Okay, so I figured that this chapter was a bit overdue and I hope you guys enjoy. Sorry for the delay. A crap ton of stuff happened to me and I just recently got caught up with the last two episodes of RWBY. I have to say, damn things are getting real, ESPECIALLY, chapter 9. I had no words for what went down on that episode. I've rambled enough for now so back to the story. I don't own RWBY blah, blah, blah.
The prisoner lay back on the cot with his arms folded behind his head as he wiggled into a more comfortable position. He let out a bored sigh while he let his mind wander because there was not much else to do but to try and relax in this cramped cell of his. He turned to look at a spot where he knew a camera was placed and showed whoever was monitoring him the middle finger, choosing to antagonize the person to relieve his boredom somewhat.
In response, his collar activated and sent a current of electricity running through his body for a second. He jerked from the sudden jolt and then raised an eyebrow at the camera.
Someone's petty today. Probably Bob.
He then sat up and stared at his cell door expectantly.
"In three…two…one…" He counted down and a food tray immediately slid through the slot as soon as he finished. Fortunately, the guard assigned to deliver his food today was less rude than Bob and managed to avoid spilling his lunch all over the floor.
He picked up his food tray and scanned the contents of his meal. Inside the small plastic bowl was some kind of chowder. A piece of bread and an apple was also included. He picked up his plastic spoon and was about to dig in when he spotted something floating on top of the soup.
"That was fast." He said to himself.
It had only been a week since he had found that red pill. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was notified but he didn't think it would be this soon. Either something had happened or she was getting really impatient. He assumed it was the latter because that woman never did like to be kept waiting.
He laughed at the mere thought of her smoldering glare whenever she was in a bad mood.
He turned his attention back on his food and played with the small orange leaf, one that could only be found during autumn, by swirling it around in the bowl. It was somewhat of an inside joke between them. Her timing couldn't have been better. Sitting on his ass and doing nothing for the past five years has lost its charm.
Perhaps it was high time for him to get some fresh air.
"In other news, Dust prices have increased yet again for the second time this week as many shopkeepers have yet to receive their ordered shipments. The SDC has refused to give a statement regarding the shortages and many are beginning to speculate the involvement of the White Fang…."
Jonah lowered the volume of the screen as his scroll started beeping. He picked up the device and accepted the call.
"I don't know what you're planning but I hope this works." Silas Schnee said before he hung up.
Sighing, he put the scroll down and gazed down at his desk where a freshly arranged chess board was placed. He knew that Silas was taking a big risk in going along with his idea and he wasn't about to let it go to waste. Trouble was brewing and they can't just wait for it to happen. They must act before it was too late.
His informant was keeping him up to date on the White Fang's movements and in doing so, keeping tabs on Torchwick as well. There was still no word from the mysterious associate of his but Jonah did know that Adam Taurus, one of the leading members of the Faunus organization, was taking care of important business elsewhere at the moment. According to him, Roman was starting to get frustrated by the lack of progress with their operations.
Jonah allowed himself a small smirk of satisfaction as the plan seemed to be working. He picked up a white pawn and moved it two spaces forward on the board. The first move has been made and now the real game begins.
I may be old, but I still got some fight left to give.
"Do it Jaune!" Yang urged.
"Yeah, destroy her!" Nora said.
"NOOO! Have mercy!"
Jaune was in a tight position. He had to make an important choice that would determine his future. Could he do it? Could he really condemn an innocent person to such a fate? What kind of person did that make him? He couldn't remember feeling so ashamed but there was no other option.
"I'm sorry, Ruby." The blonde said with as much regret as he could muster. He plucked a plus four UNO card from his hand and placed it on top of the pile. There were two other similar cards below it.
Ruby's head hit the table and she moaned. "You're all horrible people!"
Yang shrugged. "Sorry sis, hate the game not the player."
"I call for a rematch!" Ruby demanded tossing her remaining cards on the table.
"But I'm winning!" Nora said as she held up only two cards left.
Weiss, who was sitting next to Ruby, rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're getting all emotional over a card game. It's ridiculous."
"I think it looks fun." Pyrrha said as she glanced over Jaune's shoulder to see his hand.
