Adam strode right past the COG line not even sparing the Schnee a glance. His focus was totally forward, his headache gone, an odd clarity settled over him. How long since he'd been this sure of anything?
'Hey gerius! You wanna die? Grab some cover,' One of the COG shouted.
'I'm fine where I am. Just be ready to step in if I need it,' Adam replied, not looking back.
'Friggin nut.'
Once that sort of comment would have made him lash out. Yet now he just gripped Wilt and exhaled. The guttural roars and shouts were getting closer.
Just as they reached the side doors a pair of loud blasts erupted. The shockwaves were like a double punch in the chest. So that was why they'd ignored the other doors, hopefully they didn't plan to set off any more bombs.
His eyes scanned over the ceiling. Faint spider-web cracks had formed, this place wasn't built with battle in mind. It likely follows the same design as back home, which means. Adam noted the main support pillars set evenly around the room, filing that detail away.
At the end of the remaining hallway the first Drone charged into view. It was nearly frothing at the mouth, its reptilian eyes alight with bloodlust. With a cry it raised a rifle and started to fire.
Adam tapped into his aura, drawing Wilt in the time it took the bullets to cross half the distance. The shots were coming in a burst, six rounds all slightly different trajectories. Not too much trouble.
With a series of sharp cracks of metal on metal he blocked the rounds, each impact's force siphoned into his own reserve. Then the second Drone joined in, and a third and more after that. Within moments he was a blur of motion as the first wave of eager Swarm surged up the hallway.
Just a bit more, he thought, feeling the energy build. He needed enough to get them all, a few more seconds. Their weapons clicked empty, now!
Ducking low suddenly he focused the stored force and slashed outwards at waist height. The energy wave left his blade tearing up the hallway. There was a second where the Drones tried to slow, dodge or do anything but they were already dead.
The attack cut through them all. Weapons, the scraps of wargear they were wearing, to say nothing of the Drones themselves. Despite his aggression before now Adam had never used his semblance on a group before, only single opponents.
Watching them drop bisected made him feel… empty? Where was that rush he'd come to ride? The thrill of seeing his enemy brought low?
Adams introspection was interrupted by the second wave, who now wiser didn't not charge right in. They leaned out firing quick bursts before ducking back or just blazed away with blind bursts of fire. Put back on defense Adam focused on buying time for the others to be freed.
'Adam! What the fuck is going on!' Forge roared, they must have woken him up second.
'We're escaping, get the others out of those pods now!' Adam shouted back.
'Don't tell me we're working with the COG and… Is that a Schnee?'
Adam bit back a curse, they could have done with rescuers without that level of baggage, 'We are getting our people out! They're just useful for now, get the others and tell them the same.'
'I'm not g-' Forge started to protest.
'THIS IS NOT THE TIME! Do as I've ordered! NOW!'
His ears caught a hint of muttered objection but even Forge had to see their lives hinged on an alliance of convenience. How long that lasted Adam didn't want to guess, but hopefully long enough to get out of here.
With abruptness the incoming fire broke off. Adam adjusted his stance waiting to try and trying to guess the reason. It was revealed when another Drone lent into view. This one wasn't holding the same rifle as the others, it had a large drum on top.
'Suppressing!' The Drone cried. A storm of rounds erupting from the barrel of its weapon. Full auto fire was much, much harder to stop.
Wilt's blade was glowing with force as it was struck repeatedly. Adam noted the incoming fire was slowing, the barrel of the Swarm gun also starting to glow with heat. Just as it seemed to be near totally stopped another Drone with the same weapon joined in.
The two of them started marching forward. One firing a long burst forcing Adam to defend whilst the other reloaded. They'd figured out a flaw in his semblance, he couldn't attack and defend at the same time.
As the Swarm pressed down the hallway their fellows followed close behind. Waiting to charge into the room once they made it to the doorway. Two of them with armored helms lowered their shotguns and started preparing grenades.
'Get outta the way!' A voice cried from behind Adam.
He dove to the side as the COG troops fired into the hallway. A few white blue Nevermore shot into the chaos, pecking and clawing at the Swarm. One of the armored ones roared and charged forward, throwing its grenade.
The thing arced forwards, detonating in a blinding flash. Adam backpedaled his hands blindly looking for some kind of shelter. An armored gauntlet grabbed him and pulled him behind something solid.
Even as he sat waiting for his eyes to recover he heard a hiss followed by a roar. Not the battle cries of the monsters, this was mechanical. A wash of heat hit the top of his head, then the screams started.
'Fuck yeah. COME GET COOKED YOU FUCKS!' Someone shouted, likely COG by the distorted voice.
'Forge!' Adam shouted as his vision cleared, 'Is everyone ready!'
'Just about. We're missing Torchwich though. He's not here,' Forge shouted back, not sounding totally upset.
