-pete. Engage any Fang members in red. Do not fire on anyone in blue.' The voice tagged as DFM Evangelina ordered.
Ren and Nora needed no encouragement. They along with the other COG forces surged towards the White Fang hideout. Those people needed help.
On rooftops surrounding the building doors burst open and Blackeye units took up positions. The machines were near copies of the Deadeye sniper DeeBee. But with their programming altered to accommodate their Shock EMBARs.
The robotic sharpshooters dropped to one knee and braced their weapons. Ballistic calculations were run. Moisture, wind speed and distance were analyzed and factored in as they took aim. The Blackeye was provided with extra processors. Since it both needed to avoid killing its target and was less likely to be destroyed.
As a result the first red jackets to be targeted only had a split second to wonder what those blue flashes were. Before the first one spun away knocked off her feet by a subsonic shock round. Several of her comrades soon followed.
'What is happening!?' Aard shouted. As he watched another set of his troops get slammed off their feet.
At first those with aura tried to rise to their feet. But then they dropped to the ground crying out in pain. Aard saw one round miss as its intended target tripped over someone already on the ground.
The round struck the metal work and burst apart. But it wasn't metal, it was slimy like glue. And at its heart was a small cylinder bristling with wires that arced with electricity.
He suppressed a snarl. These monsters wanted to take them alive. Why? Prizes no doubt. Something to parade to the world. Or did they know that he'd planned to make some martyrs to draw more support? It didn't matter now.
The brother next to him was hit. Aard grabbed him as he fell, lowering him down to the ground.
'Thank.. You… Bro-' The shocked faunus started between jolts of pain.
'No. Thank you, Brother. Your sacrifice will be remembered,' Aard replied.
Before any objection could be raised Aard stood up. Lifting the injured red jacket and holding him as a shield. He tried to finish off the traitors trapped below but there was a series of bangs.
The gate dropped off its hinges as the breach team did their work. Standing in the street was a phalanx of Peacekeepers, led by Arbitrators. The "less" than lethal version of a DR-1 Protector.
Their function was not patrol work of Peacekeepers. Nor the precision of the Blackeyes in subduing non-compliant targets. They were the blunt instrument of enforcement intended to suppress riots alone or engage barricaded suspects. There would be no velvet glove. No polite "good day to you". Just direct liberal application of force.
As the Arbitrators opened fire those fast, smart or just lucky ducked for cover. The slow, dumb and unfortunate caught several Shock rounds in rapid succession. Those who remained unscathed were stunned at the sudden turn about.
Aard knew he'd need to rally them. This could not be the end. Not yet the work was not done.
'Inside my brothers and sisters. Retreat for now!' Aard called. Retreating into the building.
Their withdrawal was harried by fire from all sides. Once within the building they barred the doors and settled in for a siege.
On their heels the COG forces moved towards the building hugging cover and moving in quick bounds.
'They're getting away,' Nora shouted. Making to chase the red jackets.
'Nora no. Orders are to hold outside,' Ren snapped. Grabbing Nora's shoulder.
'But-'
'I know. I know But let's wait for now. We need to protect the wounded.'
'Okay… You're right,' Nora said. Looking around them.
The blue jackets had been penned in and shot to pieces. The Huntsmen had moved in after the DeeBees. They were lucky it wasn't an outright slaughter. Many were wounded and needed to be evacuated.
For their part the blue jackets gave up without a fight. Most were injured or unconscious. Those still able to fight knew there would be no point now. They held up their hands and put down what weapons they still had.
The COG forces started taking custody of their prisoners. Those that could walk were being marched out under guard. Many were not and had to be stretchered, out to a set of Minotaur ambulances the medics had brought up. Its armored rear surgical bay letting them stabilize the most critical cases.
'Zane! Zane! For the Horned God's sake stay with me!' One of the blue jackets cried out. She was helping carry out one of the others.
It was a man with a snow leopard tail from the look of it. His front had a patch of red staining his uniform. But the back was soaking through. Not a good sign.
