A/N: I wanted to get this chapter out by the end of December but procrastination and the holiday spirit slowed me down. Regardless, here's a little something for your enjoyment!
naotw, Glad you enjoyed and valid criticism. I wanted to convey Ironwood and Ozpin not taking the Flood serious due to not having experienced the plague, but yeah I should have had them contact the other kingdoms first. That was an oversight on my part.
Rookie80, I appreciate the information on the Flood. Thanks so much!
Phineas J. Bitterman, Thank you so much for all the information. You are a gentleman and a scholar, sir, and you've saved me a lot of time. Also in terms of where I'm taking the story, our ideas on where it should go in line with one another. I appreciate your feedback, your expertise and, most of all, your enthusiasm.
Many thanks as well to all who favorite, follow and review! Your feedback is welcome!
Weiss gazed up into the night sky of Beacon, Bullheads and Atlas dropships filled the sky above as they landed on the various platforms scattered across the school, civilians pouring from their transports in droves and filling the landing pads to the point that there were dozens of them cramming themselves into the limited space on each. It was utter chaos, as people fought their way past each other trying to make it into the Academy's safety.
"They just keep coming..." The Schnee heiress noted as she stood next to Blake who stood at attention at a balcony railing overlooking the campus and the Emerald forest beyond, a look of concern etched on her features as she watched the large crowds of people flood the landing pads, all of them desperate to make it to the relative safety that was inside the school walls. "All these people...what is that we're dealing with?"
Blake shrugged, her ears twitching under her bow in response, "I don't know..." She trailed off, a worried look crossing her features.
"Hey, you two." Yang's voice interrupted them. Turning her head, Blake saw the blond standing at the door leading to the stairwell, Ruby with Zwei at her side. Cold drinks in both her hands. "I got you some iced coffee," the blond offered with a small smile.
The dark-haired Faunus returned the gesture as she took the offered beverage from the blonde's outstretched hand.
The Schnee heiress gave Yang an appreciative look, "Thank you." She took her own drink and drank it slowly as she leaned against the balcony railing. She watched as Bullheads continued to fill the sky as they approached the school, one after the other in a seemingly endless stream of transport aircraft, and just like all of the previous ones that came before them they would drop their payload before lifting back off again and making way for the next.
"...Still no news about what happened at Vale?" Ruby asked hesitantly as she came over and leaned on the railing next to Blake. "The professors haven't said anything?"
The cat Faunus shook her head and let out a small sigh as she answered. "Nothing so far..."
"They must know something by now, right? Surely Ozpin must have some idea of what we're dealing with," Weiss reasoned out loud, earning nods of agreement from Yang and Ruby. "I just hope this whole situation gets sorted out soon..." she trailed off as she stared down into the crowd below, watching the masses as they flooded in.
Yang gave an audible sigh as she gazed off into the distance. "I just wish they would let us out of the building, this is killing me being stuck here." The blond girl huffed out, causing the rest of her teammates to chuckle at the blond's plight.
"They just want to keep everyone safe," Weiss noted as she turned back to her teammate.
The blond rolled her eyes at her remark and sighed loudly. "I know that, but seriously..." She crossed her arms over her chest, a frustrated look on her face. "We're training to become hunters and huntresses, but they won't let us do our job!" She scowled, her eyes flashing red for a second as her emotions flared up. "And that's the problem."
Blake reached over and rested her hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her a comforting pat on the arm. "Calm down. Training or not, we're just kids Yang."
"By like a year at most," Yang huffed as she ran her fingers through her hair, a frustrated expression on her face.
Blake nodded slightly before glancing back at her scroll, checking it for messages before sliding it away and focusing back on the blonde."Let's head back down to our dorms, maybe Jaune and Pyrrha are back by now." She offered and Yang gave another nod, taking a last look at the mass of people flooding into Beacon before they all started back down towards their rooms.
It didn't take them long to make it back to their dorm rooms, though they did notice the amount of students milling about in the hallways, some were on the floors talking amongst themselves and a few were standing outside their doors. "Everyone's on edge," Yang observed, a frown etching onto her features as she noted all of the anxious-looking people walking by.
Ruby frowned as well but chose not to comment. "C'mon."
Making it to their dorm, Blake reached for the handle to open the door, only to be stopped by a voice from the hallway behind them.
"Blake! Wait up!" The girls all turned to see Sun and Neptune rushing towards them from the stairs, panting and slightly out of breath.
"Neptune! Sun!" Ruby called out happily, the boys gave her a quick wave as they reached them.
"Sup Ruby," the blond said as he leaned forward to rest his hands on his knees.
Neptune took a deep breath as he composed himself, his hand resting on Sun's shoulder to keep from falling over. But still finding the strength to wink in Weiss' direction, causing the girl to blush and avert her gaze, while Sun rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior.
The blonde took another breath before he looked at Blake with a worried look in his eyes. "Guess you guys didn't hear the news?"
The dark-haired girl tilted her head to one side questionably as she regarded the two boys before her, "Hear what? Do you mean the attacks on the city? Or those rumors that people were turned into monsters?" She asked with a frown, not quite understanding what it was they were asking her.
"No...Not that, well sort of but no.." The boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his expression serious and worried, "They've canceled the Vytal festival. No more tournament."
Yang blinked, eyes wide in shock. "...What?"
Neptune nodded his head. "It's true." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll, showing them the latest headline from the Valean News Network."Any students who traveled from outside of Vale, are being sent home. We just got a call from Headmaster Lionheart, he said they'd send transport for us. First thing in the morning." The teal blue-haired boy explained as he shoved the Scroll back into his pocket. "I know it sucks but we don't have any other options really..."
Blake frowned, was the situation in the city so serious that the tournament would have to be canceled? Surely not...it was the largest international event held in Remnant. Not even a natural disaster had ever managed to shut it down completely. "Maybe this isn't as bad as we think." She hoped out loud, though from the grim looks on the boy's faces, she knew it wouldn't be true.
"No one has any idea what's going on Blake..." Neptune sighed heavily.
"They're keeping a lid on it." Sun finished as he glanced at the Schnee heiress, noting that the girl was unusually silent as she listened to their conversation.
Yang shook her head and leaned her back against the door frame. "This is bad," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest as she considered all that was said.
Sun and Neptune gave nods of agreement to their fellow teammates.
Ruby let out a sigh as she went to Team JNPR's room, knocking on their door. "Guys?" There was no answer so she knocked again. Still nothing. "Jaune?"
The door opened a few inches, revealing the tall red-head in the doorway, her normally bright smile absent from her features, eyes red and puffy and cheeks damp with tears, her hands clutching the doorknob for support, "...Ruby?" She sniffled out softly. "I..I..." she trailed off, voice wavering as she looked towards the team leader of RWBY and blinked a few times.
"Pyrrha, would you and Jaune like to join us?" The dark-haired girl asked her tone soft, trying her best not to sound demanding, knowing that if Pyrrha needed space then she would give her that. "We're all pretty worried..." she said quietly as she looked back to her teammates, noticing Weiss and Yang were giving her a concerned look, both of them clearly wanting to check on their friend's mental state but holding back in favor of respecting their space.
Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Just give us a few minutes, I'll go get him..." she murmured as she wiped at her face and shut the door without waiting for a reply.
"Psst Blake, what's with Pyrrha?" Neptune asked as he leaned in and whispered to the faunus, his gaze darting to the door briefly, "And Jaune? We haven't seen either of them all day."
The cat faunus frowned at him, not liking his tone of voice but she did not get a chance to reply as Yang answered before she could even open her mouth. "Ren...um..." she swallowed hard as she forced out the next words. "He...didn't make it."
Neptune blinked rapidly in surprise at the blonde's answer, eyes widening in shock as the information sunk in. "...Shit..." the teal blue-haired boy murmured as his expression softened in sympathy. "That's..."
"Fucked up." Sun finished, earning nods of agreement from Blake and Neptune.
There was an awkward moment of silence that passed between all of them as the group tried to comprehend what the blond girl had said, eventually, it was Yang who broke the silence and changed the subject. "let's head inside. We'll leave the door open for the others." She stated as she unlocked the dorm and entered, Zwei followed close behind, followed by Ruby and Blake, with Weiss bringing up the rear, with Sun and Neptune.
Flopping down onto Blake's bed the blonde let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of her head with one hand. "Damn...this day's just been..." she trailed off and shrugged as she let out another heavy breath. "...Yikes." She murmured under her breath as she ran a hand through her long mane of golden hair, shaking out some of the knots in it as she did so.
The group of friends fell into silence, the atmosphere becoming increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second as none of them knew exactly how they should proceed or even where to begin regarding the conversation they'd been having before the moment of awkward silence that hung around the room.
The door to RWBY opened up again with a click as the tall redhead entered, with Jaune following closely behind, eyes still bloodshot and puffy as they both shuffled in, "Hi guys.." she said weakly, Jaune giving the team a half smile and a wave before both of them took a seat on Weiss' bed.