'Then we have to go. Get the others out through the tunnel. We'll be right behind you.'
'You heard him. Anyone who can walk helps those who can't. No brother or sister left behind!'
'Hey since when were you in charge?' One of the COG snapped.
'Since I'm the leader of most of the people here. And I'm going to cut off their pursuit,' Adam replied, pulling himself to his feet.
'And how do you plan on doing that?'
'Do you have any explosives left?'
The Scion responding to the intrusion reached the back of the horde and strode through. Rage burned in its veins as it counted the dead, unacceptable. These invaders had to be stopped.
It pulled the charging handle on its Troika, this version had been built from their memories. Rather than a mounted twin barrel gun it had been changed into a single barreled heavy machine gun. Several blasts from the chamber ahead made dust fall from the ceiling, they were going to bring the whole place down!
Switching to a sprint it charged in at the head of the next wave. Rounding the corner it tried to pick out the enemy as it entered. Finding only one standing by the rail tunnel leading out. The swordsman.
He grinned at them. Then with a series of quick movements slashed the air with his blade. Each stroke sent a scything energy wave out.
The Scion ignored the attacks, they were well off target, exhaustion must have addled the things mind. It kept charging intent on capturing this foolish thing. As it moved I noticed the rumbling.
Its eyes flicked around the room. The support beams, their bare metal exposed to the air, were falling? No, not falling. Their midsections had been cut out by the energy blades!
The cretin fled into the tunnel even as the chamber ceiling, weakened by the battle, started to crack and buckle. The Scion turned already ordering the others back. But it was too late, that horde became the latest victims of Mountain Glenn. Buried under dozens of tones of concrete, metal and hundreds of tons of rock.
Qrow glanced back along the dark tunnel. In the faint light from the near dead emergency lighting they all looked exhausted. But that was the truth of it.
The Onyx seemed the only ones still sharp and ready, not a shock, they were the actual soldiers down here. Even Winter seemed to still be trying to find her feet, she might be in the army but she'd still been a Huntress first. And the Fang?
Most were shivering, muttering quietly to each other. Others were catatonic, just laying there or curled up mumbling. He'd thought he'd had it bad, but he'd only been put through that hell for a minute at most.
Their officer, Forge, was going around doing his best to steady them. Clearly he at least knew his people, talking to some and just giving a nod to others. The cave-in had shook a few more.
Qrow didn't like the sound of dying in the dark under a pile of rocks either. So he started thinking of their way out. Mitchell, or whatever his name really was, had the same idea.
'You said you're down a man?' Mitchell asked, stepping in front of Forge.
'Hmm. You could say that Torchwick wasn't in any of those pods,' Forge replied with a shrug.
'Was he important? Did he have information anyone else lacked?'
'Hold up,' Qrow said. the name jogging his memory, 'Roman Torchwick? The guy who stole all the coffee a few years back?'
'Yeah that's the guy. Bowler hat and cane,' Forge said, nodding, 'He was helping fix up the trains.'
'What trains?'
'Why don't we show you,' Adam said as he walked out of the dark.
'I thought you said they'd be bombs, not rolling fortresses?' Qrow asked.
'We didn't have them armored up,' Adam hissed back.
They were looking down at the train yard. Or it had been a train yard, now it was some kind of half scrap yard half refitting area. The Swarm were crawling all over, cutting down anything they didn't need before welding it to the trains.
Others were dragging carts over, laden with guns and mounts fitting them to the trains. One had already been finished. Its windows had been made into firing slits or gun emplacements. Meanwhile layers of improvised armor covered its sides and top.
Far off at the tunnel to Vale they could see an army mustering into the tunnel. Dozens abreast and hundreds strong that they could see likely thousands in total. All marching into the left side of the tunnel, leaving the tracks on the right open for the trains.
'This place is too hot. We need another way out,' Mitchell muttered.
'There is no other way. We'll get caught sooner or later. That train can get us out of here. And if the worst comes to I garentine that those bombs will raise the alarm. Unless your radio has started working yet,' Adam replied.
'No… But we still need a plan. One better than charge in and get slaughtered.'
The "Plan" ended up being better than that, but not by much. Qrow, Mitchell and Adam would sneak into the yard and seize control of the finished train. The others would be waiting by the tunnel to Vale, they'd get the others onboard and escape to the city.
Creeping into the yard wasn't that hard. Whilst the Swarm were more active here, they were much more focused on their work. As Mitchell put it "A little light knife work" got them into the main building.
Which seemed to have been converted into its own mini-Hive. More Swarm biomass was spreading out from the walls. Like an infection boiling out from the skin of the structure.
It was also there they found Torchwick. He hadn't been podded, instead the Swarm had stuck to a wall much like the Drone's that had been hibernating. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed to be speaking in gibberish. Something about, cheat, and survive.