The evacuation was constantly harassed by occasional bursts of gunfire from the building. The COG response was generous, suppressing fire at the source. Any shooter that continued to fire was silenced by the Blackeyes. Every so often offers of surrender were repeated to little effect.
'That is getting really annoying,' Nora grumbled.
'Patience Nora,' Ren called back. As they crouched behind a set of heavy crates.
'I already said. I don't have patience. When do I get break the legs of the guys who did this?'
'Somehow I don't think you're going to get the chance,' Ren said. His eyes watching the timer at the top tick down to breach.
Aard knew this would be the end of this mission. They couldn't trust the humans! They couldn't! There could be no surrender. He spoke with those still left. The ones he trusted least were assigned as the rearguards. He would have liked them to be as enlightened as him but they still muttered about surrender.
'We should give up,' One of the red jackets murmured.
'Are you crazy? You saw what they did to Gene. You want to go like that?' Another whispered back.
'Gene was still alive. They're not killing us.'
'Like Aard said they want trophies.'
'At least w-' The first one stopped mid sentence. What was that?
'You okay?' The second asked.
'Did you feel something?'
'What do you mean?'
'Kind of like a tingle.'
'Now that yo-'
A metal fist smashed through the brickwork catching the first one on the jaw. She spun away her aura broken as she dropped like a stone. The second screamed and fired wildly at the metal arm as it withdrew.
He fired till his weapon clicked empty. Taking a few precious seconds to realize he was out the red jacket fumbled his reload.
'Fuck. FUCK!' The red jacket shouted. Fighting his shaking hands.
Before he could finish the Arbitrator smashed its whole body through the hole. The red jacket looked up at the barrel of a Shock Overkill. Time seemed to slow for a moment. He wondered how much better it would be to be shot with real bullets. Then the Arbitrator fired the first half of the stacked round into his chest.
The terrified red jacket howled as the shock round started to electrocute him. His comrade was trying to pull herself to her feet when the Arbitrator loosed the second half of the round into her back.
'Fu-ki-g sa-d we sho-ld ha-e g-ven up,' The first said. Each word a battle.
'S-ut up,' The second choked out.
A similar scene repeated around the building. The Arbitrators scanned the walls with their multispectral sensor. Picking out the defenders and non-load bearing walls. Each breach was synchronized and within moments the outer part of the ground floor was secure.
Those red jackets in the interior parts of the building heard the sounds of battle. There was far too little and the sounds stopped far too quickly. They glanced at each other and then at the doorways leading into the main room.
For a few moments there was the sound of brickwork breaking, metal feet clanking out of sight and the groans and cries of the injured. Then a strange new sound. A rhythmic tick tick tick. Like a chain or track running over the floor.
The Shock Trackers came into view. Each small white sphere was dotted with yellow sensor points. The red jackets fired into the small robots. Some rounds struck home and knocked the machines off balance causing them to stop and reset their gyro.
Seeing their chance the red jackets whooped and cheered as they fired at the machines holding their advance. Then the Arbitrators strode into view and they stopped cheering. Now they had two threats.
The Arbitrators closed slowly but consistently. Rounds bouncing off their armor as they fired their Overkills. Meanwhile the Trackers, now nearly forgotten, resumed their own approach. The red jackets fired into the metal tide till it reached them.
More of the Fang fell as they were crushed by an unfeeling, uncaring wall of metal. Some had the mind to throw down their weapons and surrender. Those ones at least were spared being electrocuted. They were led outside to waiting officers and cuffed. The ones who had resisted were carried out then cuffed.
'Is that all of them?' Evangelina asked. Her eyes moved from display to display.
'No, Ma'am. At least six are unaccounted for,' Cortez replied.
'Well they didn't walk out the front door. Find them,' Clarke instructed.
The next few minutes were filled with shouted orders and DeeBees tearing the building apart. Until one of them reached what should have been a storage room. With a tunnel inside leading down.
'How did they dig a tunnel? Don't we track seismic activity?' Clarke snapped.
'Yes. All sensors in the area are reporting fine. No record of activity in the area,' Wilson reported.