The blond teen sat quietly next to his teammate and did his best to keep from crying any more than he already had, knowing full well that everyone here had been hit just as hard as he had by Ren's death but he was trying his best to put on a strong front and keep it together. The last thing he wanted was to add more weight on the group's shoulders...but he was finding it incredibly difficult to do so at the moment, every time he thought of his deceased friend it sent waves of sorrow through his being as tears welled in his eyes.
Weiss eyed her friend worriedly and walked over, kneeling beside the blonde boy, "Jaune..we're...here for you," she whispered softly and placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. Jaune's body stiffened at the contact, causing the Schnee girl to recoil in shock. The blond man relaxed almost instantly though, realizing who it was that had touched him. "You know that right?" The white-haired girl added softly. "I'm so sorry..." she trailed off.
"...It's fine." The blonde boy replied as he wiped away at his eyes, sniffling quietly as he tried to calm himself.
"He was your teammate," the dark-haired Faunus murmured sadly, "...It's not fine."
Yang sat up on the bed and stared at the wall, her brows knitted together. "Yeah." She added quietly, "No one expects you to get over something like this." She reached up to run her fingers through her hair. "We've all been hit hard, but I know you two were close, so...let us know what we can do. Please." The blonde added in a gentle tone.
The two blondes shared a quick glance and a nod before Jaune cleared his throat and reached for Pyrrha's hand, giving it a light squeeze, "It's..." He hesitated a moment before continuing, "It's still really fresh. But we'll make it through." He said with a nod towards his friends. "And I really appreciate you guys being here...all of you..." He added, looking around the room and locking eyes with each of them one after another. "It means a lot."
Sun offered him a grin as he reached over to give his friend a pat on the shoulder, "We're friends bro, don't even think twice." He replied warmly as he looked towards Pyrrha and smiled warmly as well. The redhead nodded appreciatively.
There was a brief pause between all of them before Weiss broke the silence by clearing her throat."How's Nora holding up?"
The question made both Pyrrha and Jaune wince slightly. The former gave a heavy sigh before she replied, "...Not good...she's staying in the Infirmary tonight...I think the nurse will give her something to help her sleep." She stated quietly.
The dark-haired Faunus' ears drooped as she thought of her orange-haired teammate's grief, "...Poor Nora.." she breathed sadly. "Do you know what's wrong with her?" Blake inquired, a frown forming on her lips as she looked up from her book to her fellow students.
"...Shock?" Pyrrha responded. "It's still really hard to tell with Nora, especially with everything else that happened. I don't think she'll be the same as she used to be, that much I'm certain of." The redhead trailed off as her expression saddened further as she recalled her teammate's mental state.
Weiss strolled to the window and peered out of it, frowning. "What do you suppose we do?" She asked the group. "It's not like we're able to do much but sit around and wait for answers..." She stated as she stared out across campus at the torrent of dropships as they flew past, dozens more descending and departing every minute, ferrying the populace out of Vale and into Beacon as they tried to get the remaining civilians out of harm's way.
Ruby gripped Zewi's scruff as she petted the dog. "Weiss is right, there's nothing for us to do." The small reaper mumbled, the tone of her voice one of complete and utter hopelessness as she stared down at her feet dejectedly, her expression sullen as she felt utterly useless in this situation. "I hate feeling helpless...especially when all these people are suffering." She added in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper. "I just wish we could do more than stand here and wait..."
Neptune shrugged slightly as he sat down on Weiss' bed beside her and smiled, "Well we can start by staying positive," the teal-haired man said, "At least they got a lot of people out of Vale. Hopefully, there won't be any more casualties." He added as he looked out the window as another Atlas dropship passed overhead, his gaze drifting over to his teammates.
Sun followed his partner's gaze out of the window as he watched yet another transport fly overhead. "Yeah, well they won't be able to get everyone out before something goes wrong," he replied bitterly. He sighed deeply as he continued, "Whatever those things are out there...they're not going down without a fight...we can't be sure they'll stop just because some civilians got rescued." He added as he looked around the room.
Pyrrha bit her bottom lip, a sad expression etched on her features as she ran her hand over Jaune's back, rubbing it in slow, circular motions. "We don't know anything for sure. They could just be monsters, maybe Grimm or something else..." She said with a small sigh as she rested her forehead against her teammate's shoulder and closed her eyes, "We have to hold onto that hope, that's all we really have at this point." She added softly. "The least we can do is not give up on each other." The redhead finished.
Blake gave a curt nod, "True. We'll need to work together on this, no matter what happens next," she replied with a slight nod as she stood up from the floor and looked to the group, "We'll make it through this, that much I promise." She finished firmly as she held her head up high. "We may not be able to do anything right now, but when we do...I know we'll be ready for anything."
Weiss let out a huff twirling away from the window making her way to the door of the dorm room and opening it, "I need some air..." She mumbled out before she stepped into the hallway, letting the door slam shut behind her.
Blake shook her head slightly as she watched her teammate leave. She turned back towards the group, a concerned look etched onto her face.
Sun let out a long sigh before he glanced over towards Neptune, "Go with her Nep..."
The teal-haired man nodded getting up from Weiss' bed and headed out of the door.
Blake sighed as she leaned back against her desk and closed her eyes. She listened carefully, hearing the footsteps of her friends walking off down the hallways of the school as they slowly faded away until all she could hear was silence.
The cat faunus looked down at Zewi, who had laid down beside the small reaper's feet. His ears drooped down as he laid down. Blake sat on the floor, and leaned back against her bed, as she stared up at the ceiling and thought back to everything that had happened to them in the last twenty-four hours. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that hung over the campus. As if the entire kingdom were holding its breath, waiting for something horrible to happen.
"Ozpin...they're learning...adapting. Whatever they are...they're becoming something worse." Ironwood noted, his face grim as he stared out across a holographic projection of Vale. "This is going to get a lot worse, if it's not stopped soon." The general said, a frown on his face.
"You truly think they've adapted this fast?" the white-haired man asked as he stroked his chin, "And if so...to what extent?" Ozpin inquired.
Ironwood took a long sip of his coffee before answering, "The reports coming from the field teams in Vale suggest that the creatures are growing increasingly more intelligent, almost sentient." The general frowned as he added. "Hour one of the initial encounter, reports show they were animalistic...honestly it was just their numbers that made them so dangerous. Hour two they showed signs of group tactics...ambushes, coordinated attacks...Hour three...well the reports were grim, we're starting to see signs of organized assaults on fortified locations. It's not good." The dark-haired man finished and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before speaking again, "They're learning Oz, learning faster than we can deal with them. If it's not stopped..."
"Who knows what they'll do..." The headmaster of Beacon muttered in response, a grim expression etching onto his face as he spoke. "How much time do you think we have?" he inquired as he watched Ironwood shake his head slowly.
"It depends...the time keeps changing," he responded in a tired tone. "One hour ago it would have been by morning...but now? Well, now..." he trailed off before answering. "It could be anytime."
"Grim." The older man sighed as he rubbed his forehead.
Ironwood nodded slightly, his expression grave. "The fleet I had prepared for the Vytal Festival is on the way here as we speak. With them comes enough men to put down a small war." The general added as he ran a hand through his short black hair. "However..." The dark-haired man sighed heavily. "They won't arrive until late tomorrow."
Ozpin closed his eyes as he considered the news he'd been given, "Well...we must hold out until then." The white-haired man replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "Perhaps the Grimm will interfere in this." The headmaster suggested. "Hopefully their numbers will thin our foes."
"Maybe," Ironwood muttered as he eyed the hologram of Vale warily.
Scroll buzzing in Ozpin's pocket he retrieved it, noting a call from Qrow he answered it and placed the device to his ear, "Qrow, are you in the city?" he asked with a frown as the sound of gunfire rang out. "Qrow?"
"No time Oz," the dark-haired man answered with a grunt, the sound of a blade slicing flesh came through, "Things aren't going so great down here, Patch is swarming with these things."
Ozpin eyed one of James' assistants go up to the general with new information for him to review, as he adjusted the scroll closer to his ear, "Say again Qrow, I'm sorry but what?"
"You heard me, Patch is full of these things," Qrow responded as his weapon continued to slice.
Ozpin shook his head in confusion. These monstrosities were only in the city of Vale...at least he thought. "I see, can you make your way back to the school then? Or is it too late for that?" He asked quietly.
"Patch only has a handful of Bullheads...Taiyang and I are trying to evacuate people..." the scythe wielder answered between breaths.
"I'll send Glynda to your location," The white-haired headmaster stated firmly.
"No...not worth it," the scythe wielder panted out as his blade swung once again, "Not if she gets stuck too."
Ozpin closed his eyes as he sighed, "Just get back to Vale if you can...it'll be safer."
Ironwood cursed loudly as he looked up from the document he was reading, whatever news he received had made his eyes widen and his skin pale as he stared down at it in disbelief. "Oz...you won't believe this."
