Kind of nervously looking forward to trying to write a full novel in November. I've come up with a basic plan for it, which I'm told is totally fine – you can plan before Nanowrimo, but not start writing. Still, it's only a couple of days away. Scary, but exciting.
Cover Art: Mysterywhiteflame
Chapter 5
There had been a lot of strategies, tactics and knowledge to be found in the libraries of Atlas, and once they put their heads together with other teams a lot of that became easier to find. Their study group had sifted through hundreds of pages of applicable and inapplicable articles, but the one that stood most keenly in Jaune's head was: no plan survives contact with the enemy. He'd heard it before of course, it being one of those gems of wisdom that spread beyond its military origins and became an everyday saying.
It was a lot more real now that they were being shipped out by Bullhead again to the testing site. His team were tense, Flynt and Neon anxiously silent, while Penny was unsure what to do or say to break the silence, and so had defaulted to the same. They were each being shuttled in their own aircraft, possibly to let them plan but also, he thought, to make them panic. Or maybe he was overthinking it and they just wanted to simulate a real mission, which probably would have them as a team alone in a Bullhead. It was the same result either way.
No plan survives contact with the enemy, thought Jaune. Did that mean it was pointless to make a plan because it would inevitably go wrong? That didn't feel like the right idea, especially not when a fractured plan was still better than no plan at all. It was just that he couldn't expect it to last and should expect things to go wrong. That went double for them being rookies and less used to working together and dealing with hostile situations. The upper-year teams, of which they'd be facing two, were better in every regard.
"I think we should give up on all four of us escaping," said Jaune. He expected complaints, protests or boasts, but all he received were nods. It looked like they'd come to the same conclusion. "We'll focus instead on trying to get two out."
"That'll be hard enough with two teams against us," said Flynt. "One team should be able to handle us if it comes to a fight. We'll have to avoid that."
"Neon is the fastest," said Jaune. "I think she has to be one of the two who tries to break through. The question is, who is the other? It isn't me."
"I'm quick but don't have any advantages like Neon does," said Flynt.
"I am slower," said Penny. "And my fighting style involves me deploying my weapons first. I should be on the delaying team."
He nodded, trusting Penny to know her limits better than he did. Flynt inclined his head as well, not thrilled about having the pressure on him, but accepting it all the same. "I can use my Semblance to make some illusions to cover my and Neon's escapes. I'm not sure how effective they'll be, but any surprise is good. Do you reckon they'll be told our abilities?"
"That'd be way too unfair," said Neon. "They're already older than us and they outnumber us. Anything more would be ridiculous."
"We'll assume they don't," said Jaune. "Which means you should probably keep quiet on your Semblance, Flynt. They'll adapt quickly and figure out what it does if we give them a chance. Surprise is pretty much our only advantage here. "Surprise and our ability to pick a fight. It is we who decide when and where we do battle."
"Is it?" asked Flynt.
"I did some reading." That was an understatement, and they knew that. They'd all been buried in books preparing for this. "We found more tactics on storming a building than breaking out of one, probably because Atlas usually has the advantage in those situations. One of the things it covered was the danger of those inside trying to break out while you're setting up."
Jaune activated his scroll and the special hardware Atlas had installed into it. They were more hi-tech than most Kingdom's, and beyond what was available on the market. He was able to not only bring up a holographic display, but have it show above theirs as well. It was a simple house – not at all the one they were going to, but a decent stand-in for one.
"Assuming this house is on its own, we can break out in any direction. They know that, so they must set up a wide perimeter." He tapped a button and made four red dots appear on the cardinal directions around the building. He sounded confident and knowledgeable, but he was just regurgitating what he'd heard others say in their study sessions. "At best they have two people at each of these, which means when we break out and attack one point, we will technically outnumber them two to one."
"Until reinforcements come," said Flynt, catching the problem. "We take our time, or they have any Semblances that involve speed or redeployment, and they'll be on us faster than we can react. I see your point, though. Better we pick the battle than them."
