After classes...
Iris and Neron are walking in the Forever Fall forest, the scene being beautiful as always, Iris need more sap from the trees for a project to get extra points, Neron, being her guest, insisted on carrying the samples as she gets then. She obviously accept his offer and let him carry the jar with the red liquid inside...
"You planned this, right?" Neron commented as he carry the jars "You want me to come so I carry this things"
"Maybe or maybe not" She shrugged "You will never now,Neron" She smirks at him, feeling victorious. His sigh make her giggle "It's beautiful here"
"Yes...Yes it is"
"...Neron, do you have a family back at home?"
The infiltrator close his eyes "Indeed...But I prefer not to talk about them" Her silence, make sure she understand but when the Vanu open his eyes, he continued "My mother is a Terran medic, my father is a miner and my younger sister a florist...Heh...Funny, I don't remember the last time I talk with them, probably a long, long time ago..."
"Why you don't contact them now?" The fox faunus look at him, tilting her head slightly "You don't want them close?"
Neron look down, his black hair covering his eyes "Everyday. But I'm not sure if they feel the same"
"Huh, why?" Iris ask almost immediately by accident "I mean...you don't need to-"
"The war separate us, I choose the Vanu over them. Happy now?!" Neron say rudely, he feel his heart pounding hard as his face turn into a frown...But Iris face, both of guilty and fear, made him calm down "I-I'm sorry..." He say, with guilty in his voice, a tense silence soon made its present between both "Uhm...so what's the sap for?"
Iri's fox ears point straight as she suddenly get nervous "I-It's for a good f-friend of mine!" a nervous laugh accompanied that comment
"...It's not for Nora's pancakes, right?" A small smile and the rubbing on the back of her neck, prove her guilty. Neron sigh no surprised "Oh, well best case scenario, Ren will kick our butts, worst case scenario Nora and her sugar plus her hyperactivity will kill us" The Vanu shrugged as he didn't care, guess that happens when dying is in your normal schedule
"Hey Jakson!" Gent shout at him while walking closer to him, carrying some history books "Hey, mind giving me a hand?"
"Sure..." As soon as he took the books, he almost fell off not expecting the weight "What...you have...in these books?!" the Terran struggle to say
"History, math, basic physics and-"
"I was rhetorical!" Jakson cry, then they both started to walk
"So...Neron and Deker, said your family have some kind of...restaurant?"
"Uhuh"
"And you kinda love Velvet, don't you?"
Jakson eyes open wide as his cheeks turn redder than his military armor "I-I d-d-d-don't love her!,w-we are j-just g-good friends!"
"...Surreeee-" Gent say sarcastically "I was thinking, why not make her some kind of dessert or something?" He shrugged as he stand in front of his room
"...Why this help out of the blue?"
"Because we are friends" Gent say as he open the door and took the books from him "Besides, I want to distracted you, because you carry all the books for me. Bye, Red!" As soon as he said that, the door shut quickly, with Gent laying all his weight on it "Do not. Open that door."
"Uhm...Alright?" Reggie said "Or maybe you are just exaggerating" He stay in their room, cleaning his small schytes, Gent didn't understand why carry ammo when you only use blades. Of course he hasn't question Reggie that, everyone with their own style...
"Can you give me a hand with these?" Gent ask him
"What?, can't do it by yourself?" Reggie ask half boastful
"...Jeez, don't need to be a dickhead" Gauss commented and lifts the heavy books and put them on a desk "Better start now. But god...I hate school, man.."
An arrow impale at the droid as cause it to fell down quickly, followed by a second, then a third and stay like that until all of them hit the ground, Elec standing in front of them panting heavily, until a hand touch her shoulder and quickly change her bow into it's sword form and swing fast, luckily the person evade the sword by a very short distance
"Woah, woah, stop!" Deker say as he block a second hit with his Aegis shield "Chill, It's me!,it's me!"
"Oh.." she nervously laugh as she put down her sword "Sorry...Wait, how you did that? I thought you didn't have Semblance"
"P.A.S" Deker pull up his uniform's sleeve, revealing a metallic bracelet covering almost his entire wrist, with a small crystal, shaped in diamond form colored blue "Personal Aegis Shield" He fix his sleeve "When active it's heavier than you might think"
"Oh.." She say quite unsurprised
"Aaaaand, it doesn't surprise you, right?"