The two teams were currently enjoying free period at the cafeteria. They only had an hour to kill before heading off to another class. It would take too much time to head back to the recreational room at the dorms and no one wanted to spend their free time in the library except maybe Blake and Weiss. Thankfully, they mostly had the place to themselves since it wasn't dinner yet and everyone else still had classes for the day.
"Well this "game" as you put it has single-handedly destroyed countless friendships over the years." Jaune informed the heiress. "Plus it takes a certain amount of skill to play."
Yang snorted as she started reshuffling the cards. "So says the guy who only won a single game out of six rounds."
"Shut up, who asked you?" Jaune retorted.
"I for one think that you're all just wasting valuable time." Weiss huffed. "Need I remind you that our examinations are only two weeks away?"
"I've already studied." Ren commented off-handedly.
"Same." Blake said as she flipped to the next page of her novel.
Weiss didn't even need to look at Pyrrha for confirmation since the two of them had the highest class standings out of all of the students of their year. The heiress turned her gaze on the four remaining teens with her arms crossed.
"Well?" She asked expectantly.
"In my defense, all of my scores are above average." Jaune said. He paused for a moment before adding. "Okay, scratch that, mostly above average."
Pyrrha frowned in confusion. "What happened?"
The blonde knight sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, see about that… remember when I told you guys I had to go to the library to catch up on those essays for Dr. Oobleck? I may or may not have fallen asleep and didn't get to finish them…"
"So that's why you didn't make us pancakes that day!" Nora snapped her fingers in realization.
The rest of team JNPR shared an amused look among themselves. Nora had dubbed Wednesdays as their weekly pancake breakfast day ever since she had tasted Jaune's recipe for them. The bubbly girl claimed that it was one of the fluffiest she'd tasted and she had been quite cranky when he had skipped out last week. He was no slouch in the kitchen thanks to his mother and truth be told, he found cooking to be rather enjoyable so he learned a thing or two to at least be adequate.
Slamming her hands on the table, Weiss abruptly stood from her seat. "This is unacceptable! I won't tolerate this any longer Jaune."
She marched down the table and swiftly grabbed hold of one of the boy's ears and started to pull him along. Needless to say, the leader of team JNPR did not go quietly.
"Ow! That's my ear woman! I only have two of those!" Jaune protested as he struggled in vain to escape the heiress's iron grip. "Okay seriously, let go!"
"Where are you going?" Yang asked.
"To the library so that we can get this idiot's homework done." Weiss called out over her shoulder. "I refuse to be seen hanging around people who are not at least academically competent."
"Guys, help!" Jaune cried out one last time before they exited the cafeteria.
As everyone merely shrugged at the poor boy's predicament, a particular redhead stared wistfully at the exit where her leader had been dragged off, silently wishing that she had been the one to help him study. Pyrrha let out a small dejected sigh as she turned back to watch her friends play cards, though she had lost a considerable amount of interest in the game.
She never noticed that her sudden change of mood, however slight it was, did not escape the attention of Yang. The blonde bombshell had seen the disappointed look on the girl's face as soon as Jaune had left and it didn't take a genius to figure out why.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Blake asked a bit warily when she saw the Cheshire grin on her partner's face.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just wouldn't want someone to crush my train of thought." She said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
The raven-haired girl could only stare blankly at her partner. Was that supposed to mean something? It sounded as if she had just said one of her lame puns but Blake had no clue about what it was. Plus, the fact that she could practically see Yang's mind running a mile per minute made her feel pity for someone for an unknown reason. She decided not to worry too much about it and returned to her steamy romance novel. It was getting to the good part.
The final class of the day had just ended and Pyrrha found herself walking back to the dorms at a leisurely pace. She began to plan on what textbook she should read once she got back to her room in order to prepare for upcoming examinations. It was a habit that she had picked up so that she would never fall behind with her studies but today she didn't really feel like reviewing past topics in class.
Looking around, she spotted several students walking along the hall. The majority of them had books and notes in their hands while they headed to their respective destinations. She noticed an older couple, probably second years, strolling in front of her. The girl had her hand intertwined with her boyfriend's and was laughing over something he had just said. She playfully bumped her shoulder to his before he started up another conversation.