"Qrow I'm afraid I must go, a matter of some importance has come up..."
"Yeah...goodbye Ozpin." The scythe wielder breathed out before the scroll beeped and ended.
Turning his attention back to the General the headmaster raised a brow at the other man, "What is it, James?"
Ironwood punched a few numbers into the tabletop display in front of him and the image of the entire Vale Kingdom appeared before them. "It's not just here..." Ironwood stated as he pointed at the screen and zoomed in. "Look."
Villages near the mountains to the south, ones that would have been fairly remote were highlighted in red, "We got reports of attacks...same thing we're dealing with here...only they don't have the defense that the city has." Ironwood muttered out.
Ozpin took a deep breath and shook his head sadly as he considered the information before him, "Qrow unfortunately delivered some similar news...Patch is apparently swarmed as well. How did it get so bad so quickly?" He inquired, his expression grim as he eyed the various locations marked on the holographic map before him.
Ironwood ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he tried to comprehend just what was going on with these attacks and how exactly they'd gotten this bad. "...Seems the city wasn't the point of origin...it's everywhere, this thing has spread through the countryside faster than it took to take the city." The general murmured in response as he rubbed his forehead in thought, his eyes flitting back to the map. "Gods...all of Vale...the entire kingdom..."
The headmaster's face hardened at the thought of a horde of those creatures running rampant through the kingdom. "If that is true then...we must act immediately, if we wait too long there may not be anything left of us." He said firmly, his tone resolute as he gazed down at the map of Vale.
Ironwood gave a sharp nod of his head in agreement as he pulled out his Scroll, "I'll notify our allies and get them moving to-" The sound of a loud bang and the tower shaking caused both men to look to the floor as it rattled from an explosion below them.
Consume. Spread. Consume. Spread. Consume. Spread....
Ten minutes earlier.
"You didn't need to follow me, Neptune..." Weiss muttered in a low tone as she stormed down the empty halls of the school, her steps quick as she marched through the building, the sounds of dropships landing and departing overhead filling her ears.
"Snow Angel I'm worried about you." The teal-blue-haired man answered in an earnest tone of voice as he chased after the white-haired heiress. "It's not good for you to be out here on your own, especially not right now." The boy stated as he caught up with Weiss and took a place walking next to her.
"I'm fine!" The heiress snapped angrily as she continued her pace, not looking at the boy as she stomped away, "I'm not made of glass." Weiss grumbled under her breath.
"I didn't mean it that way, Weiss...I'm just saying..." The teal-haired man trailed off. "...Look can you stop for a minute and talk to me please?" The man pleaded with a hint of desperation in his voice, causing Weiss to sigh in annoyance as she stopped in her tracks, turning to face the boy who stood a few paces behind her.
"What?"
Neptune took a breath as he spoke. "We're all stressed and on edge...You've all just lost someone who meant a lot to all of you." The blue-haired boy began, his tone serious. "I just think you should talk about what you're feeling and what it means to you," Neptune suggested quietly. "Maybe I can help...maybe Sun...any of us. Please, Weiss?" He urged, his expression gentle as he reached for Weiss' shoulder and gripped it lightly.
Weiss sighed heavily, she closed her eyes as she let out a soft sigh of frustration and then opened them again to look back at the teal blue-haired man. "...What's the point of talking about it Neptune? We don't even know what to call...these things yet...and I've lost someone I care for," She murmured, her voice cracking slightly at the mention of her lost friend, her expression contorting slightly with anger. "I've lost someone I care about because..." the girl trailed off, not finishing the thought. "And there's nothing I can do to change it."
The boy's face softened at her words as he released her shoulder and reached for her hand instead. "It hurts Snow Angel," he acknowledged in a low tone, "I know it does, but if we talk it through together then it may be easier on us in the long run." Neptune explained with a sympathetic expression as he held her hand lightly, "Trust me, Weiss, it really will help...even if it feels like it's not at first." He stated sincerely, giving her hand a light squeeze.
"But that's not all though..." The girl began with a frown, "The Vytal festival canceled and all the other students from around the world going back home..." She paused for a second, swallowing hard as she forced out the last word, "What if I have to go too?" The heiress muttered, "I mean what if they tell me I need to return to Atlas and..." Weiss trailed off, her voice wavering slightly. "I just can't think of anything right now, not when there's so much going on," She mumbled sadly.
"You don't want to go home? After all of this?" The teal-haired man questioned with a confused tone in his voice as he regarded Weiss with a look of mild surprise at the suggestion, "I don't understand...what's the problem?"
"You wouldn't get it," The heiress muttered.
"Maybe I can't Snow Angel but if it's really bothering you then I'm willing to try," Neptune replied in earnest, "So please...I just want to understand..." he whispered quietly.
Weiss eyed her surroundings, with all that was going on the last thing she wanted to do was talk about her home life. Not when it felt like her life was about to be turned upside down, not when everything seemed like it was coming apart at the seams and her friends were all suffering.
A head of gray hair caught her eye from the courtyard below as she turned her head slightly to watch a lone figure sitting on the fountain. "Is that him?"
Neptune raised a brow curiously. "Him?"
"That boy," Weiss replied simply, not looking toward her friend as she watched the gray-haired boy sitting on the fountain.
The blue-haired boy squinted down below and gave a nod. "He looks familiar.."
Weiss frowned and let go of Neptune's hand, making her way to the nearest exit from the building. "I'm going to talk with him," she stated as she headed towards the staircase that led down to the courtyard below, the teal-haired man followed after her closely.
"You know that guy?" Neptune inquired with a tilt of his head, his expression curious as he walked along with the heiress, "How?"
"I've seen him around a few times before, a student from another school I think..." The girl explained, her tone hesitant as she recalled the last time she had seen the gray-haired boy. "He was in the Bullhead with us when we escaped the city..." the girl explained as she descended the stairs. "He was also there when...the Bullhead that crashed." Weiss swallowed hard. "When those things...when they attacked..."
"And you want to talk to him...because?" Neptune questioned.
The white-haired heiress was quiet as she considered her answer. "He helped Ruby when she got separated from the group...I guess I want to say thank you?" The girl guessed as she paused her stride at the bottom of the staircase. "I don't really know what I'm doing honestly..." She just wanted to avoid talking about herself and this boy, seemed as good a way to do so as any.
"Sounds good Snow Angel." Neptune answered with a grin, "Shall we?"
The girl nodded slightly and made her way over to the courtyard where the boy sat alone on the fountain, her companion following behind her as they walked across the grounds of the academy until they reached the edge of the fountain where the gray-haired boy sat. Weiss hesitated as she watched him quietly. He sat hunched over and leaning forward, arms folded in front of him as he stared at the stream of dropships coming in and out of the school as he rested against the lip of the fountain.
Weiss cleared her throat awkwardly as she stepped forward, trying to gain his attention. "Hello."
The boy lifted his gaze to look towards the voice and seemed to laugh to himself when he saw who it was, a small smirk crossing his lips, "Yeah...hi."
The Schnee heiress took another step closer to him, her gaze flitting between his eyes and the fountain before settling on his eyes, "My name's Weiss." The girl said as she extended a hand to introduce herself, "And this is my friend, Neptune," she added with a gesture towards the teal blue-haired man who gave the boy a slight nod in greeting.
"...Mercury." He responded after a brief pause as he looked back toward the girl before him, eyeing the hand she extended to him in an amused manner.
"It's nice to meet you, Mercury," the white-haired girl answered softly, her lips quirking into a half-smile. "I'm not bothering you, am I? I know things have been..."
Mercury cut her off, his tone amused as he shook his head and grinned slightly, "No...it's cool, princess," the boy responded with a wave of his hand dismissively, "I was just watching all this chaos," he explained with a gesture to the sky full of airships overhead and all the commotion that went along with it.
"...It's uh heiress actually," Weiss muttered out softly. "I don't use the title of princess." She stated firmly.
"Right right...so why're you down here then, little miss heiress?" The boy inquired as he tilted his head to the side curiously.
The Schnee heiress shook her head and looked away for a moment, "I just...well, I thought I'd come by and see how you were holding up..." she began quietly before trailing off. "It was very kind of you to help us in the city." Weiss stated with a slight nod as she regarded the boy before her, "Ruby especially."
Mercury shrugged, his expression bored as he turned to face the stream of Bullhead dropships, "Eh...I was just trying to make the right decision for the situation," he replied with a shrug, "...It wasn't anything heroic really," the boy explained nonchalantly.
Weiss frowned and raised a brow in response. "...Even if it was just a decision based on what you felt was right at that moment, you still did a good deed," she pointed out softly as she took a step closer to the fountain, "You didn't need to go out of your way to help Ruby like that...but you did, so...I guess what I'm saying is, I'm thankful for that," The white-haired girl stated simply, offering the boy a smile before turning her head to look up at the dropships once again. "So...thank you, Mercury." The girl added.
