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Chapter 26: to others, but also
~Blake
I had to admit, it felt weird being in White Fang clothing. I never got the chance to try them on before I left, nor did I really have a reason to since I was such a high rank; and being in a holographic version of them was odd.
I felt the Bullhead jostle when it finally landed.
"Alright, she's down. Let's go people." Soap said.
'I will never understand why men call their toys "she".' I thought to myself.
Once we were all out, Soap called back into the vehicle, "Bucky, get some distance between yourself and the base."
"You got it." Bucky replied as the Bullhead took off again.
Once it was gone, Soap nodded to Drake and instantly I felt his presence enter my mind.
"No vocal communication right now. Alright, we're looking at a typical White Fang rally; should be nothing more than 1,000 troops. A walk in the park." I heard Soap's voice say in my mind.
Just then, Weiss's voice rang out in my head, "1,000 TROOPS! This is a walk in the park?"
I saw Soap smile when he replied, "Absolutely. Sarah and I have dealt with worse on our own. Much, much worse. Be thankful that so few are here."
The thought of Soap and Sarah having faced worse odds than this, and walk away from it, comforted me. But it also unsettled me; how many lives had they taken over the course of their own lives thus far? To be honest, I didn't want to know.
"If you two have dealt with worse, then why are we here?" I heard Ruby's voice ask.
"According to our source, three weeks ago, they started doubling up patrols. Then a week ago, they doubled up security again and shipped in 100 mercenaries. Just one mercenary is enough to go head to head with an entire battalion of the military. And yes Weiss, that includes the Atlas military. No White Fang rally in known history has ever needed that kind of security." Soap's voice answered.
"I can confirm that statement." I said. "During my years in the White Fang, they have never hired any type of outside security; especially for a rally of all things. If they're hiring mercenaries to help protect a rally, then something, or someone, big is there."
"Bingo." Soap's voice responded.
"So who exactly are we going after? The file you sent us had information from 8 years ago, then it jumped to yesterday."
I watched as Sarah's face darkened before she responded, "Carrie."
~Sarah (oh boy, this should be interesting)
"Carrie." I said quietly as I looked away from the group to try and contain my anger.
Subconsciously, I growled quietly as the memories came flooding back.
Just then, I heard Weiss gasp softly. "Soap, your hair; the red streak is fading."
I didn't need to see my fiancé's face to know that his eyes widened in worry when he heard this.
"Sarah, We'll get her. I promise." I heard Soap say.
Soap put his hand on my shoulder and I unclenched the fists I didn't know I was making.
I turned around and found myself looking into Soap's worried eyes.
I sighed and signaled that I was fine.
"Let's move. I'll answer whatever questions you may have on the way." Soap said as he looked to the group.
We walked for about ten minutes in silence before the other cat faunas in the group spoke, "Who's Carrie?"
Soap answered, "Someone from my fiancée's past."
"Fiancée? When did this happen?" Yang asked from behind me.
"Last night. Now's not the time though. Sarah, should I let you explain who Carrie is?"
I sighed again before I began. "Major Carrie is the White Fang's third-in-command. Ruby, you are right to point out that, until yesterday, the only information that we had on her was from 8 years ago. Information that I personally collected. What isn't in that file are the monstrosities that I watched her personally commit. Things that I hope nobody else on Remnant has the misfortune to see."
"What didn't you include?" Yang asked.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to hold back the memories.
"She was my friend, my best friend. We lived together in an orphanage outside of Vale. The orphanage was our home. One day, I got up and she wasn't in our room. I went downstairs to find a massacre. After I recovered from the shock of that, I heard a scream come from outside. I went to a window and looked out just in time to witness Carrie execute one of our human friends. She killed them all; every single one of them." I stopped as I took a breath.
I glanced around the group. Weiss and Ruby were looking at me strangely and I had an idea why. My voice was monotone again; but at this point, I don't think I cared.
"What the hell? What kind of messed up person do-" Yang started to ask.
