Hello, I hope everyone is enjoying the story thus far. A reader contacted me and informed me that I've made some pretty serious violations of standing RWBY cannon, and there's an extent to which this inevitable because it's fan fiction, but I don't want to mess with the rules that make the RWBY-verse the RWBY-verse, and I apologize if I have done so. This story is basically coming just straight from my brain in a flow-of-consciousness sort of way, and I'm not taking the time to constantly reference the RWBY wiki as I write it.
At this point in writing, I'm not going to go back and completely rewrite chapters or take them down, but if you notice something off or a serious transgression I've made against the cannon, feel free to inform me and I'll do my very best to correct it in later chapters.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy.
-Wahs.
...
Cobin was unsure of what awaited him, but he saw little reason to be fearful of it after examining how his situation had been at the hospital. His room was on the second story and had a window that was always open during the daytime, it would be a painful drop but not a fatal or crippling one, an obvious path of escape that was entirely unprotected. The door to his room remained unlocked at all times and no guards were posted outside of his room, he knew because he had checked. There seemed to be absolutely no attempt to contain him, and this was simultaneously reassuring and alarming. So he sat up in his hospital bed on his fourth day in this strange place and waited silently for word of what would happen next.
It was sometime in the very early monring when the nurse with the wolf ears returned to the room carrying a pile of folded clothes and a backpack. "Here are your clothes and your things," she said, setting them down on the chair nearest to the bed, "Go ahead and take your time getting dressed, there will be a car here to pick you up in about thirty minutes."
"Thank you," he said.
She smiled at him, "You're welcome Mister Cobin. Come and see me at the desk down the hall when you're ready to sign out." and with that she turned and left, leaving the sergeant to his silence again.
After a minute, he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, feeling his body creaking and groaning as he did. His introduction to this world had been a bit more eventful than his systems would have liked. He walked over to the pile of clothes and grabbed his undershirt off the top of it, he could tell as soon as he felt the fabric that they had washed it for him. He got dressed slowly, leaving only his blouse left folded on the chair. His armor, weapons, ammunition, and other equipment was, naturally, nowhere to be found.
Next he checked the backpack, which was mostly empty save for his wallet and his MP3 Player. After going through his wallet and ensuring that everything was in its proper place, he grabbed the small electronic device and inspected it, seeing if there was any physical evidence of tampering. For exactly this reason Cobin took extra caution with anything he stored on the little computer, as any piece of information, even unclassified, could be useful in the wrong hands, so there weren't even any pictures of him or anyone he knew on it. It came to life immediately when he pressed the power button, and after a few quick scrolls through its screen he found no evidence of file corruption, so if they did tamper with it, it was probably very mild.
Cobin threw the MP3, his wallet, and his blouse back into the backpack and walked out of the room into the hallway of the hospital, which looked just as unremarkable as his room, save for the wolf-eared nurse at the desk down near the end of the hall. When he approached the desk, she looked up and smiled at him. Something about the smile seemed real, genuine. There was no vibe of a threat at all.
"Here, please print and sign on the bottom of this release form," she said, handing him a clipboard from where she sat on the other side of the desk.
"No problem." he said, taking it. He filled it out quickly and handed it back over the counter.
The nurse took a second to examine it, making sure all the proper fields were filled in. "Looks good, Mister Cobin," she said, looking back up at him, "If you go down the stairs and take a left the main lobby and entrance will be right there. Your driver will be picking you up right outside the door."
He nodded, "Thank you very much," he said, turning to walk away.
"Have a great day, sir!" the nurse called after him as he disappeared down the stairs.
When he got outside, the sun was just barely coming up over the horizon, sending rays of light slowly creeping across the land in front of him. Cobin took a moment to take it in, and thought about how normal this supposedly alien world seemed. Taken only as an image, where he stood now did not contrast at all with any similar scene on earth, but there was something about the air of this place. The energy was different.