"Thanks?" the boy responded with an amused chuckle and shook his head as he stood up, brushing himself off lightly before glancing back at Weiss with an expression that she couldn't quite decipher.
There was silence between them as neither said anything for several seconds before Neptune finally cleared his throat and spoke. "Soooo...uh Mercury. Where are you from?" He inquired with a small smile.
The boy let out a laugh at that and looked back towards the sky. "Nowhere special," he answered simply as he watched the aircraft pass by overhead.
The white-haired heiress raised an eyebrow at the response and looked to Neptune briefly before returning her attention back towards the gray-haired boy. "Nothing special?" she questioned skeptically, her brows knitting together slightly in confusion as she spoke, "Why not share then?" The girl asked quietly. "I know everyone's got their stories to share...even if they are...well not that exciting," The white-haired girl explained awkwardly, her voice trailing off slightly.
Mercury rolled his eyes at her and let out another short laugh, "Cause I don't want to share mine, princess," he answered flatly, his expression changing into a scowl. "So stop asking questions, I'm not really in the mood." The boy stated bluntly as he crossed his arms in front of him, staring down at the Schnee girl with an irritated expression. "You done?" he questioned sharply.
The white-haired heiress took a deep breath as she bit back her frustration and replied, "Very well...I'm sorry Mercury," she stated sincerely, giving him an apologetic smile, "It wasn't my place to push." The girl explained softly.
Mercury narrowed his eyes at her in response. "No, it wasn't," he retorted curtly, his gaze narrowing even further as he eyed her. "Just stop being annoying...or go bother someone else...or whatever, princess."
"Hey man don't be rude..." Neptune spoke up as he moved forward to stand next to Weiss. "We're just trying to be friendly." He pointed out, frowning slightly. "What's with the hostility?" the blue-haired teen added with a confused tone as he stared down the gray-haired boy.
The gray-haired boy smirked back at him. "...Nothing," Mercury answered with a shrug as he eyed the pair with a look that screamed boredom before letting out another chuckle and looking away once again.
Weiss shook her head in disbelief at the boy's behavior. It wasn't a surprise given his attitude thus far but still, she felt offended at the boy's blatant rudeness, "Whatever..." The heiress stated bitterly, turning to head back inside with Neptune in tow, "Enjoy being a jerk..." The white-haired heiress added over her shoulder, a scowl forming on her lips as she began to walk away.
With all the dropships, it was nearly impossible to tell when one came and went from the landing zones of the academy, shadows falling across them as each flew by in rapid succession, one after another. So no one even batted an eye at the sound of a dropship flying low to the ground overhead. It was only after it crashed into the CTT Tower with a resounding boom did all eyes turned skyward, to watch a fireball erupt into the night sky as it sent shockwaves rippling across the entire campus, a sound akin to thunder ringing out for several miles.
The impact sent everyone, Weiss and Neptune included, to the ground as a cloud of dust and smoke was kicked up from the collision. Wreckage from the ship and tower falling down onto the courtyard, scattering into smaller pieces and striking the ground all around. The heiress raised herself up to her elbows and looked around frantically as debris rained down upon the courtyard.
"Holy shit!" The boy next to her yelled over the sound of debris crashing into the ground.
Mercury groaned loudly as he was sent to the ground. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" the boy complained as he rose from his hands and knees to survey the scene, looking towards where the CCT had stood previously with an annoyed expression on his face, "Princess, Goggles...you good?" he asked in a somewhat concerned tone, glancing back at Weiss and Neptune with a raised brow as he spoke.
"Y-Yeah we're okay...and I'm not a princess..." Weiss mumbled in response, still dazed from the sudden crash.
The gray-haired boy scoffed in response as he pushed himself off the ground and began making his way toward the debris-strewn courtyard, "Yeah you're fine...sure sounds like it," Mercury called back sarcastically.
Ignoring him, Weiss focused on Neptune next to her. "Neptune, you okay?"
"Y-yeah, just fine, Snow Angel...I'm good, how are you?" the boy answered shakily as he sat up.
"Good..." The heiress responded softly. Her eyes turned to the crash site, the tower now sporting a huge hole in the center of it where a dropship had been blasted through the center, flames burning inside the interior of the tower.
Mercury gave a low whistle as he walked closer to the crash, "...Well...shit," the gray-haired boy murmured to himself.
Atlas troops ran past them, civilians as well, some shouting out instructions, some running around frantically. Some carrying injured people towards the medical bays, while others stood around, dumbfounded as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing.
Reaching into her pocket Weiss retrieved her Scroll, breathing a sigh of relief at a signal. Despite the damage the tower had taken it seemed to still function enough to maintain at least a partial signal. "Thank goodness it still works," the heiress remarked as gazed back towards the tower and frowned at the destruction it had sustained.
Neptune dusted himself off as he got back to his feet and helped Weiss stand as well, "Yeah, me too..."
"Weiss! You okay?!" Ruby shouted, sprinting towards the three of them and coming to a skidding stop next to Weiss as she took hold of her friend's shoulders and looked her over for injuries. The rest of her friends close behind.
The heiress shook her head slightly to clear it. "I'm fine Ruby..." She assured the smaller girl before looking towards the others. "All of us are..."
The scythe wielder looked over Weiss once again to confirm and sighed in relief, "...Okay," the reaper muttered before looking towards the rest of her friends as well.
"What happened?" Yang asked breathlessly, her lilac eyes wide in shock as she looked around at the destruction.
Pyrrha's mouth was agape as she stared at the CTT in stunned silence, "Oh gods...did a ship really hit it?" She breathed out, eyes wide in horror as she watched the fire burn and debris fall upon the ground.
Weiss nodded numbly at her, her face pale as she spoke, "A-a dropship...yes..." She confirmed.
Jaune's eyes went wide with fear as he looked around and spotted a few Atlas soldiers carrying injured people, "I...oh gods...how many people are hurt?!" The blonde exclaimed.
Sun placed his hand on the blond's shoulder comfortingly as he answered, "...Probably more than you think." He whispered grimly, "...There were probably people in the tower Jaune." The blonde faunus noted somberly.
The blonde's face went even paler if possible, he glanced at Sun before looking away and back to the burning wreckage of the CCT.
Blake looked towards the burning debris, her cat ears pressed flat against her skull, "Did they lose control?" She inquired worriedly, "Was the ship damaged or something?" she continued as her golden eyes scanned the debris, her cat ears twitching at each sound she heard around them.
"We didn't see what happened..." Neptune spoke up quietly from beside the group.
As more and more people began to gather, more and more questions started to arise among the crowd. The group stood silent as they watched the burning tower. They could do nothing more than just watch.
Looking around the gathered people, Mercury began to step back from the crowd slowly, Cinder would want to know what was going on. As he made his way backward into the gathering crowd, he caught the sight of two Opzin and Ironwood exiting the tower and looking up towards the top of it with confused expressions as they walked out of the building.
"As if we didn't have enough problems already," Ironwood mumbled as they exited the tower, he spotted the crowd gathering and his brow furrowed at the sight of it. "Clear the crowd and get me the ID number of that Bullhead." The general commanded to one of his assistants as he glanced back up towards the crash site.
"Accident or not we were very close to losing a very important asset," Ozpin added gravely as he surveyed the crash site with a concerned expression on his face.
"Indeed..." The headmaster answered quietly, eyes narrowing in thought, "I get Gylnda to begin repairs, we're fortunate the damage wasn't worse," The white-haired headmaster noted as he stroked his beard and stared up towards the top of the CTT in deep contemplation, "Still...I think we need to begin informing the other Kingdoms...just in case..." the older man added, trailing off as he looked back towards Ironwood. "Things seem to be spiraling out of our control far faster than anticipated James."
"Doubtlessly..." The headmaster answered quietly, eyes narrowing in thought, "I get Gylnda to begin repairs, we're fortunate the damage wasn't worse," The white-haired headmaster noted as he stroked his beard and stared up towards the top of the CTT in deep contemplation, "Still...I think we need to begin informing the other Kingdoms...just in case..." the older man added, trailing off as he looked back towards Ironwood. "Things seem to be spiraling out of our control far faster than anticipated James."
Ironwood shook his head, a scowl crossing his face at the statement. "Yeah...I know," The General responded quietly."I just hope my men in the city can keep this situation contained for the time being, at least until reinforcements arrive." Ironwood noted in a grim tone.
Consume...Spread... Con...sume... Spr...ead...
Speeding onto an on-ramp an Atlesian armored truck roared through the night, racing along the freeway at full speed. Inside Adam Taurus gripped the wheel of the armored truck with a death grip, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the road before him.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Adam?" Jenassa questioned hesitantly. Adam ignored her, his gaze set upon the road ahead. The bat Faunus looked to Lana a deer Faunus and one of the only other survivors from the camp they were driving away from. She looked just as anxious as Jenassa but also scared as she kept glancing behind her to watch the burning and destroyed buildings as they sped past them.
"It's suicide," the bat girl noted softly.
