Wow, this is WAY overdue, so let's just jump right into it.

Chapter 23: Battle of the Breach

Atlesian staging area

"There's Grimm in the city?! How?!" Winter practically shrieked to the soldier.

"Reports indicate a train broke through from the old underground tunnels beneath the city and made a clear path for the Grimm to move in. General Ironwood has ordered all available forces to converge at the breach." The soldier replied. Many of the Atlesians stopped what they were doing to listen in at what the soldier was saying. Greg, Nick and Ivan also joined in.

"Wait, how does a train just randomly shoot out from an old abandoned underground tunnel?" Alex asked the soldier.

"We don't know for sure, but supposedly the White Fang is responsible." The soldier replied. That response did not sit well with Winter, Alex or anyone within earshot.

"So two ideologically opposed terrorist groups just happen to pull off an attack that brings Grimm into the city at relatively the same time? I call bullshit." Greg said, saying out loud what everyone was thinking.

"We'll discuss that later. Right now, we need to help contain the Grimm breakout." Alex replied, gaining nods of approval from everyone present. But he agreed with Greg on how two similar methods of attack were carried out at the same time, by two groups of people who are at war with each other. Something didn't add up.

Wasting no time, the four Russians jumped into the bullhead, ready to provide support in the defense. Thanks to a suggestion from Ivan, there was extra ammunition, grenades, rockets and other supplies kept in the storage compartment of Gary's bullhead, so the guys were able to resupply for the upcoming battle. Winter was about to climb aboard but was immediately stopped by Alex holding up his hand and leaving her with a confused expression.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked with an undertone of irritation.

"Specialist Schnee, I think it would be best if you stayed behind." He said to Winter. In relaxed settings, he'll call her by first name. But in professional settings, especially in front of her subordinate troops, she's addressed formally by her rank and surname.

"And I believe it would be best if I joined the defenses, Sergeant." She replied with a surprising quick wit.

"I'm well aware of your capabilities, Specialist. However, there's still ANTIFA forces in the area that need to be dealt with, and these soldiers need their commanding officer to lead them." He said matter of factly. Alex then turned towards the group of survivors still tending to their wounds before noticing that Winter looked exhausted but was keeping up her composure. "Not to mention those civilians need protection, and you are in no condition to fight another prolonged battle until your Aura recovers." Winter was surprised that Alex was able to tell that she was low on Aura. Then again…it's Alex. She let out a deep sigh.

"Very well. I'll stay here and make sure the area is secure." She said with a straight face. Though she may be the more powerful fighter, Alex, at least in her eyes, continues to be the superior leader compared to her. Of course she knew the only way he become that way was through direct battlefield experience, which brings up the question on how someone so young like Alex gained such experience.

"My men and I will head towards the breach and assist in anyway we can. Any troops or air support you can spare will be appreciated." Alex said in his mature, professional tone.

"I'll need my ground forces to secure the area, but I can send Frostbite 2-1 and my fighters to assist."

"Alright, send them out towards the breach point. We're going in hot, so they'll be needed to soften up any resistance." Alex replied as the bullhead's engines started up.

"In addition to our forces, there should be police units and other Huntsmen converging to the breach!" Winter shouted over the roar of the engines.

"Got it! We'll keep our eyes open.!" He shouted back. The bullhead began to lift off the ground for take off and Alex was about to take a seat, but Winter called out a final set of words that he barely heard.

"Good luck…and be careful!" Though her face remained straight, there was definite concern in her voice. Instead of shouting back, Alex simply gave her a casual two-finger salute that basically said everything's all good.

"Alright Gary, let's go!" Alex shouted towards the cockpit. Winter watched as the Russian bullhead took off, followed by her attack ships, before turning back and relaying orders to her troops.