A black car with starkly tinted windows pulled up in front of him and came to a stop. The driver, a young man in what resembled a bell-hop uniform got out but left it running, and walked around to the side of the car where Cobin stood. As he did this, he looked at the foreigner and said "Cobin?"
"Yeah."
"Good, I'll be your driver today." The kid said, opening the back passenger door and holding it for him.
"Pleasure to meet you," Cobin said as he stepped into the car. He looked around, seeing that it was a limousine style vehicle that kept the passenger compartment separated from the driver, but the driver was keeping his small window connecting the two open.
The young man got back into the driver's seat and belted in. "And we're off," he said as he put his foot on the gas. "So, Rockland Cobin huh?" he asked.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Sounds like a Vacuo name, is that where you're from?" The driver said, as he cruised down the road away from the hospital.
"Um… not quite." Cobin said, not entirely sure how to respond. So Ozpin was keeping the details of his origin under wraps, or at least not being open with the information. "How much were you told about me?" he asked.
The young man shrugged. "I'm just your driver, man. I was told to come pick you up and take you to your new residence, that's what I know." he said, seemingly uninterested, "but judging by the fact I picked you up at the hospital I'm guessing that you didn't have a particularly pleasant arrival here."
Cobin laughed. "Yeah, you could say that again."
"There certainly has been a lot of commotion this week. But really that's not uncommon for this place. I haven't gotten caught up in anything yet, thank god."
"Are you a student?" Cobin asked, curious.
"God no!" the young man scoffed, "this is just an in between gig for me. But I like Ozpin, he's a good boss."
"That's good to hear." Cobin said.
The rest of the car ride was silent. Cobin didn't have a watch, and even if he did it would probably be useless, but the car ride seemed to take a while, almost twenty or thirty minutes. If I was at the campus hospital and where I'm going is on campus as well, that must mean this place is pretty big. He thought. As they got nearer to the destination and the car slowed, the environment that was displayed through the tinted windows became weirdly familiar to Cobin, then it hit him. This is where I was when I woke up, he thought, looking out the window as they passed the main dining hall. Then he cringed a little bit as he remembered what happened shortly thereafter.
The car came to stop maybe 300 or so yards further down the road from the cafeteria, in front of a small rectangular building that was otherwise alone on it's stretch of street. "We're here," the driver said, turning off the car's engine and getting out.
Cobin got out himself, not waiting for the driver to open the door for him, and took a better look at the place. It had a couple small windows above head level on the side, probably meant to let some natural light in, but otherwise it was very plain and it looked to have only one entrance; a large garage door in the very front.
The young man that was his driver was around the back of the vehicle, fiddling with the trunk. "Hey, while I'm doing this, you want to go see if that door will open?" the young man said.
Cobin raised an eyebrow, but said "Sure," and walked up the short driveway to the large door. Spying two handles bolted to the door near the ground, he crouched and grabbed them, attempting to lift it. It was not a well-oiled contraption, and in Cobin's still rather injured state it was uncomfortable trying to force it, but after two or three hard tugs the door finally lifted, exposing the innards of the building.
"This is where I'm going to be… living?" Cobin said, staring into what appeared to be an abandoned auto shop, complete with one hydraulic rack, counters full of loose tools, and a thick coating of dust over everything. Having been deployed to some of the most inhospitable places on earth, he had certainly lived in worse conditions, but this wasn't what he was expecting.
"Yep," the driver said, walking past him into the shop. He was carrying a duffle bag that he threw up onto one of the old dusty counters before turning around to face Cobin again. "Well, come on in, make yourself at home. As you can see, it's been a long time since we've had a resident mechanic."
"Yeah, I can tell," Cobin said, staring up at the cobwebs that covered the ceiling. Mechanic, he thought, okay, I can play along with that. He stepped inside the doorway and immediately tasted the stale air that had been trapped in the place for however long.