He'd been stuck in the middle of a larger room with a few drones working around him. Each had some crude worktable and was working on parts of some sort. As they watched another wheeled a cart in dumping worn out and damaged components and collecting the refurbished ones.
'Don't tell me. You wanna rescue him?' Mitchell whispered.
'Consider it a long term blow against the Swarm. They're using him, sucking out all his knowledge about getting this stuff working,' Qrow uttered back.
'A bullet would do that. Less risk.'
'Enough. If he's connected then he also might know more about what they're planning,' Adam pointed out.
'Uhh. Fine. Lets go get him out,' Mitchell sighed, checking his knife was clean.
The Drones were busy focused on their tasks. Against a Huntsman, COG Special operator and White Fang officer it wasn't a fight. They simply swept across the room leaving the Drone's bodies to fall to the ground.
Before they woke him they blocked the doors. The Swarm would notice their prisoner was free. The question was how long before they'd react?
Reaching Torchwick he wasn't in any good state. His eyes were unfocused and kept darting around looking at things that weren't there. The guy was clearly in his own hell, something two of them could sympathize with.
'How do we?' Qrow asked, trying to pick out a safe way to start freeing Torchwick.
Mitchell jammed his knife into the biomass and ran it through carving the man out. Lowered him to the ground and jammed a shot of Stim into his neck. Torchwick snapped back to awareness.
'AAAAhhhh! YOU MOTH-' He cried out, his words quieting as he saw his "Rescuers".
'Hello Roman,' Adam said with a mocking smile.
'Hey… Branching out I see,' Torchwick replied, looking between Qrow and Mitchell.
'They are helping us get out of here. Now do you know what those things needed you for?' Adam asked.
'What they… Oh crap the trains! They want them,' Torchwick hissed, gabbing Adam's collar, 'The tunnels! They wanted to know about them!'
'Which ones? Where do they want to go?' Qrow asked.
'The. The agriculture district. They wanted to know the closest exits,' Torchwick muttered, shaking his head.
'Shit. Looks like your boss was right,' Qrow said looking at Mitchell.
'Agreed. We need to raise the alarm. Get this place reduced to rub-' Mitchell started to mutter.
'Beacon! They wanted to know about the express line!' Torchwick shouted suddenly.
'What express line?' Qrow asked the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
'The one for getting teams from Beacon to Mountain Glenn,' Torchwick muttered, 'It goes right to the base of the Academy. Oh hell Neo's there!'
'So are my nieces,' Qrow whispered.
On the heels of those words something slammed into the doors. The sound of guttural roars and cries outside making it clear the Swarm was aware of them. Roman reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigar.
'I take it, you have a plan to get us out of here?' He said noting his lighter was missing.
'Sort of. Please tell me you have the detonator for the bombs?' Adam said with a smile.
'Oh would you look at that?' Torchwick said, holding up the small device.
The Warden of Mountain Glenn growled, its one hand gripping the control for the beast as it guided it through the streets. The plan had been going well. Now it was at risk.
They'd captured enough stock for their needs. The other hordes and hives lent their numbers and resources. With their might united they would have taken the city in a day.
Now these lesser beings had not only stripped it of a hand. They were escaping. It was unacceptable.
It was leading a warparty to end this insult. Trailing behind it were those it could afford to divert from the attack. They would have sufficient numbers to subdue these cretins.
Turning into the train yard it snarled. They'd sized the first train! That one had a special purpose in mind.
With a roar it bid the others forward, pushing the control for the war-beast under it to max speed. The thing was as dull as their memories said. The beast lumbered into what amounted to a sprint.
As it watched the train started to pull away. A line of figures ran and climbed aboard as it approached the tunnel to the city. The Warden watched in rage, they couldn't risk the train. They had to recapture it!
Ordering the Drones to board the other half finished trains and take up pursuit it looked over the yard. The main force had already left, this could still be salvaged.
Two trains set out in pursuit. Both half armored and armed should be able to match the stolen one. They raced off into the tunnel after it.
Below one of the Drones noticed something in a train car that had been left behind. Walking over it slid the door open to find a beeping device sat atop a pile of crates. It stared at the device trying to recall the hazy memory of it.
About three seconds later the bomb went off. Along with the other seven in other cars packed to bursting with dust. The blast destroyed the train yard, the warparty and the Warden atop the Swarmak.
The shockwave leveled the surrounding area and rocked the ruins above. In the tunnel looking behind them the humans and faunus watched the pressure wave appear and slam into their train. It rocked on its tracks but managed to stay on.
Behind them the rear most Swarm train wasn't so lucky. It bounced and derailed, coming apart in a storm of twisted metal. Its fellow managed to escape and accelerated closing the gap.
It also set off nearly every alarm on the south-west side of Vale. The blast caused a minor panic as people wondered why the alert system was going off. Up in his tower Ozpin noted the disturbance in his coco as the faint tremor traveled up the tower.
