Finals, Holiday planning, writers block ,procrastination, getting angry at what's going on in the news.

You know, the usual.

Chapter 20: Russian Winter, Part II

Greg and Ivan

"See anything?" Greg asked Ivan while watching another truck returning from the wall.

"Nope. Nothing new." Ivan replied, eyes still on the drones' screen.

So far, the ANTIFA forces at the warehouse haven't changed their routine of loading up the trucks with the Dust and sending them to the wall. To the untrained, sitting in one place and watching a monotonous scene before you would surely take its toll, but Greg could keep this up for hours if need be. He kept his eyes moving across the area, watching for any subtle changes in ANTIFA's behavior. From his position, Greg could easily pick off the majority of ANTIFA's troops at the warehouse, but he'll wait for Alex's go to attack.

Ivan, meanwhile, was able to see a much larger view of the immediate and surrounding areas with the drone. TV mode allowed him to see everything as is, like you were looking through a regular camera, while IR mode let him the view heat signatures of the enemies below them. Due to the large area and the fading daylight, Ivan opted for IR mode. He could see the large concentration of hostiles at the warehouse, as well as the patrols in the outer areas. Additionally, he could see the trucks and the rest of ANTIFA at the base of the wall. With all the enemies in the area, he and Greg estimated there must have been close to 50 ANTIFA members in this area, not including the ones at the wall.

"Well, what do we have here?" Greg said to himself with a hint of amusement. "Hey, Alex." He said into his radio.

"Talk to me." Alex replied.

"Let Winter know that I have visual on some of those missing paladins." Greg replied. It wasn't until most of the Dust crates in the warehouse were removed that they revealed at least four Atlesian paladins stored in the warehouse.

"She asked what's their status?" Alex said, speaking for Winter.

"They're just sitting in the warehouse unoccupied, but they appear armed and ready to go." Greg replied, observing ANTIFA's logo painted on the sides.

"I told her we're stretched too thin and not in any position to move on the warehouse." Alex said.

"But…" Greg figured Winter would probably say something.

"One way or another, we need to prevent ANTIFA from walking away with those paladins. God knows what kind of damage they can do with heavily armored battle mechs."

"I'll keep my eyes peeled, but we're going to need reinforcements." Greg looked over at Ivan and saw the three RPG's the two of them brought. If need be, they could use them to attack the paladins despite not knowing how strong the paladins' armor is. Their best bet, however, is that reinforcements will arrive and take care of things.

"Once we get a good idea of what they're doing here in the wall, we'll send for backup." Alex debated on having Winter call reinforcements as soon as they got into the wall, but with the unknown variable of what ANTIFA is doing with all the Dust at the wall, they couldn't risk alerting ANTIFA to their presence and having them fall back… or execute their plan early.

"Roger that." Greg replied. He went back to watching the warehouse until he heard Ivan speak.

"One of the trucks is heading in another direction." He said out loud. It drove parallel to the wall away from both the warehouse and loading dock for a little ways until it stopped at what appeared to be a gate that allowed it access outside the wall and subsequently the city. Ivan then watched as it drove back in the direction it came from, only on the outside of the wall. "Where's this guy going?" Ivan thought as he flew the drone towards the outside of the wall.

Alex, Nick and Winter

"So then I told her that if she talks like that to me again, we're through!" An ANTIFA member exclaimed to his partner while they walked down the hall.

"What'd she say?" His buddy asked.

"You know my mom…she sent me to my room." The first one said in a disappointed tone.

"You ever consider moving out of your mom's house? I mean you're almost 40." The second one asked while stopping to tie his shoe as the first one kept walking. As soon as he took a knee, an arm found its way around his neck followed by a hand over his mouth to preventing him from calling out for help. The last moment of his life was the feeling of a blade being embedded into his neck and being dragged into the shadows by a pair of strong feminine hands.

"Man you sound just like her." He paused to clear his throat. "When are you moving out? Are you going to get a job anytime soon? Why couldn't you make something of yourself like your sister? Your father is rolling in his grave blah, blah, blah." He said with his best impersonation of a nagging, older woman. When he didn't get a response, he turned only to find his buddy wasn't there. "Hey where'd you go?" Those were his last words before two silenced shots rang out from the shadows and found their way into his chest. He crumpled to the ground without making a sound. It was then that Alex, Nick and Winter emerged from the shadows, stepping over the dead insurgent.