Downtown Vale area

The radio on the bullhead was overwhelmed with chatter between the Atlesian military, Vale police, and emergency groups alerting citizens to seek shelter. Down below, the guys could see civilians running for their lives while Huntsmen, policemen, and soldiers all headed towards the breach. In the air around them, all available air forces were deployed to support both civilian evacuations and elimination of all Grimm presence. The guys were sitting in the back, fully restocked and reloaded with ammo and explosives, waiting for the upcoming fight. Unlike the last time they came into contact with the Grimm, they'll have much more support from other friendlies in the area in addition to knowing what to expect from the Grimm. All they needed to do was keep their distance and let their heavy hitting weapons take care of everything else. It also occurred to them that they should do something nice for Professor Peach, as she has been working very hard to keep the Russians supplied with their superior weaponry. Between special ordering the expensive raw materials and taking time for the lengthy and delicate procedure of manufacturing, the guys really do owe her big time.

"Incoming Nevermores! Take evasive action!" Frostbite shouted from the radio, bringing the guy's focus back to the task at hand. Gary and the other Atlesian ships maneuvered in the air, firing their weapons while avoiding the oncoming Nevermores and their deadly feather attack. Some of the Nevermores fell to the Atlesians but not without taking a number of ships down with them. Many of the ships were taken down by the Nevermores simply ramming into them or using their razor-sharp talons to grab the ships out of the air and throw them to the ground. A few unfortunate ships were also taken down by the feathers launched by them. After witnessing a feather shoot through a ship's windshield, impaling the pilot and causing it to crash into a nearby building, the guys knew they needed to land right now or risk getting knocked out of the sky. Alex took a quick look down below and saw some of the Atlesian ground forces set up at a makeshift staging area.

"Gary! Land us near those Atlesian forces!" Alex shouted, determining that it's their best option at the moment.

"There's not enough space for me to land!" Gary shouted back.

"Get us close and release the drop cables! We'll fast rope down to them and then you get out of here!" Alex replied. Gary nodded and made his way over to the Atlesian forces. He set the bullhead to hover directly over them before pushing the button that releases the drop cables. On both of the bullhead's wings, a door popped open to allow heavy duty cables to fall freely to the ground. The cables are normally used to help haul heavy equipment, but because the guys wear protective gloves, the Russians can easily use them to fast rope down to the ground.

Alex was the first to grab hold of the cable and slide down before Greg followed his lead a few seconds later. Nick and Ivan did the same thing on the other side of the bullhead. As soon as they were all on the ground, Alex gave a thumbs up to Gary, who hit the button that retracted the cables back into the bullhead at lightning fast speed.

"Good luck out there!" Gary radioed before flying away from the combat zone. The Russians took a moment to take in their surroundings and assess what's going on. They were in the middle of an intersection that was surrounded by a couple of Atlesian IFVs and a couple dozen of troopers. Among the troops were also a handful of Vale policemen and what appeared to be Huntsmen, who were busy leading civilians to safety and tending to any injuries. Their base of operations was in what could be considered a strategic location because they were set up right in front of a bridge that crosses over one of the intersecting rivers of the city.

"I didn't think you guys would be joining us over here." A familiar voice called out from the side.

"General Ironwood did say all available forces, Captain." Greg replied to Winter's second in command for her Vale deployment, Captain Vert. Unlike some of the other Atlesian officers who were still salty about their fight with the Russians, Vert had a strong level of respect and admiration for them. It also stems from the fact that Vert started out as a normal infantryman and worked his way up to captain versus the other officers who only went through the officer's academy or "bought" their way into leadership positions. He knows what it's like to be out there on the ground in the front lines, earning him the respect of the soldiers under his command and the Russians as well. His field experience certainly showed by the graying of his clean-cut brown hair, and stress lines along a strong face that surrounded dull green eyes. Despite being older than most Captains, he was still an imposing figure standing at six feet tall with a muscular figure you would expect a field officer like Vert to have.

"Is Specialist Schnee here?" Vert asked.

"Negative, She and her forces are mopping up enemies at the northern wall." Alex replied.