"Dang it, I sound so obvious?!... Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you!"
He giggled and quickly waves away her excuse "No need for that, it's only a gadget after all..." He tilt himself slightly then go back to stand straight "You hate robots or something like that?".At first Skye didn't comprehend the reason of that question...Until she slowly look around herself, the old atlesian robots destroy by her arrows not long ago, she laugh nervously unsure of how to react and blush feeling embarrased with her ears down , Deker giggle due the scene "You look cute like that"
She blush more and quickly pats his head, as he start to laugh "Verdammt, verdammt, verdammt!" She shout at him while keep patting him
"Okay!, stop, stop, stop!" Deker shout cry in mercy between laughs, after a minute of panting she finally stopped with a pouty face "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'm sorry"
She sigh trying to calm herself "It's okay Deker...H-he call me cute!, he thinks I'm cute!" Her tail start to wag rapidly
"Uhm, Skye? ...Your tail is moving..."
The wolf faunus, stay shock and slowly look over her shoulder, seeing her black tail moving around quickly, she try to stop it while blushing slightly "Darn it tail!" Deker slowly start to laugh, while she try to deal with her tail and the blushing
Gent sit down on his chair in Beacon's vast library, it took him 3 minutes to find the right book, 2 more to find a seat and 1 more to find the page he was looking for "Repairing generators and defusing Tank mines were bad, but this is pure torture" Gauss sigh when he ended his homework, he look at the window the sun still shining above the sky, "Guess I will spend the day in the city" he take the books and walk to his room and quickly changes his clothes to a more casual one, blue ragged jeans, grey sneakers and a brown shirt, but make sure he bring his Spear handgun on the holster and the engineer bracelet on his arm, then left the bedroom and shortly he find himself in Vale...
Neo walk around, slightly bothered because Roman send her to calm down, luckily she used her Semblance to disguise herself, she is bored, bothered and alone, looking for fun or even someone to talk would be enough, her luck hit again as she cross path with a young man with weird looks, he roam around somewhat lost "Well, can try to have some fun with him" Neo thought. When she get close enough of him, a quick movement with her hand and good eye coordination, she quickly unclasp his holster and keep walking normally
...Her luck ended right there, Gent grab her arm before even giving the third step "The holster. Now." Neo open her eyes wide, but quickly react and, with a small smile, she kick his head, making him stumble and went for the run, he quickly recover himself and run after her "Get back here, you little-! "
Neo laugh quietly while running, he sure will get tired shortly. After ten minutes of intense running, Neo look over her shoulder and didn't see him and slowly slow down the pace, until full stop "Well, it was fun while it last. Let's see the big prize" She thought as she unholster the gun and look at it "Sure Atlas have new toys...Hmm, how much I could sell this on the black market?"
Gent didn't lose that girl, he stop at the corner and peek over it and see the same girl, examining his Spear. He hide himself again and take a deep breath before turning the corner and run toward her at full speed, until he ambush her and pin her down to the ground "Gotcha you little-" The girl quickly aim at him and pull the trigger *click, click, click* that is the only thing that came out of the gun, he quickly take it of her hands and put it against her head "The only reason I don't pull the trigger..." Gent snarl frustrated and get off her, he put his pistol away, but two men appear from his sides with baseball bats and black suit with red ties. When he turn around he slowly takes a few steps back "May I help you?"
"Yeah, if you could break your legs" One of the men point a t him with the blood colored bat "That would be great" The second man laugh as he pat his shoulder with his bat
Gent sigh, he just want peace for a second "Ok, look, if you want to break someone legs, break hers" He aim at the ground
But the other two look at each other, confused then focus on the engineer again "There is no one there"
Gent look over his shoulder "Sneaky little brat" He then look at them "Well, can't say I didn't tried" He quickly sucker punch the man at his right and shoulder bash the second, when the first man try to swing his bat at him, Gent quickly catch it a stun him with it's own handle, the second thug quickly stand up but a loud dry noise stop him, the next thing he did is falling to the ground crying in pain as he put pressure in where the bullet penetrate the bone, then the second fell as well doing the same thing "That was cute. Good try" Gent Gent quickly start to run when he heard the sirens from the police cars.
