Chapter 3: Operation: Rosebud Part 1
Planet Iris, Chorus System, 2555
POV Change: Michael J. Caboose
Premise: As Locus is inducted into the Reds and Blues. Caboose must convince his friends to do the impossible…
"Caboose?" a voice muttered
Caboose turned around to see Ruby standing there. The room they were in was a blank grey room.
"Ruby?" he muttered in astonishment, "Ruby is that you?"
But she didn't respond to him, "Caboose where are you?"
"I'm standing right in front of you?" Caboose questioned
"Caboose?" Ruby repeated.
"Ruby, I'm right-'' as Caboose walked towards her and was going to grab her shoulder. She immediately faded away.
He looked at his hand before looking around the room.
"Ruby?" he worryingly asked
He then noticed ash falling from the sky, and the ground suddenly turned to rubble and grass. The sky was pitch black, and cloudy. Caboose turned around and a horrific sight. A large building up in flames, creatures with bone armor running towards it. Standing right in front of him was a silhouette of a woman with glowing amber eyes, with fire radiating from them. Lying in front of her was an injured Ruby.
Ruby looked up at Caboose, and stretched her hand out to him.
"You could've saved us...GAH!"
"No!"
A spear had suddenly formed in the woman's hand, and she impaled Ruby in the back. The reaper then rolled to the side, dead. It was then that Caboose noticed other bodies nearby, the bodies of Teams RWBY and JNPR to be exact.
The woman then looked at Caboose and stretched her hand out. Fire shot from her hand as Caboose blocked himself.
Caboose shot out of bed after the intense dream. He breathed heavily as sweat rolled down his skin. He then looked around the room for his team.
Tucker was sleeping with no shirt on, and possibly even no clothes on at all. A habit Wash had been trying to get Tucker to stop. But Tucker did have a blanket over him, so it was 'safe'
Wash himself was sleeping rather peacefully, he had a mask over his mouth that allowed oxygen to flow to his brain. The mask also pumped a non-lethal drug that allowed Wash to relax and sleep better.
Finally, there was Carolina. She was sleeping just across from Wash, and was lying on her side facing him. This was something she did to make sure that he was alright if something bad happened due to Wash's condition.
Caboose couldn't see the Reds as they had their own bunk, all with the exception of Lopez. Who actually had to sleep in the garage on a battery pad.
Caboose rolled outta bed and went down to a room where the Reds and Blue kept all their files. Whether it was psyche profiles, missions, anything. This place had it all.
Caboose found what he was looking for, a large file folder, filled with papers. The mission's name was plastered on it.
OPERATION: ROSEBUD
"I've gotta find you." Caboose replied, "You've helped me before."
Morning…
Mornings for the Reds and Blue were always the same. Sarge would be the first to wake up, make a full pot of coffee, drink only one cup, and then fire two shotgun shells to wake everyone up. But today things were different, when Sarge woke up, he noticed that someone already made coffee, and that everyone else was already. The only person who wasn't in their common room was Caboose.
"Dammit." Sarge grumbled, "You're all up already! I found a way to fire my shotgun to sound like a bugle."
"And that's why we're already up." Grif jokingly said
"Actually this is the normal time we get up sir." Simmons explained, "You just never set your alarm."
"Oh, that makes." Sarge replied
"Since you're here Sarge." Wash said to him, "We could use your help in getting Locus integrated into Red Team."
"Alright." Sarge grumbled, as he sat down, "What do you want to know dirtbag?"
"Just tell him the basic Sarge." Carolina said to him
"Fine. On Red Team, I'm the leader, Simmons is my number two." Sarge began, "Grif's the pilot/driver 'cause that's all he'd good at. Lopez is our resident robot/mechanic, and Donut is the grenadier. So you can be our sniper/scout dirtbag."
"I see." Locus muttered
"You'll also have your own personal freedom, and you must attend every Red Team staff meeting...unless they are not mandatory. It also includes meetings with Blues. So, don't miss them."
"Understood" Locus replied
"Alright, you're in." Sarge said to him
"That's it?" Locus asked
"Yep. Congrats you're on the team." Sarge replied
"Alright then." Locus muttered
"Wash." Carolina said to the ex-Freelancer, she was holding a needle in her hands, "It's time."
"Oh right." Wash replied, "Uh, fire away."
Carolina put the needle into his neck and injected the serum. Wash winced slightly but stopped after a second.
Everyone was watching as Wash was given his medication.
"You guys sure you still haven't found a suitable replacement for this medicine Wash needs?" Sarge asked Simmons and Doc
"Well, if we did find a replacement. We would be shouting: 'We have a new medicine for you Wash'! You stupid fool." O'Malley replied
"Yeah, what he said." Doc added
"Also, Dr. Grey did say she has almost found something for him." Simmons said to him, "It's just gonna take some time."