"Yeah, what the hell happened over there? We saw the explosions and next thing we know it sounds like a warzone over the radio." Before Alex could give an answer, the sounds of Grimm roars and soldiers shouting got everyone's attention.

"Watch out!" A soldier shouted pointing upwards. Right as he finished, a police car suddenly came into view, hurdling towards their position, its lights and siren still active. Most of the personnel managed to get out of the way of the incoming police car, but one unfortunate soldier tripped over himself and got crushed by the weight of the car.

"Ah shit! Private Carmine!" A couple soldiers ran up to try and lift the car off him but were stopped when Beowolves, that seemed to appear out of nowhere, landed on top of them, clawing and slashing away at the soldiers. More Beowolves suddenly dropped out of the sky into the assembly area, catching everyone by surprise before they attacked the nearest person. The Russians joined the defenders in taking care of the surprise Beowolves. One by one, the Beowolves were being taken care of with ease, but they kept literally dropping in from the sky.

"Captain! Beringels, 300 meters down the east road!" A soldier yelled from the IFV's gunner position. Captain Vert climbed the side of the IFV to get a better view before pulling out his binoculars. Sure enough, he saw the forms of the fearsome gorilla-based Grimm, balling up Beowolves and using their immense strength to throw them into their perimeter. Other smaller Grimm types not being thrown by the Beringels were also rushing their position.

"Deploy energy barriers! IFV's, concentrate heavy fire to the east! I want those fucking Beringels put down! And get command on the horn and tell them we need reinforcements at our position!" Vert shouted, knowing his troops would move without any hesitation. Captain Vert also ordered the few policemen and Huntsmen to fall back across the bridge with the civilians. The IFV's positioned themselves to face the east road and began unloading at the advancing Grimm while at the same time, several soldiers were seen throwing down metallic boxes that rapidly unfolded into what could be described as a 20 foot, blue-green energy like shields that looked like something you'd see in the Halo video games. Atlesian troops took up positions behind the energy barriers to shoot at the oncoming Grimm while being protected by the one-way barriers.

"Captain! Command lost contact with Charlie company and is asking if we're able to contact them!" The radioman shouted.

"Charlie company is supposed to be helping keep the Grimm contained near the breach! If we're getting hit this hard, then Charlie must be in trouble!" Vert shouted back. The bulk of the Atlesian forces were set up in a perimeter around the tunnel breach to contain the Grimm and allow time for civilian evacuations. Vert's position was one of the several rear-guard posts that served to guard vital choke points, i.e. the bridge, to allow civilians to escape, and to take out any Grimm that may have slipped through the main forces. Considering how fast the Atlesians were able to coordinate and organize their troops in such a short amount of time, one can't complain that when push comes to shove, the Atlesians can deliver.

"Greg, see if you can pick off those Beringels! Ivan, Nick, with me!" Alex yelled out as he made his way to the energy barrier. While he, Nick and Ivan took up position with the Atlesians to engage the charging Grimm, Greg climbed on top one of the IFV's to get a better view down the road. Lining up the nearest Beringel in his crosshairs, Greg fired a shot that landed between the creatures eyes, causing it to stagger and roar out in anger. Despite the shot to the head, the Beringel was still up and kicking, although it's clear that it took serious damage from the sniper round. Greg fired another three shots before the beast finally fell. At the sight of their fallen brother, the other Beringels became enraged, roaring into the sky and pounding their chests in preparation for attack.

"Come on, let's blow these fuckers away!" Nick cried out, his enthusiasm motivating the nearby Atlesians. Between the Russians, the Atlesian soldiers, and the IFV's, the lesser Grimm coming at them were easily taken care of by their combined fire power. The Beringels were another story though. Just like the gorillas you'd find on Earth, they're faster, stronger and more agile than the average human. Of course since this is Remnant and Beringels are dark, twisted, demonic versions of gorillas that regularly fight against Aura-enhanced humans, they're about eight times deadlier.

