A/N: I've got two things that I want to say/ask.

One: I apologize if it seems like I've been focusing on this story a little more than the main story; I suck at everyday life stuff especially when it comes to characters that I didn't create, so as much as I hate to say it, I think I'll be focusing on this one for a little while.

Two: How are you guys liking this side of the story so far?

Chapter 3

We waited in a large room that I could only imagine was a military barracks in the past, but the destruction of everything except the chairs we were sitting in made it nearly impossible for me to tell.

"Remind me again why we are waiting here." The impatient faunus said next to me.

"Right now we are waiting for our new employer to return after he told us to wait here for him." I said condescendingly.

"I got that part; but what specifically are we waiting for?" The male faunus asked annoyed.

"Well, I would imagine that Soap is doing something about our food issue." I said.

"That would be a fair assessment." Soap said as he entered the room holding four plates of food.

I noticed it when we first met him in the snowy forest and again when he walked into the room just now. He was completely silent and nearly undetectable until he was within striking distance.

He also had far superior hearing than any normal human; hearing that would likely rival a faunus.

I would have to reflect on this more when I had some time.

After he handed us our food, he placed a small device on the floor in the center of the room.

"What's that?" Rachel asked him after she saw the curious look I was likely making on my face. My team knew very well that I had a weakness for cool tech.

"Just a little something I put together a few minutes ago since I don't have one of these here." He said, continuing to fiddle with the device. After a moment he stopped. "There, that should work. Sarah, can you hear me?" Soap asked to seemingly no one.

"Yes though I can't see anything. I think that's a problem on your end." A female voice said from the device.

Rachel and Kevin both jumped out of their seats when they heard the voice. Andy didn't move; knowing him, he was probably too focused on his food to care.

"Now why on Remnant would assume that the problem is on my end?" Soap asked the voice. "

"Probably because you didn't let me make my own machine and because you left the camera lense up here." The voice said, slightly irritated.

Judging by the tone the person on the other end was using while she was irritated at Soap, this person was very close to him; either a childhood friend, a sibling, or a lover.

"Hmm. I'm not seeing you either. Let me try... Got it!" He exclaimed as a loud electric buzz was heard and a holographic figure appeared above the device.

"What the living hell?" I heard Andy quietly mutter to himself in between bites.

The holographic figure being projected was a strong looking woman no older than 18 and pretty tall compared to my 4 foot 6 height. The rest of her features were covered by the hood she was wearing with the exception of two white and light pink cat ears peeking through two holes in the top of her hood, seemingly cut for the purpose of allowing them to do so.

"Well, now we can see you at least. You can take your hood off Sarah; these guys shouldn't attack us." Soap said a little discontent that his machine wasn't working correctly. (I feel now is an appropriate time to mention that I am an empath and am very good at guessing others emotions and the reason for them.) (A/N: Main story reasons. Reasons that you will have to wait for.)

"Ok." She said as she took off her hood.

Her lowered hood revealed a dark and mysterious face with light blond hair sporting a streak of black and red on her right. From my angle alone I counted 15 separate scars. "Where have I seen that face before?" I thought to myself before it finally clicked in my mind.

I was looking at the infamous mercenary Sarah "Hearts" Kirtsov.

My team tensed at the sight of me furrowing my brow and hardening my face; it seems Soap also took notice.

"You guys can relax. She's not going to attack you." Soap said, facepalming.

"Why should we trust a mercenary? Especially one as dangerous as Sarah Kirtsov?" Rachel asked hostilely, shoving the flat of her blade into Soap's neck.

"Because the infamous mercenary you are looking at is my girlfriend. Not to mention that she retired from that lifestyle a while ago. We are bounty hunters and Instructors at Beacon." Soap said calmly. "Also, my team and I don't take bounties on innocent people."

"That would be correct; I stopped being a mercenary when one of my former employers tried to get rid of a few loose ends. That was over 2 years ago, just after I turned 16." Sarah said sincerely into the holocamera on her end.

I sensed no hostile intent in either of their words but I had a feeling I would be cautious when talking to Sarah for a long time. Something I found to be beneficial in the distant future.

Slowly I lowered my silenced PPSH/broadsword away from Soap's head and signaled for the others to do the same.