After what it look an eternity, Gent find an abandoned building where he could hide, the windows where covered by wooden boards and he kick the door down and walk inside, waiting for the things to settle down and finally get some rest from the crazy word outside "Well...sure it was fun" At the same time he rest on a wall and close his eyes, but when he opens them again he get an unpleasant surprise. The same girl who tried to steal his gun, now kneel in front of him, with a smile. The engineer didn't doubt and pull out his handgun, she giggle, thinking the weapon was empty. The godslayer round pass right besides her, Neo's eyes open wide, while Gent's were normal, confident, secure and no regrets. "Now. I would love to shoot you, but-" He put away his gun "I need to save ammo. For...my own reason" A sigh let out his lungs "What's your name?"
She look for her scroll and quickly write her name "Neo"
"Neo...?...Nice to meet you, my name is Gent Gauss...So, tell me kid, why you wanted my gun?"
She write again in her scroll "I thought it could be fun" Gent let out a small giggle, who surprise Neo "What is so funny?" She wrote on the scroll
"Oh, nothing. Just the fact a kid who looks like...what...13? tried to steal my weapon" She quickly punch his arm
"I'm 20, you dingus!" the scroll said as she had a frown expression, she write on her scroll again and show it to him "Why you shot those men? I thought Atlas didn't kill unless is full necessary"
Gent shake his head "No, for the, who knows time, I'm no from Atlas army, navy, special force or any other freaking force" Gent sigh, he quickly hug Neo's head and crouch, red and blue lights illuminated the building for a short second, when the lights went off, he quickly let her go and take his gun "Well. I better go back. It was good to meet you Neo" He say before heading to the exit.
As he walk down the street, he eject the Spear magazine and insert a new one. "two more days before resupply...Man...I hate to actually watch my ammo count" he sigh...
"We left you one day. ONE DAY GENT!. And you already shot two men?!" Deker shout angry at him "What in the name of magscatters you were even thinking about?!"
Gent sit on a chair of Excalibur's room "I already told you. They attacked me first and I defend myself!" He answer him
Deker sigh frustrated "Crap...Okay, look. This never happened, let's just be thankful you didn't kill them or their legs didn't fly back to Auraxis...We can't talk about this. This...little show of yours, never happened." Gent nod agreeing "Let's hope that Atlas General doesn't come to play detective"
Jakson stand on the shooting range of the school. Holograms of robots made the perfect shooting target, Butcher didn't stop shooting, the holograms disappear with less than two bullets, even if they were moving the Terran had it easy, an alarm set off and he stop practicing, a medium size clock, with the number sixty blinking while another panel, with a smaller number at height of his hip, with the number forty six on it
"Forty six targets on a solid minute" Jakson quickly turn around to see who talked. A man, tall, probably mid forties, wearing a full white trench coat and black hair but some white on the sides. Thinking the unknow man wasn't a threat, the Terran lower the gun and put the safe on "I see you are a young man with abilities"
Jakson look at the man again and recognize him, he was the same man who comman Atlas army, what is his name again? " Metalforest? Ferritewoods? Bronzetimber!"
"My name is Ironwood, I'm the General of Atlas Army"
"Close enough" Jakson thought ignoring the general part
"You are...Jakson Buster, right? ...Part of Team EXCB...But outside of that, I don't have anymore information about you nor your team members, except for Miss Xaraph" Ironwood look at Jakson, pressing a small button on his LMG "Anyway-" He keep talking normally "I want you to ask you a small...favor. If you are willing to hear me..." Jakson kept quiet but put the safe back "Very well, I will like to know about your...Armament...I have never seen such technology, such power...I assure they will have a good use and save many lives from the Grimms and terrorist"
Jakson stay silent, thinking, or at least that is what Ironwood thought he is doing, but after some seconds of silence, the Terran laugh and after a short burst of it, he stop and shake his head smiling "Oh, sweet Vanu...That is the best joke of the day..."
"Excuse me?"
" 'We will use it for good' Yeah, sure...But I will have to decline that offer of yours, sir..." He sigh sad "Believe me,, weapons are a tool. But there will always some people who will abuse of them and...Do horrible things...Now, if you excuse me. General Ironwood, I want to keep practicing" Jakson turn around and start to shoot, until Ironwood's steps lost in the echoes
Later on the day, Ozpin call both team EXCB and GREN, when the members of said team were present, he lean forward putting his hands together, crossing his fingers
"Hello kids, I hope you are having a nice stay at Beacon. And normally I don't assign young people, but...I think I will do an exception this time"
"Uhm, Ozpin...You are scaring us..." Deker talk, not surprise the other agree in silent "Could you tell us, what is happening, exactly?"