'Look at the walls. That's not natural,' Evangelina said leaning forward.
Up close on the feed from the lead DeeBee the wall of the tunnel came into view. A crude set of lights had been fixed to it at intervals. It was dirt, but pressed smooth into rock. The shape was strange, like it had melted and then reformed.
'How did they do that?' Cortez muttered.
'A semblance. One of them must have had a semblance that let them mold the earth,' Evangelina said.
'If so this could just be the start of our problems. Why wasn't this place secured?' Clarke asked, 'I thought standard procedure was to ensure the foundations were resistant to tunneling?'
'Our focus was on the dry docks and outer walls. This area is slated for overhaul in a few weeks' time.' Evangelina said. Shaking her head.
'A few weeks too late,' Clarke said through gritted teeth.
'What do we do? What do we do!?' One of the red jackets whimpered.
Aard grabbed him by the collar and shouted into his face, 'You. Are going to stay here.'
'Bu-' The man started again.
Aard silenced the whelp with the back of his hand. Such weaklings where was their dignity?
'We… We could-' Someone at the back started.
'Don't you dare suggest we surrender,' Aard snapped. Pushing through the small crowd to the speaker.
'They haven't killed anyone yet,' The weakling sobbed.
'Are you so dull you don't see what they'll do? First they take us prisoner. A sham of a trial branding us rabid animals. Then… Then they'll ship us off just like the Kingdoms. To some prison where you'll spend your last days.'
Aard turned and stalked through the group looking to each in turn as he spoke.
'Is that what you want? To die in a tiny box. Surrounded by barren ice, sand or ocean? Half dead from the rotten food. Waiting to see if starvation or the Grimm gets you first?'
No one objected now. They knew the stories of those who were sent away to the far corners of the Kingdoms. Places where the walls were intended to hold the Grimm at bay and little more.
'You have your task. You must hold them off,' Aard snarled.
'How can we? They've rolled right over us!' Another shouted back.
'You're faunus aren't you? Use the dark,' Aard proclaimed flicking the generator off.
They had a few moments to prepare. To think about what was happening. Where had it all gone wrong? Aard had seemed so much more motivated upon his return. The plan had been more than they'd expected. But he'd made it sound so reasonable.
Now they'd tried to kill their old comrades. Been mauled by the COG and forced into their final refuge. Some prayed, others tried to hold the thoughts of those they held dear close. Then the sound of metal on stone reached their attuned ears.
The fight was close, savage and as one-sided as before. Whilst against normal humans or androids the dark might have given them an edge. They were not against those opponents.
They were against the COG. On Sera the COG had owned the night, even against the Locust.
Red jackets popped out from corners or jumped out from side passages. Each was seen and neutralized as the DeeBees moved through the tunnels. The COG counter ticked down till only one remained.
Aard had made it through the escape tunnel. He emerged into another disused building and ran for the docks. All he had to do was reach a boat. Theirs, someone else's, it didn't matter which.
Had he not been running for his life he might have noticed the lack of anyone along his path. No dock worker, technician or lost visitor stumbling around. Rather than the bustling hub of activity the yard was quiet.
He sprinted for the smaller pier. As he did, four pairs of eyes tracked him. His first and only warning was the feeling of being watched. Aard had more training than the grunts.
Instantly he threw himself to the ground the moment he felt his aura react. A round shot over his head. It wasn't a shock round. A metal dart, with a whistling noise coming from the base, embedded itself into the wall.
'That was your only warning. Give up now. Or you'll be more than scared,' A woman declared walking out into view. She was wearing a purple wetsuit. In her hand was a trident which she kept pointed at him.
As she walked under a light he saw the scales around her face and the gills at her neck.
'How fitting they send traitors like you to catch me. What's the matter? Are your masters too lazy to fight their own battles?' Aard called mockingly. Perhaps if he could get her off guard.
'Don't answer him Regi,' A man called from behind him, 'This coward isn't worth the words.'
Spinning Aard brought up his pistol. The man was wearing a blue wetsuit and armed with a pistol that had a bladed knuckle guard.
