Sorry for the delays. I've been having too much fun with Valorant.
"Come on, we're almost there." Anna gestures her hands for Saint to follow her. She goes down a couple of steps that lead to a grey door with a push bar across the middle. It's lit up by a fluorescent light that flickers every so often. The antlered Faunus slams on it a few times then steps back. A tab in the door slides open, revealing a set of glowing eyes.
"Who's the guy behind you?" A quick, somewhat gritty but at the same time nasally voice asks.
"He's filling in for me for Snowbird, I know him, trust," Anna says.
"Robyn didn't agree to have him, she wanted you," the voice retorts.
"Robyn will appreciate my quick thinking when Saint-Fourteen is at her doorstep." Anna doesn't mince her words and speaks sharply. She sounds quite serious.
"Saint-Fourteen? Isn't that the guy who saved Haven Academy's headmaster?" The pair of eyes look towards Saint, who returns it with a neutral stare. "Shit, that is him. Does he know how to work with computers?"
"He knows more about the outbreak than we do. He knows what he's doing, now let us in damnit," Anna asserts herself, stepping forward. "Before I break this damn door down myself."
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," the voice says. There is a mechanical click, and the door opens into the building for them. "Come in, before anyone sees." The pathway is consumed by blackness, and Saint ponders for a moment if he's standing in front of a teleporter.
The errant thought gets banished from his mind as an incandescent lightbulb turns on, characterized by a slightly warm but not very bright light.
Saint steps in, Anna at his side. The section of the hallway is a bit cramped, leaving little room for the two to maneuver. It narrows down even more at another doorway a few steps forward.
"Don't worry, they're just taking precautions. This is technically still a White Fang cell," Anna says off-handedly.
Saint stops in his tracks and lets her move ahead. "What?" He asks. His right foot reels back.
"Don't get worried, we're not actually White Fang. This is just bait for any potential radicals who want to join up. We link them with various resources in Argus to get them back on their feet." She stops, ducks under the narrow doorway and cocks her head towards the rest of the dim hallway. "A lot of those guys are usually just people down on their luck."
Saint hums in understanding before continuing. He has to bend his knees to get through. He catches up with Anna but keeps a foot or so distance. "If this was a White Fang cell, what happened to them?" He asks.
"Well, when I came to Argus, I was instantly picked up by some White Fang stragglers that thought I was still on their side," Anna begins, stopping at another door. She pounds on it twice. "A week later, I beat up the leadership and took over."
"Impressive, did something inspire you?" Saint chortles and crosses his arms.
"I'm talking to it. I learned more CQC on the way and my style takes a lot from yours." Anna leans her head forward and pulls a bit of her hair back, revealing a massive scarred blemish on the left side of her forehead. "The antlers helped if you were wondering."
"I'm happy you moved on from them," Saint says, patting her on the shoulder. "You will do fantastic here, I just know."
"Thanks. I need to give you something before you leave, though."
The metal door slides open and the two look at the opening for a second before both stepping in side-by-side.
An open warehouse with no real walls separating anything reveals itself to them. In one area there is an armory with a stockpile of weaponry and ammunition on wooden pallets on forklifts that look abandoned rather than trapped. In another, there seems to be a war room with a giant table displaying a glowing blue hologram of Argus as a city. At the far back Saint can perceive what seems to be a firing range with a few people occupying it.
"This was the biggest and most funded White Fang cell on Remnant. The one in Vale didn't even compare, but you can probably tell that it's not funding that determines the effectiveness." Anna laughs. "The place was run by a bunch of schmucks that couldn't lead to save their lives. Probably why no one questioned when I took over, cause I can god damn tell they like me a lot more than those idiots."
"I assume things are running much better now?" Saint asks, his eyes glued on the armory that has a steady flow of people going in-and-out, usually arming themselves with a weapon or putting one away.
"I did what I could. I ironed out most of the inefficiencies, but there's still work to be done. We've just started cooperating with Robyn in Mantle." Anna wraps her hand around one of his fingers. "Come on, I need to show you something before I introduce you to your pilot." She pulls him towards the armory area.
"Of course," Saint says. She navigates through narrow pathways of wooden boxes and ammunition stockpiles, before stopping in a small enclosed region, about the width and length of a Fallen Walker tank.
"Sorry if the place seems confusing. It was designed to flush out any intruders by use of gas and these hallways would isolate them so they could be cleaned up, if they had survived the gas in the first place," Anna mumbles. "We've had a few accidents regarding traps, anyways…" She pulls down a black cloth covering a display case.
Inside the case is a carbine rifle that has blue ribbons arranged vertically next to each other, pinned to the frame using oxidized metal stars and extending a bit past the magazine portion.