"I actually hope, I scared you enough, so you don't accept this mission...A close friend of mine, ask me to semblance two teams for this mission" He put a scroll on a cristal platform, which work as an hologram "Two Atlas men were at a warehouse, near of the ports. When this happened"
The archive start to reproduce "This is Sergeant Redwater, leader of Squadron Golf. We iniciate an investigation of ilegal activities in this warehouse..." The file went forward, gunshots could be hear now "This is Golf Squad, we need reinforcements, these thugs are better armed than we expect...Crap!-" An explosion interrupt the soldier, then big stumps start to sound on the archive "What the hell?!, the enemy have Atlesian Paladin?! Oh fu-!" Static made its presence and continue it, until Ozpin stop it.
Everyone stay silent, most of them shock, except the for the Auraxians their expression stay neutral, not showing emotion at all, not because they were cold, but because this was the usual during the war, everyone shouting, giving orders, calling out enemies or grenades landing near or the worst of all. In pain, no one, not even veterans, couldn't overcome the cry of someone shouting in pain and the dead silence following it made it worse...
"I...Understand, if you don't want to accept this mission..."
The late night on Vale, the city still sound alive, lights iluminating the apartments and clubs having parties...Meanwhile farther away from the city, the ports stay silent only street lights iluminate the place...
At the same time Reggie hide behind a container, watching the entrance of the suspect warehouse "You sure about this?"
Neron uncloak, wearing a dark purple hood over his head and his cloak device attach to his shirt "Pfft, piece of cake"
"Guys, keep the comms free..." Deker order standing along side Jakson in another warehouse
"...Heads up, the guards are moving, two sentries at the door" Gent comment "Guys on ground, its now or never"
Neron and Reggie nod at each other and walk towards the men standing in the front door, "Auburn, be ready"
Neron and Reggie reach the two guards watching the front door, panting "Help, please help, a woman faint over there, one of you knows first aid?!" Reggie say in men, look at each other, then nod "Thank you!, follow me!" Reggie run back with the thug following close
Neron put a hand on the wall breathing heavily, when the second approach him, Neron quickly headlock him until the thief couldn't breath and faint, then he softly drag him to a corner where he couldn't be seen "Okay, front is clear. Gent, Jaks, you up"
Jakson and Deker walk towards Neron, and give him his Parsec, he then took the Vanu's hand and take him to the roof of the building, as the blueprints said, two skylights, Neron lift slightly the skylight "Gent, your turn"
Gent lower his visor, covering his eyes, his drone quickly deploy and fly towards the slightly open skylight and fly through the gap "I'm in" Gent said, at the same second the skylight closed without making a sound, the drone fly near of the roof, scanning the place "two enemies on front door, three more walking around and..." A silence made it presence, but Gent broke it "I think I find the Paladin...And holy crap it's big"
"Okay, Reggie, Auburn, you get those guards who walk away a bit ago. We will get these ones"
"On it" Auburn answer and left. Gent chamber his Archer rifle
"Alright" Deker took out a grenade with cylinder shape and painted in light green "Okay, going to gas them, we get them and secure the Paladin. Neron open the skylight, on my go...3...2...1...Open up!" Neron quickly lift the skylight and Deker throw the grenade, the object quickly release a grey smoke and the thug start to choke in tears
Jakson kick the door down, using his weapon as blunt weapon and knock both guards, while his helmet work as a filter keeping him safe from the tear smoke, after looking around, he found two more thugs knockout "Uhm, wasn't three thugs?" A mechanic noise distract him "Oh...fuck me.." He quickly run as fast as he could and soon was out of the warehouse "JUMP!" He shout Deker and Neron on the roof
Neron and Deker look at each other, what he meant by jump?...The roof quickly shake, Deker and Neron jump off the roof, shortly it exploded in pieces, revealing a gigantic machine. Gent, who look at everything from a safe distance through his Archer's scope "Guys, get the heck out of there now!" Deker and Neron jump off the building, the shields holding the impact, the building's roof shortly flew into pieces, revealing a mechanized battlesuit, the pilot inside a thug use the frontal heavy machine guns on the Terran, his shield shimmer on the first impacts, but he jump over a small cement wall.