'Can they do nothing discreetly?' He sighed. Already his terminal and scroll were ringing with calls from the Council.
'HOW BIG WERE THOSE BOMBS!' Qrow shouted, his ears ringing.
'EACH CAR WAS ABOUT TWO HUNDRED TONNES. EIGHT CARS,' Torchwich shouted, back with a grin.
'THAT'S OVER ONE AND A HALF KILOTONNES!' Mitchell cried, having done the simple math.
'YEP!'
Back above ground in Vale the response to the blast was taking place. Citizens were being waved to the shelters, many needing to be reminded of where they were. The last major emergency beyond their memories.
At the COG base the Honor and its escorts Courier, Arbiter, Intermediary and Delegate lifted off. The cruiser's repulsors cycling up so fast the plasma wash scoured the ground under it as the craft rose into the air. Behind them the Svaroz rose as well. Its weapons warmed up as it trailed the COG airships.
Ironwood was aboard Blue 1, the airfleet had avoided favorsim by sticking to callsigns. Watching the display the other Atlas ships were in a battle line above the city wall facing Mountain Glenn. They'd been on "patrol" and came about to the danger when the reports came in.
As he watched the tactical view the COG craft slid under the line of Atlas airships. Forming their own line ahead of the wall and lower down. Perhaps their weapons worked better at shorter range? Yet their ship in the harbor had range to strike over the horizon.
Behind them the UIR ship prowled back and forth. Then its projection started flickering and jumping around. Ironwood turned to one of the watchstanders.
'What's wrong with our systems? We can't track a ship that size?' He asked.
'Sensors show as fine sir. One moment we had a solid return on radar, now it's just distorted. Like we're just not getting enough bounce back.' The officer said tapping at their station.
'Hmm. Could it be something they're doing? Or is it a feature of the ship?'
'General. We're receiving a connection request from the COG ships,' Another officer called.
'What kind of request?' Ironwood asked, tapping to see the message himself.
'Something called, bascule protocol, I've never seen before.'
'Security, check this request. Priority one,' Ironwood snapped.
One of the officers was already scanning the request, 'Sir, it's a data link. Looks like its mutual. We can see what they show and they can see what we show. Nothing more. No control or command capability.'
'Very well then. Approve it but keep an eye on it should anything change.'
The display updated, now the UIR ship was giving a solid return. Then dozens of overlays appeared. Rader, lidar, IR, UV and more filters appeared at the edge of the screen. A voice line connected.
'This is Capitan Hanish CAF Honor. It seems something is brewing under Mountain Glenn General.' A professional voice announced.
'Indeed. Are your ships ready? We don't know what's coming.' Ironwood asked, feeling more confident with a proper battle ahead.
'We're almost set. Barriers are ionizing, now.'
Around each COG ship a series of glowing hexagons crackled into being. Forming a glowing layer around each one. They'd build shields into their ships, without hardlight, on that scale?
'Ha ha. You COG and your toys. This is Kapitan Vesela of Svaroz ready and on station,' A womans voice said as a new connection joined.
'Just like we drilled Svaroz,' Hanish replied.
'Yes yes I know I know. You sit there and be a good shiny anvil. And we will smash them whilst they're chewing on you.'
Suddenly Ironwood wondered if he needed to worry about his allies as much as his enemies. Speaking of allies, where was Qrow?
In the tunnel racing towards the city Qrow ducked and cursed as another stream of bullets sparked off the edge of the window. The Swarm was persistent he'd give them that. Those on the ground were firing as they passed. Meanwhile the other train had come up behind them, some even trying to jump the gap.
Whilst most of the Fang were still not in fighting shape enough still had enough ability to fire a rifle, or a Troika for that matter. The twin barreled guns lashing the enemy engine but not manaching to pierce its armor.
This wasn't a fight for a sword or scythe for that matter. And he'd forgotten to get his Boltok back from Weiss. So he was stuck firing off the occasional shotgun blast and asking Mitchell if the radio was working yet.
They had to warn them. Not just about the Swarm in the tunnels but their new found interest in Beacon.
Outside of Vale and overlooking the Academy a figure looked down upon this so-called school. Eyes hiding a mind sharpened through three wars and dozens of battles surveyed the grounds. Behind a row of kneeling Wardens awaited orders.
'Children,' The figure uttered the word like a curse, 'Why is it always children? No matter. They will die and we'll take what is ours.'
Turning to face the royal guard the figure raised a slender hand. A fiery glow appeared around its right eye. When it spoke again the voice echoed in their minds along with all the other Swarm.
'My warriors. The enemy is aware of our presence. But they cannot know our true strength. Show them just how powerful we have grown upon this new world. Sack the city as planned. I will claim what they've hidden under this place, personally.'