"Yeah, apparently there was a time when students here were allowed to keep personally owned vehicles, and they used the shop a lot. But that was long before my time, and under Ozpin the fleet of cars and trucks that the school itself owns has dwindled to almost nothing, and even then they barely get used. Ozpin offered to let the last guy keep his job regardless, but he quit, complaining of how little work there was to do." the young man laughed, "You got yourself a pretty cushy gig here, friend."
Cobin nodded, "I guess so."
The young man turned, pointing to the back of the shop, "The door on the right is the office space, there's a cot back there for you sleep on, the door on the left is the washroom." He said, before turning back around. He patted the duffle bag on the counter. "In here is two sets of linen for the cot, and one pillow. In addition, you're being provided with five sets of the same work pants and undershirts that are given to all of the guard forces and other non-academic staff here, as well as seven pairs of socks and one pair of boots. Now the rules say you have to wear this stuff at all times during the workday, but Ozpin is pretty loose about that."
"Gotcha," Cobin said, "There's something weirdly familiar about this, reminds me of my last job."
"Yeah, what'd you do?"
Cobin thought for a moment about the correct way to phrase this, "I was with the military." He said.
The guy nodded, "Oh yeah, did you like it?" he asked.
Cobin shrugged, "Well I'm here now, aren't I?"
"Ha! I guess so," the young man said, "Oh, and there's one more thing." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white rectangle and tossed it to Cobin. "That's your new scroll."
"Hmm?" Cobin said, examining it. It looked like a cell phone, but didn't didn't appear to have a screen or buttons of any kind.
"Your new scroll, Ozpin said you lost yours in transit and so he's providing you with this company one. It already has Ozpin and some of the higher-level staff saved on it, but feel free to add anyone you'd like. It comes pre-loaded with a map of the entire campus and will act as your meal card as well as your security pass to get into buildings."
"Security pass?"
"Yes, as of now you have a level-one clearance, meaning you can access public buildings, lower-level administrative offices, and academic buildings with restriction."
"Okay," Cobin said, "So where am I not allowed to go?" This, he figured, was much more important information.
The young man seemed to think for a minute, "Well, with a level one you're definitely not allowed into any ranges or anywhere that stores ammunition and weapons. Also, you can't go into the dormitories, not that you would ever have a need to. And I believe that while you're allowed in most of the academic buildings, the majority of the individual classrooms themselves would be off-limits, as well as all combat arenas."
"Ah, right. Combat arenas. Got it." Cobin said. This all just kept getting weirder.
"Oh, and I'm pretty sure if you attempt to access any of those places it will be automatically logged and reported to the guard forces."
"That's very good to know," Cobin said, looking down at the weird little device in his hand.
"Yeah, and guards are extra pissed right now after a couple of their people got totally manhandled earlier this week, they're probably looking for any reason to beat up on someone." The kid laughed.
"Right, haha." Cobin managed, not finding it particularly funny.
The kid nodded. "Well, that's all she wrote," he said, walking past Cobin and back out the door, "if I was you I'd leave this open and let this place air out a bit, don't know how long it's been since the last time it was used."
"Thanks, got it."
"No problem man, maybe I'll catch you in the staff cafeteria sometime."
The staff cafeteria, huh, Cobin thought as he heard the young man get into his car and drive away, I hope that's on the map. Just then, the little white thing in his hand erupted with a loud beeping noise, which startled Cobin. He looked down to see the little diamond shape in the center glowing yellow. Hesitantly, he moved his thumb over and pressed it. When he did, the two halves the scroll split apart, causing him to almost drop it. A holographic screen displayed between the two halves, and across it in big, bold letters was: "1 NEW MESSAGE- LISTEN NOW?" Once again with a modicum of hesitation, Cobin pressed the the little "Listen" Icon at the bottom of the screen, and instantly the thing began emitting the distinct voice of Professor Ozpin.
"Hello, Sergeant, I hope you're finding your new accommodations satisfactory, I'll be dropping by sometime later this morning to see how you're settling in. I gave your driver a lot of information to explain to you so I hope he got it all in and didn't forget anything. Until I see you next, goodbye."
