AN: Here it is! The next chapter of Bastion! In this one, the town arc concludes! We see the horrors of it and the stork keeps on rolling on it all of its horror! Also, the final arc of Pillar one begins right now! After this, we will get to see what Ludo really wants from Jaune! We get to see what the Piercing lancers are all about! And we push ever closer to the pillar one finale! Until then? As always... Enjoy...
"Problem? What kind of problem?"
Jaune asked the panting boy who had just burst into thier meeting room nearly earning a face full of led as a creeping sense of doubt filled his body as Zach burst into the central room of the Mecanicus HQ. The boy was panting and coughing roughly as he waved his arms and one green pistol in the air.
"Fuck! One of! One of them!"
Zach panted obviously winded and clearly bothered by something.
"One of the what?"
"The broads! One of the broads ate the other one!"
Zach shouted as the room seemed to freeze all eyes turning to him as Jaune frowned. Normally he would not care about Zach's plain sexist words, but this time the boy had taken a bit to much of something.
"She was eaten?"
Jaune asked raising a smug eyebrow at Zach thinking that he had finally lost it as the boy nodded.
"Yeah! She was eaten! The other's one's chest literally opened up, and tentacles came out-
"Tentacles?"
"Yes, Kage! Tentacles came out of one of their chest and ate her!"
"You have to watch too much Mistral porn."
Kage said smugly as the brown-skinned boy gave a short chuckle, checking the iron sights of his large red pistols as Zach growled.
"Fuck off you moody fuck! You would not know what to do with the shit I just saw either!"
"And what did you see? Bee exact, we need as many details as possible."
Jaune said firmly not knowing what was wrong with his friend, but not willing to put off a potential psych risk that easy.
Zach looked a mess, his normally smooth black hair was a mess. It was uneven and unkempt. He was breathing hard, and his face was flushed.
He looked scared... Zach was never sacred. Not in the deadlands, not in the Kernel he was angry at times but not scared, never that. He looked like he had seen something horrible and was barely keeping it together.
His black eyes shot back and forth in his head. And he looked like he was about to break into hysterics.
"What did you see Zach?"
Jaune asked now taking the boy seriously. Anything that could shake Zach was not good news and Jaune needed to get to the bottom of it.
"I saw a girl. She was talking to the other girl I was with alone."
"Ok. And then what happened?"
"I told you! She ripped off her shirt!"
"Sounds fun."
Kage chuckled checking his gun sights before Zach snarled at him.
"Fuck off you edgy fuck! She took off her shirt, yeah I saw her tits but her chest heaved! Like there was something inside of it. Before tentacles! Real live fucking tentacles shot out! I know this sounds crazy, but it happened!"
"Ok. Let's just say I believe you."
Jaune said trying to placate the boy who was now making thier student's look uncomfortable.
"It happened!"
"I'm not saying that it didn't. But what happened to the other girl?"
"She's dead. The tentacles went clean past her aura, not that she had any and into her head. She was dead before she was eaten."
Jaune froze, crazy or not Zach would not make up the death of one of his squadmates. Not like this, this could be a problem.
"Ok. We need to find out what happened-
"She got infected," Alica said quietly from the back of the room where she stood in front of a large computer screen her blonde hair frayed as she frowned.
"Infected? With what?"
"Jaune. Order your men to seal the door Zach came in. I need to tell you all the story of why this town went dark and why it is imperative that we can not! Let anyone leave, maybe even us."
Alica said as Jaune grimaced as the woman began to tell them a tale.
"So it's a virus."
Jaune said in a monotone voice as a creeping sense of terror ran up his spine as Alica nodded.
The techpriest had them practically seal themselves inside the small main room of the facility. The small metallic room was not mean to hold twenty-three people and most of the initiation students where huddled shoulder to shoulder in cramped quarters as Alica nodded.
"Yes. It's an alien virus."
"An alien virus? Really? We are going to be fighting aliens today?"
Kage asked not yet convinced as to what the woman was saying. It was insane! There was no way what this woman was saying was true-
"Yes. We have encountered it in Bastion's history before. It has come into Remnant once in our past in the far norths of Atlas. But this time it landed here."
Alica said taking out her scroll, sending the same redacted files to everyone as Jaune nodded already having read the knowledge before with Uzepi as she went on.
"It is a parasitic alien virus that seeks to assimilate its chosen host. It infects and assimilates almost everything it touches."
Alica said with absolute certainty making the room bristle with fear as Jaune gulped.
"This... this is real?"
Zach asked his mouth dropping as Alica nodded.
"Yes, it is deadly real. Zach right? You saw the assimilation process yourself. I apologize for that I know it can be quite unpleasant to witness."
"Unpleasant!? It was fucking terrifying!"
Zach snarled taking out his twin guns as Alicia nodded.
"Yes I know, but please listen to me."
"Go on, we are all ears."
"Thank you, Jaune. Over two weeks ago a meteor fell to the town. Normally this is unusual happening but a non-issue. The meteor impacted the forest on the outskirts of town and nothing much happened after. The town was quiet."
"I'm guessing it didn't stay quiet."
Jaune asked as Alica nodded.
"No, it did not. Or it did."
"What happened next?"
"Well for one all the wildlife in the surrounding forest disappeared. I do not need to tell you how strange this is. The wildlife here is personally crafted for the town plus there are no predators in the forest. We needed to make sure that the town would have a variety of food we make the wildlife easy to hunt, with plenty of meat and nonviolent to the villagers."
"You created the wildlife?"
Kage asked raising an eyebrow to the woman never taking his guns from the door.
"More or less. We allowed them to breed, and we altered their genetics afterward, but that's not the point! After the wildlife vanished, there was a rash of disappearances of townspeople."
"I'm guessing they never came back, did they?"
Zach asked with a grimace as Alica frowned.
"No. All of the townspeople came back. Well half of them ended up coming back. They disappeared for a while, but they all came back. But they didn't come back."