"When do we pick it?" asked Neon. "We could try and break out straight away, but I expect the teachers will give them some time to set up, or it'd be too easy." She stuck her tongue out her lips and rolled it from one side of her mouth to the other. "We could wait for them to start the assault and hope they over-commit."
"That will put the breaching team closer to us," warned Penny. She moved her own fingers, and the four red dots remained but now another four appeared inside the house. "If we break out and run-" A blue arrow appeared showing their path to the north, "-then not only will the other teams react, but those who were inside the house with us will be closer than before." The four dots in the house followed and landed on the four green dots representing them.
"If those in the house are kept distracted, though…" said Flynt.
"With what? We can't lower our combat strength or the team we send out will be beaten by those waiting to catch us. I doubt any one of us can properly distract a team of four older students either."
"It'll be a team that breaches and another that guards the perimeter." said Jaune. "That's what Ciel thinks. An assault requires a lot of teamwork, so them mixing up the teams is a bad idea. Those sent in will be used to working together, and those waiting outside will be as well. Communication between them might not be so hot though."
"Might not be," said Neon cautiously. "It might be good or even great."
"This is so scuffed," complained Flynt. "Four newbies against eight veterans is a joke."
It was, and everyone in the study group had pretty much agreed. Ciel was of the opinion that it was designed that way to teach humility and stamp out any lingering hubris from initiation. Sort of a hazing thing where they were beaten down to nothing, then built back up again with proper discipline and proper understanding of why training in their own time was so important. It sounded just harsh enough to be accurate. Atlas probably didn't expect many teams, if any, to actually succeed at this.
"We have our basic plan," said Jaune. "We're going to break out and rush the weakest escape route. Four on two." He tapped the hologram and made it shrink back and disappear into the scroll, then stored it away. "And Neon and Flynt are the ones who will try and break through while Penny and I get our butts kicked. Win or lose, we give it our best and treat this as a learning experience. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Yeah, yeah."
"That is a wonderful idea, Jaune."
"At least we can say we tried our hardest," said Flynt. "I've already seen a few teams falling to pieces over how some of their members were lazy, or how some didn't put the effort in." He leaned back as the Bullhead began to descend. "At least we get to skip that nonsense."
"Win or lose as a team." said Neon. "But let's win. I will die before I give my posh, futuristic pod up for a basic army bunkbed. I will die!"
/-/
It was cold and late evening and as Jaune and his team came down the ramp he could see that more than a few others were subscribing to the same philosophy Neon had. They were grim and hard, looking like soldiers about to go on a suicide mission and fully intending to kill as many people as they could on the way. Winter Schnee was there of course, looking far too amused, but in a professional "I am not amused; it's your imagination" kind of way. There was no mistaking the tiny curl to one edge of her lips however, even as she waited for them all to array themselves.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." Winter waited for their salutes, then nodded. "At ease. You are here today for your first appraisal. You know the rules, but I shall reiterate them for the sake of clarity." More like the sake of raising the stakes. "You will be planted in a building and tasked with enduring and escaping to an extraction point. To make that easier on you this time, the extraction point is anywhere more than one hundred metres from the house, in any direction, and it will be marked with a holographic line. Should two people cross this, you will keep your private dorms. Should four cross, you will receive the additional prize and an all-expenses paid trip to the best spa resort in Atlas."
Talking about a spa in cold weather like this. What cruelty. Jaune heard Neon's longing whimper and couldn't help but imagine submersing himself in a hot natural spring as well. Winter Schnee truly was a monster.
"Any less than two and you will be temporarily relegated to basic forms and facilities, including bunk beds." Jaune flinched. "Public restrooms." Someone groaned. "And communal showering facilities." There were several complaining sounds at that, which Winter dutifully ignored. "Let this serve as adequate motivation to do well. Here in Atlas, we understand that an A on a report card isn't really all that satisfying. Stop complaining now…" Her smile dropped and she fixed them with stern looks until they were all silent. "If this were any other school then the bunks you currently enjoy would not even be an option. We stretch our budget to give you luxury, but you must prove to us that you deserve it. The other teams out here will be fighting for the same rewards, so remember that victory for you means depriving two other teams of their own chances."