"Alright." Sarge grumbled
Tucker then asked a question for everyone, "Hey has anyone seen Caboose this morning?"
"Uh, he wasn't in here when we woke up." Simmons replied
"Well, he wasn't in his bunk this morning, so he has to be around here." Donut added
"[Maybe he's trying to find the bathroom again.]" Lopez suggested
"Lopez this is no time for jokes." Sarge said to him, "It's still morning."
"[Why do I even bother?]" Lopez sighed
"Then where is he?" Tucker asked again
"I'm here." a voice said
Everyone noticed Caboose standing in the door. He had something in his hands.
"Oh there you are Caboose." Tucker said to him, "Where were you?"
"Just going through some stuff." Caboose replied
"What that you got in your hands?" Tucker asked, pointing to the object he had with him.
"Our next mission." Caboose replied, which confused everyone.
"Mission?" Simmons questioned, "What mission?"
"If this is another mission to steal ice my pint of ice cream again I swear I will lose it." Grif hissed
"No it's not that." said Caboose, "It's something else."
He gave the object he had to Wash. Which turned out to be a file folder filled with papers titled:
OPERATION ROSEBUD
Wash sighed heavily as he gazed upon the file.
"Operation: Rosebud?" Carolina questioned, "What the hell is that?"
"Uh, Carolina?" Sarge said to her, "Remember that time Grif replaced our energy drinks with bloody marys and we all got drunk?"
"Best prank I've ever done." Grif muttered
"Yeah?" Carolina replied
"And the story Wash told you?" Sarge added
"The one about the kids?" Carolina gasped, "That was real?"
"Yep. We were all there." Sarge explained
"That is weird." Carolina muttered
Locus then looked at Grif, "You replaced your own energy drinks with bloody marys?"
"Ya know, for the lolz." Grif replied, "I thought about the kids?"
"I knew about them already." Locus said to them all, catching everyone off guard.
"How do you know about Team RWBY?" Sarge asked
"When Hargrove hired me back when I was still a mercenary, he told me all of Project Freelancer's secrets." Locus explained, "Even the ones about Team RWBY."
"Did you believe any of it?" Tucker asked
"No." Locus replied, "Not until now though."
Wash then looked at Caboose, "Caboose, why did you get this?"
"We have to rescue them." Caboose replied
"Rescue?" Tucker questioned, "Did they send you a message or something?"
"No, I had a dream." Caboose replied, "I saw Ruby and her friends all dead. Lying in front of a woman."
"A woman?" Tucker asked intrigued, "Now you're talking my language."
"Tucker." the blue soldier groaned
"Sorry."
"Look, we have to help them." Caboose pleaded, "They haven't returned to see us yet."
"Caboose are you sure that's a good idea?' Tucker said to him, "Maybe they haven't come back for a reason."
"Yeah, asking us to do the impossible." Wash added
"But we're the Reds and Blues!" Caboose shouted, "We do the impossible! Sarge, you built a car out of nothing in what we thought was the future!"
"I did?" Sarge muttered, "I mean, I did!"
"We stopped an army of robots!" Caboose continued, "Saved a planet! Travelled through time! We are the impossible!"
Everyone realized he wasn't wrong there, and nodded in agreement.
"Church is dead." Caboose continued, "They don't know that. They came to us a second time to see us. Going out of their way to help us! We did nothing for them, or even paid a visit. So come on! Let's go have some fun!"
"I'm in." Grif spoke up, "Shit's getting boring over here anyway. Besides, Yang probably needs with pranks."
"Count me in too!" Donut added, "It's now our time to shine! Can I get a heck yeah!"
"Hell no." Sarge muttered
"I'll take it."
"If my men are in, then I'm in." Sarge continued, "I've been killing to slaughter those Grimm again."
"Yes! So have I! Muhahahahahah!" O'Malley shouted before Doc took over, "We're in too."
"Same here." Simmons added
"[Yes. Me too.]" Lopez added
Everyone looked at the rest of Blue Team and Locus.
"Alright." said Tucker, "You've convinced me. I'm in!"
"Same here." Wash added, "You can count on both me and Carolina."
"Amen." Carolina muttered
"I'm new." said Locus, "So I probably don't have a say in the matter."
"That's right." Sarge replied
"...Alright then." said Simmons, "I'll start working on a teleporter."
"I'll check our food supply." Grif added
"I'll get our weapons!" Sarge shouted
"I'll get Wash's medicine." Carolina said
"Yes! This will be the best vacation ever!" Caboose shouted