'I agree, Turk. No point letting him get to us,' A second woman called out… from the water?
Aard found himself looking at a woman standing atop a pillar of water. A pair of swords sheathed at her waist, and another damned wetsuit! This one was bright blue bordering on silver. Were they on sale or something!?
'You're all traitors,' Aard spat.
'Oh really how you figure,' The woman on the water said. As she spoke the pillar moved to the pier. Letting her step off one and onto another.
'Look at you. Hunting for their scraps,' Aard said. Shaking his head.
'So you're scraps now?' The man said with a laugh.
'Listen to me. You're huntsmen aren't you? The faunus cause needs people like you,' Aard said. Changing his approach.
'Oh you need help blowing up random buildings? Or were you looking more for someone with people skills?' The purple clad one offered.
'Our path is not easy. One must have the strength to do what is needed,' Aard growled out.
'So its not easy to hide in a hole whilst trying to give our entire race a bad name now? Well isn't that something,' The swords-woman said. Walking over to lean on the man.
'You're people have been used for generations. Think of all the lives lost because the humans needed your gifts,' Aard said. His tone was sorrowful.
'So what? We help you and all that gets fixed? All those dead faunus just pop back to life?' The swords-woman replied. By her demeanor she was the leader. If he could just convince her.
'It's not so simple. I wish it was true. Truly I do. But the sins of the past must not be forgiven. Not till the debt of blood has been paid,' Aard said. Resting his hand on his chest.
'The debt is history. Both the victims and their abusers are dead. And you want to pass the crimes of the past to those who live today?' The woman in purple said.
'Why not? They've not given us anything more than lip service. A pat on the head and said all's forgiven. When did they gain the right to tell us that?' Aard snapped.
'You're angry. And it is wrong what the humans did to our people, all our people,' The swords-woman said with a sigh.
'So you agree. We must stand against them,' Aard said. Taking a step towards her.
'No. I don't,' The swords-woman said her voice with a tone of steel.
'Why? Why not!?' Aard demanded.
'Because all you've done is show them you're as bad as they say we are. You've attacked innocent people, truly innocent of the crimes you're claiming as justification. We were here when the serans arrived,' The swords-woman said. Resting her hands on the hilts of her blades.
'You. You were here?' Aard asked, shocked.
'That's right. Waverly Rider of team WATR.' Waverly announced with a bow.
'Your team was in the news,' Aard said. The memory filtering back.
'That we were. What is it? They say fifteen minutes of fame.'
'Do you know how much you've done for our people? The interviews. The tale of your battle here against the odds,' Aard said with a tone of awe.
'I know we've had a very nice call from our old headmaster,' Waverly said with a shrug.
'So many faunus have been inspired by your story. They want to be like you. You're an inspiration to those who thought they might not have what it takes to fight.'
'That we are. And I can tell where you're going with this. And our answer is no.'
'But you don't even know what I was going to say?' Aard protested.
'Let me see,' Waverly said, holding up a hand and counting off, 'First you sully the reputation of every faunus world wide. Then you shoot up a group of your former members. After that pair of screw ups you've run and abandoned your allies. Now here you are trying to play the humble warrior in need of aid. So let me be totally clear. We're not joining the White Fang. We weren't interested before. And we are definitely not interested now.'
Aard took a slow breath then uttered, 'So be it.'
For a moment all sound seemed to die away. Some unseen clock ticking down. Until they drew their weapons.
Aard snapped off a pair of shots at Waverly and the man. What was his name? He knew it was something with a T. Turk that was it!
Waverly seemed to slide out of the bullet's path, a quick glance revealed she'd brought a thin layer of water with her. She picked up speed as she drew her blades.
Turk ducked under the shot with practiced ease. Then fired off his own snapshot. Aard dove behind a bollard and tried to fire back. More of the darts glanced off the metal post. The sound of rushing water behind him made him recall the other woman.
She'd slammed her trident into the ground and was using it to summon a wall of water. Aard tried a few shots but the rushing water stopped the bullets dead. Wait, why weren't they attacking? They had him penned in like a fish in a-
The split second of his aura warning him came again. But he had nowhere to go. This time the dart struck home. A flash out across the water heralded the next strike. Four. There were four of them. Wasn't there.