"They didn't come back?"
"No Jaune, they didn't come back. It came back."
Alicia clarified shaking with fear as Jaune frowned.
"It?"
"This thing is a shapeshifter."
"A shapeshifter? You got to be fucking with me."
Zach said looking on in disbelief as the woman shook her face.
"Not at all, believe me, I wish I was joking. This thing can flawlessly replicate organic matter to a ludicrous degree. It can reshape reform and mold itself to its will. It killed the town's people. Took their place, infiltrated the village acting flawlessly in the place of the ones it already picked and slowly picked off the rest of them over time."
"Just like the animals!"
Six said his olive eyes flickered with fear as she nodded.
"Yes Six, just like the animals. Although it was much more calm with the townspeople. By the time I noticed anything was wrong it was too late. The thing had spread into the town killing and assimilating the citizens until I was left here alone."
The woman said sadly her head falling down her long golden hair flowing downward as Jaune snarled.
"How do we kill it?"
"It's hard."
"Hard is not impossible. Tell me it has to have a weakness."
Jaune hoped it had a weakness or else he was going to get killed and assimilated...
"It does. We can kill it."
Alica said as the room let out a held breath as she nodded.
"With conventional weapons, it is near impossible to kill. But! If any of you have a fire-based weapon system? A flamethrower perhaps? That would be best. It can regenerate its own matter and flames are the most efficient way possible of killing it."
"Where's Mika when you need her?"
Zach half asked half snarled into his palm checking the door with Kage his green guns glittering in the rooms dim light.
"So we can't just shoot it to death?"
Kage askes growing deeply checking his guns.
"We can shoot it. But that will do almost nothing to it. You might destroy the body, but it can regenerate its matter rapidly"
"I have a plasma pistol, will that work?"
Jaune asked checking his plasma pistol to Alica.
"It is an older model but I believe it will. Yes, that could kill it!"
"Good. Anything else?"
"Yes. From what I have observed this thing while able to replicate organic material it cannot copy the intelligence of the things it assimilates."
"What does that mean?"
"It is an assimilation organism. It tries to infiltrate the environment that its prey lives in. This means that it has to interact with its potential host IE us in our own environment in some manner. It can have limited human interactions and can mimic our intelligence but it cannot truly learn."
"The window washer."
Zach said slamming a fist into his palm as a look of realization dawned on his face as he frowned.
"It can only mimic! It doesn't know for itself! That's why it couldn't figure out how to clean the window!"
"Yes. If it does not see a member of the species act, it will not know how to. It has only limited information abilities if can not just do things it has to observe them being done first. That is one way to tell if one is infected."
Alica clarified as Jaune sorted all of this information in his head as he snarled.
"Besides that, how would you tell if one is infected? Is there a facial expression? A test we can run maybe something medical?"
"You don't. Unless they attack you, they are near undetectable. Thought I might be able to work out a test involving blood to tell. That test was used during the initial instance of this thing but..."
The woman said before shaking her head.
"But! This incident of the virus is very different than other encounters from it! Its behavior is radically different than it's predecessor and I don't know why!"
"Different how? What does that mean?"
"Two things. One this virus apparently has a preference in its victims. It will only assimilate women."
Alica said as the room majority female began to shift nervously as eyes darted back and forth making Jaune frown.
"Only women?"
"Yes. This virus might incubate in a male, but it will not attempt to assimilate them. Or it will not in any instances that I have seen"
"So it's a picky eater?"
Zach asked as Alica nodded.
"A crude analogy but an accurate one. Yes. Also, we have learned that this variant is vulnerable to constant exposure to radiation."
Alica said pulling out her scroll and looking over it intensely.
"Radiation?"
"Yes. If it is exposed to a concentrated amount of radiation for even a brief period of time the virus will lose most if not all of its already limited intelligence. It will lose most of its drive to assimilate and will begin to act almost docile to others."
Alica said scrolling in her scroll as Jaune cocked his head at her.
"Docile?"
"Yes docile. Prolonged exposure to the virus with concentrated amounts of radiation makes the cells almost forget how to infect. If they exposed themselves to radiation they don't attempt to bond with other living tissue, they lose thier ability to regenerate and they are notably weaker than others."
"So this thing won't infect men, and it's vulnerable to radiation?"
Zach clarified checking his guns with a small smile on his lips.
"Yes."
"Ok. What about our missing women? Can we do anything for them? Is there a cure?"
Jaune asked already thinking of his missing squad mates. He might not have known them for long but the Piercing lancers were counting on him to get thier people home and he would be damned if he didn't do everything possible to save them.
"No. I am sorry, your friends are dead or worse."
"Clara...'
A faunus girl with tiger ears said dropping her head as another girl with long blonde air and green eyes petted her back.
"Wait! You said that this thing only infects women right?"
Zach asked suddenly standing up moving to the far side of their cramped room as Kage acted on instinct born of years of trust following his best friend weapons drawn as Jaune followed Kage.
"Zach? What are you doing?"
"The girls! Some of them might be infected already and we don't know it yet!"
Zach yelled as a gasp left the students.
"We are not infected!"
A girl with a fiery temper and brown skin named Ray said as Zach snarled.
"Alica! What are the odds that one of them is infected right now!"
He asked as the woman checked her scroll.
'Did any of the females here wander alone for any period of time?"
"Hell yeah! I had them split up in the forest! There was at least one all women group there!"
"Then the odds of one of us being infected is around seventy-five percent."
"See! I-
"Quiet! None of us are infected, Zach! We are all just a bit jumpy ok? Alica if we were infected we would have attacked by now right? We are in a crowded room this is an ideal ambush zone. If one of us was infected it would have killed us all right?"
"Maybe not-
"I said Right?"
"I mean... yes... it would have attacked by now... we are all clean..."
"Good! Now everyone needs to calm down. No one is infected here. We will find our friends if they are still alive."