"I'm not done yet." I interrupted her as I attempted to force back the tears. "After she was done killing all of the humans that were there; one by one, she had her men bring out my faunas friends. She then proceeded to extend a hand to them; I don't know what exactly she said since I was behind a thick pane of glass, but I assumed that she offered them a place in the White Fang's ranks. Each and every one of my, our, friends refused. She tied them up, gathered them in a pile, alive, in the center of the yard, and dumped the contents of 100 Burn Dust containers on them. Weiss, since you're the resident Dust expert, what is Burn Dust most commonly used for and what happens when it comes in contact with an open flame or spark?"
I watched as Blake's face fell when she heard my question. Seems that she knew exactly what happened; either by witnessing it herself or by another possibility that I didn't even want to consider.
"That's easy; Burn Dust is most commonly used as propellant in all types of ammunition. If, in an open environment, it comes in contact with a flame or spark it...it..." Weiss trailed off as she arrived at the answer I was seeking.
"It what?" Ruby asked, not connecting the dots.
"It ignites. It burns so hot that not even water can put out it's flame; the only way to stop it is to let it burn itself out." Blake answered angrily. She turned to face me, "She burned your friends alive."
I nodded my head, "Yes and I watched it all, helpless as I was frozen in fear. Even now, eight years later, there are nights when I still hear their screams and see their burning faces in that unstoppable inferno." I paused for a moment, "Do you know what happens when anger flows into aura unchecked?"
They shook their heads.
"In the body of a ten year old, it can cause damage to parts of your body and mind; namely, the eyes. Do you know what color my eyes were at the start of that day?"
Everybody shook their heads no.
"Baby blue. At the end of the day, they were the color they are now; but that's not all it did. When we find Carrie, you'll see what else it did." I sighed as I finally finished.
"Let's keep moving." Soap said after a minute of silence.
"Hey Soap?" Blake asked.
"I'm listening." Soap said not turning around or stopping to answer.
"How did you get this information?" She asked.
"Do you guys know of team SLVR?" (Team SiLVeR) He responded.
Blake shook her head and said, "No I do not."
"Wait, I sort of remember them. Sebastian, I think, is their leader's name; though the last time I saw him was over a month ago in Professor Port's class." Ruby said.
"Was he actually paying attention to that fat man?" Weiss asked.
"Actually, I think he was staring at Blake; though I'm not quite sure." Ruby responded.
"Yep. That's them. Sebastian Wong is his name. 5 weeks ago, he came to me asking if I could help him out in getting Ozpin's permission to go after his sister." Soap said.
"Why does he want to go after his sister?" Yang asked.
"I didn't hear the entire story; but from what I heard, his sister helped kill their parents and destroy the village that they grew up in, just outside of the kingdom of Atlas. He claims that when he was 14, he was out hunting when he came back to find his village on fire. He said that he then ran to his home to find his sister standing over the remains of his parents with blood on her blade and a psychotic smile on her lips. He claim that his sister, Violet, proceeded to attack him. Eventually, a man attacked him from behind and yelled at his sister, telling her to run. He said that he killed his attacker, but was unable to stop his sister from slicing his back. After slicing his back, Violet left him for dead and left with what was left of the people that had invaded and destroyed his village. After that, he claims that a Huntsman found him and nursed him back to health, training him and helping him forge his weapons in the process. Since then, he's been hunting down his sister and killing any of her contacts. After four years, he applied to Beacon thinking that he would be able to track his sister down quicker." Soap took a breath.
"Did you help him convince Ozpin?" Yang asked.
"No, I didn't need to. When he heard who destroyed Sebastian's village, he gave him a green light; no questions asked. After that, Team SLVR disappeared. Apparently his search led them to this White Fang base. Sebastian contacted me earlier today saying that he might have found something for us and that he sent in one of his teammates to see if he could get some inside info on who was going to show. He contacted me again a few hours later to tell me what he found." Soap finished.
"Are we going to be meeting him?" Ruby asked.
Soap stopped walking and turned around.
"Me? No. You? Yes." Soap responded with a smile.
This made Ruby confused. I shot Soap a look and his smile faded.