Pyrrha watched them head in the direction of the library while her feet carried her to the dorms. She tried to squash down the small feeling of envy that she felt at the display of affection and instead tried to envision herself in that particular scenario. It came as no surprise that her mind conjured up an image of her and Jaune smiling and holding hands as if they had just come back from a wonderful afternoon. They had probably just watched the new Spruce Willis movie he had been talking about and were headed back to their room where he gently cupped her cheek and slowly leaned down to…
The young Spartan flushed as she realized where her thoughts were leading.
Lately, Pyrrha has been trying to muster up the courage to confess her growing affection for her partner but he was rather preoccupied lately.
Especially with Weiss, a small bitter voice in her mind spoke.
She wanted to ignore it but the small voice of doubt refused to remain silent. The heiress has been spending a lot of time with Jaune ever since they settled their petty dispute and Pyrrha couldn't help noticing how the girl chose to sit next to the blonde during classes and meals or the fact that she would initiate physical contact with him whenever she could. Granted that most of those contacts included thumping him on the back of the head, the redhead was still uncomfortable with how close the two were becoming.
She rounded the next corner and then unexpectedly bumped into someone.
"Well if it isn't the girl I wanted to see." Yang grinned.
"Hello Yang, what's –whoa!" Whatever Pyrrha was about to say was cut off as she found herself being forcefully dragged along by the busty blonde.
They stopped in front of an empty classroom and the redhead found herself being shoved inside with Yang following behind her.
"Alright, spill it." Yang said without preamble. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes that made Pyrrha nervous.
"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha said, confused.
Yang crossed her arms under her impressive bust. "Oh come on Pyrrha, no need to be shy. You can tell me."
Pyrrha could only blink at the girl as she had no idea what Yang wanted.
"Huh?"
The fiery brawler adopted a knowing smirk. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to confess? Like for example…your crush on a certain blonde for instance?"
Pyrrha tried really hard not to show any outward feelings of surprise even though she was screaming inside. How did Yang possibly know about that? She hadn't told anyone about how she felt about Jaune and yet someone still found out. And worst of all, that someone was Yang of all people. Don't get her wrong, Pyrrha liked the girl because she was very easygoing and fun to be around but she was also known for her brash and boisterous nature. It was then that she came to a sudden realization.
If Yang knew, did anyone else know?
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Yang continued to smirk as she leaned on a nearby desk.
Maybe if she continued to play ignorant then the blonde girl might let this slide.
"Oh, you think I have a crush on Jaune? That's ridiculous." Pyrrha said as casually as she could even though it kind of hurt. "He and I are just close friends, that's all."
Yang's grin widened when she heard that. "You know, I never said it was Jaune."
Damn it.
"Well I just assumed that was what you were implying because…" Pyrrha trailed off.
"Why would you assume that?" Yang asked innocently. She paused for a moment before sighing. "Well okay then, since you obviously don't have any interest in him, I'll go see if I can take Jaune out for a date."
"NO!" Pyrrha blurted out before covering her mouth with both hands. Yang raised her eyebrows in amusement at her outburst and the redhead's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Please don't tell anyone."
She felt the girl drape an arm over her shoulder. "Relax Pyrrha, I was just playing. No worries, my lips are sealed."
"Thanks." She smiled at the blonde gratefully.
"So…..Vomit boy huh?" Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I've got to say, you could do way worse."
"I know." Pyrrha fully agreed.
"You told him yet?" Yang asked. "Judging from the look on your face, I'm guessing you haven't."
The girl gave out a glum sigh before sitting on one of the desks. "I want to but I'm just…..afraid. What if he doesn't feel the same way?"
"Hey come on, don't be like that." Yang said, hopping on to sit beside her. "You'll never know unless you try, right? Besides, even if things between you two don't work out the way you want he'll still be your friend. Not to mention the fact that you have a secret weapon."
"What secret weapon?" Pyrrha asked in curiosity.
The blonde brawler then hopped off the desk and spread her arms out in a "Ta-da!" gesture.
