AN: If you want to know how I write my chapters, I do it while listening to the ambience of the railway. For example, this chapter was written while listening to an Elizabeth Line video. The Elizabeth Line is actually the inspiration for one of the lines I will write into Remnant in this FF. If you want to listen along as you read, I can't post links but search "Full Journey On The Elizabeth Line From Heathrow Terminal 5 to Abbey Wood" on YouTube and you'll find it. It's not my video.

Anyway, on with Chapter 1.

Chapter 1

On a Steel Breeze

Desmond Quicksilver did not cause the accident. Desmond did not expect the pedestrian to suddenly step out in front of his bus. Desmond was a safe driver. A good driver. That didn't stop him from feeling sick to his stomach, as the blond-haired boy was wheeled into the back of an ambulance that then went screaming off towards the Vale General Hospital. That didn't stop the police from detaining him on suspicion of injury by dangerous driving. And now, as he sat in the interrogation room, he thought. It was all he could do, with his hands cuffed behind him, sat in a chair alone in a grey concrete box. He thought about how deathly pale that kid - for he couldn't have been much over seventeen - had been, lying on that stretcher in a full-body brace. He thought about how many people in Vale every day were put in the same situation as him. He thought about how many parents had had the police knock on their door, and deliver awful news. How many people never saw a loved one again.

Desmond Quicksilver hadn't become a bus driver by 20 by sitting on his hands. He was a man of action over words. And so Desmond Quicksilver, sat alone in that interrogation room not knowing what would happen next, resolved to do something about it. There had to be a better way of getting people across Vale than expecting them to put themselves into debt to buy a car, or lose their job by relying on Vale's ancient fleet of buses traversing their creaking, groaning bus network. If it didn't exist yet, he would force it into existence screaming and kicking.

Desmond couldn't believe his luck. As the doors of the police station slid smoothly shut behind him, the evening sun warm on his face, he reflected on what had led to his sudden release.

'I'm... I don' rightly know where to begin, to be 'onest. One moment I'm jus' drivin' down Main Street, bi' of a quiet day so there ain' many passengers on, 'n I see this blonde guy in a hoodie walkin' down the pavement, yeah? 'e got to a crossing but I was so close to 'im tha' I though' he'd wait for me, cos there was no way on Remnan' I wus stoppin' my bus in two metres, but 'e jus' stepped righ' out in front o' me. I couldn' stop, if I swerved I mighta overturned the bus or rammed a car, so I jus' stood on the brakes and prayed to Oum, you get me? Now o'course I didn' stop in time, so nex' I know there's this almigh'y thump and the bus jolted. 'e's lucky 'e didn't go under the bloody wheels, yeah, cos there's no way on Remnan' 'e'd 'ave walked away from tha' with 'is life.'

'Right, okay, lad.' answered the police officer slowly. His name tag read Officer Smith. 'So you're saying he just walked out in front of you, and you couldn't stop in time, yeah? That simple? He didn't seem suicidal or anything?'

'Na, man. 'e didn' seem nuffin like tha', I've seen my fair share of suicidal people and they always watch the bus come, yeah? Psh-psh-pshhhyching themselves up fer it or summat. Takes a great deal o' willpower to throw yersel' under a bus like tha' and he didn' seem nowt like i'. It were more like 'e just didn' know I were there. Guy didn' look once.'

'So what you're saying is he just didn't notice you coming, and just stepped out in front of you without looking, yeah? Well, if your dashcam footage corroborates that story you'll probably be released. Sit tight, lad.'

'Sound.'

'Oh - and one last question. Are you alright with us sharing this testimony with Beacon Academy? It was one of their students you hit.'

'You sure, mate? 'e didn' seem like 'e 'ad Aura or nuffin. I saw a driver hit a girl wi' Aura las' year at the bus station, an' the bus jus' kinda stopped dead. Girl wit bunny ears or summat, I'm sure you 'ave it in your case files somewhere.

'Yeah, we're sure. If what you say is true then I don't know why he had no Aura, but rest assured we'll look into it. Please answer the question.'

'O, sorry - yeah, sure, mate, no' a problem.'

'Thank you. A colleague of mine will be back shortly to escort you to your cell.'

In the end, he'd waited almost another hour before an officer had entered the room, uncuffed him, and given him his coat and pistol back. He'd promptly been free to go, and very confused.

'*ahem*. Hello there.'

He jumped, roused from his musings. Turning towards the source of the sound, he saw a man in a black waistcoat with a dark green vest and light green shirt, as well as dark green trousers, sporting shaded glass spectacles and a purple cross-shaped pin on a cowl around his neck. He recognised the signature silver hair and brown eyes instantly. This was Professor Oswald Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.

''Ello there, mate. Wha' can I do fer you?'

'You can start by dropping the act. I know who you are. I know how long you've been here. Both myself and Vale's council knew who you were as soon as you gave your real name to the police. Not a smart move.'

Desmond's heart sank. The game was up. 'And you're here to take me back into custody and hand me to Atlas on a silver platter, is that it?' he snapped.

