into, General recently there has been multiple cases of our comm systems encountering interference as well. Some of these happening right before Specialists have gone either KIA or MIA."
At the mention of the deceased and missing Specialists the General gave a slow nod. "These events may be tied together, Captain Kendrick I'd like R&D to look into this matter. If we can't find out what's been causing the communication issue we need to find a way to prevent it. We've lost too many good people."
"Understood General, I'll have my people look into the matter."
All eyes in the room turned back to Fenrir who was still quietly standing waiting to continue his story. Getting a nod from Morven he resumed his tale, describing how they found the metal hatch torn open and an overwhelming presence was felt in the air.
"The last thing I remember seeing before falling unconscious was a humanoid figure with green eyes moving past us. It might've been a man but I can't say for certain and I couldn't make out what it said but I do know one thing." Fenrir looked to Ironwood, his eyes haunted by the memory. "If that thing wanted to kill us it could have easily done that, if I had to guess it didn't view us as worth killing."
On that note the Councilors thanked Fenrir for his services and ended the meeting, a somber tone hanging in the air as everyone started to leave, the subject of the meeting weighing heavily on everyone's mind.
"Morven hold up a second," Captain Kendrick called out, walking over to them, finally giving Fenrir a good look and Atlas's head of R&D. He was a tall well built man with striking blonde hair that ended in whitish tips, his attitude was one of someone who worked hard yet wasn't bogged down by his job. Shaking Morvens hand he gave a nod and asked, "So how's the family? I know it's been awhile since we've all gotten together considering how much work we've had lately."
"It's been far too long Kendrick it's good to see you again, how are the kids? I know Frost has been doing some great work from the reports I've read." Morven replied, giving the Captain a nod before turning to Fenrir. "I know you haven't met him yet but this is Fenrir, he's my ward and has been staying with us. This is Captain Kendrick, head of Atlas R&D and also happens to be my uncle and current head of the branch family for us."
"Your uncle?" Fenrir gave Kendrick an incredulous look. "He doesn't look that much older than you so how does that work?"
"My aunt was into younger men," Morven replied, a ghost of a smile briefly appearing on his face. "Kendrick married her thus forming one branch family in the Kenrich name, it's partly political in nature but in the end the result is still the same. After all, family is one of the most important things there is."
"It's what keeps us going in these difficult times, but what else can we do right?" His question was more directed at Fenrir who only shrugged in response. "Well in any case I'm going to head back to my office and check on a few things, Morven we should get the families together and have dinner again. It really has been too long."
"It really has been Kendrick, we'll certainly be around and if you ever need anything you only need to ask." With a nod the two Specialists shook hands again and went their separate ways, Fenrir trailing after his mentor as the two began making their way back to the medical wing.
Walking in silence Fenrir couldn't help but think of the meeting they had just left and all the new questions he had. "What is a Maiden? Who hired Axel if it wasn't the White Fang?"
"You look like you have something on your mind Fen," Morven gently asked looking down at his ward. "I know that was probably a lot to deal with, especially after what happened on your mission, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. Proud of how you're growing and conducting yourself around people who at one point you thought were your enemies."
Fenrir rolled his eyes at this and shrugged again. "Well you've been drilling into my skull that I need to act more professional right, plus those guys seemed to be just as scared of what we found so I figured I should just focus on being an asset instead."
"Good call, now let's see if the others are awake. We have a lot to discuss and time may be running out."
AN: BoredBoot here wanting to thank the readers, my partner and I appreciate both the old and new fans for sticking around. I hope you all are excited for these next couple of chapters that'll be loaded with intrigue and action building up to the thrilling conclusion of this first book. While we are still busy with our day to day lives and jobs we should be working more often on these next series of chapters so stay tuned. And as always if you enjoyed the story don't be afraid to leave a review, it'll help keep the creativity flowing hearing feedback from all of you. Stay safe and till next time people.
TheBoredBoot