"You're my secret weapon?"
Yang made a rather dramatic show of flipping her hair. "I've been around the block before and dated a few guys here and there but nothing serious. I could show you a thing or two about how to catch a man's attention. Interested?"
Pyrrha bit her lip in thought. She didn't doubt the fact that Yang had more than sufficient experience in dealing with the opposite sex. How could any boy even resist her allure given that the blonde had a body most women would kill for and the good looks to match? Most of all, people weren't afraid to approach her due to her fun-loving personality.
People don't put her on a pedestal.
She was confident enough to know that she was considered to be attractive in the eyes of many but her fame and reputation acted like a barrier that allowed no one to pass. Boy's complimented her but never pursued her romantically. Perhaps they thought that they could never measure up or that they would be overshadowed by her. Their precious egos couldn't allow the fact that a woman had greater skills as a warrior than they did.
But Jaune was different. He respected her prowess and he didn't let that affect his friendship with her despite that he has never beaten her in any of their sparring matches. He treated her like an equal which was all she ever wanted from anyone.
Which is why she was willing to do whatever it took to get him to notice her as more than just a friend.
She took a deep breath and came to a decision. "What did you have in mind?"
"That's the spirit!" Yang said, and gave her an enthusiastic pat on the back. "By the time we're through, he'll be eating out of the palm of your hand!"
"That's weird." Jaune said to himself. He checked his scroll for the time. "Pyrrha's usually on time."
He stood in the middle of the combat arena where he and his partner were supposed to have another sparring session. The two of them often sparred at least twice every week. The blonde felt as if he had been slacking off a bit as of late and was determined to fix that today. Those detentions had left him behind on his schoolwork which in turn cost him time to train or relax. Thankfully, Weiss has been gracious enough to help him, although she could be a bit overbearing about it most of the time.
Now that he thought about, the heiress has been acting strange lately. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was but she seemed more…relaxed around the rest of them. She even took to addressing him by his first name now which she rarely did in the past. It was usually just Arc or Dolt.
He didn't know what was going on with her but she was much easier to be around than before.
He checked his scroll again and saw that another ten minutes had elapsed and yet Pyrrha still hasn't arrived. Putting the scroll back in his pocket, he decided to have a little warm-up. He unsheathed Excalibur and quickly went into some of the basic sword movements he had practiced with his grandfather countless times before. He executed a few cuts and parries as if he were facing a phantom swordsman.
In the middle of his routine, Jaune switched sword hands and continued to throw around thrusts and strikes. His attempts with his left hand were improving but were still not up to par in his opinion. He took Professor Ozpin's advice and focused more on developing his overall abilities in combat by going all out during matches. He used the time in Miss Goodwitch's class to see how he measured up against everyone else. Currently, he was just below Blake in the class rankings at fifth place.
In fact, the only people who offered any real challenge were team RWBY and the members of his own team.
Jaune tried to do a quick parry followed by an immediate cut but his left hand was still not as coordinated as his right and the transition into the move was a bit clumsy. He suppressed the mild annoyance he felt with a sigh. One day, he was going to be able to properly wield a sword in both hands but not today.
The sound of footsteps approached him and he sheathed his sword before turning to face her.
"Hey Pyrrha, what took you so…..long?" Jaune's greeting trailed off a bit as soon as he saw his partner. He couldn't help but feel slack-jawed by the sight.
Pyrrha fidgeted a bit and she couldn't seem to meet his gaze. The red-head had apparently decided to dress differently for their sparring session today. She had ditched her regular armor for a rather tight sport's tank top that left her well toned belly exposed and a pair of black cycling shorts that displayed her long creamy legs. Also, she wasn't carrying her weapons with her, which seemed odd.
"S-sorry I'm late." Pyrrha said, still not quite looking him in the eyes. "I decided to change into something more comfortable."
Jaune shook his head to stop himself from gaping like an idiot.
"Uh sure, it's no problem." Jaune said after an uncomfortable silence. He was desperately struggling so as not to let his eyes wander over anything else besides her face "So should we get started?"