Towards the stock end the metal is carved into a pattern resembling feathers. A few multi-colored wires hang out from around the mid-section, behind the ribbons.
Saint scans the rifle for a moment. His metal eyebrows furrow as the weapon seems to evoke a feeling from his memory.
Anna unlocks the case and picks up the rifle with some struggle, as it's about the same width as her entire torso. She shuffles her way to Saint and offers it to him.
"You have any idea what this is?" She asks, poking her head to the side. "A White Fang lieutenant used this against an Atlas soldier. Tore the poor guy to shreds. It shoots three slugs and it can slightly bypass through Hard Light shields."
Saint lowly trills and takes the gun from her hands. He inspects it, listening to its particular and quiet clicks as the mechanisms inside are jostled a bit from his somewhat rough handling. The tips of his fingers hold a wire and he fiddles a bit to put it back into its respective slot. He does the same for the rest and the weapon hums to life, the holographic sights appearing on the top, displaying a four-point star as its crosshair with his signature "XIV" right underneath.
"Anna, do you know where this came from?" Saint asks, unloading the magazine-fed battery on the bottom of the weapon and looking at the still-green power level. "Huh, still has some slugs left."
"Er, from what I could gather, this was stolen from an Atlas shipment, before the embargo. There was a tag on it when I took it off the White Fang lieutenant. That's about it…" Anna says, some sheepishness in her voice. "Is it yours?"
Saint flips the weapon to the side and searches for an epitaph on the side. If this truly was his…
His eyes lock onto the engraving. It's barely legible because of extensive scraping that nearly sanded it off of the frame. Below it, there are five hash marks scratched in and an inscription in Eliksni. His knowledge of the Fallen language is rough but he can make out what it says:
"dead…little…thieves…"
The name of the Fusion Rifle comes back to Saint. "Bastion." He says. "I regret that it was used by White Fang."
Anna scratches the back of her neck and smiles. "I'm glad I was able to return it to you."
"This is a weapon I lost ages ago. It's a miracle that it even showed up here," Saint says, stashing it over his shoulder, mag-locking it to his back. "Thank you, Anna. For keeping it."
"It looked interesting, and to be honest we were planning on selling it." Anna chuckles nervously. "Glad we didn't. Consider this a parting gift, since we won't see each other in a while."
Saint exhales, looking down at her, beaming with pride. "You've carved a life for yourself here in Argus, and you're about to assist me in saving Mantle from a grave threat. This is a gift that would stay with me until I die my last death."
"Let's get to that, shall we? We're wasting enough time here as it is."
"Of course."
. . .
Saint walks up flights of stairs lit up by red emergency lights. Anna is behind him, silent. He takes the quiet moment to ponder how he would proceed into Mantle.
He has been briefed slightly about the conditions in the city under Atlas but he has no idea how he would establish contact with this "Robyn Hill" person that keeps getting mentioned. All he has is her Scroll number but from what he's read about Atlas, they would keep a tight leash on those methods of communication and he doesn't want to risk running into the authorities early on in his incursion.
"We have no way of contacting Robyn from here, so they'll probably point a lot of guns at you, but just say you were sent by me and I think they'll back down. I'll prepare a note just in case," Anna huffs as she stops mid-way on a stair, catching her breath. "You'll leave at noon, that's when you make your way here. You're gonna be on a cargo ship, so there is a risk that it gets frisked, but I think the paperwork should take care of that."
"I'd rather not deal with what you think, but what you know," Saint says, pausing to let her catch up. The door to the landing pad is in front of him. "Would it be possible for others to come with me? I have quite a few friends that wish to enter Atlas."
Anna stops in front of him and shakes her head. "Not possible...I think. We've already declared the weight with uncertainties, and they'll get suspicious if the ship ends up being heavier than advertised. You're already pushing it."
"How much are these uncertainties? I am quite a bit heavier than you are," Saint asks. Anna pushes the door open, bringing in a cool draft of air that smacks him in the face.
"We're allowed to claim between twenty to forty percent of the declared weight."
"I wonder if Atlas has trouble with smugglers," Saint mumbles. He locks eyes with a man in a white Atlas flight suit standing on the other side of the landing pad. "I assume that he will be our pilot?"
The man nods, using his metal hand to clumsily push a strand of his hair to the side. He squints and there is a very faint whirring as a white circle appears in his iris that spins back and forth.
"That's him, he'll be flying you to Mantle," Anna confirms.
"I'm bringin' that war machine instead of you?" The man asks, his cockney accent ringing true in his speech. It emphasizes the shock a bit. "You've gone blumin' insane or something? Robyn didn't ask fer this."