Jaune wasn't sure anyone would care, and he certainly didn't. He could feel bad later, preferably reclined in his pod with the under-mattress heaters bringing it to a lovely toasty temperature, as the sounds of ocean waves lapping on a beach lulled him to sleep.
"Now. Do we have any volunteers to go first?"
Jaune was not the only one to stick his hand up, but he did notice that among those who did were majority the people sharing their study group. They had all prepared as best they could, and while there was some sound logic in going last and seeing what worked and what didn't work, he wasn't sure it was worth the loss in morale of seeing team after team being defeated. General Ironwood had already drilled into him and the other leaders just how hard it was to regain a team's morale when it started to waver, and he didn't think he could go in confident if he saw better teams be beaten down. Besides, what worked for one team might not for another, and their enemies would be watching and learning from this as well. Better they have the chance to enact their plan before someone else did and clued the older teams in.
"Mr Arc." Winter pointed, and Jaune fist pumped. His team did not. "And Team…?"
"Jackpot," said Jaune. "Team JCKP. We've decided on jackpot, ma'am."
"Gambling?" Winter Schnee didn't sound bothered, and even offered them a tight smile. "It's an old custom in the military to favour gambling terms, though no one is sure where it came from. Very well. Let us see if you can draw your lucky card today." She pointed to a lonely, two-floor house set in the middle of a very empty field. "Enter the building. You will have fifteen minutes to prepare, and a horn shall sound the test commencing. You may do whatever you like to the building in that time, but you may not destroy or weaken its foundations. The home is empty, and constructed for this test, so do not worry about lasting damage. Your fifteen minutes start-" Jaune cursed and began to jog, with his team rushing behind him. Winter let them go. "Now!"
/-/
The house was a shell, which was to say it was constructed primarily of wood, but that there was no plaster, no furniture and no piping or electrical cables anywhere. It was like one of those things you saw in police shows where a team would practice, and pop-up cardboard figures of bad guys would flip up for them to shoot. It made sense given how many people would be fighting in it before the night was done. Jaune would be surprised if, despite Winter's warnings, the place was still standing come morning.
"Top floor," said Jaune, taking to the staircase with his team fast behind him. "Everyone pick a side of the house and find a window to look out of. No lights, and make sure we're not seen. Stay in communication."
"I'll take the dark side," called Neon. "Faunus night vision."
Jaune took to the north side, looking back to where the other people were waiting. The house was pretty much a square box, so they could see every direction. He opened a group call and strapped his scroll to his chest, close enough to his mouth to talk into. "We'll have to pick a direction and commit to it. We can't spend time arguing or stop to make sure it's the best one."
"What are we looking for?" asked Flynt.
"An opening. I don't know. Any weakness you can spot. I'm not sure how we're going to be able to tell, but maybe whichever angle looks like it's guarded by the easiest people."
"Look at their weapons," said Neon. "We'll have no idea what Semblances they have, or who is good and who isn't, but someone with ranged weapons is probably going to be easier to get by as long as our aura is up. We can just tank the shots and keep running. Melee is the problem because we'll be bogged down and they can trip us."
It was more than he had, and one of the lessons he'd been taught in leadership classes was that sometimes your team knew better, and that a leader didn't need to come up with every idea. They just had to make sure everyone else followed it.
"We go with Neon's plan."
"Aye."
"Yes Jaune."
"What about my point earlier?" asked Flynt. "Do we go straight away while they're getting ready to breach, or do we let them start the assault and hope they get stuck in the house?"
"I don't know." It hurt to admit it, but he didn't have time to waste finding a better way not to. "Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm open to ideas."
"Flynt's plan would work best if we had some way of ensuring they cannot follow us quickly," said Penny. "Some trap to set up that would distract, incapacitate or slow them down. Without, they will pursue us immediately."
That was less an answer and more of a question, and he didn't know the answer. Traps would have been great, and he was punching himself for not thinking to bring any beforehand. They'd been too focused on coming up with a proper strategy to equip themselves. "Does anyone have any ideas for traps?"
"Not on short notice," said Neon. "I mean, we could use dust for an explosion?"