Pyrrha bit her lip nervously before speaking up. "Actually Jaune, I thought that maybe we could do something different today."
She began to approach him slowly and he gulped. "What did you have in mind?"
Pyrrha hesitated for a moment and glanced back at the entrance for a split second where Jaune could've sworn he saw a hint of yellow disappear. She took a deep breath and locked a determined gaze on him.
"Perhaps it would be a good idea to practice some hand to hand combat." Pyrrha said. "We can never predict what will happen to us if we ever find ourselves without our weapons and it would be prudent to be prepared just in case."
"Fair enough," Jaune conceded. It was a valid point and he had heard more or less the same reasoning from his grandfather a couple of times. "Alright, give me a second."
He went over to the bleachers and quickly removed his weapon and armor. He also took off his jacket which would only restrict his movements and also make him sweat faster if he wore it during the match.
"Alright so what are the rules?" Jaune asked once he was back in the arena. He began to do some light stretches to loosen up.
His partner's earlier anxiety had vanished and was replaced by her usual confidence whenever she was about to battle.
"The first person to make his opponent yield will be the victor." She declared. "Also, no using our Semblance."
Jaune nodded and assumed a fighting stance while Pyrrha did the same. In all of their sparring matches, he had never been able to beat her even once which ticked him off a bit. She was truly remarkable in battle and she never ceased to impress him every time. She was so swift and agile that he had a hard time keeping up and her Semblance made things even harder. Even on his best days, he could never win against her.
That fact alone should have angered him or even discouraged him but instead it served to push him. Sure he couldn't deny the frustration he felt whenever he lost. However, he never harbored any anger or resentment towards his partner. She was a great fighter, simple as that.
No matter how good you are, there will always be someone better. His grandfather had told him once. It was to remind him of the dangers of arrogance. Too much of it and a person could blind himself to the reality of what was in front of him. A true Huntsman never stopped trying to improve. It was a lesson he took to heart.
It was a lesson he wished to demonstrate right now.
Steeling himself, he adjusted his footing ever so slightly and then he took off charging at Pyrrha. His partner stood there waiting for him. He cleared the gap between them in record time and threw a jab to her left which she easily blocked and followed it quickly with a roundhouse kick aimed at her right. She dodged by taking a step back and pushed forward with her own barrage of punches.
He was able to block most of them but a few hit their marks. She aimed an uppercut at him but Jaune saw it coming and was able to grab her wrist and twist it behind her back while his other arm encircled her neck in a submission hold.
"Give up?" Jaune asked with a small grin.
Pyrrha grinned back at him. In an unexpected move, she bent her knees and pushed off the ground to flip over behind him. He lost his grip on her and he was caught slightly off balance. Before he could turn around, his partner had caught him in one of her own holds.
"You wish." She whispered into his ear. He tried to suppress the shiver that coursed through him when she did that. It was a strange yet…pleasant feeling that he couldn't describe.
And so they continued like that for over an hour, grappling and wrestling as they tried to make the other submit. They were both grinning as the sweat began to pour from their faces but neither of them was willing to give up just yet. Both of them were pretty stubborn when they wanted to be and they obviously didn't want to lose. However, after another couple of minutes, the two found themselves on the floor with Jaune on top and Pyrrha pinned on the floor.
"Yield." Jaune panted as he held Pyrrha's hands over her head.
She let out a small giggle. "Alright, Jaune, you win."
"So that's one for me and Pyrrha Nikos with thirty two." Jaune tallied. "That hardly seems fair to me."
"You'll catch up eventually." She told him with a slight smirk.
He narrowed his eyes. "I think we should do this more often if it means that I could beat you."
The two of them shared a laugh as Jaune released her arms and it was in that moment that he noticed something.
Pyrrha's face was flushed from the intense sparring match, giving her cheeks a rosy glow and once again Jaune couldn't help but think that she looked amazing when she smiled like that.
I should make her laugh more often.
It was when their laughter began to fade that Jaune remembered the fact that the two of them were still pressed up tightly on the floor. The position they were in could be considered extremely intimate and his mind recalled the image of what she was currently wearing. He spaced out for a bit when hormones forced him to replay earlier when they grappled in different kinds of positions. As his brain started to reboot, it made him aware of something incredibly soft pushing on his chest…
"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice snapped him out of his perverted trance. He gave a startled yelp before immediately jumping to his feet.