"He's going, Gabe."
"Well, you're the one who's payin' me so…"
/
Osiris steps out into the Arc family's backyard. The night air stings at the skin around his upper cheeks. There are a few lights strewn about on the patio, lighting up the wooden flooring but not much else.
"Patching Saint in…" Sagira says.
"Saint, have you organized a ship to Mantle?" Osiris asks, crossing his arms and leaning against a wooden support for the pergola.
"Yes, I leave at noon. The ship departs from Argus an hour later." Saint says. "Maybe more, depending on how we get through the border."
"Good, we will need that ship," Osiris says, tilting his head slightly. "Is it possible for you to arrange a pick-up, so you can bring everyone else?"
Saint sighs. "No, I've already discussed this with Anna. She says that there is a relay tower nearby that would catch on quite quickly and the added weight would be flagged once we arrive in Mantle."
"We have plans to disable the tower. Try your best to convince the pilot but if it's not possible…take, er, command of the ship."
"Are you asking me to…steal the ship, if they're not cooperative?" Saint asks, a slight pique of anger present in his voice. "I will contact Anna. If she refuses, I am not stealing the ship."
"Saint, please, that ship is our only way to Mantle right now." The Warlock tries to emphasize the word only as much as he can, in hopes that the Titan would understand.
Saint grumbles a bit. "I'll see what I can do." He pauses. "I am only doing this because it's you that is asking me."
"I appreciate it, old friend," Osiris mumbles.
/
Ruby Rose feels herself floating. Like she's drifting through an empty void that doesn't quite know what to do with her. She's alone in this darkness.
Then, the chime of a bell.
The little Huntress is spawned into a dark cave. In front of her, behind all the blocky terrain that she can't quite make out the details of, is some sort of cascading triangle gate, with the one in the center shining white. In front are two tilted pillars that are angled towards each other, keeping in theme with the whole triangle thing this entire place has going on. Even further are staircases that lead down to a space.
Her section is comprised of two concave circles on elevated slabs that provide a good view of the other half of the area.
Ruby searches for Crescent Rose but doesn't find anything. She looks forward when she hears some stomping.
A broad-shouldered, single-eyed bipedal robot steps out. On one hand, it sports a massive cannon that easily dwarfs Ruby. On the other is a bright white blade. The entire being's body is glowing white, especially around its single eye situated on its head and on what looks to be a core on its midsection. It steps down a few of the steps.
A bead of sweat trickles down Ruby's head. She looks to her left and right, hoping that her team would be with her. She's never seen anything like that thing before.
A whooshing sound behind her. She turns around. A team of around six armored people, all of varying sizes stand there, weapons at the ready. The second one from the left she can barely make out as…
Her mother. She's wearing armor in a similar style of the photos there are of her but the cloak is noticeably shorter and her face looks quite a bit rougher than Ruby remembers. A scar traces down the side of one eye and she's holding weapons unlike anything she's ever showed before.
"Mom?" Ruby says. Summer doesn't respond, instead looking up at the giant robot staring menacingly at all of them. "Is…that you?" A small blue eye hiding under her mother's hood, next to her neck makes eye contact with Ruby. Once she notices, it looks forward.
Still nothing from mom.
"Let's take this son of a bitch out," a grisly voice says from the center. "Summer, you're leading your trio. The rest, with me!"
"Understood!" Summer exclaims as she heads off to the left with two other people. One of them wearing a long, pink robe and the other wearing ugly lime green armor plates that seem to be enough to cover a tank. "Eyes open-"
Summer is teleported away, with Ruby in tow. The two people that were assigned with Summer aren't with them, instead, there is a man in a dark, tattered cloak and another person in a robe, this time in a more tasteful white.
The new place isn't exactly new, as it's just the same room as before, but the group is placed in the section where the giant robot came from. Everything's the same, as far as Ruby can tell, but it's all grassier.
"What the f…we're in the past!" The robed person yells as he conjures an orange sphere that expands and burns once it's thrown. A second later his head is smacked clean off by a miniature version of the robot. Ruby gasps and backpedals from the fresh corpse that stays still for what seems like too long.
All of a sudden, the body's consumed in golden fire and the recently dead man rises. "I'm back!" He screams before throwing an uncountable amount of those burning grenades.
Another chime. A yellow cuboid figure appears in the air.
"Oracles, I'll get it!" Summer reaches out her hand and summons a flaming gun, which she uses to destroy the floating apparition. Another appears, and within less than a second, it's gone.
Ruby feels herself being…erased from reality. Darkness creeps into her vision. She begins to feel light, like the lower half of her body is just gone, like it never existed in the first place. Her mind spins as she tries to grasp whatever the heck this place is.