"Winter would have our heads," said Flynt. "Screw it. Let's just run before they can start."
"On the signal," said Jaune. "Until then we try and decide our direction. We just make a break for it when it begins. All four, no hesitation, Penny and I rush the defenders while Neon and Flynt run for their lives."
They all signalled their approval, and then it was just a waiting game. They watched silently as the two teams were chosen, perhaps by volunteering or by Winter. It was too dark and too far for Jaune to make out much more than silhouettes, and he cursed himself again for not thinking of bringing some binoculars. They'd have to have night vision, but surely Atlas could manage that. Neon didn't have any problem reporting on them though, and Penny seemed capable of spotting them as well, so her eyesight must have been a lot better than his.
The two teams were composed of one team of all boys and one of three girls and one boy, and they seemed, according to Neon, to be on good terms. There was much nodding and talkin between them – planning, obviously – and no obvious signs of disagreement or arguing that might imply friction. They were either used to working together or determined to put aside their feelings in favour of keeping their luxury bedrooms. Or reclaiming them if they had lost them before.
"It looks like the mixed team is going to be the ones storming us," reported Penny. "They are spreading out at eight points, not four like we thought."
"Four of them will break off when they assault us," said Flynt. "Do we pick a diagonal, or do we rush one point?"
"If we rush them early now then they get reinforcements even faster," said Neon. "It's going to be four on three, not four on two like we planned for."
Neon was right. By setting up at eight points, the attackers had created a much finer, but much more responsive net that could close faster than before. If they went north, then not only would north block their path, but north-east and north-west would quickly respond, and they could hold them down until east and west arrived, then the southern members.
"Change of plans," said Jaune. It was a gamble, but then their team was called Jackpot. "We go with the other idea; let them attack and see which points of the compass they weaken. We wait until they breach the front door to make our move." An idea came to him, out the blue. "Penny, you said your Semblance involves computer systems and signals, right?"
"Um. Yes. I did say that. That is accurate."
"Can you patch us into their comms?"
"You can do that!?" asked Neon, startled.
"I can try," stressed Penny. "It will depend on the firewall. One moment…"
It was a full minute of nervous silence before, with a brief flicker and a squeak of a signal connecting, they heard voices. Jaune kept perfectly quiet, unsure if they could hear them just as he could hear the other teams. They were discussing their plan.
"Team alpha will be breach and will go in. Two enter, two stay outside – be ready if the mice make a run for it. Everyone else stay loose and on your toes. Brian and Franklyn, I want you a little out of position. Give more room around Tyron and make it look like we've mucked it up. I want them to see him as the juiciest target. You okay with that, Ty?"
"Yes. I'll be able to bog them down no problem."
"Good. Cass, can your team breach from the north? I know the door isn't that way, but it'll be even more reason to spook them toward the south."
"Yeah, we can do that," said a feminine voice. "We'll go in the ground floor windows instead of the door. Hundred lien says they're hiding on the top floor anyway. Staircase is always where people hold."
"Because it's a bitch to get up, Cass," said another. "There's a good reason they hold it."
"Hey. Hey. Radio discipline. We go in ground floor and two of us take the stairs. If we find combat, then and only then do the other two enter. Otherwise, we prepare for them to jump ship and attack one of the flanks. Remember, close the net and prioritise three of them only. Let the fastest go. There's no point spreading ourselves thin. Don't be fooled by that spa visit – it's a bonus if we do well but aim for it and we'll spread ourselves too thin and lose everything."
The radio clicked off, and Penny said, "We have sixty seconds until the battle begins."
Damn. Jaune took a breath. "Okay, they've called us out pretty easily." He tried to keep the panic out his voice, but damn it, they'd guessed every plan they had. That wasn't good. "We know they're leaving the south side open on purpose and that it's a terrible idea to go that way. Must be a Semblance or something. North is a wash as well, because we'll be jumping out over the heads of two people, and they'll be on us before we hit the ground."
"West or east," said Flynt. "Pick now."
"West," said Neon. "The guy there has a gun. We go west."
There was really no time to deliberate. "On my signal!" said Jaune. "Meet there now."