Jaune assuaged his charges as a wave of relief flooded them.
"So are they dead?"
"Worse. Infected they will come here and try to assimilate us. We need-
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Hello? Sirs? Can we come in?"
A voice shouted outside of the door as dull thuds came from the outside. Instantly every gun was drawn pointing at the door. Jaune's plasma pistol hummed in activation as Kage's bolt pistols clicked ominously Zach fell back his twin pistols never leaving the door as the initiation students all drew their assault rifles.
"Clara?!"
" Everyone up! I need women in the back do not! Look like you are nervous. Men go to the sides and get ready to fire. I"ll open the door. Once its inside fire."
Jaune said as all of them nodded as he went to the door.
"Hello?"
Jaune asked as he reached for the door's switch to open it clutching his pistil so tight he swore his fingers were bleeding.
"Sir! We are here! We completed our patrol and our leader left us! Can you please let us in?"
The voice said as Jaune opened the door to see two initiation students. One with blonde hair red eyes. The other with brown hair blue eyes waiting for him.
"Clara? Sarah correct?"
Jaune asked as the girls nodded as he stepped aside to let them in.
"Come in, come in."
Jaune said as the girl wake din as Jaune stepped to the side-
"Now!"
Jaune yelled as the room was suddenly filled with automatic weapons fire. As the gauss weapons of the men fired tearing up the girls in showers of blood and gore.
The girls as they were now vulnerable tried to fight back. Jaune saw there flesh bulge as talons?! Came out of thier broken arms as the hail of bullets ripped them apart.
"Enough! We got them. Alica, I thought they were hard to kill?"
Jaune said looking at the desecrated corpses in front of him.
"You blew them apart with Gauss weapons! I think that will kill almost anything!"
The woman said as Jaune nodded looking at brutalized bodies of what was his charges. The dead women had long elongated claws coming from their hands, as their faces looked like melted candle wax. Like they were shifting and molting as Jaune gagged.
"What the hell?"
The boy asked kicking one of the dead monsters with his shoe. The thing twitched violently making Jaune leap back pistol raised-
"Stay away! Don't touch them! I don't know how contagious they are even after death!"
Alica warned as Jaune backed up the jerking corpses bleeding out as-
"The hell was that!?"
"Was that Sarah?!"
"What's going on?!"
The panicked voices of the initiation students yelled as Jaune grimaced.
"Calm down! We killed them. They pose no danger to anyone now right Alica?
"No... at least I don't think they do and any danger that they do pose is severely limited."
She added seeing Jaunes withering glare and adding the last part for the benefit of the students.
"What the hell are we going to do with them? We can't just leave them here, can we? Is that even safe?"
Zach asked his black eyes not once leaving the corpses of the former Bastion students.
"I can perform a dissection! I have yet to see a corpse of the creature and I believe I can learn a great deal from them. If you would allow me to. You are the leader in Arc. And even if our command structure is different, I would need your help moving the creatures remains."
Alica said to Jaune bowing in her flowing dove covered robes. Rasing her small staff with a cog skull on it.
"Fine. Zach, get three students and find a gurney or something to haul it on."
"Why me?"
"Because I said so, now move!"
"Stupid blonde, ok you lot! Let's get these things on something, Alicia you have anything metallic with weels that we can put this thing on?"
"Yes! Let me bring you a gurney."
The woman said rushing to receive a gurney as Jaune looked at the dead forms of the monsters as he felt a creeping dread claw his back. Alica wheeled a gurney as she passed out thick plastic gloves to Zach and the students assisting him as one of the monsters was lifted up.
"What about that one?"
"Kage has a point, are we taking both of them?"
"No. I only need one, we can leave that one for now."
"I don't want this thing just here. You, you, you guard it."
Jaune said pointing to three random students all female as they saluted sharply taking a guard position around the corpse as the monster was loaded onto the cart with Zach yelled-
"Don't touch it! Don't let the thing get on you!"
Zach warned the student with him as the thing was loaded up and pushed off.
"Fascinating."
Alica said cutting into the flesh of the dead monster with a laser scalpel. The thing's corpse was loaded up and no on a gurney in a dissection room, or really the hospital of the base.
Alicia had been taking the monsters remains apart for over half an hour. Hacking into the flesh of it, putting it on tables and Petri dishes. Running all forms of analysis on it with a myriad of machines as Jaune Kage, along with their other Bastion members watched with peaked interest and morbid fascination.
"So Alica what do we have here? Is it as bad as we thought?"
Jaune asked as the woman pulled up her pale dissection mask covered in viscera as she frowned.
"No. It's much worse."
The woman grimaced as a sharp ding! Was heard and a machine that was currently rapidly rotating vials of blood stopped. The screen shooting out a series of numbers and letters so rapidly Jaune never had a chance to comprehend as the woman frowned.
"How much worse is it?"
"Well as I said this thing is extraterrestrial."
"An alien?"
Six asked eyes wide in fascination as a smile of all things came on his lips.
"Don't look at it like it's going to give you a kiss kid. Unless you like some tentacles in your gut."
Zach muttered bitterly still eyeing the monster like it was going to leap out at him in a moments notice. The monster seemed long dead, but the boy was not taking any chances. A smart move too and one mimicked by the others, Jaune still had his plasma pistol out and glared at the monster.
"Yes, this thing is not native to Remnant."
"Should we be worried about disease? What if it has stuff from wherever the hell it's from? Should we be wearing gas masks?"
"Where is your mask Arc?"
Zach asked eyeing the boy as she grimaced.
"I left it in the room. I didn't think I would need it."
Jaune admitted a blush forming on his cheeks as Zach smirked.
"Well ain't that a lapse in judgment."
Zach said sarcastically raising his guns making Jaune sigh.
"How do we kill it?"
Jaune said once again bringing the matter at hand as the tech-priest put down her gore-drenched scalpel.
