Captain Durante took his seat across from Winter as he brought two mugs with him. "Hope you like hot chocolate." He began before giving her the second mug to her.

Winter grabbed the handle and had begun to look down to see its contents. "Captain, would you please tell me why you would do this?" She asked. "Fraternization with a soldier from another military could hurt your record."

He scoffed at the thought. "With all due respect, pestering the brass about having some kind of specialized force makes talking to you look like nothing." Monte replied. "Though, it is the best thing to ever happen to me."

"You got yourself in trouble for annoying your superiors?" Winter wondered. "They should have shown you some discipline to you when they had the chance."

"Miss, if there is one thing the Army taught me, you can be a crazy bastard who runs his army into the ground, but can still be around if you have any ideas."

"Please explain yourself." She requested.

"Well, I heard about the British and their commando units being used effectively against the Germans. So I requested my superiors to create a small team which can cause enough damage to the enemy once deployed." Monte explained. "Problem was, they thought the idea was absurd so I just happened to pester them enough they gave me my own platoon and to start from there."

"You annoyed your superiors into getting into a unit you wanted?" Winter questioned his motive. "They should have gave you disciplinary punishment to your actions."

The captain took a sip of his mug while his expression changed. "Ma'am, I think they would, were it not for the fact that I was sent to North Africa."

"Excuse me, but how is that related to anything you have done?"

"When you experience hell for the first time. You would completely understand." Monte answered. "They knew I... matured after those events."

"I highly doubt it." She stated before taking her sip. "This has too much chocolate in here."

"Chef's special, found some German chocolate along the way and decided to use them on this occasion." He replied before taking his sip. "Say, what was that special stuff you did back at that town?"

"What do you mean, my aura or my weapons?"

"The former, I have never seen anyone leap like that and its not normal for anyone to create those giant circles." The captain answered as he cleared his throat of his drink. "Mind you tell me what that is all about?"

"It's called aura." Winter answered. "It is the manifestation of one's soul and everyone can use it except the Grimm. Do you not have aura back home?"

"Definitely not, hell, I only heard about aura that it had some sort of special power from a gal named Pyrrha. Otherwise-"

Winter's cold expression was immediately changed into concern when she interrupted him. "Pyrrha? As in Pyrrha Nikos?" She asked. "How do you know that name?"

"Why? Is she important?" He wondered.

"Yes, she was a student at Beacon who died. How do you come by that name?"

"From a doctor, he managed to save her life just when my Rangers and a few commandos decided to barge in and get him out before the Germans got to him." Durante answered. "Wait-did you mention she was dead?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, do you know her?"

"Yeah." Shrugging his shoulder. "Pyrrha's with us and is alive and walking around. After the doctors got that damn arrow out of her chest, she's been doing well from recovery."

"So you mean to tell me that you have student who was claimed to be dead? How?"

"Don't ask me, ask the guy who managed to get a portal to this world." Answered Durante. "How important is she to you?"

"She's a friend of my sister." Winter replied. "A good friend."

Then the captain leaned forward. "Come closer, I got something to tell you."

"What is it?" She wondered as she did what he asked. "Pyrrha's helping with Derby's company, she's helping him out with resettling the people from that town. If you want, I could bring her here or we could find her."

"Yes, I would like to confirm if she is alive." Winter said as she rose from her seat.

"Right, first let me finish this mug." He said before drinking up the last amounts of hot chocolate in his mug. "Ah, a good warm drink on a cold weather."

Suddenly, Winter and Durante looked towards the north of the camp to see a bright light rise from the ground. It floated in the air as Durante's expression changed.

Winter looked up and observed the bright light in the distance. "I've never seen that before." She commented. "Captain Durante, do you know what that is?"

Durante rose from his seat and tightened his helmet. "Yeah, we got intruders."

Pyrrha brought in two crates of bottles and placed them on the table beside Captain Derby, who was sitting in his seat. "Thank you, young lady." He began. "I'll tell the boys you helped them out." Then he looked around Pyrrha as she turned around to see what he was looking for. "Edwards, what in the name of god are you doing?!" He demanded.

Pyrrha couldn't help herself, but smile at the thought of seeing Edwards drive in with his jeep as he was getting small containers filled with Hershey Bars. "Look Derby, I got to make a run to the civilians and the kids are kinda bored. So I decided to raid requisitions."

"You're doing this for the kids." The young officer nodded his head. "Did Monte put you up to this?"

Captain Edwards shrugged his hands. "Definitely no, Strudwick put him on probation so I doubt he'll be stealing anything from..." He trailed off as he looked up at the sky.

Confused by this reaction, Pyrrha looked around to see the soldiers stop in their work of the houses before they turned their gazes towards the small light in the sky. Then she looked back to Derby who rose from his seat and his gaze aimed at the flare off in the distance. "Excuse me, but why are you guys looking at that?"

"Everyone, get to your fighting positions! Now!" Edwards screamed out to the top of his lungs.