"According to those signs, the control room should be just up ahead." Alex commented while reloading. As it turns out, the wall is much more than it appears. From the outside, it looks like just a massive wall made of concrete, reinforced with steel and other hard materials. But on the inside, it's an elaborate system of hallways that interconnect with each other that moves throughout the entire perimeter of the entire city. Aside from being a physical barrier to stop the Grimm from advancing, defensive countermeasures were also built into the wall to eradicate the Grimm hordes. They ranged from machine guns that can easily cut down lesser Grimm, to anti-air rockets for avian Grimm, all the way to heavy artillery used for larger Grimm types like Goliaths. Special measures were also in place to defend Vale's coastal waters, and to counter possible subterranean Grimm attacks.

All of the defensive turrets and countermeasures were automatically controlled by four different rooms built into the wall, with one in each cardinal direction: North, South, East and West. They contained long range sensors and tracking computers that control the defenses to identify and eliminate all Grimm that came within range. Highly advance supercomputers kept everything up and running with minimal need for Human contact. Should a control station go down for any reason, an emergency signal is sent to the Vale Police while the other stations take control of the down station, preventing the defenses of that section from completely shutting down. As a final measure, policemen are assigned to "wall duty", where they monitor the room and make sure everything is running smoothly. Due to its importance, a squad composed of day and night shift officers are assigned to wall duty for three days in order to ensure constant 24/7 watch. Sleeping quarters and facilities allowed them to live comfortably before the relief squad takes over. Overall, Vale's defenses are nothing to scoff at and can be considered on par with Atlas.

However, thanks to recent White Fang and ANTIFA activity, as well as unrest with the Atlesians in the city, the Vale Police Department has been stretched to breaking point. More officers are being sent out on patrol in addition to breaking up crowds protesting the Atlesian forces. This in turn, has led to extending the time officers spend on wall duty, while simultaneously cutting back on the number of officers deployed at a time. It went from 6-8 officers per 3-day cycle, down to a bare minimum 2 per control station for a 4-day cycle. The long hours have been taking their toll on the exhausted police force.

"There's more hostiles here than there was during my patrols." Winter commented. A dozen enemies have already fallen to the three of them, but they've barely put a dent in their numbers as the whole interior structure was crawling with ANTIFA insurgents. The main corridor that the Dust was being transported down was too well guarded for them to move through, so they had to navigate the side hallways to follow. This proved to be a frustrating feat, as it felt like they were navigating through a maze by constantly running into dead ends and having to backtrack. Yet they pressed on. Luckily, they came across signs that at least gave them a general idea where they were.

"There it is." Alex said, pointing towards a large set of metal blast doors with the words, "RESTRICTED ACCESS" written across them in bright yellow. Next to the door was a computer terminal, most likely used to allow access to the room. Above the door, a red spinning emergency light was in place. Should something occur that requires attention, it lights up and is followed by an alarm to alert the nearby officers. The sound of the alarm and the red lights became more prevalent the closer they got to the control room, indicating that something is wrong. Of course, the ANTIFA troops standing outside the door seem to be ignoring the lights and sounds. Unlike the other one's they've come across, the thirteen troops standing guard appeared to be more alert and attentive. Weapons were drawn and ready for use while overturned tables were used as makeshift cover. No doubt they wanted to keep people away from the control room.

"They're dug in pretty good." Nick commented.

"We have to get in there. That alarm means that somethings wrong with the auto defenses." Winter said.

"Then shouldn't the police be here or something?" Alex asked.

"That's what concerns me. The alarm has been going off for quite some time. Without any personnel to deal with it or call it in as under control, this place should've been swarmed with police, if not Huntsmen, to investigate." She explained. Alex thought back to the dead cops they saw earlier and furrowed his brow. ANTIFA must've done something to the city defenses, but if what Winter said was true, then why hasn't anyone come to investigate the alarm? And what about all the Dust? What the hell are they up to? Alex put these questions aside for later, as they need to get into the control room without those ANTIFA goons calling for reinforcements.