When the message ended, Cobin pushed the two halves the scroll back together and slid it into his pocket. He stood silently for a minute, trying to get an idea of what his next course of action should be. He had just been given control over a facility, so if this had been the Army he would have definitely had to sign for anything and everything that was in the shop when he took over, which meant an extremely careful accountability of all material resources therein. But this wasn't the Army, and Cobin doubted they would make him sign for anything. Still, it was a good idea to have a grasp on everything that belonged to you. He would need to make a list, but first he wanted to explore his space a bit more.
He made his way past the lift to the back of the shop, where the two doors sat right next to one another. Neither had a door latch or a lock, and so they swung freely on their hinges. Cobin reached out and pushed the door on the left open first, revealing a short hallway that made up the washroom. The first section was lined with cabinets that hung over a washer and a dryer. Cobin stepped into the cramped space and began opening the cabinets, not really looking for anything but curious what might have been left behind. Most of them were empty, or had a bit of junk like empty snack boxes.
When he opened the final cabinet, there sat a small brown paper bag, it's shape and the way it was sealed at the top very distinct. If he had been on earth, it could only be one thing. "No way." Cobin said, reaching out and grabbing it. It was unopened, still air-tight sealed. He pulled the two halves of the paper bag apart at the top and instantly his nose was filled with an all so familiar aroma. Coffee, yes this is definitely coffee. How in the hell is there coffee on a different goddamn planet? Cobin was puzzled, but honestly not as much as he was excited. There was coffee, so there was hope. Now he just needed to find the coffee maker. He looked frantically around the small room, until a shining piece of metal sitting on top of the cabinets caught his eye. "Ah ha! Got you!" he said, reaching up to grab the little machine. This place won't be so bad after all, he thought.
While it was brewing he found that there were no cups to speak of in the place, so when it finished he simply grabbed the whole pot along with a wooden crate that had been in a corner in the back of the room. Out in what was now his driveway he laid the crate on the ground and used it as a seat as he looked out onto this new world and sipped his coffee with the rhythm of the morning. People that he figured were students were up and about, walking down the street in front of him or down by the cafeteria. Thankfully though, none of them seemed particularly interested in him.
After a couple minutes of just quiet observation, he suddenly felt a presence beside him. "Good morning," he said, without looking.
"Good morning to you too, Sergeant." Professor Ozpin said, as he stood beside where Cobin sat on his crate, looking out into the street. "Everything go alright with the trip over here?"
"Yep, no accidents. I'm going to have to clean this place up, though, seems like it's been at least a few months before anyone has been in there."
"That's about right," Ozpin said. "But I figured it would suit you. You're not a registered citizen with any of the kingdoms -yet- so I can't have you wondering off, and we don't have a dormitory for staff."
"Hmm. I have no problem with it. It'll give me something to do while I process this."
"Yes, that's important at a time like this."
Cobin nodded, "You want some coffee?" he said, offering his pot to Ozpin.
"No thank you," Ozpin said.
The flow of the conversation stopped for a moment as a group of laughing first-years passed by close to them, caught up in whatever immature joke they were probably telling.
"So what kind of school do you run here, professor?" Cobin asked.
The question didn't exactly catch Ozpin off-guard, but it wasn't one he was expecting from this man. "This is Beacon academy, where aspiring Huntsman and Huntresses train to become the next defenders of our kingdom." he said.
"Defending from what?"
"The creatures of Grimm, and anyone who would do harm to our people."
"Grimm?"
Ozpin paused, trying to decided how in depth he really wanted to go right now. "I think that this is not the time for an advanced history lesson, but I'll provide you with some materials to educate yourself if you would be interested?"
"Very," Cobin said.
Ozpin nodded, "That's good to hear." he said. "So you've been watching my students all morning?"
Cobin shrugged, "For a while."