The horn blared.
He held it his mouth, moving swiftly and hurriedly to the western side where Neon was already beside a window, her back to the wall and her eyes glinting in the dark. She looked tense, panicky and more than a little nervous. He was sure he looked no better, and Flynt didn't either as he came crawling in with his trumpet under his arm. Penny was last, ducking low and avoiding the window.
"Wait until they get to the staircase," whispered Jaune. "We'll make a distraction to make it look like a fight, then jump the window. All or nothing."
"Just the way I like it," joked Flynt.
It was hard to resist the urge to look and see what the enemy were doing, but if anyone spotted a head in a window then they'd move their forces. The only thing they could do now was wait, hope and trust that this would work. Boots sounded on wood downstairs, there being no window to smash but the wooden floor being all too audible to heavy duty combat boots. They heard voices, too quiet to make out the words, but no doubt ordering two forward. A few seconds later, a flashlight shone up the staircase and illuminated the upper floor.
Jaune grabbed his left glove, yanked it off and formed it into a ball, then leaned out and threw it down the stairs with a loud yell. "Fire in the hole!"
In the limited light, those downstairs reacted immediately. "GRENADE!"
Neon was first out the window and Flynt after her, and then Jaune was airborne before he could think twice, eyes wide and heart racing as the open air welcomed him and a dark grassy field rushed up to meet him. He heard, in a moment of clarity, shouting within the house, and he thought he saw, out the corner of one eye, a person climbing in the window, reacting to the breach team and believing the fight started. He saw nothing more because he hit the ground hard, rolling more because his legs gave way than by design, and then ended up on his feet, stumbling forward as Neon and Flynt burst ahead far faster than he ever could.
"WEST!" roared their pursuers. "WEST!"
"Go!" yelled Jaune. They already were, but he said it anyway, as Penny hit down behind him far louder than he would have expected. Dirt was thrown up around her and she had deployed her weapons, several blades floating in the air as green string, visible in the dark as glowing lines, connected them. "Penny with me!" He drew his sword, raised it and charged the man with the gun. "Rarghhh!"
The man ignored him and went for Flynt, accurately guessing Neon was all but uncatchable and letting her whoosh by. He skidded onto one knee, brought his rifle up and fired; the shot was loud, the muzzle flash bright, and rather than a bullet he shot out a beam of red light that impacted Flynt's left leg, mid-stride, and sent him rolling to the floor with a yell that was more alarmed than pained.
Crap, crap, crap. He and Penny weren't fast enough to present themselves as real threats. Flynt struggled to his feet, but the man brought his gun up again, only to roll to the side as Neon came back, spinning to bring her heel against his skull. He dodged by the faintest of margins, rolled away and cast a device out that Jaune was sure was actually a grenade. Neon kicked back, and let the blast drive her even further away, over to Flynt's side where she pulled him up by one arm over her shoulder and kept moving. Flynt was hopping.
"Penny!" shouted Jaune. "Keep the sniper busy – he has some kind of stun weapon."
"On it!"
Penny's knives flicked out and scored the man's weapon, diverting the next shot over Neon's shoulder. He cursed and turned to her, waving his hand for the others to pursue the two escapees. Jaune heard the breach team close behind him as well, and knew they'd arrive in time. I need to distract them. Damn it, how? I'm close to useless. The only thing that got me this far was lying.
Wait…
"Keep going!" shouted Jaune, turning and sheathing his sword. He clapped his hands together with an audible slap. "I'll pin them down with my Semblance!"
"Semblance!" yelled the girl from before, the leader of the breach team. "Scatter!"
The four in pursuit spread out, fanning wide to limit the effect of any area-based attacks. Not that there were any. Jaune smirked and turned, running and taking the brief moment of wasted time on their part to intercept the guy from the southern part, the one they really had to worry about. The man saw him coming, grimaced and stopped to kneel and place his hand on the ground.
Almost instantly, the ground rippled. That was the only way to explain it. The ground shook and rolled like water, and it spread out and toward him, making Jaune gasp as he sank knee deep into the suddenly liquid grass and mud. It didn't stay that way. The man straightened and the ground was suddenly solid again, trapping him with his shins and feet buried. "W-What the-?"