"I told you they would do that. I want my 20 lien." Sarah said triumphantly.

"Fine." Soap said pulling out his scroll. "There, you have your money."

We made idle conversation while my team and I ate. After we finished eating, I spoke up, "Other than introducing us to Sarah, why did you want us here?"

"Well, I wanted you to meet the other three members of my team, but since the camera on this end doesn't work there's no point. I'll be up in a bit Sarah." Soap said, turning off the holoprojector.

"Alright. See you in a bit." She said before it shut off completely.

"For now, why don't you guys get some long deserved rest. Feel free to explore the base as you see fit just don't go up more than 20 floors while we are here."

"Might I ask why?" Rachel asked.

"While I may be immune to the cruse that you hold, that doesn't mean that the rest of my team is. Sarah maybe, but that's not something I want to test right now." Soap said. "We will be leaving in two days time and then you can explore to your heart's content. I've already added my own and Sarah's contact information to your scrolls so contact either of us if you have any questions."

"How did you-" Kevin started to ask.

"How did I do that without touching your scrolls? Among other things, I am also a hacker. While I am here, do you have any specific questions about the floors you can explore?" Soap asked.

Andy was the first to speak and we knew exactly what he was going to ask about. "Where do we go for food?"

"Two floors down there is a secondary mess hall and kitchen that will be freshly stocked with food every three days via some autonomous delivery androids Sarah and I designed together." He answered. "Anything else?"

Kevin spoke next, "Is there anywhere in the base where we can repair and modify our weapons?"

"Judging by your early Atlas military uniform, I assume that you are specifically looking for an armory and firing range, am I correct?"

"You got all that from his clothes?" Rachel asked amazed.

"Yep." Soap responded. "Well?"

"That would be correct." Kevin answered.

"There are three fully stocked firing ranges throughout the base although I am only able to tell you about two of them. One is right above us and the other is on the floor where I am staying. Located near each armory is a fully functional forge, metal shop, and modification and repair bay. On the bottom floor is a fully outfitted garage and hangar and the last I checked there should be a few run down classic cars and bullheads. I have no idea where the third firing range is." Soap finished.

I spoke next, "As I am sure you are aware, but I used to be a journalist for the Vale Daily Inquisitor and would like to still be informed of the going ons of the world; is there anywhere in the base I might be able to continue my work?"

"The command center by where I am staying is a state of the art center for gathering information but it's all technology that Sarah and I designed so it might be a little difficult to use. The secondary command center right below us is in a state of disrepair but might be a little easier for you to use. Anything else?"

We all shook our heads no.

"Of course there are a few other things here that I didn't list such a pharmaceutical lab, four state of the art training rooms, a holo simulation room, and many others." Soap said.

We didn't say anything so he continued.

"One more thing I will say about the floors you can explore right now is that they are not exactly in the best condition; you will need to clean them up and fix a few things. A good example is the hole in the wall behind you. At the very least, I don't think you will be bored here. If you need anything specific that isn't here, just let me know and I can get it for you." Soap said turning to leave.

"Anything?" Rachel asked.

"Yep. It doesn't matter the price, just don't run me dry."

We all stood there, still processing what we had just heard.

"I will let you all know when I have any information or jobs for you. Enjoy your stay." Soap said as he became engulfed in flames and disappeared.

There were many vibes that I got from Soap and Sarah. The ones that stood out to me were that they were insane and that they cared very much for their friends and their family of misfits; something we were proud to be a small part of and protect until the end.

In time, we would find that protecting this family would, in a way, become our salvation.

Had we known then that Soap would come to ask us to fight on our own a war against the night and the darkness it held, I think that we might have spent a little more time preparing.

A/N: Let me explain something real quick.

The events of this story are things that Daliah Black and her team wrote down while they were alive; something that Daliah encouraged her team to do after they met Soap. With that said, she is about as thoughtful and observant as Blake so she took in and wrote down as much information as she could.

One more thing that I want to mention: Daliah is just as knowledgeable as Sarah when it comes to technology; also, while she is not as smart or intelligent as Soap or Sarah, she is able to read a situation quickly and react appropriately.