"I'll explain. Sam and Ruby, you two will be meeting up with Sebastian and Victor from SLVR. Sebastian will fill you two in on the going ons of the base. After that, you four will be on sniper duty."
"Got it." Sam said, acknowledging what he said. Ruby said nothing, but nodded.
"Sebastian has a bow and Victor has a sniper rifle so they'll be able to help out when things get crazy. You'll have to go through the base to get to the sniping position that they found, so don't cause any trouble. Blake and Weiss, you two are with Sarah and I; we'll be acting as one of their Mercenary/White Fang patrols and see if we can get close to where the rally will be held. Drake and Yang, since you guys are the heavy hitters and need to get up close to do any real damage, you will posing as prisoners. Well, Drake is." Soap said with a smile.
As soon as he heard this, Drake growled loudly which made me jump slightly.
'I forgot that even without vocal chords, he can still growl.' I thought to myself.
"Why do I have to play the prisoner?"
"Sorry buddy, if you can think of any other way before we get there; I'm all ears." Soap replied, bringing a slight smile to my face. I knew that Soap was making Drake the prisoner only because he doesn't like it; the fact that both Drake and Yang were the tanks of their respective teams was just a bonus.
"Yang, you will be posing as a regular White Fang member, hence the disguise. You and Drake will meet up with the rest of Team SLVR, Ivory and Larry, who have been posing as part of a three person White Fang/Mercenary patrol and will be out patrolling when you intercept them. The third member of their patrol is an actual White Fang member who they will be taking out when you meet them. Just warning you two now, they will more than likely kill the guy; from what I've heard so far, the guy that they patrol with is a pretty bad person. They said that the guy brags about how many kills he's gotten; so let them do what they want to the guy. They are going to bring you to the VIP's. Once you find out who is here, radio back and let us know. After that, lay low until things get crazy."
"How will I be able to tell who's who? There wasn't a picture in that file you gave us." Yang asked.
"The masks that I gave you all have built in H.U.D.'s. They'll do the work confirming who it is, but you will still have to radio back."
"Alright. Will do." Yang replied.
"Drake?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do us a favor and make sure that you disable the alarms this time." I said.
Drake laughed, "Good times."
"Drake, I'm serious. I'm not about to fight another attack Bullhead." I said. This seemed to make all of team RWBY start to freak out; now it was my turn to laugh. "Relax girls, I was just kidding." I looked away from the group before I spoke again quietly, "It was two attack Bullheads."
I turned back to group, "Seriously though, please make sure that you disable the alarms; and while you're at it, see if you can catch any communications leaving the compound asking for help. I would rather not get shot out of the sky when we leave."
Ruby looked confused when she spoke, "How is he going to catch communications?"
Soap answered, "One of his prosthetic arms has a built-in scroll and radio."
"Oh." Ruby said, satisfied with his answer.
"Let's move."
"Everybody that hasn't done so yet, activate your disguise and pair up. Team RWBY, remember, change how you fight. Otherwise we are going to be in a world of hurt when we get back. Also, Ruby and Yang, change your names; you two are unknown to the White Fang and let's keep it that way. Yang, you're Blondie and Ruby you're Rose."
"Wouldn't that be the same as just using our first names?" Weiss asked.
"Nope. There are hundreds of Roses out there, same goes for Blondie; before you ask, yes I have met someone named Blondie before. I'll show you their file when we get back if you don't believe me. Weiss and Blake. You two, however, don't have many people out there with the same last names; plus, either one of your names are a dead giveaway on who you are. So Weiss, you are going to be White, and Blake, you are going to be Black."
Weiss appeared to think about this before she responded, "O.K."
"We're almost there." I said as Soap and I activated our disguises.
"Hey Soap?"
"Yes Yang?" Soap replied.
"How-no, Why do you and Sarah know how to do this at the age of 18?" She asked.
"Simply, because someone decided killing the family of a five year old child, right in front of him, while his village burned down around him was a good idea."
"Why?"
