Chapter 25: Who's Ready for Tomorrow?
The Bullhead ride back was uneventful, and the slow stealth run back to the locker room to change and get back to the dorms surprisingly went off without a hitch. Upon closing the door Viralious turned to the rest of his team.
"Look, I get that there is a lot that we are going to need to cover about what happened tonight, but it's four in the fucking morning. I purpose that we sleep on it and discuss it first thing when we wake up." He says exhausted.
Eckhart is the only one who puts up a meager protest, mostly towards Ifiral saying that he can't sleep to get out of this. Before walking into his suite and face planting onto his bed. Ifiral following suit.
Viralious sighs before walking into his and Winter's suite and lays down on the pillows. Exhaustion claimed him moments later.
Saturdays were always late affairs when it came to Team VIEW but this Saturday was late even by their standards. Normally at least Winter or Eckhart would have been up by 10 but as it went on 12 Viralious just opened his eyes and saw his partner still face down on their bed.
Groaning, Viralious throws the covers off and notices he's still in his clothes from last night… Sure they really weren't that dirty, but the fact was he really needed a shower… especially after fighting that odd swordsman. Standing, Viralious grabs his last clean outfit. A pair of simple gray pants and a black tee shirt with a sheep dressed as a wolf on it. Reaching into the drawer lower he also grabs his last pair of undergarments and socks. Making a mental note to do laundry later, he walks into his and Winter's bathroom and locks the door.
Turning the water on, Viralious starts to go through his morning routine, first brushing his teeth and such then turning on the water for a hot shower. While the water is warming up, Viralious takes a minute to look in the mirror. Sighing, he tries to summon his mother's lemure… Something that he managed the night prior. After a few moments, nothing happens. Sighing, Viralious tries to summon one of Winter's glyphs and it appears instantly, his eyes and hair changing to match it.
"I did it last night… the lemure blocked his attack… Why… Why can't I summon it!" Viralious says looking at his reflection.
It's because you're weak. His mind answers through the reflection.
Sighing, Viralious shakes his head and prepares to shower. Stripping down, Viralious steps into the warm water. His peaceful shower, however, is interrupted by his own thoughts.
Your decisions almost got your whole team killed.
Sighing, Viralious tries to wash the thoughts away with soap… but it fails.
You failed to look after your team, they had to bail you out!
Shifting to washing his hair, the intrusive thoughts continue.
If it was Winter, there at the end you wouldn't have been able to save her. You would have led another to the slaughter… Just like Mom.
"Enough!" Viralious says and punches the wall. The shower shakes and he looks at his hand, aura having only just protected it from a bruise was now active, preventing his nails from drawing blood.
Viralious suddenly hears a knock on the door followed by Winter's voice, "Is everything okay in there Viralious?" Her tone is groggy and tired.
"Yeah, I'm fine… Just dropped my shampoo." Viralious quickly lies. Quickly, he finishes washing his hair and exits the shower. Drying his hair quickly, not really caring for how messy it's going to look, he throws on his chosen outfit and steps out of the bathroom.
Stepping out, Viralious let's Winter know that the bathroom is open and proceeds to throw his clothes into his laundry basket. He hears the bathroom door shut behind him as he grabs his scroll from the nightstand and looks at the time…
"Oof, 12:17 PM… that's a late start to the day." Viralious mumbles before unplugging it and walking towards the common area. There, Ifiral was sitting on the couch waiting… The tired expression on his face told him that he had been waiting there for a while. Yawning, Viralious makes his way to the minifridge and pulls out four water bottles. Tossing one to Ifiral and placing the rest on the coffee table Viralious takes a seat across from Ifiral.
"Morning." Viralious says in a neutral tone.
"... Morning, Viralious." Ifiral responds.
"Just as a heads-up, we're going to talk about what happened last night before we eat so it might not be a bad idea to grab a snack or something while Eckhart and Winter finish getting ready." Viralious says before taking a sip from his water bottle wishing that it would magically turn into coffee… Too bad magic isn't real huh.
"I know… I'll be fine…" Ifiral responds tiredly.
The two just sit there, not speaking a word to each other and mindlessly finishing their waters. Even though neither said anything, they both knew two things. One was that both were wishing for there to be coffee and the other that this meeting would determine the fate of their fledgling team once and for all.
After what felt like an eternity. Winter and Eckhart both exited their respective suites and stepped into the common area taking their usual spots and glared at Ifiral.
