(A/N) What's up guys, this is NicKenny, totally not trying to rip off Geoff's intro to Fails of the Weak, with a new update for you. I know that this one is coming late, it was supposed to be up last night, but was delayed because StormBlue wanted to make some last minute adjustments to it, and I think it's paid off. A pretty nice little chapter right here, from North's POV, and another to come early tomorrow, and another late tomorrow.

Also, Volume Two of RWBY starts tonight! Who's stoked for it, 'cos I sure am!

Enjoy!

Chapter Sixty-Three – Things Fall Apart

Agent North Dakota

Written by StormBlue

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity."

– William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming.

It felt like it was happening all over again.

The only difference between now and then was that the first time things had fallen apart, it had come with little to no warning. Now, North could practically feel every rift, every crack as it was formed between the Freelancers, driving them apart. How could they even try to be a team when it seemed most of them couldn't even stand the sight of each other? If they kept coming to blows like this?

Tensions had been high for a while, North had to admit. In fact, things hadn't been calm for a long time now, and something had finally just snapped. He could understand the frustration, the anger even, but Cal and Georgia had come close to killing each other, which wasn't something he could excuse personally. Not when they were still a team. Training matches were a good way to work off steam, but in North's mind, they had gone too far. Had the Director not sanctioned it himself, he would have intervened before either of them could have gotten hurt.

Maybe he should have intervened anyway.

Hope was always important to North, ever since he was a kid. Hope that things would turn out okay, that, eventually, they would get better. Sometimes it was only a method of surviving the day, a way not to just give up then and there. Coming back into the project, seeing the recruits, North had held plenty of hope that things would come back together again.

Maybe he was just a hopeless optimist.

No matter how much he strove to hold things together between his friends, to diffuse tempers and remind them all of the real enemies, it made little difference. No one could relax in this sort of environment. If this lasted much longer, everything, everything, would fall apart completely. It had been too long since they had gained any headway against the Crimson Sun, and it was certainly taking its toll on him and the other Freelancers.

"Someone call the press!" a voice yelled, startling North out of his thoughts. "North Dakota is, for once, not freakishly calm and happy with the world!"

York was standing behind him, a teasing grin on his face, but even North could see that the happiness on his friend's face didn't reach all the way up to his eyes. The stress was affecting him, as well. He offered his own smile in return as York walked up next to him.

"Sure, I like to keep the atmosphere light by making jokes and all, but honestly, I don't even know how you do it," York sighed, gazing out of the only window in the room. Beyond the thick, space-grade glass was open space. No planets were visible from this angle, and stars could be seen burning light-years away, but between them was just emptiness.

North sent him an inquisitive glance. "Do what?"

"Be you," York replied. "Be patient, and forgiving, and optimistic all the time. Must be all that time around South," he joked.

"South really isn't as bad as you all make her out to be. She just doesn't show her affectionate side very often," North protested. He attempted another smile, but it came out as a grimace this time. "But still, everyone has their limits."

"Ah, ain't that right," another voice joined theirs, and Florida came sauntering up to them, with Virginia close behind him. "And if there are any of us who hadn't reached those limits before, we certainly are now."

North sent the blue agent a worried glance, studying his face. He didn't remember ever seeing Florida looking so old and tired before. Even when he was wounded, there was usually an innate friendliness to him that made everyone around him feel a little lighter. Now, however, there were shadows underneath his eyes, and nightmares in their depths.

Florida continued. "And I'm sure it'll be a while before things get better. While the universe might be a safer place once the Crimson Sun finally gets taken care of, there's still the other rebellions, other Insurgents, the Covenant…it seems humanity is just one great big war nowadays."

"Whoa there, old man. One problem at a time," York's voice was light, though the topic was just about the most depressing one that they could have settled on. "We're not superheroes, we can't fix everything all at once."

"You know there's something wrong when three of the most cheerful agents on board are brooding," Virginia said quietly, and Florida gave her a half-hearted smile in response, before looking away..

York shook his head. "No, you know there's something wrong when Utah all but hulks-out on someone. I swear, I was sure that kid was nothing but a giant teddy bear."

"And then there was that time he lifted a tank," North pointed out, a wry smile finding its way onto his face. "Now, that was something..."

Virginia heaved a sigh, the breath whistling between her lips. "But still, at this rate, Ark and his bunch have already won. We're certainly not going to get anywhere in this state."

"Ya know, we just need something to pull everyone back together. Even just a small victory would renew everyone's energy," Florida mused. "But until then, we're going to have to do the best we can."

"You can't expect to keep everyone together by yourself. There's only so much you can do; the rest is up to them. The others are just going to have to decide for themselves that fighting each other isn't worth is, and focus their energy on something more productive." Virginia turned away from the view of space, her eyes on the older freelancer. "Are you doing alright, Florida?"

He looked at her, managing to fit a smile onto his face. "I'll be alright, don't you worry. Just haven't been sleeping well, is all."

If there was anything more to it than that, he didn't say, though North wouldn't have been surprised if there was. He too was tired; the stress was clearly getting to him, however much he tried to avoid it.

"Looks like you could use some cheering up," York replied, growing serious. "Hell, we all could. How about watching a Grifball game together? There's one on in about an hour. Slipspace versus Maverick, should be a good one. We could turn on the big screen, sneak in a few beers...what do you say?"

"We should get Killian to come, or maybe that technician guy," North agreed, the idea sounding rather appealing.

Florida shook his head and started walking away, stretching his arms out as he did. "No thanks. I can never keep up with that sport, everyone moving so fast and beating on each other. You boys go ahead and enjoy yourselves."

York raised an eyebrow at the comment. "You do realize that's what we do in the field?"