"Like I said. We need fire-based attacks. This thing can regenerate and replicate rapidly. It also seems to have the ability to harden its skin. Although your plasma pistol might work. I think that and you friends bolt pistols might cause enough structural damage to force the thing into a nonactive state."
"Good. I can shoot the thing to death."
Kage said smirking his thing lips forming into a rough smile that seemed to hurt.
"Alright, this is what's going to happen. We leave this thing here. Six call Bastion we need an evac. Tell them our situation see if we can order an air strike on the town."
"An air strike sir?"
"Yes. I want them to clear out a path to us. Don't worry about collateral damage, the town is lost anyway. We will use the distraction caused by the airstrike to get the hell out of here ok?"
"Sir you can't!"
One of the student a girl with mocha skin, red hair and a pair of fox ears said as Jaune saw the name tag Clarisa on it.
"Clarisa? Why not?"
"Sir! The woman said it herself! The virus does not attack men, and we have not seen any men in the town! What if they are in the buildings? What happens if we blow up the civilians?"
"How do we know they are even alive?"
Another girl, this one with long blue hair and pale skin along with a pair of blinking green eyes, said with a curious look. Her name tag read Lilith.
"Lilly! We can't leave people!"
"Clar. What if they are infected? We would kill them anyway, why risk our lives looking for them?"
"Becuase we are training to be huntresses! We rescue people in need! It' what we do!"
Clarissa said in an oddly Ruby manner making Jaune wince.
"Alica, what does this thing do to us?"
"Us?"
"Those of us without double chromosomes. You said it leaves us alone right? How alone is alone?"
"I... I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Zach asked raising a curious eyebrow to her as she sighed.
"I don't know I'm sorry. When people started to disappear it was women first men second. The women came back the men did not."
"So they are probably dead."
Zach deadpanned as Clarissa looked ready to punch him-
"Or they could be alive. We don't know for sure do we?"
Jaune asked to a thankful nod form Clarissa her red fox ears twitching in appreciation as the techpriest sighed.
"I... It is possible. I have no idea what thier fate is, the virus does not seem to affect men, it is also known that the men that left were never seen again. I don't know what thier ultimate fates where. I am sorry."
"So they could be alive. Six call off the airstrike for the moment. Let's see if we can find a pilot that can get us out of this site. Alica, I'm assuming that this place has a com room?"
"Yes, on the third floor."
"Good. Six take two students with you and try to contact Bastion. The equipment is working right?"
"It is, I have not been able to use it out of fear that any amount of Bastion help would be infected and the virus would spread. I was hesitant to let you all in, but I took a risk, and it's paying off."
"Ok Six will get us evac, the rest of us stick together I don't want anyone going off alone for any reason. Alica, how does this thing infect others?"
"It takes direct physical contact, cuts, bites, exposure of fluids really."
"Alright, when we are getting the hell out of here no one touch anyone! I-
Ding!
A machine dinged as Alica turned to face a low green screen. Looking at it once before she screamed. The woman leaped back slamming a button by her as a glass case slammed down. Encasing the corpse behind thick see-through the material as Alicia began to panic.
"Woman?! The hell is going on? You are panicking, I don't' like it when people panic!"
Zach said aiming his guns at the monster as all weapons suddenly shot up pointing at the dead creature as-
"It has rudimentary activity! Its cells have rudimentary activity!"
Alica screamed almost frantic as Jaune felt his pulse quicken.
"What does that mean?"
"It's not dead! Its cells are still active! It's alive!"
Alicia yelled moving back and-
"The girls!"
Kage yelled pointing out the three students they left to guard the corpse as Jaune felt the blood drain from his face.
"Move; now."
Jaune said already sprinting down the corridors he was soon followed by the marching boots of those around him.
"They... they are gone..."
Clarissa said her fox ears going flat on her face as the color drained from her mocha skin as the Bastion students returned to the guard scene where no students where stationed, as no corpse no students no sign of anything but a sizeable messy blood stain that was not there before was all that was left of the student.s "Boss...
"Everyone listen up. Split into teams right now. Kage, Zach, pick five students to go with you. Gather all supplies you can finds. Food, water medicine and bring them back to the exam room. Find as much as you can and do not! Let anyone out of your sights."
"Got it."
Kage said frowning at the blood smear as Zach scowled.
"Shit! Now we got a damn alien! Where is the damn psychopath when we need her?! Of all the times we need a flamer..."
Zach groaned as the still wet blood dripped onto the floor.
"Names. I need names of the three we left. Clarissa."
"Yes, sir! The names of the students where, Mable, Lisa and May sir!"
"Got it. Everyone! If you see any of those students do not approach them. Run away and seek help. If the approach you, you open fire on them. Do not let them get close to you do I make myself clear?"
Jaune asked stomping to the surgery room the sound of six feet falling behind him.
"Sir yes, sir!"
"Good. Everyone we have a perimeter breach here, I don't know what we are dealing with, but I'm taking no chances here. Zach, what's your status?"
"We got the food, sir. We'll be back in the OR in about ten."
"Good. Maintain radio contact every two minutes. Do not! Let yourself go dark for longer than that. Any longer than that and I will assume you are lost."
"Got it! Jeez, calm down kid. I'm not letting anything from beyond the stars molest my ass."
"See to it that you don't. Kage."
"We have the water and medicine. We searched all through the base. No enemy contacts."
"Have you seen anything?"
"Yes, we noticed several air ducts have been tampered with. I think they are using them to travel undetected."
"Oh great! They are going to be coming out of the dame walls! Fuck me."
The boy groaned over his scroll as Jaune grimaced.
"Change of plans. Contact every minute. Do not go dark. I will assume compromise if you are and we will fire on you."
"Understood."
"Fine. I guess I'd shoot your pasty ass if I were the leader. We'll be back soon Zach out."
"Good. Kage?"
"On our way boss. Don't worry we will be fine."