Greg managed to pick off a couple more of the Beringels, but they've proven to be very durable on top of everything else. It didn't take long for them to close the distance to the energy barrier, additional Grimm not far behind. With their superior abilities, the Beringels were easily able to jump over the barriers while Beowolves and Creeps pounded away at them, trying to break through. The Beringels were right on top of them, preventing the IFV's from engaging them without killing their own forces in the process. One of the Beringels was closing down towards Ivan, ready to pummel him to death, just like the other humans. Too bad for the beast, Ivan saw it coming in and shot it right out of the sky, turning the once fearsome Grimm into swiss cheese. Some of the other soldiers weren't as lucky, however. Ivan heard an agonizing scream to his right and turned just in time to see a Beringel rip a soldiers arm out of his socket with little effort. The gorilla Grimm then proceeded to whack the poor guy upside the head with his own dismembered arm, causing him to fall to the ground. It then finished him off by jumping into the air and landing on his chest with it's full weight. Ivan slightly cringed under his balaclava at the sickening crunching sound and the blood that followed before avenging the fallen soldier.

"God damn." Was all Ivan could say before returning to the fight.

Nick and the Atlesians near him were holding strong, even taking out a couple of the Beringels before they can do any serious harm. Unfortunately, one of them managed to get the jump on them. It was using a stop sign as a makeshift weapon and was swinging it around in a frenzy, knocking away any poor bastard in it's path…including Nick. The Beringel hit with enough force to send Nick almost 100 feet right into a nearby car.

"Ugh, I'm going to feel that in the morning." Nick groaned to himself. He managed to hobble his way back up while thanking God that he was wearing a helmet. Though he could feel the bruises and slight cuts from the glass, not to mention feeling a little dizzy, overall Nick was fine. The same couldn't be said for some of troops that were by him. One guy that was hit went flying right into a knocked down streetlight and was impaled by the jagged metal, while a female soldier was grabbed by her throat and hurled her over the energy barrier into the horde of Grimm trying to break it. Her dying screams could be heard over the sounds of battle around them. Nick was ready to shoot that damn Beringel but held his fire when two Atlesians charged the beast with their swords.

The Beringel swung it's makeshift weapon at the soldiers but they were ready, with one jumping over the sign, while the other ducked underneath it. The soldier who went low swiftly slashed at the Beringels legs, causing it to stagger and roar out. Right as it roared out, the soldier in the air brought sword his down right into it's open mouth. He then shifted his sword back to its rifle form and unloaded a whole magazine into it's mouth. Despite the attack, the Beringel was somehow still standing and threw the soldier away from him. With his target clear, Nick fired at the beast, putting it down for good. He than made his way to the soldiers that conducted, in his opinion, a badass attack against the Beringel.

"That was fucking badass!" Nick said to the two soldiers.

"Thanks." The first one replied.

"Just wished we could've nailed that bastard before it got Sal and Sandy." The second soldier replied with bitterness.

"Come on, we got to keep our heads in the game." Nick said to him. He's been in the soldiers position before and it sucks. But during a firefight, you have to stay focused or else you'll end up in their position. The two soldiers simply nodded before continuing battle against the Grimm.

With the last of the Beringels mopped up, the defenders had some breathing room for now but there was still the situation with the Grimm horde trying to breach the barrier, as well as getting reinforcements on their position. From what Alex overhead from Captain Vert, the Atlesians had the breach completely surrounded in an attempt to contain the Grimm. Once the area was clear of civilians, they were going to push forward and close the breach. The was the plan at least. The shopping center near the breach was much busier than normal thanks to special Vytal festival sales, so clearing the area of civilians was taking much longer than normal. Additionally, no one anticipated that the underground breach would be large enough to allow Nevermores and other avian Grimm to enter the city, thus the immediate Atlesian air forces in the air were caught off guard. And on top of everything, the Grimm were pushing hard into the city, attacking the Atlesian positions relentlessly. Captain Vert also received conformation from the other companies that Charlie company got overrun, but they weren't in any position to reinforce them.