"Get ready to take those guys out." Alex said, not even looking to Nick and Winter.

"We're totally exposed in this hallway. They'll cut us down as soon as we step out." Nick paused for a moment." Well, me and you at least." He commented to Alex while pointing his head towards Winter.

"I'm not a bullet sponge." Winter simply stated to Nick. Just because one has Aura, doesn't mean they're immune to getting shot...even if they can take multiple hits.

"No, I have better idea." Alex turned to Winter. "You can use your glyphs to launch things over a distance, right?" She nodded in response. "Then get ready." Alex said, pulling out a flashbang. Winter understood his intentions and prepared to summon a small glyph while Nick readied himself.

"We've already taken out a few of their patrols. Taking the control room will surely put them on alert." Nick pointed out.

"They're not leaving us any choice. The safety of the city is at stake." Winter replied. She may not be from Vale, but all the same, she's a soldier and a Huntress first, and knows her responsibility to Humanity.

"And…go!" Alex shouted.

Right as Alex said that, Nick skillfully took down an enemy by shooting her in throat. She clutched onto it as blood spurted out, but fell to the ground, gurgling her last breath of life. The other ANTIFA members were surprised and shocked at the sight of their comrades' sudden demise. Before any of them could react, another guy went down. Instead of a bullet however, it was a flashbang that contacted with his face. The increased velocity provided by Winter's glyph was enough to knock him to the ground before detonating in his face and disorienting himself and everyone around him.

One by one, the ANTIFA guards fell to the combined might of the Russian rifles and Winter's SMG as they quickly pushed towards the control room until only the guy who took the flashbang to the face was the last one alive. He managed to get up onto his feet once he recovered from the flashbang and recoiled at the sight of his fallen colleagues. It's not that he cared about or was necessarily friends with these guys, it's just that they were killed so sudden, and he didn't want to end up like them. He tried to make a run for it but was stopped when he felt the sensation of Winter's sword piercing his mid-section. The last thing he felt was Winter's sword being removed from his body before falling to the ground and into a puddle of his own blood.

"Hurry, there's no telling when another patrol will walk by." Winter said, giving her sword a quick flick in the air to fling off some of the blood.

Nick approached the computer terminal and stared at the screen for a few moments before typing something on the keyboard. Another moment passed, and the screen turned green as the doors opened up.

"I didn't know you can hack computers." Winter commented.

"I can't." She gave him a puzzling look. "There's a sticky note on the side with the password written on it." Nick replied with a hint of amusement. She and Alex looked to where it was and noticed that the note must've been there for years based on its condition. Both Winter and Alex rolled their eyes at the stupidity and recklessness of the Vale police forces.

"Idiots." They both thought at the same time.

The control room was a lot smaller than anticipated. There was a large console in the center of the room that contained several screens that displayed the current status of the defenses, and a control panel with buttons and switches that performed various functions. The console was hooked up with massive cables that ran to the supercomputer off to the side that was currently all lit up indicating it was operational. There were cables that ran from the supercomputer into the wall itself where it sends and receives information to and from the outer defenses. A second set of cables ran from the wall to the supercomputer and the control console that provided power to the entire system from the electrical services down below. Under normal circumstances, the screens would display everything as good…but not today.

"Warning: Section one, Northern perimeter defenses offline. Please seek immediate technical support."

A feminine robotic voice echoed from the main console. Alex and Winter moved to the main console while Nick stood watch.

"I don't understand." Alex looked over at Winter. "Aside from someone coming over to investigate, the other control stations should've taken over control of this station to avoid a complete shutdown of the defenses." Winter explained while looking over the different screens.

"I think I found one explanation." Alex said, pointing at another screen. This screen displayed the current status of the other stations. Currently, the Western, Eastern, and Southern stations were lit up green, indicating everything was okay. But the Northern one, the one where they're currently at, indicated its status as…good?

"But how can that be?! This station is compromised!" Winter exclaimed.

"I don't know, but if the other stations think this one is okay, then that probably explains why no one has come to investigate." Alex rationalized.