The Paladin robot keep shooting at the cement wall decimating it in mere second, Skye stand on a container far away, pulling the string of her bow she let her breath go slowly like the string, the tip of the arrow having fire dust, the impact quickly cause an explosion, stumbling the robot but not disabling it, Reggie run towards it, with two small sickles on each hand, tied to his forearms with chains. He quickly slash causing slightly damage to the legs of the monstrosity but the pilot of the Paladin quickly punch him away.
Auburn appear and catch him "Don't give up on me now" both quickly stand up, to find the Paladin's hand, Auburn quickly put a hand on his partner and robot palm crush them.
An explosion almost made the robot fall, Jakson used his ML-22 and cause an airbust explosion near the robot, the pilot's glass quickly crack. Then a the robot knee failed. A bullet from Gent's archer turn the left leg useless, but the pilot didn't give up yet and shoot shoot all rockets he have, Auburn quickly tackle Jakson and use her Semblance, all the bullets went through them
"You still in a piece?" Auburn ask him, he nodded
Iris froze the legs of the machine using ice dust,Deker jump on the back of the robot and grab himself of the cabin and shoot at it, the glass cracking even more, then Neron stand in front of the pilot, the share view for a second until the Parsec's charged projectile went through the ballistic crystal, causing a small hole and killing the pilot...
"Enemy soldier down, we clear!" Neron shout
Everyone was tired, Gent open his scroll and message Ozpin, the mission was complete. "Hey Gent, the Nanite Rocket Launcher worked!"
Back on Beacon, Gent and Deker were call to Ozpin office, both NCs stand in front of his desk, apparently Ozpin's friend want to thank them personally for recovering the Paladin robot, mostly intact apparently that model was a prototype.
Meanwhile Jakson,Neron and Iris were waiting for their leader on their dorm
"That was awesome" Jakson look at the Vanu "Though, why you didn't say anything cool before shooting that thug"
Crypth look at him "Are you serious Terran?" He shake his head "The point is, the work is done. Now, let's rest for now, Deker should come with news" Neron sigh "I hope that was the last giant robot we will encounter"
"Yeah, I think I now hate big fucking robots" Jakson agree
"Wait, so you hate construction cranes now?" Iris ask
"Cranes are machines, not robots" Neron clarify
"Are you seriously talking about cranes?" Deker come in without no one noticing it "Well, apparently, the mission was a success. They even give us and team GREN some extra credit since we didn't fully destroy that machine" He look at Iris "I thought you didn't want to be in the fight"
"Meh, I know how reckless you three can be, so I went to help"
"Can we rest now?" Neron ask as he stretch
"Shouldn't we check our supplies?" Jakson commented
"We do that tomorrow, let's rest now" Deker say somewhat imperative "I'm gonna take a bath"
Meanwhile at GREN's room
"So, that sure was an experience" Gent said as he check he had enough ammo for his sniper rifle
"Agree, let's not repeat that though" Skye add as she stretch
"We have it under control" Reggie commented "Not bad for our first fight as a team"
"I must agree with Reggie, we did a good job" Auburn add
"Alright everyone, we did a really awesome job, but for now. Let's call it a day. Alright?" Gent say "Now...Auburn, you still owe me a rematch from yesterday in that videogame of yours" Auburn smiled knowing she surely will win again
Adam Taurus stand inside his tent, deep in the woods, seeing the message he received from a loyal friend "It's seems, they manage to destroy the Atlesian robot, with some problems, but destroy it non the less" He talk through his scroll
"It's seems I...underestimate our guests...But I think we should continue with our plan" a sigh leave her lungs
"Agree. Let's just hope our..."partners" Don't betray us...Good work today, you should rest now" He ended the call, then turn around and see the map of the city of Vale, confident of himself and his plan
"They destroy it with no casualties on their side, no serious injuries nor having to use the heavy armor they used on the day they come"
"Thanks agent, keep with the good work" The general cut the call "They seem to be more capable than I thought..." Ironwood put a hand under his chin, thinking