Then Pyrrha looked to Derby bring himself back to reality as he begun to point at the men. "Dog Company, get on those fifties!" He ordered before grabbing the gun beside his chair.

Concerned, Pyrrha looked to see the soldiers scramble for their weapons before she asked. "Captain Derby, what is going on?"

"The camp is under attack." He said calmly as he cocked his weapon. "Get to those townspeople and get them the hell out of here. We're going to fight."

The sirens were blaring as Colonel Strudwick stormed out of his command tent with General Ironwood behind him. He looked around to see both the British and the American soldiers scrambling to their weapons and equipment as Captain Argall walked up to him. "Colonel, recon elements of 3rd Battalion have informed me the Grimm are moving in from the north."

The colonel acknowledged this report with ease. "Good word lad, inform Major Blackmore that I need his expertise in this fight. We can't hold them without his men."

"Yes sir." Replied Argall. "But what about the civilians if the defenses are breached?"

"Captain, organize a detachment to escort them through the portal and inform the garrison to mobilize a defense if necessary. I'll inform Doctor Sauer about this matter, understood?"

"Yes sir." The captain said before turning away from his commanding officer.

General Ironwood made his comment. "Colonel, I'll see if I can provide sufficient report with my men. I have an airship which may assist your men in repelling the Grimm and any flying Grimm."

Strudwick turned over to Ironwood. "That would be good." Then he looked to the skies. "But you will have to stay in the radio tent, to inform them where to shoot and I'll inform the lads behind the Bofors to avoid friendly fire."

"I understood, but why do you need to tell Doctor Sauer?" He asked. "We can handle this."

"I know, but he might know what might caused this."

"Man your stations!" Captain Durante shouted to the top of his lungs as he stood behind the defensive positions and started pointing out towards the notable places. More than a dozen of soldiers had ran past him. "Get those men onto those fifties, fill those fighting positions!" He ordered while his Thompson was slung over his shoulder. The NCOs relayed the orders to the men under his command while a fellow officer joined him. "Derby, it's good to see you here. What's going on?"

The older man loaded his Grease gun as he observed his assault engineers join the Rangers in the defense. "I'm bringing in the anti-tank guns for good measure. We're going to need them."

Durante nudged his head over to the large anti-tank gun placed on his left side. "Don't worry, Major Blackmore and his men are going to man those 17-pounders. We're also going to see a forty mil up close and personal."

"Still, we're going to need all the support we can get while we're at it." Replied the older veteran.

The engines roared behind the two officers as they both turned around to see a Sherman driving towards them. "Captain Durante, Captain Derby!" The tank driver saluted them both as his tank rolled up behind the trenches and the fox holes. "Captain Edwards decided I was good enough to be brought up here."

Monte returned the salute. "Okay, when things get tough you're going to have to change positions with other tanks while you're at it. Its good to see you again, Stefano."

The men immediately slipped into their frozen defenses while the gun crews dragged their weapons through the snow. Immediately, the British gun crews charged in with various elements coming in to support the frontline trenches. When the trenches were filled with men and their weapons, the rest of the men pouring in had taken their positions behind the wall of sandbags behind the trenches. Behind that layer of defenses, fox holes known as fighting positions had been filled while the gunners loaded their ammo in and cocked the machine gun to be ready. Then trucks had begun to drive behind the anti-tank guns before the gun crews dismounted and mounted their Bofor guns while the ammunition was being passed out and placed into the quick-firing cannons.

One more person came over and stood beside the two captains. "Captain Durante, do you easily believe that you can hold the Grimm back?"

Looking over his shoulder, Monte saw Winter step forward with her sword out. "Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders. "But since you're here you might be able to help us out."

"I plan to." The specialist replied.

Then Derby leaned his head into Monte's ear. "Who is the lady?"

"My name is Specialist Schnee. Remember that."

"Sorry, I'm getting old. I might not remember that." Derby said with a chuckle.

"Captain, do you know when the Grimm are coming?"

Monte cocked his Thompson. "They're coming, that's for sure."

"Guessing where the enemy is located is not a professional way in Atlas." Stated Winter.

"Trust me, they are already here." The thunder of explosions erupted as Winter took notice of the flying snow in the air. "Ranger your targets, they're coming."

On the other side of the open ground, there was a treeline filled with dense bushes and branches in the way. However, the ground shook while the soldiers looked down through their sights. Everyone waited until they saw a large black figure smash through the tree lines. The black-colored skin was enough to identify the monster coming their way while wolf-like and bear-like creatures closed the distance before they were met with explosions from beneath the snow.

Winter assessed the monsters coming their way as she identified what kind of Grimm she was facing. "Bewolf packs, ursas, and a Goliath." She whispered to herself. "This shouldn't be too much."

Then she heard Captain Durante scream to the top of his lungs. "Anti-tank guns, fire!" The gun crews fired as high-velocity shells screamed over the distance and into the sea of darkness coming from the north. "Everyone, stand your ground."