The boy said cutting off the link as Jaune, and his charges burst into the OR. Alica had two boys stationed at the box containing the parasite. The corpse was still unmoving, but Jaune was taking no chances with that thing. Jaune had ordered them into three group almost instantly after the vanishing of thier guards. One for food, one for water and medicine. If they had a breach they would simply all go to a fortified area with as much food and water as possible with nobody allowed to be alone for any period of time until thier rescue came.
"Alica, how's it looking? Has that thing so much as twitched?"
"No thankfully. I think we rendered it inert. I hope."
"I don't like hope."
Zach said as he and Kage's groups came in. Carrying food, water, and medical supplies along with them.
"Any contact on the way here."
"Not a damn peep! I'd think we had them running scared, but by the way, these lot are pissing their pants? That's not an option."
Zach said earning an angry glare from the students behind them even if most of their face where sheet white. There guns shaking as they carried in the supplies.
"Door now! I don't want this thing opened until we get the hell out of here."
Kage ordered his students as they put down their medicine closing the metal door. Before they split up into three teams. There were three doors into the surgery room. Two of them were now being welded shut. The other was being guarded by six armed students and Kage himself.
As the boy following Jaune's orders limited the enemies attack avenues, restrict them hopefully to only one attack route that could be easily covered and hosed down with superior firepower. These things might be hard to kill, but enough firepower could put anything down. Hopefully.
"Six! Any contact from Bastion?"
"Yes! They responded rather quickly sir."
"How quickly?"
"My first call! There's a bullhead in route! I don't have an ETA till arrival, but we got a ride home!"
"Ok, everyone! Good news looks like evac is coming. We are going home."
Jaune said as a collective breath left the mouths of the students, "Finally! Looks like drinks are on me."
Zach said smiling widely putting down his guns and-
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Help! Please! Open the door!"
The room went still in a moment. All eyes and guns turned to the one nonwelded door as-
"Help! Please! Those things are right behind me!"
"Mable?! That's Mable"!
Clarissa said as-
"Kage. Zach. Go to the sides of the door. Everyone else! Fan out in a circle. Alicia get me a bucket of water and towels."
"Jaune-
"Do it!"
The boy yelled as the room scrambled to obey him as Jaune strolled to the door.
"Help! Please! I need to get in!"
The girl said as Kage fell onto the side of the door, and Zach slid on the other side. Both boys had their guns trained on it as Jaune moved the barricade aside. The sound of clicking guns filled the air as the students aimed all their weapon at him.
Covering his approach.
"Mable."
"Yes! I'm Mable! It's really me! Let me in!"
"I'm going to open the door. Do not come in at once."
Jaune said pressing a side panel as the door slid open revealing a blonde hair blue eyed woman with shaking eyes, a torn green flak jacket and a body doused with blood.
"Come in slowly. Do not make any sudden movements."
Jaune said as he stepped back plasma pistol focused on her as she nodded.
Practically jogging inside as the door slid shut behind her. Instantly she saw the guns on her and froze. Kage pressed his bolt pistols to the back of her head and spine. Making the girl freeze.
"Guys... it's me! I'm-
"Walk to the center of the room. Now."
Jaune said as the girl gulped following his advice as Alicia readied a bucket of water.
"What now?"
"Strip."
Jaune said as the woman froze.
"What?!"
"You heard me. Take off your clothes. All of them. Now."
Jaune said as the woman gulped.
"O... ok..."
The girl said as she began to strip. The girl took off her bloody flak jacket as she stripped slowly. Revealing her pale skin, and blue bra and underwear.
"Is this really necessary-
"Don't stop. Hesitate again, and I will shoot."
Jaune said not backing down with his pistol glowing as Mable whimpered. The girl was down to her underwear before-
"Jaune do we have to maker her strip full?"
Zach of all people asked with an uncharacteristic frown on his face.
"Yes. Underwear off."
Jaune said as the girl blushed brightly slowly painfully taking off her underwear before standing nude before them and-
'Alica."
Jaune said as the woman doused her in warm water.
The girl gasped as she was doused in water. As Alica ran her scroll over her. As she scanned her the blue light from her scroll going over her naked form and-
"Clean! She's clean!"
The woman said as Jaune sighed. No outward wounds, no apparent signs of infection and-
Jaune saw it before it happened. A low swinging shape appeared in the back of the group as Jaune felt the attack as the one attack avenue he had not considered happened as it struck from the vents.
"Behind you!"
Jaune shouted too late as a girl was impaled.
Her screams would haunt his dreams as the student was impaled by a massive red tentacle.
The girl screamed her gun firing randomly hitting and killing two others. The Gauss powered bullets shredding apart two soldiers cutting them down like paper-
"The vents! It's in the vents!"
Zach yelled as a save of bullets filled the area. As the harsh sound of gunfire filled Jaunes ears as the tentacle was cut in half. It fell to the ground dropping the woman still impaled on it as it retreated back into the vent.
"Gun! I need a gun!"
Mable shouted as Jaune hissed.
"Circle! Circle up! Don't let yourself be taken off guard and watch the damn vents!" Jaune yelled waving the now shocked and somewhat terrified students into a circle as Clarissa tossed her weapons from one of the shredded troopers as-
"There!"
Zach yelled as he fired his weapon into the ceiling the green bolts were meet by drips of blood followed by a scream form something unhuman as Jaune fire into with his plasma pistol making whatever was in the vent shudder and stop.
"Is it dead?"
Lisa? Was it asked pointing her gun at the vents as-
The screams came first.
Instantly the legs of three girls were cut off. As the corpse of the impaled woman sprung to life. The girls head elongated into a twisting fleshy scythe that lashed out cutting off the legs of three soldiers making them howl as blood shot into the air-
"Fire!"
Kage yelled as the body was hosed down by a now lessened wave of gunfire. As the corpse shuddered as it was blown apart before Jaune laned a whoosh of plasma on it. Making it melt.
"Fuck! What was that!?"