The student ran past him, both teams leaving him trapped and knowing he couldn't get out. Jaune tried – thinking he might be able to break free and escape south while they were all distracted, but it wasn't like being buried in sand. This was compacted mud and soil, not fine sand, and no matter how hard he pulled he couldn't move. His fingers scraped uselessly at the ground as well, and even using Crocea Mors to try and dig did little more than scrape a shallow groove some two inches deep.
The sound of a trumpet playing brought his eyes back to the fight as rainbow colours and ridiculous shades of bright light poured out from Flynt's instrument, swimming out to create an entire scene of psychedelic confusion. He multiplied, one Flynt becoming six in a line, and all playing. The real Flynt would be running away, but the other teams didn't know that. They couldn't know that. Meanwhile, Penny had disarmed her sniper and was now engaging the full breach team, lashing out wildly and even managing to hold her own. Calling them partners was a joke.
A fresh horn blared out a moment later, not from Flynt's instrument, and as he looked over to where it came from he saw Neon letting Flynt down gently, the man slumping onto the grass. It was too dark and too far to see their expressions, but he could see that Winter was beside them, and that was enough for Jaune to let himself sit back on the grass.
They'd done it. They hadn't won, and if this were a real combat situation then they'd sacrificed him and Penny, and left Flynt too injured to get far, but they'd survived this test. They'd kept their rooms and done the bare minimum they needed to. It was enough for now, for his first few months in Atlas. He would do better next time, though. They all would.
Next time, no one would be left behind.
/-/
In the end only three teams managed to keep their rooms; his team, Ciel's team and another from the study group that sadly wasn't Rain's. Three teams out of all of them, and most had lost the luxury they'd only just gotten used to. Winter's lecture after it hadn't done much to calm them down, not even when she assured them they would have another chance in two months to earn them back.
Or, as Jaune heard it, another chance to lose theirs. It was incredible just how much more motivated he was by this than he'd ever been by grades, exams or coursework in schools before. Atlas' methods might have been cruel and unusual, but they sure as hell were effective. Back home, the most he ever had to worry about was a poor report card and parent-teacher conferences. Everything here felt more immediate, more real, and more worth fighting for. And, for now at least, it was a time for celebration.
"Did you miss me?" asked Neon to her bedding. She was laid on her front, her bare feet kicked up behind her as she snuggled her face into the pillows. "Did you miss me, baby? I missed you. Don't worry, mommy isn't going anywhere. I'll never let them take you away from me."
"I should be disturbed," said Flynt, still limping. The losing team had assured him he'd regain feeling, and that the gun used electricity to target muscle groups. It was essentially an anti-aura weapon. The two teams had been frustrated, downright furious to be one of the few to lose their rooms or a shot are reclaiming them, but they'd blamed it more on themselves than Team JCKP. "I should be disturbed, but I'm not. I'm too relieved."
"Me too," said Jaune. Penny wasn't there, having been called to another of her medical appointments. He hoped she was okay, but she always assured him it was nothing to worry about. "We got through that by the skin of our teeth. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and if we didn't have Penny to hack into their comms then we'd have completely fallen for their trap."
"All four of us buried in the dirt. Yeah, that would have been bad." Flynt grinned and punched his arm lightly. "We didn't though, so lighten up a little. We made it – one of only three teams who did – and it's our job to defend that right now."
"Two months. We have two months to prepare."
Four years to prepare for a life fighting the Grimm, but only two months to get ready for whatever twisted and horrible exam Winter and Ironwood would come up with next. If this was the introductory one, if fighting two older teams was considered the tutorial, then he dreaded to think what would come next. Maybe they'd be sent into a foreign country and told to conquer it on their own or dumped in the Grimmlands and told to fight their way out.
For rewards like this, he was sure Neon would crawl her way out the pits of hell.
Good job to Team JCKP – Jackpot. The name actually came from a patron and not me, as I'm awful with names unless they literally leap off the page like RVVN did in Professor Arc.
Next Chapter: 5th November
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