"I don't care..." Adam murmured out. "It's our only option...if we just sit here and do nothing, we're all going to die," Adam stated in an even tone as he maintained his speed, the wind howling outside as they sped down the road at breakneck speeds.
"But stealing an Atlesian airship Adam...this is-"
"The only chance we've got of getting out of this," Adam retorted angrily. "So I don't care, if we can get that ship up and running...we can use it to get out of this city, out of Vale, and we won't ever have to look back." The man stated with an almost feverish conviction as he stared forward into the distance, the road illuminated by the headlights of the truck as it continued racing down the street, leaving the campsite in the dust as the three Faunus tried to make a desperate bid for survival.
"Guess the city didn't fair any better than we did..." the deer Faunus pointed out in a hushed voice as she peered through one of the truck's side windows, spotting several abandoned vehicles and destroyed buildings. The young girl shuddered and moved closer to the center of the vehicle, pulling her legs closer to her chest as she did so, her head downcast. "...it's hard to believe that Zombies are real." The deer Faunus spoke in a quiet tone. "...I'm just glad you were here Adam..." the girl added, looking back out of the window and shivering as she took in the scene around them.
"Pfft...Zombies." Jenassa scoffed loudly. "That's a stupid name..." The bat girl commented with an annoyed expression on her face as she looked back at her friend.
Lana shrugged her shoulders and looked back at the older woman, "I don't know, I think it fits them," the girl replied. "What would you call them?" The young girl inquired curiously.
"The enemy," The bat Faunus replied simply, "That's all we need to know them as," she added with a slight shrug. "They aren't even people anymore, they're just monsters."
Adam raised a brow in the rearview mirror at that, his expression amused, "Whatever they're called they'll die just like any other monster...just with more bullets," he added, "Atlesian military...the Grimm...they'll just be another obstacle to overcome before we reach our goal," the redhead explained, "All that matters is we keep going forward..."
"Right..." The bat girl responded quietly as she glanced out the window once again to watch the passing scenery fly by, a pained expression crossing her face briefly, her grip tightening on her weapon.
After several moments of silence, Jenassa pointed ahead towards the road in front of them and called out, "Look...is that...?" she trailed off.
Off the highway exit to their right and down into the city was a Megoliath, stomping through the streets towards the highway itself, causing cars to crumple underneath its massive weight as it lumbered forward. Its beady red eyes glowed ominously in the darkness of the night as it slowly walked towards the freeway, its steps slow but powerful.
However it wasn't left to its own devices, buildings on either side of the road opened fire at it. Machine guns, rocket launchers, whatever was available was being thrown at the Grimm beast. The monster howled and bellowed out in anger, shaking its massive head from side to side as it roared and stampeded down the road toward them.
"Atlas?... I thought they were busy evacuating the city...why the hell are they even trying to fight the Grimm?!" Jenassa growled as she gripped the armrest on her seat tightly, watching in disbelief as the beast roared again, its footsteps growing louder and more rapid.
"It isn't Atlas..." Adam noted grimly as he glanced down the road," I don't recall Atlesian troops having the guts to climb on top of Grimm..." the redhead noted with an edge in his voice.
There, scaling the sides of the massive Grimm as it stomped along were various infected abominations, clawing and stabbing their way up its side as the massive beast continued its path to the freeway.
"How many of them are there?" Jenassa gasped, her eyes wide with fright as she stared at the infected humans who climbed up the massive monster.
Down by the Megoliath's feet Beowovles and Boarbatusks jumped up to snap at the climbing infected, ripping several apart or causing them to fall. But for each one that fell several more would climb up. It seemed they would never stop in their relentless attack upon the Megoliath.
Adam watched as the beast let out another roar, this time more pained, as a large infected with a blade fused to its arm, stabbed deep into its leg as it began to climb up the creature's body, digging deeper with each step. The monster roared out again, bellowing in anger, stumbling to the side slightly as the infected human stabbed at it again. The beast swayed more dangerously than before, before slowly falling into the direction of the highway itself.
"Hold on!" Adam shouted as he swerved the armored vehicle to the right, narrowly missing a giant foot as the monster crashed onto the highway, collapsing the overpass entirely, sending Grimm and infected alike to the highway below as debris flew through the air.
Adam swerved again, avoiding the falling debris, swerving back to the right, and back to the left to dodge an Infected who landed in the middle of the road in front of them. "Fuck!" Adam swore loudly. "Fucking monsters..."
A roar from above caused everyone inside the armored vehicle to look up, as two infected landed onto the front of the truck. One being the same one who had taken down the Grimm Megoliath. The once young up-and-coming huntsmen Yatsuhashi Daichi. Now he was nothing but an infected beast who ripped and tore into the front of the vehicle, digging deep into the engine of the Atlesian truck. The vehicle veered to the left and began to skid and slide.
Another thump at Jenassa's passenger door drew the Bat Faunus' attention from the front of the truck as a Beowolf crashed against the armored glass, roaring at them as it tried to break in, its claws leaving scratches along the reinforced glass. The creature snarled and tried again and again as it repeatedly crashed against the armored vehicle with each attempt until finally, it spotted the two infected climbing onto the hood. With a roar of defiance, it leaped and tackled Yatsuhashi from the hood of the armored car. Falling onto the road, both rolled and fought as they clawed at each other's flesh.
Adam looked behind him to see the two fighting beasts, and with a roar he turned to watch as the remaining infected human crashed against his side door window with its barbed hand, scratching and clawing at it as it attempted to get in. Adam gripped the steering wheel tightly and turned his attention back to the road as the vehicle swerved again, slamming the vehicle into another infected creature that ran at them from the side. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled as bits and pieces of the Infected flew everywhere from the impact.
Continuing to bang against the door window, the creature tried desperately to reach Adam and tear him apart, failing. With a grunt of determination, Adam looked to his fellow Faunus in the vehicle, his gaze fierce, "Hold onto something!" Adam ordered them. Jenassa and Lana braced themselves for the worst.
With another grunt Adam jerked the steering wheel sharply to the side and slammed into the railing of the highway, scrapping the infected from the side of the vehicle, the sound of screeching metal and tearing flesh filling the air as it was grinded away from the truck and fell off the edge of the highway.
Free from the creature's attacks Adam regained control of the truck once more. As the vehicle regained stability he began to push the truck's accelerator once again, pushing forward along the highway towards their goal.
Rising to his feet the infected Yatsuhashi watched the speeding Atlesian armored truck drive away from him as he turned to regard the struggling Beowolf in his grasp, it snarled and tried to break free from its captor, biting and tearing at it as it thrashed and struggled. With an effortless motion, the large Infected snapped the beast's neck and dropped the creature to the ground. It watched as the Grimm disintegrated into a pile of ash before its eyes before turning and starting down the highway towards the Atlesian vehicle, around him more and more infected climbed up onto the freeway as the last remnants of Grimm disintegrated into the night. With a grunt and a roar, he ran down the road with his infected brethren, giving chase to the vehicle.
Captain Tarron groaned loudly, as the Atlesian gunships flew overhead, "Shit...this is all going to shit..." He'd lost a lot of good men tonight. Men that he knew and worked with for years. His face paled and he looked down at his feet for a moment and took a deep breath before raising his head once again to look towards the last outpost in the city.
Tarron took a deep breath, a determined expression crossing his face as he looked over the defenses, his troops, his men, they were holding on, barely but they were holding.
Two gunships, three paladins, four dozen Atlesian military personnel, and three squads worth of AK-130's were all that remained of the initial force he had been dispatched with to maintain control over the city. Now, they had to make sure the last of the civilians made it out alive.
On top of a watchtower overlooking the evacuation center, he stood with several other members of his company as he oversaw the last of the citizens making their way onto a series of evacuation vessels, some had come by train, some had driven down, and others had arrived on foot, carrying anything and everything they could get their hands on.
"We'll need at least three maybe four more cycles of evac before the city is cleared," a voice noted from beside Tarron as he stood over the watchtower and gazed at the sea of people below them.
Tarron gave a curt nod in reply, his face pale. "Yeah...looks that way..."
"You got the report, sir?" the officer inquired with a tilt of his head. "From General Ironwood?" he continued as he leaned on the edge of the wall, looking down over the masses below them as he watched a group of Atlas soldiers escorting some civilians aboard a vessel.
"About the CTT or how these things spread to other parts of Vale?" the Captain questioned back as he stared down at the crowd as well. "Yes and yes..." Tarron muttered grimly as he turned his attention back towards the officer and frowned slightly, "The CCT has sustained damage, but communication is still functional for the time being, it'll have to do until reinforcements can get here..." he noted.
Gunshots within the city echoed but they paid no mind. This wasn't new for the night, any remaining Atlas military forces in the area were here at the evac center. Those shots might have been coming from their weapons but it wasn't them who were doing the firing. "At least the Grimm are keeping those things at bay...I suppose that's one small silver lining we've got right now," the Captain commented softly, letting out a heavy sigh as he glanced back at the other soldiers and officers present before looking back at the sea of people below.