Zach hissed as their group was almost cut in half. The students where panicking and Alica looked ready to lose her mind.
"Six! When is that ship coming?!"
"Less than an hour sir! We are safe in the coms room! I sealed the vents, and the door is on lockdown! We'll run when you do!"
"Good! Everyone calm down! We need to be patient!"
"Patient?! Did you see that shit!?"
Another faunus girl with dog ears and tanned skin said. Her blue eyes wide with fear her gun tracing wild arcs in the air.
"Ray we need to be calm. We are going to make it."
A boy next to her with red hair and green eyes with the name Isaiah on his flak jacket said.
"Did you see that shit I!? That was not ok!"
Ray? Asked her blue eyes shaking as Isaiah put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know, but we need to-
The woman didn't get a chance to respond as she was punched through the spine. The girl behind her easily punched past her spine tearing it out and-
"Ray!? NO!"
Isaiah screamed as the girl now revealed to be a symbiote killed his friend. Punching a fist clean through her spin and ending her life in a brutal moment. The things triumph was short lived as it was soon hosed down with gunfire only for the ceiling to collapse, and a monster dropped down.
Jaune had seen monsters in his life. He saw a deathstalker in initiation. He saw the horrifying Cacklers that perfectly mimicked his voice and tore out his guts to the monstrous Spitters. That hurled globs of bioplasma that melted people into unidentifiable green goop that smelled of rotted meat. He had seen the abominations in the ruins all the way to the massive Patriarch but all of those paled in comparison to the thing that stood before him.
It was a massive monstrosity with bright red puckered flesh that bleeds out something Jaune hoped was blood, it was bipedal in form with stumped gait. Its legs were the size of tree trunks, and its arms were half as long as a bullhead. Its face was like that of a Beoulw long and lupine with rows of sharp teeth-
"Kill it!"
Zach yelled as Jaune fired without thinking. The plasma bolt blasted into its flesh boiling of slabs of pure muscle and made it scream. The weapons discharge searing itno its flesh cooking the meet. As Kage's massive retorts filled the air. As the bolt pistol slammed into it's back. Making the monster shudder as its back burst into showers of blood and bone.
As the thing buckled the large monster staggering as the smaller one begna to butcher the others. The girl formerly named Eliza by her tag had grown her nails to that of like scythes. It was like miniature versions of Crescent Rose where on her fingertips as she began to butcher the Bastion students.
The girl's claws tearing apart the female students in a matter of moments. Ripping them apart as if they were paper, dancing into them as Zach's guns trained on her not willing to fire on it for fear for hitting his own soldiers as thier men wore torn apart Jaune focused his fire on the thing face.
Twisting his gun setting it to line. Firing it at once a stead ling of plasma shot out evaporating the monsters head. Causing it to shudder and fall as it fell backward one of its massive hands smashed into the ceiling gouging it and causing a wave of metal to fall down right on Isaiah's head and-
"NO!"
The thing that was once called Eliza yelled as she stopped her butchering of Bastion students dashing forward and blocking?!
The thing blocked the falling debris, protecting Isaiah with her own body. Gruning as the boy's olive eyes blinked wildly at his friend's murderer as-
"What are you waiting for?! Move!"
The creature yelled struggling to uphold the debris as Isaiah scurried out of the way. As the beast pushed off the rubble as the few remain students held their guns on it as the monster growled.
"So-
Jaunes plasma pistol fired before it could speak. Killing or hopefully killing it instantly. The thing died in a moment in a ball of blue fire. As the monsters smoldering corpse began to burn he turned his plasma pistol to berth setting and fired onto the massive monster until it was a raging ball of blue depleting his ammo until the thing melted.
"Six. Get us the hell out of here! Everyone! We need to-
"Sir! She's down!"
A boy yelled as a pale girl fainted as Jaune hissed.
"Medic!"
"I'm on it!"
Another shaking girl yelled as she ran forward to the collapsed girl. Falling to the down girl's form and doing chest compressions on her. As she compressed her Jaune took stock of what was left of his forces.
Five boys and four girls were all that was left. The boys where shaking covered in blood the girls looked about to pass out from fear.
Their comrades butchered into slim pieces in front of their very eyes as-
"Boss. What's the play? We need to get the hell out of here!"
Kage said his voice now hinted with an edge of panic while the girl compressed the downed ally.
"Jaune! This shit is not what I was paid to deal with! We need to get the hell out of here as soon as the ship touches down!"
"I know Zach! We just-
Jaune saw the girl vanish. The girl doing chest compressions suddenly vanished, the chest of her patient opened up as a gaping maw appeared. A mouth appeared in her chest opening wide as a car door. Swallowing half of the girl crunching half of her body and-
"FUCK!"
The thing died in a hail of bullets and plasma as-
"Kill them! This thing won't infect men, so we just have to kill the girls!" We can not let this thing get out of here!"
Zach shouted aiming his guns at the woman as Jaune froze.
"Hold! No one kills anyone!"
"Jaune! They are threats! We need to kill them"!
"I'm not infected!"
Clar said her fox ears fluttering as-
"That's just what an infected would say!"
Zach shouted as the girl growled.
"When would I get infected?! I was with Jaune the whole time!"
"When did she get infected?! She was part of my group! My fucking group! If it could get past me, it could be in any one of you! Espically blondie over here! He can't even tell when a girl wants to break his dick!"
"I'm not infected!"
"I don't want to take that chance!"
"I-
"Quiet! Everyone! Alica. Is there any way you can find out in one of us infected?"
"I... Yes... I believe I can run a test. I will just need some blood."
"Alright. Let's start with you."
Jaune said sternly as he took his power sword and placed it over his glowing plasma gun. The weapon superheating the metal turning it bright red as he looked forward. The girls or what was left of them were all tied to several chairs that had been gathered for them to be tested. Thick plastic wires wrapped around them as Kage, Zach and the five males held rifles on them.
Alicia said that whatever this virus was it would take self-preservation at heart. If they damaged even a trace of it then maybe it would react?