Soap stopped and turned around. "Because. Four people out there in the world, saw what I was, what my family was, as something of a threat. They see who we were to be dangerous." He took a breath. "Yang, you know about my past. Do you know what that thug, that held me hostage as I watched my family die, said to me as he went to put his knife up to my throat?"
Yang shook her head no.
"He said something to this extent. 'At last, this world has been purged and the last safe haven for the monsters is gone. As the last of them, you will learn first hand what happens when you try to bring good into this land. You will die as your own enemy. As a demon. For it is said, that from dust we are born; and to th-' I moved and made sure that he never finished the sentence. As I lowered what was left of him to the ground, I finished his sentence, 'and to the dust we shall return.' I do what I do because I want to protect people from monsters like that. No one should ever have to witness their family die like that." Soap turned around and started walking.
He looked over his shoulder as he did. "By the way, I'm not 18; haven't been since a week ago. Let's move people, we got a job to do."
"4:00 check-in for a Mr. Wong." I said over the radio.
"Who are you and how the hell did you get this frequency?" The voice on the other end replied.
Soap gave me a look before taking the radio. "What?"
"Come on Sarah, let's take this seriously. We have people to impress." He said as he turned his attention back to the radio. "Sebastian, I believe you said that you found something of interest for us?" He pushed a button on the radio, making a screen appear.
"Oh, Instructor Soap. Nice to see you." Replied the face on the other end.
"Nice to see you too; for now, please just call me Soap."
The kid, Sebastian, looked to be about 18, was probably about 5'9", had chocolate brown eyes, mid neck length chestnut brown hair, and overall, was rather handsome. This is the guy that was staring at Blake? Wow, if I wasn't already engaged to Soap, I might go after him. I whistled in approval.
"Hey, I heard that." Soap said. "What'ch ya got for me?"
"Nothing good. Just over a thousand troops and mercs. They're planning something."
"Why does everybody think a thousand troops is a lot?" Soap asked.
~Blake
Weiss and I were sitting near a tree about 10 feet away from Soap and Sarah in silence. To be honest, I didn't really mind it; Weiss, however, did and apparently wanted to know more about Soap and Sarah.
"So, what's up with Soap's past?"
I looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"He said something about watching his village burn down around him, what was he talking about?"
I stared at her blankly before it finally clicked in my mind. "Oh. I'm sorry, I forgot. You and Ruby didn't hear Sarah tell us about Soap's past. Well...he's pretty much said everything that's needed to be said."
"OK~ then what about Sarah? You seem to be the one that spends the most time with them."
I took a deep breath and sighed. "Sarah's...complicated. She watched her best friend turn on her and kill their friends. You remember that human that she said she watched Carrie kill?" Weiss nodded her head. "Well, his name was Geoff. He was Sarah's love interest at one point in time; when she watched him get shot in the head, she cracked."
"So, she's mentally unstable?" Weiss asked, trying to get more out of me.
"Yes; but to be honest, both of them are. Soap's mind, even though he will protest against it, is fractured beyond all repair; the same goes for Sarah. They wondered for years without ever feeling the emotion of love. Something that every child should feel. Then when Soap met Sarah and vice versa, they saw each other as a source of love and comfort; I guess that's why they're so protective over each other. They complete each other so perfectly that together they can be considered mentally stable." I paused. "Do you ever wonder why Soap and Sarah's room is on the other side of the church from all the other rooms?"
"I never really gave it much thought, no. Why?"
"Remember when Sarah mentioned hearing her friends scream at night?"
Weiss nodded her head.
"That's why. She tends to have nightmares about all the people she's killed and the friends she's lost. The same thing happens to Soap every once and a while; except for Soap, it's the family he never knew and the people that have died because of him. From what I could tell, the people that slaughtered his family did so because of what they believed; something that he says that's been since abandoned." I said.
"You say that like you don't believe him." Weiss said.
"I've read the book or doctrine, whatever you want to call it, that governed their lives. Everything that's there, all the qualities and lessons it has, are things that we look for in Huntsman and Huntresses'."
"Then why isn't Beacon teaching from it?" Weiss asked, raising a good point.