"Buddy if you bump into me one more time, you're going to this cane of mine, and trust me when I say it will not be pretty, understand me?!"
"Understood!"
Roman Torchwick watched as the civilian shifted through the crowd ahead of him, "Smart choice," he grumbled. "So much for getting out of this dump by this sunset," he added dryly as a tug on his trenchcoat pulled his attention to Neo, who smiled back up at him with a hint of fear in her expression. Roman just sighed, "Yeah...I know," the criminal mastermind murmured, "Don't worry we'll make it through this just fine," he stated calmly.
Watching a bullhead rise from the landing zone ahead he let out another sigh as he looked at his watch. "Lucky bastards," he muttered under his breath as he watched it fly overhead and away from the city, the man glanced over his shoulder at the mass of people behind them in line for the ships. It was still quite the long line behind them but that was the situation. He glanced up towards the night sky and let out another sigh, "It's going to be a long night..." he muttered under his breath.
A loud horn rang out throughout the air gaining the attention of the officers standing on the watchtower. An armored truck was barreling down the street, and straight towards the gate, towards them.
Tarron squinted and held up a pair of binoculars, looking out at the speeding vehicle before glancing up at the gunship circling above. "Get that gunship on standby...if this vehicle isn't a friend, then it'll be dealt with," he instructed calmly. He looked through his binoculars at the approaching truck, not slowing down in the slightest, as it neared the gates. The officer glanced back to the soldiers around him and raised a hand signaling the gunship to prepare for action as the vehicle neared.
"Send a warning shot ahead of the truck!" he ordered sharply, the soldiers nodded in acknowledgment and signaled to the gunships as the truck approached, still barreling forward
with no signs of stopping. The gunship let out a short burst of its guns, sending bullets slamming into the pavement, in front of the armored vehicle.
Tarron watched as the vehicle continued to barrel down the road, still with no sign of stopping as the officers raised their rifles to aim at the incoming truck, as it continued to speed towards the gates, its tires screeching against the ground as it accelerated even more.
"Get ready to open fire on that thing! Shoot first, and ask questions later!" Tarron yelled out, pointing towards the speeding truck. The soldiers and gunship took aim at the approaching vehicle, Tarron raised his hand to give the signal to fire and watched the vehicle's approach intently.
Before he could signal for them to fire the reason for way it was driving in such a hurry became apparent, a wave of infected were close behind. They sprinted, some crawled along the ground, while others lumbered on all fours as they sprinted behind it, their gait awkward and unnatural. The horde was enormous, hundreds if not thousands of infected abominations chased down the Atlesian vehicle, desperately trying to close the gap between the two.
As the vehicle got closer he realized that no matter what happened now, this last bastion was about to fall.
With a heavy heart, Captain Tarron rammed down the red button next to the guard, triggering the automated defenses around the compound and causing all the guns and turrets to activate. The men all began to take up positions on the wall, "Ice dagger - 7 and 9, slow them down!" Captain Tarron bellowed out, as the two gunships he had under his control, descended towards the road to engage the horde.
As the twin gunships flew past the armored truck the vehicle crashed through the gates of the compound and slammed on the brakes, sliding into the compound as it collided into a wall with a loud crash. But Captain Tarron couldn't spare the vehicle any attention. It didn't matter now. As the gunships began to let loose upon the oncoming horde, "Get every last one of our AKs out there now!" The captain yelled. "We're gonna hold this line for as long as it takes to evacuate all these people! Understood?!" he yelled to his subordinates.
"Yes, sir!" They responded in unison, moving into action as Tarron moved to the front gate and looked out. "Damn, there's a lot of those fuckers," he mumbled. "Those two gunships won't last for long in this mess..." The Captain shook his head in disappointment.
Coughing up dust as he stepped out of the crashed armored truck, Adam's eyes shot open as he looked toward the crowd of panicked people. A low growl emanated from his lips as he pulled himself free from the wreckage and slammed the door shut behind him.
"Shit it's Adam Taurus..." Jenassa heard someone whisper as a group of armed guards pointed their rifles at him.
"What the fuck?!" one of them cried out. "A terrorist is still alive in this god-forsaken city? I'll be damned!"
"Hands up, motherfucker!" another cried out, his voice rising above the chaos, his voice dripping with malice. "I've always wanted to put a bullet in your fucking skull, you bastard!" The soldier yelled.
With a snarl, Adam gripped his weapon tight and in one fluid motion ripped it from its sheath and slashed forward with it. In an instant his blade slashed across the throat of the closest soldier, blood spurting from his severed arteries as Adam leaped backward away from him, the man dropping to his knees as blood spurted from his throat in spurts and gushes as he choked and gargled on his blood, clutching desperately at his throat in vain to stop the blood from leaving his body.
As the other soldiers raised their rifles and took aim, Adam had to think quickly time could not be wasted here, not when a horde of infected was upon them, eyeing the panicked civilians that filled the area and the armed Atlesian troops surrounding him, a plan formed in his head, with a snarl the man raised his hand holding the sword over his head and gave a sinister smirk.
"People of Vale!" the man bellowed out, causing everyone in the vicinity to stop and look at the redheaded Faunus, "Those abominations are here, and as you can clearly see there aren't enough Airships here to save us all..." He continued as he motioned towards the massive horde of Infected, "So I say this..." Adam said, raising his weapon even higher so all could see it.
"I don't care which way, but I recommend that you go NOW!" Adam Taurus exclaimed to the gathered people. The redheaded man smirked as soon one by one people started running in every direction, bumping into the armed Atlesian military personnel in the process.
Adam nodded his head as he watched the crowd of people turn into a stampede of fear-driven individuals rushing in any direction they could to reach the ships. Gazing to Jenassa and Lana, Adam smirked as he motioned for the pair of faunus to follow him towards the nearest ship. "We're leaving now..." Adam spoke confidently to the pair. "Just stay behind me." the man instructed, turning back to the crowd and weaving his way through them as they made their way to a waiting Bullhead.
Atlesian Knights moved into formation out of the facility's gate and fired upon the incoming horde. Bullets and laser rounds ripped and tore through the horde of infected abominations. The sounds of screams filled the air as bodies fell and flesh was torn apart from the barrage of gunfire. But even so, as one infected fell several more rushed towards them.
The twin gunships opened fire with their miniguns, ripping and tearing apart the frontline of the horde, the loud gunfire causing a loud ringing to fill the air as the gunships opened up on them with all they had. As one of the gunships continued to open up with its miniguns the other maneuvered low over the ground, firing its cannons as it circled the perimeter of the compound, laying down suppressive fire on any infected it came across.
Mingun pointing to the air the infected Coco Adel screamed and began firing towards the gunship, as did the infected Velvet Scarlatina next to her, who used her camera to copy Coco and began to open fire on the Atlesian aircraft as they circled the perimeter.
One pilot was completely caught by surprise as a torrent of bullets shredded the cockpit, killing him in an instant as the gunship he piloted veered sharply to the side, before igniting into a ball of flames, spiraling downward to the earth below.
Mingun pointing to the air the infected Coco Adel screamed and began firing towards the gunship, as did the infected Velvet Scarlatina next to her, who used her camera to copy Coco and began to open fire on the Atlesian aircraft as they circled the perimeter.
One pilot was completely caught by surprise as a torrent of bullets shredded the cockpit, killing him in an instant as the gunship he piloted veered sharply to the side, before igniting into a ball of flames, spiraling downward to the earth below.
"Gunship down! Gunship down! Ice Dagger - 9 is down! I repeat Ice Dagger - 9 is down!" the pilot of the last remaining gunship screamed into the radio, "Permission to fall back to the perimeter!" the gunship pilot pleaded to his commanding officer, "There are too many of these fucking things!" the gunship pilot called out as he maneuvered his gunship through the hail of gunfire that was being aimed at him by the horde, "Please give permission to-" his request cut short as several bullets found their way into his gunships left side engines, causing it to catch fire.
"Fuck...Ice dagger - 7 is going down...Mayday...I repeat Mayday!" the pilot shouted into the radio as the aircraft began to plummet from the air, slamming into the middle of the horde of infected and detonating in a massive ball of flame as it collided with the ground. The explosion sending out a wave of flames that burned several dozen infected nearby and caused even more to become engulfed in flames and begin screaming in pain, only for those that did so to keep charging into the compound's defenses.
The Captain grimaced as the gunships were lost, looking out into the horde he sighed as he spotted one of his subordinates with a rocket launcher taking aim and firing into the horde and watching several more Infected go up in a spray of gore, "Have the Paladins join up with the AKs in the defenses." Tarron commanded. "Have all available gunners join up and open fire."
"Sir yes, sir." the subordinate responded with a quick nod before relaying the command over the radio to the rest of the defense team.
As the Paladins rushed out of the facility and joined the Atlesian Knights in their defense the mounted gunners along the wall opened up as well. The heavy caliber guns ripping and tearing through the horde as they tore and shredded them apart.