And would act in some kind of retaliatory manner that would alert them to its presence. That was the theory at least as Jaune stabbed into the petri dish of Carlisha's blood The blood hissed and popped but nothing unusual. Causing a relieved breath to leave Jaune's mouth.
"She's clear."
Jaune said as he nodded to his friends and Zach freed her.
"Told you!"
Carlisha growled as Zach frowned.
"And? I'm not taking a risk. Get a gun."
Zach said as the woman took her gun.
"Next."
Jaune said as he tested the blood of Sarah. A girl who was shaking in her boots as she was clean.
"Next."
Jaune said as Clara gave her a gun as the next dish as given.
"Ok, Mary? You are up."
Jaune said poking the blood with his sword as it jumped. The blood leaped out of the dish, flying into the air and screaming like a small animal as it flew out of its bowl.
"Kill her!"
Zach yelled as Mary or what looked like her burst free form her ropes tossing Carlisha and Zach to the side of the room with a practiced ease.
"Shoot it!"
Jaune yelled as the thing's mouth opened up, splitting itself in two as a long tongue like thing shot out. Wrapping itself around Sarah's head pulling her into its jaw and crunching her head like a grape.
"FUCK!"
Jaune yelled firing at the monster hitting it dead in its chest with a glowing ball of plasma. Noting how it had no aura. Not that it should surprise him. Initiation students didn't have theirs unlocked. As it burned, the monster ran at Jaune. Even with no upper torso, it still ran full speed at him.
Jaune boy growled slashing out with his power sword taking off it's left arm and leg. Before firing into its chest.
Vaporizing it in a puff of blood and gore. As it fell, Jaune's blood froze as one of the severed arms got up. Its fingers shook and grew. Turning into long sickly scythes as twin eye stocks sporting bulbous eyes grew on them, as there was a pop!
Of blood as a long sickle-like appendage shot out attached to a long thin rope of flesh that flickered out at him.
"What the fuck!?"
Jaune hissed dodging the first lightning fast sickle strike. Ducking back barely avoiding it slashing his jugular as it flicked back at him, he turned parrying the other strike before firing on the monster vaporizing the limb in a shower of blood.
"Sir! The bullhead is here!"
Six yelled in his ear as Jaune sighed.
"Everyone we are leaving! Kage pick up the kids and come with me! Zach, you take Alica and bring back Six with the students he is with!"
"Got it!"
The two yelled as they began to sprint as the humans began to leave.
"Move it you little shits! We waisted enough time getting here! Now that I am rescuing your sorry asses we are getting the fuck out of here!"
"Sir yes, sir!"
Six and his two guards yelled as they ran out-
"Alica! I need your help shutting down the coms!"
Zach blurted taking the blonde by surprise as her milky robe flung in the air.
"What?! Why?! We need to get out of here!"
The woman complained as the boy ran to the control panel.
"If these things learn how to send out coms they might get help from another part of the word, or expose bastion! We got to shut it down!"
Zach said as Alica looked to argue only to nod her head once.
"I... ok! Just give me a second I don't know exactly how to operate these things!"
Alicia said as Zach drew his gun.
"You don't know how it works?"
"I mean I do! I just need some time!"
"Hurry up, we don't have time!"
"Ok! Give me some time! I was not in charge of this stuff!"
"Really... Alica this facility was fully staffed last time I read about it, what happened to the other techs?"
"They left and were killed!"
Alica said as she began to fiddle with the various computers as Zach drew his gun.
"They left?"
"Yeah! When the infection first started they left their posts to the town!"
"They left their posts? Why."
Zach said drawing a bead on her head.
"To get some air!"
"Air... Right."
Zach said as he pulled the trigger was what looked like Alicia slumped dead as he spat.
"Cogboy's wouldn't leave thier post unless it was burning down. Much less to get some air." He snarled as he ran away before it could come back to life.
"Get on board! NOW!"
Jaune yelled as he pushed Carlsiha on the bullhead on the outskirts of the Mechanicus base. Kage yanked the knocked out Sarah on board as Zach sprinted out of the building alone.
"Where is Alicia!?"
"She was infected all along!"
"What?!"
"Don't ask just get us the fuck out of here!"
Zach yelled as the ship took off as the bullhead pulled up Jaune saw figures bolting to it from the surrounding buildings none getting close enough as the vessel took off and-
The town simply ceased to exist a massive airstrike came in as a hail of firebombs slammed into it.
"The hell!?"
Jaune shouted as the sound of roaring engines filled his ear as several aircraft roared.
"I called in an air strike just like you said!"
Six yelled from the front of the craft as Jaune nodded once as the town was blown apart by cleansing fire...
"And that concluded our report, sir."
Jaune said bowing his head as Ludo nodded.
"I see. Excellent work mister Arc! All of you! Well done!" The man said as Miss Heil nodded. The surviving members of the force were now back safely in Bastion, tired daze but alive. And all in a desperate need of a shower.
"I am inclined to agree with my employer. For once. You all did well. No one could have expected another incident of... that to be here. You are all to be rewarded on a job well done."
The woman said a rare smile on her thin razor lips as Ludo nodded.
"Good! Now all of you take a break! Oh and Mister Arc tomorrow the leadership of the Piercing lancers will meet with you! They are very impressed with your performance in the last mission!"
"Thank you, sir."
"No thank you! Now all of you go, you have earned our break! Oh, but stay a moment Sarah. I need to talk to you!"
The man said as Sarah was left behind as the blonde girl walked up to the man.
"Sir?"
"I must say I have never met an extraterrestrial before! Tell me how are you liking life on our planet!"
Ludo asked sipping from his mug as the girl froze like a puppet with its strings cut.
"I don't know what you mean. Sir."
"Oh no more games child! Are you a child? I can't tell! Xenophysiology was never my strong suit mind you!"