Sighing. Viralious addresses the room. "Alright, let's talk about what the hell happened last night." He says in an exhausted tone
"Yeah, let's." Winter scoffs, "Look Ifiral, I don't know what your story is, but those vigilante sessions are 100% illegal! Honestly, we should have gone straight to Ironwood to have reported you!" Her tone has a hint of anger in it.
"Winter it's not-" Ifiral starts before being cut off.
"Look, while you shot a member of Meteion in the face last night it's still attempted murder at the very least. How can we not be sure that you're doing that to simple civilians! You know, the very people we swear to protect." Eckhart says in a condescending tone.
"Eckhart let-" Ifiral starts before once again being cut off.
"I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, Ifiral but I-" Winter says coldly.
"ENOUGH!" Viralious says annoyed, grabbing everyone's attention. Coughing into his hand, "Ifiral's been trying to tell his side of the story, let him speak, THEN we can make comments about it." Viralious says growing short.
Ifiral looks at Viralious before nodding, "As you've probably guessed by now, I'm the son of Mako Phenrix and Emily Sherfira. The previous CEOs of Sherfira Industries, one year ago we were staying in the Glass Unicorn. I had gone out for a walk at night and came back to the hotel engulfed in flames. As I went to help, I saw someone fleeing the scene, but didn't think much of it until afterwards when I found evidence that the fire was started by someone… It's later afterwards I found out that my parents were killed by the smoke… After my brother Regis was named the new CEO I asked for the resources to find the person who started the fire… Since then I've been getting a scroll with a list of names from Regis and I ask them a simple question… Did you start the fire in the Glass Unicorn?" Ifiral pauses for a moment and glances around the room, everyone is listening intently, but Winter still has a look of scorn, Eckhart had seemingly cooled slightly but still was angry, Viralious looked tired. Sighing, he continued, "I haven't found them yet, but I will say last night was my first time ever shooting someone… or harming them in any way actually… The only reason I did that was because I saw the two creeps from earlier and I thought about Ciel… I saw red and just fired…" He hangs his head down, "Look, I understand that It's fucking crazy, but I promised that I would bring their killer to justice." He says finishing softly.
Viralious nods, "Alright thank yo-"
"The reasoning doesn't excuse anything. What you're doing is wrong." Winter says.
"A person can do the wrong things for the right reason." Ifiral responds.
"There has to be a healthier way to cope with their loss." Eckhart says.
"Imagine if it was your mother… would you not do the exact same thing as me?" Ifiral says in response.
"We're going in circles." Viralious says rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"What are your thoughts, Viralious?" Eckhart asks, giving him the side eye.
"I see his reasoning, while it's a bit extreme I get it." Viralious says.
"HOW?" Winter responds looking at her partner in shock, "We should be reporting him for his actions!"
"Truth be told, he could be doing a lot worse… He seems remorseful. Besides, if we hand him in, we're accomplices anyhow." Viralious says with a shrug.
"Remorse can be faked." Eckhart spits out.
"I'm not faking it." Ifiral says looking down, "You know I'm not the best with… allowing myself to be vulnerable… but Eckhart, I really mean it when I say that I understand you are upset."
"Upset is an understatement." Eckhart scoffs before taking a drink from his water bottle.
"We're going to keep going in circles here… I'm going to Ironwood and getting Ifiral taken to the proper authorities." Winter says getting up and approaching the door. She's about to open it when a large glyph appears blocking her exit.
"Viralious drop the glyph." Winter says angrily.
"No, sit down while we discuss this." Viralious says.
"Viralious, why are you giving him the time of day?" Winter responds.
"Ifiral's our teammate, Winter. I understand you're upset but turning him over to Ironwood is a mistake." Viralious says venom rising in his voice.
"Guys." Eckhart tries to cool the situation down.
"It doesn't matter, he attempted to murder someone!" Winter says in anger approaching Viralious.
"SO DID I!" Viralious says shocking everyone in the room including himself. Looking down Viralious says one simple word "Shit."
"Viralious… What do you mean you attempted to murder someone?" Winter asks in concern.
Sighing, Viralious looks his partner in the eyes, "I've been meaning to tell you all this for a while, but it was never a good time." Winter sits down and looks at Viralious cautiously.