"Keep firing!" The captain shouted as the sounds of screams, gunshots, and the whirling of helicopter blades filled the air as the Bullheads lifted off, rising into the air to escape from the carnage below.
"Captain look out!" An officer called out as he moved to tackle the captain to the ground just in time, as a rocket screamed over his head. It exploded several feet away from them, sending debris flying through the air. Tarron grimaced and shook his head to clear it as he slowly stood up and glanced at the officer who had saved him. "...Thanks," he muttered, as the officer gave a nod of understanding as both turned their attention to where the rocket had come from.
Along the rooftops that overlooked the evacuation center, several infected individuals had set themselves up to snipe out any guards from a distance. Some carried rocket launchers and others assault rifles as they fired from their positions along the rooftops.
Behind them other infected leaped from rooftop to rooftop, The captain's eyes widening in realization as he followed the leaping creatures' movements. They were headed to the landing pads and dropships that were evacuating the citizens from this hell hole. "Shit..."
"Shit..." Adam mumbled under his breath as he glanced toward the two nearest Bullheads and frowned. They were already taking off with civilians in tow as it ascended into the air. A few desperate souls gripped onto the bottom of one and dangled for dear life as they ascended into the night sky. The faunus watched as several more people sprinted towards the now-closing ramp of the second ship, screaming at the pilot to not take off as he did so.
The drop ships weren't even fully off the ground when a group of infected abominations leaped off a nearby roof and pounced, several clawed into the engines causing them to start smoking, a pair brought their full weight on the back, slamming into the tail of the Bullhead as the pilot desperately tried to stabilize his ship. But it was a futile effort as it started to spin out of control, crashing into the second Bullhead beside it and igniting into a massive ball of flames as it impacted, causing screams and cries of fear to fill the air.
Adam cursed once again under his breath as he surveyed the area around them, burning debris rained from the sky, crashing to the ground as more Infected jumped down from rooftops and charged into the crowd of terrified people.
Dodging a leaping infected the faunus quickly slashed out and cut it in half with his sword. Looking towards Jenassa he shouted "There aren't many ships left...We have to get aboard one and now!" Adam snarled as he pushed past a few screaming people in front of him and charged forward as Lana and Jenassa followed close behind.
"Sir, the infected have broken through the eastern and northern defenses, they're making a beeline to the landing pads and airships." An officer called out. Captain Tarron gritted his teeth in frustration. This was their last chance at surviving, they were already outnumbered and the Infected were going to take advantage of their losses.
The Captain gritted his teeth and grabbed his radio "All ground forces pull back to the landing zone! Repeat, all ground forces pull back to the landing zone!" he barked out to his remaining soldiers. He knew most would not make it but at this point, it didn't matter, if the infected overran the landing zone nobody would get out of there alive.
Looking out into the horde of infected the officer could spot the last of the AK-130 droids firing desperately in a futile effort to buy the evacuees even a few more precious seconds.
A paladin stomped onto an infected, its feet slamming it into a pile of gore before the paladin itself was tackled to the ground and overrun by several dozen infected that swarmed the massive machine.
Another paladin stomped on one of the infected that were swarming the wall, as its hand shot down to grab it and tear it in half. In a desperate move, another paladin shot a volley of missiles into the crowd of infected that swarmed around them, blowing a few dozen infected into pieces but even so the horde kept advancing.
The Officer watched as more of his comrades were torn to shreds by the onslaught of the horde that kept coming. There was no end to this hell that they had found themselves in. "FUCKING BASTARDS!" Tarron snarled out in pure rage as he began to empty his rifle into the horde, a group of soldiers behind him following suit. "IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE, YOU BETTER KILL ALL THESE DAMN BASTARDS NOW!"
It was all for not however as the soldiers one by one were pulled down, and their bodies were torn and mutilated, one after another, their bodies becoming a mass of blood, bone, and organs as they were dragged into the horde.
"GO TO HELL! ALL OF YOU! TO HELL!" Tarron screamed at the oncoming horde as he unloaded his magazine into the horde, his magazine quickly emptied but he reloaded with another clip from his pocket and kept firing, until finally, the infected had finally overrun the last remaining defender as he was brought to the ground, screaming out as his body was ripped apart.
"Crap. Crap. Crap!" Roman swore out in frustration as he pushed and shoved his way through the panicked crowd, gripping Neo tightly to his side.
Hearing a roar Roman ducks out of the way just as an infected abomination, an Atlesian soldier, comes crashing into the crowd. Slashing and biting wildly at people who get too close to its flailing arms and teeth.
Roman cursed once more under his breath as he looked back to Neo. "Fuck we need to get out of here before we're torn to shreds!" Roman muttered to the shorter woman, " RUN!" he yelled and bolted through the panicked crowd.
The pair dashed forward, through the screaming crowd towards a waiting drop-ship, its back door already open and a few other civilians rushing aboard. "Neo, get to the cockpit and do whatever you must to get this bird moving! I need to secure us some protection." the master criminal ordered the girl who quickly nodded in understanding, rushing past several more civilians that were boarding.
Stopping on the ramp of the ship Roman turned and surveyed the panicked crowd as a large group of Infected crashed through a line of AK-130 droids that attempted to hold them back. Roman spotted just the unhinged and dangerous man that he was looking for, waving his cane over his head he yelled out "Adam!" the criminal mastermind called out.
Looking up the Faunus spotted Roman Torchwick, waving his cane in the air."Well what do we have here..." he grinned maliciously as he and his two followers sprinted forward.
Rushing over Adam watched as a few ships managed to lift off, while one of them crashed back to the ground, erupting into a ball of flames as it impacted the landing zone.
Adam was keenly aware that a few ships had infected storming onto their hull, no doubt slaughtering those that were aboard as they struggled for escape. "Damn...the bastards are making it onto the ships..."But there was no time to worry about those who couldn't defend themselves, as the horde approached he knew they had to escape while they still could.
The trio ran over to Roman who gestured them onto the ramp of the bullhead. Adam watched as Roman pointed his cane into the horde of infected that was sprinting towards the airships, "I'm gonna go help Neo start this thing, and you're gonna make sure those fuckers don't touch our ship, got it?!" The redhead criminal snarled out at the Faunus as he pointed at the approaching horde.
Adam gave a quick nod of understanding and pulled free his sword as he glanced back out the ramp. Standing by his side Lana and Jenassa also took out their weapons.
"Gun them down," Adam instructed simply with a wave of his free hand as the pair nodded and fired upon the charging horde as he gripped his blade waiting for any who made it past the line of gunfire.
"Out the way!" Roman snapped at a few people, pushing them away as he sprinted down the hall to the cockpit of the drop ship. "Don't mind our white fang friends..." he grumbled out sarcastically to the civilians onboard. "Just stay seated and out of the way while I try not to get us all killed." the man snarled out in irritation as he opened the cockpit door, rushing in as Neo quickly backed out and gave Roman some space as he took the controls and began the starting sequence for the Bullhead.
"Was the pilot?..." Roman asked, turning back to look at her, as Neo shook her head in reply and gestured to the corner where the dead pilot's body was, "Wanted to wait till this bird was full, huh?..." he questioned rhetorically.
A silent nod from Neo as she gave Roman a serious look. Roman sighed in return and shook his head, "Figures...We can't really blame them for wanting to save people..."
Looking up Roman looked out the window to the crowd below as more and more airships began to ascend into the sky. The redheaded man quickly gripped the control yolk as a group of infected charged into the landing zone and began climbing up onto the ship itself. "Well, it looks like we're gonna have some unwanted passengers," Roman muttered under his breath, pulling on the throttle as the ship began to lift from the ground.
Slicing down an infected as it tried to charge at him, Adam backed up as the ramp to the Bullhead slowly began to rise, Lana and Jenassa backing up with him. A pair of Infected leaped over a dead body, leaping towards the raised ramp. But as the ramp finished raising they crashed against the side, falling back onto the ground and out of view as the ship slowly began to rise into the air.
Looking towards the pair of Faunus women Adam turned towards them "Is that the last of them?!" the red-haired faunus yelled back over the engines as he backed up, putting his blade away as the ship started to slowly lift off the ground.
"It better be!" the bat faunus responded as she quickly reloaded her rifle and nodded towards him, as the last of the dropships rose into the air.
Turbulence rocked the bullhead, sending the three of them stumbling about. Cursing Adam quickly rose to his feet and pushed past a few panicking civilians who screamed as they held onto whatever they could to stabilize themselves as they stumbled about, looking for any free seat they could find. "Shut up! I'm trying to save our asses here!" Adam yelled out at the crowd as he quickly pushed past them.
The sound of the bullhead's intercom rang out as Roman's voice spoke up "Attention ladies and gents. Sorry about the sudden take-off but the sooner we leave the sooner we don't become lunch." Roman commented. "...Also if an Adam Taurus could open the side hatch and deal with the 'passengers' that would be appreciated," he added sarcastically, as Adam scowled and he and his followers quickly made their way towards the hatch of the ship.