He cleared his throat and could only hope that his face wasn't as red as it felt. "We should probably head back to the dorms."
He helped her back on her feet and glancing at her face, she looked rather disappointed about something. Before he could even ponder on it, the small frown instantly vanished making him wonder if he only imagined it. Pyrrha only nodded and began to head toward the exit without another word, leaving a very confused Jaune scratching his head.
Meanwhile, hidden among the bleachers was a frustrated Yang.
"Oh come on! That should have at least tipped him off that something was going on!" Yang ranted in frustration even though no one was there to hear it. "Damn it Jaune, that girl is head over heels for you!"
She stomped out of the combat arena and began to plot, oh sorry, "plan" another attempt to get the blonde moron to see how much Pyrrha liked him. Yang Xiao Long made a promise and by Oum she was going to keep it!
"Lesson one, always say please when you want something." The man said in a tone as if he was speaking to a toddler. "I told you that I'd teach you manners one day Bob."
He pressed his thumb hard on the guard's ribcage, effectively breaking another bone. The man grunted in pain as a sickening crack was heard.
Roger, the person he always referred to as Bob, doubled over, clutching his chest as he tried to put some distance between them. Silly Bob, where was he going to go? They were in a damn prison with a shit ton of dirt and rocks separating them from the surface. To top it off, they were in a hallway with one elevator as the only exit point.
A loud security alarm could be heard echoing around the empty hallway. Dead bodies of a few security guards and a Hunter littered the floor along with a bunch of destroyed Atlesian Knights. Reinforcements should be arriving soon, about five minutes to be exact, but he didn't care.
Bob shifted his weight off his injured leg and hobbled over to him with his fist cocked back as if he was going to throw a punch.
Persistent little bastard, wasn't he?
"You know, it was fun for the first few minutes but this is just turning sad." The prisoner sighed. "Even with the Hunter, you guys couldn't beat me."
He caught Bob's weak punch and threw a vicious roundhouse kick that drove the man into the wall, making the whole place shake. The prisoner dusted himself off as a bit of debris started to fall from the ceiling. He grabbed the guard by the neck and lifted him off the ground, slowly cutting off his air supply.
"Man, you Atlas guys sure are tough." The man praised as Bob struggled to breathe. "Even if you didn't graduate as Hunters, Ironwood still makes sure you unlock your Aura so that you could last longer in a fight. Not that it helped you much, but still pretty useful. Unfortunately for you, my reserves are much larger and more potent."
Bob made some gurgling noises so he slackened his grip a bit. "This is lesson number two. Always listen to what the other person has to say before speaking. Now I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't let you say your piece so go ahead Bob, it's your turn."
Instead of speaking, the guard spit a wad of blood on his face. "Go to hell."
The prisoner calmly wiped the metallic smelling substance off with his other sleeve. He then wagged his finger at the guard in a scolding manner.
"Now that was rude. You obviously haven't been paying attention." The prisoner had a malignant glint in his eyes. "Let me correct that."
He straightened his fingers and willed a tiny fraction of his Aura to cover his hand. Due to the years spent in confinement where he wore collars that blocked the connection to his Aura, it took a few moments for him to remember the feeling of having and using it again. He felt no hesitation or remorse when he plunged his hand straight into Bob's chest with a squelching sound. The prisoner wrapped his fingers around something soft and beating while Bob could only stare at the point where he was stabbed in horror and disbelief.
"People say that the quickest way to a man's heart is through the stomach." The prisoner said in a casual tone. "Whoever said that was a fucking idiot."
Getting a firm grip on the fleshy organ, he then proceeded to rip it out from the guard's chest. He was successful in extracting the heart from the body in a shower of blood as the veins and vessels were severed. Bob went limp and he let the man drop into a heap on the ground.
"Okay, went a little too far with that one." He muttered to himself as he tried to shake off the blood splattered all over him.