The man in the tattered cloak holds a square shield, that has an X shaped core with a translucent material that fills the space between the corners. He raises it and casts a protective field, similar to Saint's, except it's an entire dome that covers them all and it's near transparent.
"Don't let yourself get erased! Stay close to me!" The cloaked man yells. "Clear 'em out!"
The ratatat and the pops of gunfire are everywhere. Ruby cowers behind the person holding the shield, frantically looking around to try and figure out what was happening. She wants Crescent Rose, she wants to help her mom. She wants to not be worthless in this place.
A circular gate turns blue somewhere on the other side of the new area.
"Remember boys and girls," Summer yells, laughing maniacally afterward as she dismantles several of the robots advancing on them with skillful shots of her semi-automatic rifle. "We make our own fate, so let's shove a stick up Atheon's ass!"
All is white.
Ruby's back snaps up as she's brought out of her sleep. She frantically looks around.
The room is dark.
Her chest rises then falls. Her breathing is short, labored. She feels a bit light-headed.
"What was that?" She whispers to herself, sitting to the side of her bed and discarding the blanket that covered it.
A fragment of a voice that she knows isn't hers speaks out in her mind.
"Find me in Atlas."
/
The next day. Argus Communications Tower.
Lisbon nods to his Ghost as he rides on an orange and yellow motorcycle down what looked and felt like a hiking trail. It supposedly led to the communications tower he and Blake were supposed to disable.
"You holding up, Blake?" He says, not expecting an answer from the cat Faunus. "You don't look equipped for the cold."
"Not my first time 'working' with Atlas tech, if you catch me," Blake says, snorting to herself. "Just stay out of the way and everything will go smoothly."
"Hey, we're partners!" Lisbon goes quiet for a moment. "I hate Atlas too!"
"Then why are you going back to it?" Blake asks, crossing her arms. Lisbon turns his head to her, and shrugs.
"Following some friends, don't want to be alone, you get me?" He says, looking forward. He turns the motorcycle and pushes down on the brakes, making the tires burrow into the dirt and bringing the vehicle to a stop. "Last stretch is walking distance, let's go."
"You got it." Blake nods at him and disembarks. "Keep up." She dashes into the forest.
Lisbon rolls his eyes and yawns. He sets off for the tower.
/
"Alright luvs buckle up an' make yourself small!" The pilot announces through the ship's PA system. "Hope you've took off all the armor!"
Saint remains silent, standing stock-still as his nude body is currently stuffed into a wooden crate. The top flexes a bit as he's just slightly too big. His armor is sitting outside, bundled together in another box.
"We're passin' through customs, so don't say anything," the pilot mutters before a click turns the speakers off.
Outside, there is some muffled talking and then the grinding of a door, followed by a few footsteps that enter the cargo hold.
Saint keeps his silence while he traces the origin of the sounds using his eyes.
"Everything seems to be in order…" a muted voice says. They sound old, like they're too tired for this. An exhale. "Though I don't remember this box being in the manifest…"
A few footsteps in front of Saint.
"Oh! Er, it's actually in here, in this picture, right 'ere, heh…" Saint can feel the confidence leaving the pilot towards the end of the sentence.
The customs agent hums. "Well, it won't hurt for me to check, after all of this is declared in good nature, right?"
The wooden box creaks as a crowbar wedges between the lid and the structure. A crack, then it's off.
Saint makes the first move and collides his fist with the face that is closest to him. It makes good contact and then a body falls.
The pilot shrieks and takes two steps back, pressing his back against the wall. "Didn't 'ave to do that, mate!" He whisper-screams, looking bewildered at Saint. "Alright, whatever, suit up and I'll—fuck, we'll just book 'outta 'ere. You said you had some people disabling the comms tower?"
Saint nods and grabs a piece of leg armor. "Yes, you are coming back for my people, correct?"
"Ah—fuck it! I'm in this far, why the fuck not, heh!? Gabe, you're goin' insane!" The pilot pulls at his hairs and lets out a whine between closed teeth. "Alright, the guy has a Scroll, we're gonna use it, fake a clear, and go. Got it?"
"Understood," Saint says, descending his helmet to his head. The line down the center glows brightly as it locks on. "This is exciting!"
"And super fuckin' illegal, ya know that!?"
"This entire operation is illegal in the first place," Saint says.
"Touché, now come on!"
Let me know if I got the description of the last room of the Vault of Glass wrong. I haven't done D1 raids so this is all off of Datto's video on destroying Atheon. We're also approaching the end of Season 6, so that's pretty cool.