"Well, there could be many reasons, among them is the definition of a word that we use so casually today that it's true meaning has been dulled to be within the acceptable standards of our society." I responded.
"And what's that?"
"Love."
"Love?" She asked, obviously not believing me.
I nodded my head. "Yes. By their holy book's definition; love, at the very least, is the willingness to take the place of another in death so that they may live on in your stead. If you told someone today that that was the true definition of love, they would probably give you the look you're giving me now. There's a song that I found in Soap's music archive that just barely touches this kind of love during the bridge. It goes like this:" I said.
I cleared my throat as I sat up.
"To be honest, I have no clue what I was thinking, right then and there. I had never sung before in my life, not even in the time immediately after you showing me."
"But you sang anyways."
"Yep."
"You know I remember that day and Sarah and I heard you, and for having never sung before in your life, it was very beautiful."
"Thanks...
After gathering what courage I could. I sang.
In the brand new life of a brilliant spring
The promises of a wedding ring
I can see Your love
See Your heart
Oh how wonderful You are
In a mother's touch
A father's pride
A friend who freely gives his life
I can see Your love
See Your heart
Oh how wonderful
"Love, as it ought to be in it's simplest form." I said. "Love can cure the broken-hearted, give guidance to the lost, and give meaning to an otherwise meaningless world. Soap said that before he found love in Sarah and slept with her, and yes I mean that in every sense of the phrase, he had never experienced a full night's sleep. Once he did though, he said that he lost two things. One, his virginity."
Weiss made a face of disgust at me when I said that. I smiled at her reaction, but continued on.
"And two, all of his fears and worries." I finished.
Weiss gave me a questioning look, "His fears and worries?"
I nodded my head.
"So he's not scared of anything?"
"Nope. Not even death."
"Not even death?" Weiss asked incredulously.
"He said that he welcomes it. When I first asked him about it, he replied with two things. One, the chorus of a song and a saying: 'the only thing I fear in this world, is losing the one's whom I love and care for the most.'." I took a breath, "That includes us you know, it's why he's so protective over us. The disguises, the safety measures; all of it is to make sure that we are kept safe."
Weiss kept quiet for a little before speaking again, "How did the song go?"
"hmm?"
"I mean the one that you said Soap quoted, how did it go?"
I took another deep breath before I started again.
'Cause I wanna run on greener pastures
I want to dance on higher hills
I wanna drink from sweeter waters
In the misty morning chill
And my soul is getting restless
For the place where I belong
So I can't wait to join the angels and sing
My heaven song
Weiss said nothing, but I continued anyways.
"He says that if his day comes before ours, he'll welcome us to our places among the stars."
Weiss was quiet, probably processing all that I had said. I interrupted her thoughts, "You know, Sarah told me something once; something that she didn't just come up with on the spot. My best guess for the reason behind what she said is that it's the very phrase that she lives her life by. She said: 'Those that I care for are first, everybody else is second; but I am dead last.' All of BNTY embraces that saying, all of them would freely give their lives for us."
"I don't get it."
"Get what?"
"Get why they would do that. It doesn't make any sense to me."
I chuckled softly before replying, "Same here. And to be honest, I don't think we'll ever really make sense of it; or at least for a long time anyways."
"You know, it's funny. When I spoke those words, I never really realized how true they would really become later on down the line."
"Did you actually say all those things about me and Sarah to Weiss?"
"I did."
"Did you ever find an answer as to why we embrace death and put others before ourselves?"
"No. But I think I have a pretty good idea...
A/N: FUCK! 3,774 Words for the story in one sitting! I was going to make this chapter longer, but I want to got to bed. I probably won't be posting this chapter until the morning though. More people will see it if I do. warewolf35! I need a bounty on Shadow, one of Violet's contacts.
I really don't have much else to say. uhh..Review, rate, and follow i guess? I don't like to ask for handouts (unless they're O.C.'s) but I would love to hear what you guys have to say about my story, but I can't really do that when there's nothing to hear. Please send any questions, comments, or confusion that you might have, my way. I'll be sure to answer them as soon as I can.
Also FUCK IT. I'm posting it now.