"I guess the best place to start is from the beginning. My full name is Viralious Rose. You know that I have a twin sister in Vacuo and was originally going to go there… Truth is, I only really had my mother for most of my life. She was a superhero. Literally, taking care of a small child while actively hunting grimm is no easy feat… just about five years ago I had finally gotten a stable home and was living in Patch with her, my stepdad, my stepsister and eventually my half-sister. From time to time my uncle Qrow would drop in, the truth was it was great." Viralious says ending with a smile. The smile shifts to a frown once he continues, "However, as a present for graduating top of my class and getting accepted into Shade, my mother decided to take me on one of her missions from Headmaster Ozpin. My uncle Qrow followed along to make sure that everyone was safe, and truth be told it should have been an easy mission. However, the grimm just kept coming before eventually Qrow knocked me out and stole me from the fight. Eventually, after I came to, I rushed back and found my mother dead… Shot through the heart." Viralious continues looking around the room. Winter has a look of sympathy on her face, the previous anger is gone. Both Eckhart and Ifiral just seem shocked.
Sighing, Viralious continues, "About a week before I was supposed to go to Shade I put the pieces together. Qrow was the one who killed my mother and confronted him. We fought for a short while but during the fight we somehow ignited the house… instead of killing him I rushed back inside to save my little sister… after that I fled to Atlas and the rest you all know." Viralious says rubbing the back of his head. "So I can understand where Ifiral is coming from, I too tried something similar for revenge for the death of my family."
"Viralious…" Winter starts to reach for him before pausing.
Suddenly the glyph that was holding the door closed drops, "If you want to report Ifiral, make sure you report me as well for attempted murder. After all, we're both guilty then." Viralious says defeated.
No one moves a muscle. Eventually, Eckhart breaks the silence. "Then what's the plan?"
Viralious nods, "We move on, acknowledge what happened but it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. We're a team and we stick by each other; faults and all."
Ifiral smiles, "I guess those faults include crime too."
Eckhart rolls his eyes, "Let's not make it a common occurrence at least."
"I… I don't know…" Winter says hesitantly.
"Winter…" Viralious says quietly placing a hand on her shoulder, "Just because someone makes a mistake doesn't mean you should hold it against them… besides put yourself in Ifiral's shoes… wouldn't you do the same thing?" He says in remorse.
Winter stops and thinks for a moment… Would she go through all the same lengths as Ifiral if it was her family? Her father probably not but her mind flashes to Weiss and she understands Ifiral and Viralious' reasoning for nearly taking another's life. But just because she can understand it doesn't mean she's comfortable with the feeling.
"I… I can't say that I am fully comfortable with this but… I'm going to trust you two… but please… Please let's not repeat that." Winter says looking at both Viralious and Ifiral.
Ifiral nods before Viralious says, "I promise… I mean it Winter."
"Well then, now that that's over, let's at least make a plan for when something like that is going to inevitably happen again. At least give the rest of us forewarning so we can come up with an actual escape plan instead of half-assing one." Eckhart says sarcastically, earning a chuckle from everyone.
"What makes you think it's going to happen again?" Winter asks.
"Because I've seen the bullshit, we get up to… Honestly, last night was probably only a 7 on the bullshit scale." Eckhart jokes.
"Can't say I disagree… hopefully the next stupid thing we get caught up in, we don't get found out by Basil." Ifiral says seriously.
Suddenly the jovial tone drops.
"... Do we know why she didn't want to report us?" Winter asks.
"Could be a mix between favoritism, not wanting to do paperwork, or something nefarious." Eckhart responds.
"Answer is definitely a mix of all three." Viralious says. "We should discuss what we learned last night."
"Agreed. First off is that the Bullhead we used was Sherfira Industries personal. They only respond to their own channels meaning that Basil used either some military or emergency code to get them to leave us for her." Ifiral responds.
"She then decides instead of taking us to Ironwood, she brings us to her house to play a drinking game… one where we have to answer questions or drink." Winter says quizzically.
"Before that, she decides her own punishment for us and says that we need to report to her for counseling twice a week and get permission to leave the academy for any purpose from her." Eckhart says scholarly.
"Hey at least you guys can leave… I'm stuck here until further notice." Ifiral complains.
"In the grand scheme of things, the punishment could have been a lot worse." Viralious muses…
"Did we actually learn anything useful last night about her?" Eckhart asks.
"She's not going to tell us anything she doesn't want us to know… Like how she got our Bullhead pilot to break protocol" Ifiral responds.
"She also won't tell us why she changed weapons." Winter muses thinking back to the conductor's wand that she saw in her office.
"She wouldn't tell us why she was in Mantle… then something about destiny." Ifiral says before grinning, "We also know that the rumors of her and Makoto are probably at least partially true."
"Get your head out of the gutter, Ifiral." Winter responds, "Moving on, she didn't want to answer that if it was a different team that she would have gotten them… It's clearly showing that she did it simply BECAUSE it was our team." she finishes scholarly."