"Let me ask you this, Sergeant, what do you see?"
Cobin sipped his coffee. "Kids with guns." he said.
"Something wrong with that?"
"I've just never been the in the presence of such a large concentration of weaponized sexual frustration. This is a very different world than mine."
"And what do you mean by that?"
Cobin thought for a moment. "You see, where I come from the overwhelming notion is that children should be sheltered from all forms of violence at all costs. Everyone has this idea that if you can make it to adulthood without really being exposed to it first hand, you somehow have more of yourself when you get there. We have international laws that completely prohibit the use of child soldiers. That sort of violence, the kind you see in war, it's all consuming. It'll take over everything that you are, especially if you grow up in it. You see kids that only know violence, can only do violence, they can't exist in the everyday world."
Ozpin sighed, "In our world, being so protective is not a luxury we have ever been able to afford. Struggle and violence is simply a fact of life."
"So when do they start?"
"For most of them, their entire career in school has centered around getting here, their final step in becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses. From the first time they ever stepped into a classroom they've been training for combat. Some even before that."
"And when they graduate?"
"Then they'll be defenders of our world, keeping the darkness at our borders from consuming us."
"Until?"
Ozpin shook his head, "You have to understand, Sergeant, that being a Huntsman isn't a job, it's everything that you are. Some of them might come back as instructors at a school, or as advisors to a political offices. But most will just keep going, right until the end."
Cobin nodded, showing that he understood. "So they're addicted." he said.
"Hmm?"
"You have them hooked. Addicted to violence."
Ozpin frowned. "That sounds overly critical."
"No." Cobin said, "Addiction isn't always a bad thing. All addiction really is, is loving something so much you'd allow it to destroy you."
"I'd like to think that they're driven by their love for each other, and they're passion to make this a better world for the people they care about."
"And that may very well be one of their motivations, in addition. But I'm talking about who they are, as people. It's in the way they stand, the way they walk, in their eyes. None of them could work the counter at the corner store, or be that kid that drove me from the hospital. Fighting is all they know." Cobin poured the rest of his stale coffee out in front of him, and let it stream down the driveway. "If I was you, I'd thank whatever god you worship that they all have hearts of gold to back it up."
Ozpin was silent for a moment, before saying quietly, "I do. Everyday." The professor then pulled out his scroll and opened it, and began tapping a few buttons as the holographic screen came to life.
"Need to get going?" Cobin asked, watching Ozpin slowly get absorbed into the thing.
"Not quite," Ozpin said, "I'm inviting a welcome party to come help you settle in."
"A welcome party? But I don't know anyone here." Ozpin simply looked at Cobin and smiled. As Cobin slowly realized what the professor had done, his face dropped. "Oh no." He said.
"Oh, yes." Professor Ozpin rebuttled. "I think it's high time you and a certain group of my students traded apologies for that violent outburst earlier this week."
Cobin face-palmed. "Help me out here, Professor, what's a good way to say 'Sorry I almost shot you and a bunch of your friends in the face'?"
"What, you never had to deal with diplomatic situations while you were at war?"
"Not really, normally when someone fucks up real bad, the money guys just come along and pay off whoever was wronged."
"That sounds like a horrid system."
"Well, it worked." Cobin said, mildly irritated.
"But it won't be an option for you, here," Ozpin said, smiling. "Also, I can't guarantee that there won't be some modicum of violence."
Oh God, Cobin thought. "And if there is? What do I do?"
"Well, considering how out-matched you were before when you had your weapons and armor," Ozpin said, now chuckling to himself, "my professional recommendation is that you just eat it. Like a man."
"That's… awesome…" Cobin said, the sarcasm rolling out of his mouth.
"It probably won't be that bad," Ozpin said, trying to reassure the sergeant. "Just sit back and try to enjoy it."
…
Lots of dialogue in this one, hope it didn't get too boring for anyone. Thanks for reading!
-Wahs.