"It's different there. There, it's a matter of life and death, of protecting innocent people and punishing the wicked. In sports, they do it because it's fun. Although, no one really gets hurt, so it's not like I can judge."

He was interrupted by the intercom.

"Attention all Freelancers, please report to the briefing room," F.I.L.S.S.'s voice echoed through the MoI.

York turned to him, confusion clear on his face. "All Freelancers?"

North only shrugged, unsure of what that could mean. Usually getting called to the briefing room meant there was a mission, or possibly a training session, but those rarely required everyone. In light of recent events, did the Director plan to warn them against any grudge matches going too far?

They left immediately, all knowing how the Director disliked waiting, and were some of the first to arrive, having been close to the briefing room in the first place. The stood in a line, backs straight and arms to their sides. The Counselor gave them a slight nod to acknowledge their presence, though the Director kept his back turned to them, looking at something on a data-pad. Behind him, the leaderboard shone brightly.

The others started filing in, either alone or in groups. Jersey had strode in with Kent at her heels, trying to get her to listen to something he was saying, but a sharp glance from the Director cut him off. Utah was looking a bit more sombre than usual, and South's movements were filled with quietly simmering anger. North caught her eye for a second before she looked away, staring straight ahead.

Al and Maine were silent when they walked in, not heeding any of their companions, while Nev and West were more subdued than he had gotten used to. Connie acted more like her usual quiet self, though she shot everyone glances from underneath her bangs. Carolina didn't look at anyone when she entered, but wore a scowl on her face.

Wyoming appeared to be more relaxed, but North could tell that his muscles were tense, and 'Rado was waiting impatiently for whatever the Director had to say. Nebraska was quietly observant, a strange expression on his face, and finally Sota came into the room. He looked tired and frustrated, and just shook his head and joined the line, followed eventually by Cal. Everyone in the room was staring at him, and he stood apart from the rest of them, watching them warily.

Georgia, of course, didn't come, having been recalled to the med bay after tearing a bunch of his stitches moving junk in his room. North knew that the other Freelancer's work meant everything to him, but surely he had the self-control to stay away and rest for a day or two. Apparently not, though, as Utah had found him in his room, bleeding through his bandages, and carried him back to the med bay.

Looking at the group of assembled freelancers, the gaps between them were clear. It seemed most everyone was divided, for some reason or another. All attention snapped to the Director the moment he turned his gaze upon them, but his eyes were unfocused, gazing at a point behind them. "Initiate the changes," he ordered.

So, a change in the rankings was the reason why they were summoned. The names on the leaderboard lit up and three of the six names shifted. Virginia had moved down a couple spaces, while North and South had both moved up. He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of pride at how far he and his twin had gotten, though that pride was mostly aimed at his sister. She glanced at him, and her expression was unreadable.

"As I am sure you know by now, the full board can be viewed from your data-pads and from a handful other locations in the ship. As it stands, the six places behind me are all that matters. The rest is simply to let you know your place. That is all," the Director drawled, giving them one last look before returning to his previous work.

Wyoming appeared pleased with himself for remaining in the top three, while Carolina simply nodded and turned away. York moved to follow her, and North looked over at Virginia. She appeared a little disappointed to have gone down, but she turned to him nonetheless.

"Congratulations on your position," she said softly, and if North wasn't mistaken, there was a slight blush on her cheeks.

However, he didn't think anything of it and nodded in thanks, as his mind was already on his sister. He looked away from Virginia to find South again, but she had already left, and he frowned, thrown off by his twin's actions. Pretty much everyone else was leaving as well, in search for a place to view the rest of the board, probably either to the rec room, or to the privacy of their own rooms where they wouldn't have to worry about showing their true feelings in regards to the leaderboard.

Sighing, North followed. It was likely South didn't want to talk to him then, though he wasn't sure as to why. She would be happy to have gone up a rank, but surely she wasn't bitter for him still being higher than her? Or maybe she was upset about the recent match. If she wanted to be alone, North would comply. Some time in the rec room to take his mind off of things might to him good, and, indeed, that was where about half of the Freelancers appeared to be headed, the other half either not interested in viewing the results, or going to look in private.

The rankings were still lit up on the wall like a beacon, shining out for those who were on top and mocking those who had the misfortune to fins themselves on the bottom.

1: Carolina

2: York

3: Wyoming

4: North

5: South

6: Virginia

7: Alaska

8: California

9: Florida

10: Maine

11: New Jersey

12: Minnesota

13: Colorado

14: Georgia

15: Utah

16: Nebraska

17: West

18: Connecticut

19: Nevada

20: Kentucky

Murmurs of surprise, anger, and disappointment erupted from the group, depending on who was speaking. Colorado had moved up one, but that didn't satisfy her, and she swept out of the room, muttering about heading to the gym.

West simply shrugged. "Could be worse."

Kent clapped Utah on the back. "Looks like you're moving up in the world," he said with a smile, not even caring that he was at the bottom. North smiled, glad that Kent, at least, wasn't letting the board get to him. The small demoman cared about only three things, and those were explosions, New Jersey, and explosions.

Neb's spot on the board remained the same, though he wasn't even looking at the board, but keenly watched everyone else. North stared at him for a moment, his head cocked slightly to the side, but then Florida put a hand on North's shoulder.

"I'm going to head out now. See how Georgia's doin' and let him know about the rankings, if he cares. He's never been too interested in those anyway, kid's always been more focused on his work."

North turned slightly and nodded back to the older freelancer. "Hey, tell him I'll come see him in a while, after I check in on South. Hell, maybe I'll get her to come with me."

"I will," Florida promised, nodding in confirmation and walked out, his boots clicking on the floor as he went, and North watched him go with sad smile, feeling slightly envious of the other agent. At least not everyone was divided.

Now, time to find that sister of his.