Gripping the handle Jenassa looked at both Adam and Lana waiting for them to get ready. The civilians onboard moved as far away from the door as they could, as the pair quickly gave a nod to Jenassa who yanked open the handle, opening the door.
Instantly a burst of cold air filled the interior of the bullhead. Two of the infected that had latched onto the side of the airship had begun to claw their way up and in through the hatch. With a swift kick of his foot, Adam kicked one in the chest, sending it tumbling down and out of the open hatch, he slashed with his weapon and cut off the other one's arm causing it to scream and let go of the door.
Looking down Lana watched as the remaining infected let go of the side of the aircraft and plummeted to the earth below, "I think that's all of the-" the fawn-like faunus spoke as suddenly
a blade pierced her stomach and came out her back. The Faunus woman gave out a gurgle as she coughed up blood and looked down at the blade impaling her, pulling itself up the Infected Yatsuhashi grunted as he flung her out of the aircraft and to the city below.
"LANA!" Jenassa and Adam screamed as they looked towards the Infected as it made its way into the aircraft, Adam charged forward slashing and striking the creature with the blade, only for it to bounce off, a shimmer of light emitting from the creature as Adam cursed and took a step back.
"Fuck... it's Aura... this fucking things have Aura...how?!" The faunus roared out as he looked at the creature as it swung at him, sending Adam stumbling back, his Aura shimmering as he struck against the side of the craft and watched as Jenassa switched her whip into its rifle mode, taking aim and opening fire.
Bullet after bullet pierced its Aura but the Infected paid it no mind as it swung its blade at her, causing the faunus to have to quickly move back and out of the way of the creature's slashing blade as the airship began to speed away from the burning city.
With a snarl Adam swung forward with his weapon once more, aiming for its neck with a strike that could easily sever it. The creature raised its barbed arm up, the barbed edge deflected Adam's strike and with a swipe sent the blade flying from the redhead's grip.
Believing that Adam was now helpless the infected Yatsuhashi rushed towards Adam and swung down at his head. As it did Jenassa switched back to her whip mode and sent her whip around the Infected Yatsuhashi's arm and pulled back, yanking Yatsuhashi back.
Taking the advantage Adam crawled to where his sword fell, "Hurry Adam! I can't keep this thing pinned!" the Bat Faunus called out to Adam as he scrambled across the floor for his sword.
Screaming, Yatsuhashi began to pull the Faunus woman in, despite her resistance and her attempts to keep distance between them, using his brute strength to force her in closer. With a yank, Jenassa's feet lost traction, and she stumbled towards Yatsuhashi.
With a guttural growl, Yatsuhashi grabbed her by the neck with his barbed arm. Her body lifted from the floor, her feet dangled beneath her. Jenassa grasped his wrist, her fingers trying to pry it off of her, to no avail. Her body squirmed in his grip, her face turning a deeper shade of red with each second, as she struggled to breathe.
Aura could block, Aura could shield, but a quick jerk of the neck, and an Aura wouldn't protect you. A single crack resounded, her head slumped downwards, and her body hung loosely, like a rag doll. And just like Lana's, her body was tossed out of the aircraft to the streets below, nothing but more mass to be added to the city's corpse-filled streets.
If the people on board weren't horrified before, the sight of this monstrous abomination that stood before them was more than enough to do that. Their eyes widened with shock at the creature standing before them, as its white eyes locked on them all.
A dropkick connected to the back of his head and sent the Infected Yatsuhashi face-planting to the floor. Scowling Adam rose to his feet and watched as the Infected twitched and spazzed, trying to rise back up, before rising to his feet and facing the man head-on. "What the hell are you?..." the faunus muttered under his breath.
Giving a snarl the Infected charged, tackling the Faunus and slamming him to the wall as he snarled, before raising his arm to bring his barbed hand down, the hand striking the wall right next to Adam's head, causing the red-haired Faunus to scowl. "Damn..." he grumbled as the Infected's eyes looked straight at him snarling once more.
Aura blinking, Adam couldn't take much more damage. He was going to run out of it soon. If that thing attacked again and got the upper hand, that'd be it for him, for everything he'd worked so hard to accomplish. But the options were limited, he couldn't use his semblance in such a tight space.
"Alright you bastard, I'll take you on... "Adam muttered, as the creature pulled its arm back, the barbs in its hand raised, ready to strike and bring them into Adam's head.
But before it could do so the Infected was sent flying backwards as a parasol impacted its side. The hit caused the abomination's own Aura to flicker.
Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion, only to grin as Neo stepped into the room. Her parasol gripped in hand. The short woman walked over to Adam and pointed at the creature before giving the Faunus a smug smile, a look that clearly said "I got this." as she pointed at the creature that was beginning to get up from the ground and look up at them, with the same empty gaze.
"Haha, so you want a piece of this, do you?... Well as much as I'd love to let you finish this piece of shit, It be better if we work together." The faunus replied to the shorter woman as he grabbed his blade. Neo nodded and smiled, and gestured her parasol at the monster, signaling to the Faunus that she was more than happy to do so.
Snarling the imfected Yatsuhashi readied itself as the pair dashed towards it, blades poised. Yatsuhashi slashed forward, his arm and weapon arced in front of him to block their path, but the duo slid beneath its arm and past his blade, Neo slamming the tip of her parasol into the ground and sliding on one knee while Adam rolled beneath and back to his feet, before they both quickly stood back up, slashing across his chest and stomach respectively.
Roaring in anger Yatsuhashi spun on his heel to strike, but Adam quickly raised his weapon, deflecting the attack while Neo charged and kicked the knee of the creature, sending it off balance, the short woman quickly followed up with a series of strikes with her parasol, causing the Infected to be forced backward.
Finding an opportunity to attack, Adam sent a big boot to help keep it off balance. Sheathing Wilt into his scabbard he quickly crouched down, aiming Blush at the infected's chin before pulling the trigger.
With Wilt shooting out of its scabbard and into the chin of Yatsuhashi the Infected with a cry of surprise stumbled backward nearing the open door.
Eying Wilt as it twirled into the air Neo lunged and reached out for the blade, snatching it out of the air before bringing it down across the Yatsuhashi's neck and slashing at a downward angle, severing its upper body and causing the abomination to fall back out the door to the burning city below.
Quickly shutting the hatch to the side Neo turned and threw Adam his weapon. The faunus gave the shorter woman a grin as she skipped her way over to him "Good job back there..." he mumbled in approval, a nod coming from Neo in response to his compliment, her smile bright. "Now, let's see what Roman's up to, shall we?" he said as he walked towards the cockpit with a smirk on his face.
"Ah, there you are!" Roman said as the door to the cockpit opened, looking back to Neo and Adam the man smiled "Oh great you didn't kill each other! Good to know you two are getting along." the redheaded criminal spoke out as the cockpit door slid closed behind Adam and Neo, Adam's two followers nowhere to be seen, which caused the man's eyebrow to rise slightly but he quickly brushed it aside, "Well the city is burning and it looks like most of the ships are getting the hell out of dodge..." Roman commented.
Adam ignored him. He didn't need this bastard to be mocking his comrades, and instead made his way towards the cockpit window to look down at the burning city. The ships that had taken off were fleeing as fast as they could from Vale. He didn't want to imagine how the rest of this hellhole would look once the smoke and ash settled,
Adam stared out into the burning city. Vale was in flames. From here the redhead could see several more drop ships lifting off as the city burned in the background.
"Why are we still in formation with the others, Roman?" Adam asked as he looked out the front of the aircraft towards the city, his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. "Don't you want to get out of here as soon as possible?"
Roman snorted. "safety in numbers my red friend."
"But we're headed toward Beacon." Adam scowled as he continued to look at the other airships, "Huntsmen and Atlesian Military personnel." The faunus glared at the criminal. "You really think it's a good idea to be near them?" Adam hissed.
"You know damn well I'm not a fan of the law and their pompous little Hunters, but I'd rather be close to them for protection than get swarmed and shot down by the bastards below us." The redheaded man stated.
The two shared a silent stare before Adam sighed and turned to look out the cockpit window once more. He didn't like being close to Beacon or those who defended it, but the criminal was right. Better to have those people to cover you, than the Grimm or worse the infected that were rampaging through the burning city. "Alright...I get it..." The Faunus admitted, looking out to the ships around them, a few going in and out of formation as they flew towards the Academy.
With the city overrun and in flames, Beacon seemed like a good choice, but those abominations were probably already making their way up there too. Beacon had Huntsmen, sure, but how long would they be able to hold up against these infected, especially now that they had Aura and maybe even the semblances of those they consumed? Adam sighed as he thought. He would need to do whatever was necessary to get back home and warn Sienna, and the rest of the White Fang.
Consume... Spread...
...
...
Do not be afraid. I am peace; I am salvation.