"I agree… she could have just said yes." Viralious says nodding, "She doesn't want the general to know about last night… there has to be a reason."
"Well, you were the last person there after that question so it's up to you to answer." Winter says leaning back in the chair.
"Well for one the 'vodka' she gave us was flavored water." Viralious responds annoyed.
"Yeah, I was a little disappointed by that." Ifiral says.
"I know right… Anyhow I learned that she's more than just a professor… I think she might be Atlassian special forces…" Viralious says.
"Did you ask her that?" Eckhart questions.
"Yes, her answer was 'no and yes…' It's up to us to parse that answer." Viralious responds scholarly.
"Anything else?" Winter asks.
"She's interested in me because I remind her of herself and have potential… There has to be more there, but I can't figure out what it is." Viralious responds.
"Definitely seems like a cop-out answer." Ifiral says.
Viralious thinks for a moment back to his conversion with Basil and perks up, "Her favorite type of grimm was the Geist… She wouldn't tell me why though… Said something that the Geist is her favorite and least favorite at the same time." Viralious says.
"There's something important there… but I don't see a connection." Winter says.
"I'm stumped by that too… the only thing I can think of is maybe she likes the concept but hates fighting it… okay that seems too simple." Eckhart responds.
"Wouldn't she just answer that then?" Ifiral retorts…
"She told me to not trust Ozpin." Viralious says absent-mindedly.
"Why?" everyone asks at the same time.
"I don't really know… I don't understand her answer that much… I think she over-extended…" Viralious says earnestly.
"Great… anything else?" Eckhart says rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Nope, I left to save the rest of my dignity after that." Viralious says blushing slightly.
"I'm surprised you had any." Ifiral says earning a dead eye from everyone.
"Well, we have a lot of new info but for now why don't we get some food before the cafeteria closes? I mean we've got about an hour and a half until they close to prep for dinner." Viralious says standing up.
"I second that motion, I'm starving." Eckhart says with a grin.
"Agreed… Hopefully this is the last stressful week for a while." Winter says.
"Winter, I don't think we could make a week more stressful if we tried." Viralious responds by opening the door for the rest of his team. Suddenly, Ifiral stops in front of Viralious before extending his hand.
"Viralious, I wanted to thank you for being on my side… even though I-"
"It's nothing Ifiral, we're a team. You would have done the same for me." Viralious says taking Ifiral's hand into a firm handshake.
Suddenly an understanding is reached between the two and Viralious' eyes change to match Ifiral's hazel eyes. His highlights shift to be a mirror of Ifiral's auburn hair. Upon breaking the handshake, Ifiral smirks, "Found your flame, huh?"
Viralious smirks and makes a small flame dance in his hand, "I guess so… Come on, let's get something to eat, then we can come up with ways to make this work even better."
"Agreed. Hopefully we can catch Team RMJT, I have to apologize to May." Ifiral says closing the door behind him.
The four talk idly and continue on with their lives as if nothing had happened.
Character Change: Viralious Rose- Kairi-Tsugumi Basil
Location: Atlas Academy: Ironwood's office
Last night was a mistake.
This was Basil's only thought as she walked into the general's office hungover and tired beyond belief. Sure, she should be doing paperwork or tending to her plants, but duty called one didn't become the head of Atlas's-
"Kairi, I'm surprised to see you here." Ironwood says breaking her out of her thoughts.
"I-i am… I-i g-g-guess." Basil responds quietly.
"So, what brings you here?" Ironwood says, taking a sip of his coffee, making Basil extremely jealous.
Breathing in slowly, Basil looks the General in the eye before saying calmly, "I would like to accompany Team VIEW on their mission next week."
"No." Ironwood responds simply.
"What? Why?!" Basil yells.
"Besides the obvious favoritism I cannot allow. What's more, it's worrying that you're asking that." Ironwood says rising from his chair.
"Is it because I'm a Geist?"
"Yes." Ironwoods says sternly. "The Geist initiative was started by my predecessor to ensure Atlas would win a second great war if we needed to. He believed that we needed a covert team that answered only to the General and a secret to everyone." Ironwood looks Basil directly in the eye, "I believe it's outdated and unnecessary hence why I have refused your requests for new candidates."
"General, you know the why I'm asking-"
"I'm denying it because I want the program to end." Ironwood says with a heavy sigh "Reading your report about what happened that day was the final nail in the coffin. Kairi, you were 22 when you were chosen as a designated survivor and had to watch your entire squadron be butchered. It's too much for someone your age to endure."