"I don't think we're going to hold out much longer." Alex said to Vert while firing a grenade over the barrier.

"Reinforcements are on their way, but air support is all tied up right now." Vert replied with anger as he fired towards the Grimm. As he did, a thought crossed his mind. "What about those fighters you came here with?" He asked Alex.

"They're under Specialist Schnee's command, but she pretty much lent them to me. Then again, they could've been picked up by main command." He replied.

"Only one way to find out." Vert said, handing Alex the radio.

"Frostbite 2-1, Sgt. Volkov; do you read me, over?" Alex said.

"I read you Sgt. Good to hear you're still up and kicking. I thought those Nevermore's got you guys." Frostbite replied.

"We're fine. What's your current status?"

"We've cleared out the Nevermore's and are en route to the breach."

"Charlie company is down and we're standing by to be overrun. Request immediate support at our position. Fire mission, danger close!"

"Copy that. What's your current position?"

"South Market Street Bridge, West of Charlie company's position. Hit'em with everything you got." It didn't take long for Frostbite and his squadron to spot Alex's position. From the air, he could see the how bad the situation was. Danger close was putting it lightly.

"It's a little too close for us to be dropping missiles and bombs on your perimeter, but we can hit them with the guns." Alex and Vert knew that the guns won't be enough to break up the Grimm. It was then that Vert took the radio from Alex.

"This is Captain Vert. For the record it's my call. Dump everything you have on my position, I say again, expend all remaining in my perimeter. It's a lovely fucking evening, Vert out."

"Roger your last, Captain. We copy, it's your call. Get yourselves to safety down there and hang tight, we're coming in hot and cocked for the asphalt." Frostbite replied, complying with Vert's order.

"Everyone pull back across the bridge! Airstrikes coming in! Pull back!" Vert shouted to what's left of the defenders. Making sure to keep fire on the Grimm at the barrier, the Russians and Atlesians began to make their way over to the bridge and dug in to make sure the Grimm don't cross. The two IFV's pulled back as well, setting themselves in front of the infantry and using their large caliber machine guns on the Grimm. As they pulled back, the Grimm became bolder in their assault, climbing on top of each other and eventually over the barrier. They were quickly dealt with, but you kill one Beowulf, and 20 more take its place.

After what felt like the longest minute of their lives, the roaring engines of Atlesian fighters came up behind them. The defenders cheered out as they watched the Grimm get blown away by strafing runs consisting of heavy machine guns, fire Dust bombs, and hail fire missiles. Of course, they had to immediately take cover as the strikes continued, due them literally dropping their ordnance right on top of their position. Once the dust and smoke cleared away, the defenders were looking at completely destroyed city block. The roads were covered in craters while the nearby buildings suffered heavy damage. Anything that was on the street was utterly blown away. Cars, streetlights, road signs, Grimm; nothing remained standing. It was a good thing that the civilians were evacuated away from this side of the city. This short break wouldn't last, however.

"Captain, General Ironwood is ordering all forces to push forward and begin the counterattack to drive them back." The radioman said.

"All the civilians must be cleared out then. Very well." Vert replied. He then turn towards Alex and the others. "Listen up! All forces have been given the green light to move in on the breach. Mount up!" He yelled out. Since there weren't that many of them left, everyone was able to hitch a ride on the two IFV's as they made their way forward.

"Did they say anything about reinforcements?" Alex asked Vert. The radio man turned to answer for Vert.

"Transports with Knights and heavy armor are already en route, Sgt." The radioman replied to Alex.