So far, things have been going remarkably well. He had taken the red capsule as he was eating dinner and the effect was almost instantaneous. The drug that he had ingested slowed his heart rate to one beat per minute, allowing him to appear as if he had died. A group consisting of a medical team and a squad of guards came rushing and examined his still form. It was then that they took off his collar as they tried to determine the cause of his "death".
That was the biggest mistake they made.
Once his collar was removed, his Aura came flooding back to him in waves and immediately restarted his heart. The doctor who was taking a sample of his blood never even got a chance to cry out in alarm as the prisoner stole the needle from him and stabbed it through his neck. The others soon followed.
Behind him, a small ding signaled the arrival of the elevator.
This should be fun.
The doors slid open and out stepped three uniformed Huntsmen and two androids. He knew they were Hunters given that the weapons they carried were not the standard Atlas-issued tech. They all pointed their weapons at him and he merely smirked at them.
"Prisoner X24, designated Gray Steel, put your hands behind your head and get down on the ground." One of them barked at him. "We are authorized to use deadly force. If you make any unnecessary moves, we will kill you."
"You're welcome to try." The man now identified as Gray said. "But I'm kind of in the middle of escaping so if you would please be so kind so as to move out of my way, I would very much appreciate it."
The sound of a gunshot rang out and Gray tilted his head to the side to avoid the bullet that flew past him. The Huntsman on the left rushed forward and hefted his weapon which was some kind of axe. He sidestepped the Hunter's swing and grabbed the man's wrist before unleashing a ferocious onslaught of strikes with his fists and feet. A powerful jab to the face followed by a chop to the neck and an elbow to the side. He finished with a powerful thrust kick to the chest that depleted the Hunter's Aura and shattered his sternum.
The Hunter coughed out a wad of blood before collapsing on the floor.
All of this happened so fast that the other two could barely keep up with what happened.
"I don't have time for this." Gray said and raised his hand towards the remaining two Hunters who tensed.
Suddenly, as if a great weight had been placed on their shoulders, the two Huntsmen fell to their knees. They couldn't move and the two Atlesian Knights behind them crumpled like tin cans. A powerful gravitational pull prevented them from stopping Gray, who casually walked between them as if he was strolling through the park.
"This looks useful." Gray plucked one of the security key cards from one of their belts. He entered the elevator and pressed the key card onto a slot so that it would take him to the upper levels. He increased the pull of gravity on the two Huntsmen just before the doors closed.
The two Huntsmen were then crushed under an invisible weight.
The elevator hummed as it ascended towards the other levels where a battalion of Atlas military soldiers would be waiting for him no doubt. Gray cracked his neck and kept his eyes on the number of floors he was passing. When the elevator slowed to a halt, he prepared himself for the inevitable fight that would greet him.
However, he was surprised by the sight that awaited him as the doors slid open.
A small girl with hair that reminded him of ice-cream holding an umbrella smiled at him once he stepped out of the elevator. It was then that he noticed the number of dead guards at her feet.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be shrimp?" Gray asked the tiny girl. "Wait, you're kidding me. Cinder sent a midget to bust me out of here?"
She was obviously displeased by the comments on her height and she jabbed him in the gut with the end of her umbrella in retaliation.
He winced. "Okay, no more short jokes. I got it."
She harrumphed silently and gestured for him to follow. The tiny girl didn't wait for him to answer and began to walk away. Shrugging, he trailed behind her and surveyed the amount of destruction she brought upon the place. It was impressive.
"So you got a name or what?" He spoke.
She spared him a glance but said nothing.
"Alright fine, I'll just call you Ice-cream girl from now on." Gray decided.
He could see her shoulders rise and fall slowly as if she were sighing.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?"
She gave him a look that said. Gee, you think?
"Well Ice-cream girl, I can already tell that this is going to be a long flight back to Vale."
And done! It took a lot longer than I thought it would to write this. My mind has been trying to cope with all the changes I'm going to have to make with all the new episodes coming out but I think I can manage it. Thought you guys might want a little bit of romance action since it's almost Valentine's day. And so my OC finally gets to have a little screen time. What do you guys think? Let me know in the reviews! Till next time.