"General, the Geists are more important than you think, I've been slowly pushing our prospects from open espionage to more of a shadow broker kind of deal." Basil responds fervently.
"Basil, you're going to be the last Geist… accept that and move on with your life… Do you think Makoto and Cinnamon would want you to-"
"General, bringing up my personal affairs is unbecoming of you and shows you don't have an argument. Truth is you know the Geists are needed but you're afraid. Afraid that you're going to send people to die against a cause you can wave a big fuck-off battleship at."
"Basil." Ironwood says sternly. "You don't recruit a Geist… You pick from those who've died to join. I'm not going to let you lead our students to their death just so you can play your ideal shadow war." Ironwood says coldly.
Basil looks the General in the eyes before saying, "The dead have a strange habit of walking… I'm sure we both have fit that bill for a long time." Basil says before walking towards the elevator before Ironwood calls out.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Major-General Basil?"
"I mean we're both dead men walking… We just haven't realized it yet… Maybe you can see the other dead men walking if you get that mettle out of your eyes." She says before pressing the button and steps into the silver elevator.
Sighing as the elevator descends, Basil makes up her mind.
The general is too blind to see the bigger picture… He's trying to fight his problems with those toy battleships but fails to see the enemies within the citizens he's trying to protect… there's a war on the horizon… the only way to win is to be a shadow… A dead man walking… A Geist…
She then sighs and remembers her old team… before making a promise, "I'm not going to lead Team VIEW to their deaths… I'm hoping to change that belief of the Geist…"
Just then the elevator door opens and Basil steps out knowing that her work had only truly just begun… even more so now that she knew that her General may be one of her most fervent enemies.
A/N
A slightly shorter chapter to round off the second arc of Team VIEW! We have finally made it through the second arc! It's hard to believe that this one started in Chapter 9! Next arc is going to be taking these characters to new heights and we're going to see a change to the status quo. I can't wait for you to find out what that is! Now then, let's talk about what really happened in this chapter.
Whole point of this chapter is to get all of Team VIEW on the same page based on what has happened in the story, this is basically a recap episode that furthers the plot, Ifiral and Viralious giving an abridged version of their backstories as well as reiterating the questions asked last chapter are meant to get them in your minds as they will be coming up later and are important to the story moving forward so, make a mental note of them!
Now then, we see that Viralious has finally copied all of his team's semblances! He's finally caught up to be at the point of Bianca Prisma from RWBY Arrowfell… I'll have you know that technically Viralious was first… but Bianca is official…. Jokes aside We can finally really have Viralious shine as the jack of all trades he was meant to be. Now then, let's talk about the major bomb shell dropped this chapter.
The Geist Initiative is basically Remnant's version of Avengers/ Seal Team 6. They draw some parallel's to DC's Suicide Squad but the similarities are few after the basic jokes about death to get in. No, they are not literally dying to join, nor are they grimm wearing human meatsuits. It's metaphorical that the person joining is giving up their old life and devoting themselves to the Geist initiative, meaning that they are basically dead to those who knew them before.
Basil is the only surviving member of the Geists at the time of this story and she's the leader because of it. She wants to change their tactics to be more modern but Ironwood wants to scrap the program altogether, that's where their conflict comes from.
This is going to be a major theme going forward so keep it in mind, one of the original titles of this story was actually Team VIEW: The Geist of Atlas, this was changed as truth be told it only explained half of the story. If I was making this from Basil's POV mostly then that might have been the title I went with.
Overall, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and arc as a whole! There's a lot that's still going to happen in this story so buckle up things are just getting started. Heads up, the next chapter is going to be an interlude… Wait, I never explained what those are!
An interlude chapter is a flash forward to the 'present day' remnant, they are not required to view the story and will mostly be shorter than a normal chapter but flesh the world out slightly if you think about it Chapter 0 was an interlude. It also might serve as an interesting launching point for a future story if I decide to go the alternative universe route for Volume 7 and 8. (I have no real plans for that right now but want to leave my options open in case I decide to do it. If you want that to happen let me know in a comment or DM, I'll take other people's wants into consideration when deciding.)
So, this is where I would like to thank my editor, AmoebaHewdraw, without him this second arc wouldn't have made it to FFnet because I would have been chased away by all of the grammar and spelling mistakes.
AmoebaHewdraw's Note: Two words: My Immortal. Yes, I have read it. I damn near had an aneurysm.
Until Next Time Xcom Out.