"That still doesn't explain why the defenses are offline. The other stations that overtake this station do so automatically. If they weren't able to gain control of this station, then it would relay a signal back and alert the police." Winter explained.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but perhaps we can undo it from here." Alex replied. Winter attempted to work the console, but the screens suddenly locked up and displayed a message saying: 'Authorized Administrator Credentials Required for Access.' Winter slammed her fist on the console in anger.

"Dammit! They've locked out the console. I can't get in!" She spat out. The only way to unlock it was with the use of an administrator key. Not a password, but a physical key that someone has to have on their person. Alex thought that maybe one of the dead officers have one, but figured ANTIFA probably thought of that too. He then considered contacting the Vale Police for access, but it would've taken too long for someone to get here, not to mention this place was still crawling with ANTIFA. As much as he wanted to call for backup from the Vale Police or the Atlesian forces, there's still the unknown of what ANTIFA is using the Dust for. While they were making their way to the control room, he figured that Dust can be used to make explosives so bomb making was probably what they were using it for. But then again, why here of all places? Maybe they're going to hit the defenses themselves, or maybe the power supply? Why would they want to leave the city vulnerable to the Grimm? Whatever it was, they can't risk ANTIFA setting off possible Dust explosives early by calling in reinforcements. As soon as they figure out what's going on with the Dust however, more than likely, Alex is going to give Winter the green light to call in her forces. But first, they need to deal with this computer bullshit.

"Can't you just turn it off and on?" Nick asked while keeping watch over the door.

"Come on, you know it doesn't work like that." Alex paused, then looked to Winter. "Can we just turn it off and on?" He asked her in a more serious tone.

"In theory, doing a hard restart might undo whatever ANTIFA did to the computer system. Of course, we'll have to head down to the lower levels and reset the power from there." She explained after thinking about it for a moment.

"It's better than nothing." Alex said, going with Winter's logic. The three of them left the control room and proceeded down the hallway, only to be met with an ANTIFA patrol heading in their direction. The two groups who were on opposite ends of the hallway, stopped in their tracks for a brief moment as neither group expected to run into each other. Finally, one of the ANTIFA members drew his weapon, and pointed it at the group.

"Kill them!" He shouted to his comrades. Alex and Nick watched as ten ANTIFA members brandishing various melee weapons, charged towards them head on. The two Russians quickly glanced at each other before bringing up their rifles and shooting well controlled bursts at their enemies. In less than 30 seconds, all ten enemies were dead on the ground, not even making it halfway to where they were standing.

"Well that was easy." Nick commented with a hint of sarcasm.

"What is with everybody charging head on with melee weapons?" Alex asked no one in particular. "Like, is there some unspoken rule that melee combat is the only way to fight anybody? 'Hey, there's bad guys way over there. Instead of shooting from a safe distance with our guns, let's draw swords and meet them face to face because "muh" Aura will keep me safe.' Seriously, what the fuck!?" Winter found herself lightly smirking at Alex's mocking rant.

"Generally speaking, most Huntsmen do have reflexes quick enough to dodge and deflect most projectiles. However, it seems your Aura piercing bullets travel at a much higher velocity than any Dust round I've encountered. I doubt even the most skilled Huntsmen would be able to react quick enough to your weapons." Winter commented. Truth be told, she was terrified at the thought of a weapon that can break Auras. Seeing what Alex and the Russians can do with said weapons just confirmed her fears. If those weapons ended up in the wrong hands…she didn't want to finish the thought.

"And that's why…" A call on the radio interrupted Alex.

"You guys still there?" Greg radioed.

"Yeah, what's up?" Alex replied.

"Be advised, we have confirmed hostages outside the wall." Greg replied.

A/N:

Keep in mind this is taking place while RWBY is in Mountain Glen.

It's tricky for me to write stuff like this not because I don't know what I want to happen, but trying to articulate it in a way that flows smoothly and makes sense. That's why sometimes it takes me a while to update.

Anyway, after the New Year, I'll be busy finishing school and preparing to move. It'll be great when I finally leave the People's Republic of Commiefornia behind. With that in mind, I'll still update but don't be surprised if they slowdown a bit.

Lastly, I say it all the time, but thank you for all the support. I do read your reviews and PMs, and attempt to fix any mistakes or plot holes I overlooked, as well as considering your suggestions.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

Hawk out.