Aard looking around. He was trapped between the ones on the pier and the sniper. This was the end, he knew it. He'd failed.
His mission, the cause and Adam. He couldn't trust them! He couldn't let them take him! Could he? No he had to see things through.
Aard willed his aura down. Placed his pistol under his chin. Someone screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't trust them. He squeezed the trigger. There was a flash followed by a crack. Blood splattered onto the pier.
Emissary's arrival was subdued. An air of shock still hung over the city. Emmerich didn't wait to land back at the Old Camp. He took a Nymph with Figueroa's squad back to the city. The flight was quiet.
Evangelina, Clarke and were waiting for him on the pad. They walked inside and into one of the secure conference rooms.
'So. How bad is it?' Emmerich asked finally.
Evangelina sighed, 'Nearly three dozen wounded. Half of those are critical.'
'Any of ours?' Emmerich asked. Resting his head in his hands.
'No. Thank the Allfathers for that mercy.'
'Good,' Emmerich said before turning to Clarke, 'How did they get past us?'
'From the look of things they smuggled their supplies through the tunnels we found. For now we're resurveying the whole area. If there are any more holes we'll find them,' Clarke said.
'Good. If you need anything, come to me. I want this to be the last time the COG gets blind sided by people hiding in holes. Now what about the prisoners? You said there were two sides?' Emmerich asked.
'Yes. The ones in blue were former members of the group. They seem to have kept some contacts with the more radical ones in red. When the attack occurred they tried to confront their former comrades,' Evangelina explained.
'And by all accounts were nearly killed in the attempt,' Emmerich remarked.
'If we hadn't been ready with the medics. Well… There would be less in custody to be sure.'
'I understand. I'll be taking care of them personally so don't worry about them further.'
Evangelina blinked for a moment then nodded.
'So. The ones in red. I take it we're not extending every courtesy?' Emmerich asked. Looking between Evangelina and Clarke.
'We've shipped the ones that are stable out to one of the villages. Same as the Bandits,' Evangelina said, 'It's remote enough they can't escape with ease. And they are totally reliant on us for supplies.'
'Great. More fucking penal colonies,' Emmerich muttered.
'Until we have a proper detention center it's the best we can do,' Clarke pointed out.
'True. But we may need to look into bringing that forward. We can't keep dumping people out into the middle of nowhere. We need to have a way to rehabilitate or at least contain them that's secure.'
Clark and Evangelina exchanged a look.
'What?' Emmerich asked.
'We. Or more precisely one of the Huntsmen teams managed to capture the leader. Of the radicals I mean,' Evangelina said.
'Has he been interrogated?' Emmerich asked. Leaning forward.
'No. Not as of yet.' Evangelina said. Looking at the table.
'Why not?'
Clarke lifted her PDA and tapped a few commands. A screen on the wall activated. On the display a man in a straightjacket thrashed in the grip of two DeeBees. A large wound on his cheek had dressing tapped to it. The sound cut in a moment later.
'Can't trust them! I can't trust them! They're out to get us! All of us! We can't let them take us!' The man screamed.
The video cut off and Emmerich stared at the screen for a few moments.
'What is wrong with him?' He asked finally.
'We're not sure. Might be he snapped after he realized it was over,' Clarke said with a wave of her hand.
'I'm sensing a but in that might,' Emmerich said.
'That would be my reason for being here,' Darnell said. Tapping his own PDA.
New images appeared. A mix of images from medical scans showing a brain. With sections highlighted.
'We stuck him through some tests and well... It looks like something messed with his brain. Any time he's near someone in COG clothing, especially humans he becomes violent to the point of self harm,' Darnell said.
'Shit,' Emmerich uttered, 'If he's not in control of his actions we might not be able to put him on trial. Any of the others showed similar results?'
'No. But that misses the bigger problem. If whatever did this is still out there. Who else is being affected by it?' Clarke pointed out.