The Breach

The Russo-Atlesian group met little resistance as they made their way to the breach, only encountering the odd Beowulf that was quickly dealt with. As soon as they reached Charlie company's location, they saw firsthand how dire their situation was. Deathstalkers, King Taijitus, and massive spider Grimm called Latros, were running rampant through the broken defensive lines with other smaller Grimm species filling in the gaps. Luckily, the small group wouldn't have to fight alone as the Atlesian Knights that dropped in were taking care of the Grimm. Although many of the assault robots were taken down, the sheer number of them were enough to tip the scales. Add in the heavy Atlesian battle tanks and the additional airstrikes, and the Grimm presence was dropping significantly. The Russians couldn't help but notice that the Atlesian tanks didn't look that different from what you'd see on Earth, with the only major differences being that it hovered off the ground and had two main turrets instead of one. Other than that, they're quite effective against the larger Grimm.

The AK-200's on the other hand were met with mixed feelings from the Russians. They're well aware of Ironwoods goal to have robots take over most functions of the military but they weren't afraid to bring up their concerns to him. Most of their concerns were from movies back on Earth but were also because they were in the middle of the digital age of warfare and knew the dangers of what could happen if the enemy destroys your electronic network or worse, takes control of it. They didn't change the Generals mind, but they at least made him slow down to rethink a few things. At least the AK-200's could be used as cannon fodder and could be deployed anywhere without special training. Plus they didn't need to eat or rest, and thousands could be produced in days versus training new soldiers that could take several months or even years. But the one thing the guys like about the AK-200's is that while they really don't talk, they can still give verbal responses when prompted, and when the Russians heard one of them respond to an order with the phrase, "roger roger" in a deep robotic voice, they couldn't help but geek out at the reference.

With Charlie company more or less under control, the group finally made it to the main breach. There they saw RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and many other students and Huntsmen fighting off the Grimm. Though it's pretty clear that they can hold their own, there was too many Grimm for them to contain, and the Grimm simply rushed past them to get into the city. Thankfully, the tides were turning and more Atlesians arrived to make the final push and were driving the Grimm back into the hole. It was then that Glynda Goodwitch decided to finally show up and use her powerful telekinesis Semblance to seal off the breach, effectively ending the crisis. With the last remaining Grimm stragglers mopped up, the city sent out the all clear signal, and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.

"I see dead White Fang grunts over by the train." Greg said to Alex. He glanced over and sure enough, there they were.

"That confirms that this was indeed a terrorist attack." He replied.

"Two massive attacks at the same time, by two opposing groups. That is no coincidence. Something big is going on. General Ironwood is probably going to want to talk about it." Greg pointed out.

"I know he is, and we will. But first, we need to deal with the aftermath of what just went down." The damage around them was bad, but not compared to the casualties. And that's only at this area. There's no telling the extent of how devastating this attack was to the rest of the city. Not to mention it could've been worse if ANTIFA was successful with their attack.

"This is far from over, isn't it?" Greg asked.

"Oh yeah. Far from over." Alex deadpanned as he reached for his cigarettes.

A/N:

First off, the "Latro" spider Grimm is named after Latrodectus, the scientific name for the spider genome that contains black widows.

Okay so about the long delay, I was super busy with this last semester and it ate up all my free time. But I completed my associates degree so I got that going for me.

However, I'm going to be busy this summer as I prepare to leave California for my home state of Missouri, in order to continue schooling. I'm not sure how that'll effect my already stagnated writing schedule, but I'll make it work.

Speaking of which, I'll be honest. I still want to write this, but if for some God forsaken reason I'm unable to continue and have to discontinue, I give you my word I will do it with class and post the last chapter as what was suppose to happen. Nothing sucks more than reading a discontinued story that ends on a cliff hanger.

I've also come to the conclusion that I prefer the FanFics to the actual show. Vol. 6 had it's moments but...I don't know, it just didn't feel right I guess. I'll still watch Vol. 7 but it's mostly going to be for story research, especially since it's suppose to take place in Atlas.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I thank you for your support and patience, and feel free to leave comments, reviews, criticism etc.

Hawk out