Ozpin simply raised an eyebrow. 'No,' he replied mildly, 'in fact I am not. James Ironwood and I respect each other, and agree on a great many things. Your status as a wanted man is not among them. An hour ago, the Vale Greater Area Council received an extradition request for you from the Atlesian authorities. I pressured them to deny it. As of twenty minutes ago, they have done so. Understand this was partially my influence, and mostly me pointing out that this would be an excellent way to stick it to Atlas without risking sanctions. Their extradition request was... vague, shall we say.'

It said almost nothing, didn't it? Desmond realised. Instead, however, he simply said "Oh... That's surprising, considering how long the list of crimes they claim I have perpetrated is.'

'Indeed. In fact, they seem to have no evidence at all. Instead, you will receive full Valean citizenship, with all the caveats and perks that entails. You will receive a passport and formal citizenship letter in a few days, along with your new and valid Kingdom Insurance number. I would imagine you'll also receive a letter from VRC about several thousand Lien worth of back taxes.'

'Hmmm... I don't have that sort of money.'

'I can imagine. There may, however, be a way to get out of that.'

'I'm listening.'

'Build Vale a railway line.'

'I - wh-wha? Good joke, mate.'

Ozpin wasn't smiling. 'I'm not joking. We'll put you in charge of a politically independent body, give you all the money you need, and in return you will wear a tracking collar at all times, and build us a railway network.'

'Why me? Why now?'

'Vale's council have been dragging their feet on this for a long time. The SDC make great profits off the automotive industry, providing fuel and parts, and make... shall we say, "political donations" to the politicians who don't endanger the Valean cash cow. However, you just almost killed one of my students in a traffic accident today. He is safe and well, thankfully, but as you said yourself in your interview had he gone beneath your wheels he would not have survived. Put simply, I pretty much forced the Vale City Council to accept a single railway line, running from Beacon to wherever you'd like, through the city centre. I am hoping that you, as a bus driver, will know where people in this city most often wish to go, and can design a line accordingly.'

'I - yes, but -'

'No buts, Mister Quicksilver. It's this or jail. You hit a huntsman-in-training with a bus. We are naturally protective of them, and we come down on their side even if they were in the wrong simply because we don't have enough of them as it is.'

'I see,' said Desmond bitterly. 'Agree or be forced, yes? You are aware this is basically blackmail?'

'Blackmail it may be, but right now I have no choice.' Ozpin sighed, and suddenly looked several decades older. 'I already told the council you'd accept this, but they can still revoke the deal if you don't. I had to put my political credibility on the line for this. For your own sake, and mine, accept. There will be no consequences if the project fails. You're only 20, no one will blame you, but at least you tried.'

'How will I get paid? If I'm not getting paid I can't eat, sleep out of the rain, or really live. Also, a tracking collar? Really? I'm a Faunus,' and here he wiggled his Atlesian Husky ears and tail for emphasis 'so that really won't look good. I'd recommend an anklet.'

'You will be paid an allowance of a thousand Lien a month, to come out of Beacon's finances -'

'A thousand? That won't even cover rent in this infernal city, let alone utilities, Dust or food! I'll starve and freeze!'

'I hadn't finished. As I was saying, a thousand Lien a month. You will be housed in Beacon Academy and will have a food allowance as well. If you run out of said allowance, you may eat with the students in the cafeteria. This thousand is purely for yourself. A sweetener, if you will. I will see what I can do about the collar, but you'll have to wear it for now. I will remove the SDC logo if you wish.'

'Don't.' grinned Desmond, feeling suddenly gleeful. 'If I have to wear it, I want everyone to see what the SDC does to Faunus. Maybe that'll entice more people to find an alternative supplier.'

Ozpin tried to keep his face neutral, but Desmond saw the slight twitch upwards in one corner of his mouth. 'Very well. The collar will partially deactivate while on Beacon's grounds, only pinging its location and your vital signs once every thirty minutes. This gives you thirty-ish minutes to take it off and have a shower, before it pings and sets off alarms. You will accept?'

'I'll accept.'

Ozpin relaxed, letting tension go that Desmond hadn't even noticed. Difference between Huntsman and civilian material, I suppose. 'Very good. Bare your neck please.'

Desmond did so, the sensation of a cold tight-fitting metal collar bracing around his neck terrifyingly alien. He felt little prongs poke against his skin, and the collar clicked shut.

'Is this thing electric?'

Ozpin suddenly looked very, very concerned. 'It shouldn't be. It was provided by Atlas, as we don't have collars. They insisted, or they'd make Vale's life... difficult. They assured us it wouldn't be a shock collar.'

'I can feel little metal prongs poking at my neck. It's... distinctly uncomfortable.'

'James,' groaned Ozpin, 'what have you done? I am so sorry, I can't remove it now. It will have to wait until we get to Beacon. Follow me, please. We've already taken the liberty of moving your personal possessions to your new home.'

'Like a tethered animal,' muttered Desmond, as he turned and followed Ozpin down the street.

AN: There will be trains. Soon. I promise.