"I am Sarah sir-
"We tagged you biosignature when you landed. We know what you are."
Miss Heil said as Sarah frowned.
"Finally!"
Sarah said as it escaped. It had barely survived the humans that had trapped it in their office. it was somehow able to avoid the dreaded fire attacks of the female along with the eldritch powers of the male and now it was on the Bation front entrance. Sarah or what had once been Sarah had not had an easy time assimilating her host. She had been passed on to her earlier on via a water bottle from her original host. The one the human's had referred to as Alica.
Sarah was her contingency plan. In case she was unable to leave she had covertly infected one of the rescuers before the main attack on them had even begun, and now after escaping the humans in the leading roles, it was finally free!
"I made it!"
It yelled falling to its knees as-
A crunch was heard behind it as Sarah turned around where a girl wearing an assortment of furs and pelts with pale skin and sharp green eyes smiled at her.
"Sister? I-
Sarah never finished that sentence as a roar of flame came out form Mika's weapon lashing out covering her body in a moment as it consumed her. Sarah or what looked like her screamed for a second as Mika's flames devoured her as she smiled.
"Sorry about that Sis! But there's only room for one of me on this planet!"
Mika said happily as-
"Is it done?"
Ludo asked in her scroll as she smiled.
"It's taken care of."
The girl said as she burned her sibling maybe a cousin? To a crisp.
"Good work Mika. I am glad I can continue to count on you for more matters concerning this incident."
The human said as Mika smiled.
"No problem sir! I like this planet just how it is!"
Mika said her voice taking on a low undulating tone as the man smirked.
"I'm glad to hear that. Your team is back, by the way, you should go see them."
"Okie Dokey!"
She said as she hung up her scroll as a rare frown crossed her face.
"I'm not letting any other thing take this world. This planet is my property. Not ours."
Mika snarled before walking away from her flaming sibling letting her burn...
"Kage! ~Mister boss man~! You guys came back!"
Mika said happily to her tired teammates who practically fell into the room. Both tired covered in blood and soot as Kage moaned as he slipped to his bed and groaned.
"I want to die..."
Kage grumbled as Jaune sighed.
"Mika? Where is Ruby?"
Jaune asked rubbing his temples wanting nothing more than a hot shower.
"Don't know! I haven't seen her in over a day!"
Mika said happily as Jaune paused as Kage went still almost crying as he lifted his face up.
"What do you mean you have not seen her in a day!? Where-
"I think she went to spend the night with Hino in her dorm. They had a girls night I think."
Mika clarified as all the tension left Jaune's body.
"Oh think Oum I-
"What?! She spent the night in Hino's dorm?!"
Kage yelled suddenly on his feet guns drawn all notions of tiredness gone and a terrified look on his face.
"Yeah why-
"Jaune Ruby is in danger. We need to run now"!
Kage yelled as Jaune was already sprinting out of the door.
"By Kage! By ~Boss man~! If you find Ruby bring back ok?"
An: Well there we go! The boys are back in town! Everyone is... well some of the Piercing Lancers made it back alive! The infection is contained! We have a hint at Mika's family! And the story goes on! The next chapter spoiler! Ruby is in deep! She has made a rather poor life choice and we get to see her go through her meeting with a new friend... Besides that with my personal pet arc out of the way the story kicks off! Now we get to see team ARKM messing around with the world of Remnant!
As the Piercing Lancers make extensive use of their new tools! And we get to see just how much trouble Jaune can his friends into and out of as the first! Pillar comes to a close! As always Game on is next! When we get introduced to Cinder and boi! Is she a character! That story will probably be up Thursday so until then? Thanks for reading and as always Omake.
PS. I got two new stories up! One a fic about Jaune being raised by Qrow! And how Qrow is not a model parent by any standard! Another is a Yandere Harem with Jaune forgetting the KEY rule when you buy an item Always read directions! If those sound like something you would like go check them out in my profile! And now Omake.
Omake. Hero of Remnant part nineteen. Debrief.
This was nice...
"Tea commissar?"
"Thank you, Ren."
Jaune said as he smiled warmly. His aide gave him a nice steaming bowl of Tanna and the commissar needed it. After his foray into the ruins? Jaune was looking to do nothing but relax sit back and enjoy what little was left of his life. Something that Jaune was doing more and more of as he sat back into his chair and-
"And then we will go back into the sewers!"
Pyrrha said as Jaune wanted to but a lasbolt right into her forehead. As the green eyes beauty that seemed determined to get Jaune into a bed and a coffin. In no particular order. As the woman smiled beatifically at him. "
So commissar when we do return to the ruins to weed out the gene stealer I can only assume you will want to lead from the front?"
Jaune needed to think. He had to be careful, or his ass would be on the front line away from his soft, comfy chair. And his Tanna and Amesac. Something he did not want to happen.
"I would love to lead but-
"But nothing! You survived almost all alone from the gene stealers, and you led our faunus... contact out with grace!"
Pyrrha said a crooked smile on her face as Jaune gulped-
"You really know your way with woman sir. Hell, I thought she was going to jump your bones then and there. The way she was looking at you?"
Mercury said behind Jaune his personal sniper sipping a shot of liquor as Pyrrha growled.
"Thank you for your observations Black! Very astute! And very unnecessary."
Pyrrha added under her breath as Jaune sighed.
"Black."
"Sorry! Just calling it how I see it. Hell, the only other woman I've seen look like shants it so bad is the one over here. She hasn't kept her eyes off my crotch since I met her. Not that I blame her.'
"I did not!
"Did to."
"Did not!"
'You want me."
"Dead."
"Ouch. Is that what we are going to put on our wedding vows?"
"You mean your epitaph?"
"Black. Don't antagonize her. We don't need our allies trying to kill us."
"Hey don't be jealous sir, the inquisitor wants you."
"What!?"
Pyrrha said flushing wildly as Jaune sighed. If the Grimm did not kill him Jaune knew his allies would surely finish the job...