Author's Note: Another new chapter. I was actually a little ahead on these as I was writing them in my down time at work, sadly said down time has officially vanished and I am back to being busy. In a few months I will be back to my original schedule with actual weekends, meaning I will be able to upload regularly again, at least that's the plan. For now, I work six days a week and come in for a little bit on the seventh day. It is the way it is I suppose.
Also, it looks like the site has officially fixed itself and is sending out emails again, so thats good. Hope the chapter is good enough to warrant the email.
Pyrrha shifted her weight from one foot to the other, having to force herself to take deep breaths as the Bullhead slowly rose from the landing pads of Beacon. The engines had already been warmed up by the time they made it to the Bullhead, meaning all that they had been waiting for was the go ahead; something that only took a few minutes but felt like an eternity.
The roar of the engines as they quickly picked up speed was deafening and, to those without Aura, potentially damaging. The pilots and crew wore specially made helmets to block out the noise and allow them to communicate to one another over the noise. The door finally closed, cutting off much of the noise and allowing them to hear each other if needed. It was far from quiet, but it was manageable. An Atlesian Flight Officer moved back from the cockpit before tapping a few buttons on a control panel on the wall.
The lights quickly dimmed as a holographic representation of the city was displayed in front of them.
"We have a confirmed attack by the White Fang on City Hall!" The woman had to yell in order to be heard, and even then it was only possible because they had already closed the door. "The Council was in session when the attack started, so the target is fairly obvious!"
An attack on the Council? That wasn't what Pyrrha had expected, and it probably showed on her face as Coco nudged her elbow with her own in silent support.
"Orders from General Ironwood are to deliver your fireteam to the Mistralian Officer in Charge of the cordon, you'll get your orders from him!"
"How many White Fang have been sighted?" Pyrrha was forced to ask again when it was clear the officer hadn't heard her the first time.
"Unconfirmed at this time!"
"Has Taurus been sighted?" Pyrrha was confident in her ability to at least keep him busy, but she wasn't going to be blindsided, not again. Not after how it went last time. She wasn't going to lose anyone else.
"Unconfirmed at this time!"
Pyrrha cursed softly to herself. It wasn't the officer's fault, that did little for the anger at the lack of information, however. There were too many unknowns, too many changes. Her hand fell to Allos' hilt, and she took a small comfort in the familiar leather.
The officer held a hand up to them, before looking back over her shoulder for a few seconds before turning back to look at them. "T-minus five for drop!" The woman quickly moved back over to the cockpit but left the projection of the city up for them to review.
City hall was located fairly close to the center of the city, though not directly in the middle. A red dot indicated the tall building for what it was, while a thin green line surrounded it a few blocks away. There were few buildings or large obstacles between the perimeter and the building, the display showing the area surrounded by a part of the Vale Central park. What that meant for civilian casualties was difficult to say however, there wouldn't be any buildings that needed to be cleared or homes in between the terrorists and the first responders, but there had probably been people enjoying the park when the attack started. Part of the draw of the park was the lights that came on as the sun went down. It was fairly romantic, from what Pyrrha had been told, and that meant people had likely been out enjoying it.
The Bullhead lurched suddenly as the speeds quickly slowed enough to allow a landing. The hologram disappeared as the door opened. The pilots hovered the craft over the street but didn't attempt a landing due to the numerous cars that had been left abandoned in the street. That wasn't an issue however, as part of a Hunter's training was developing a landing strategy. You couldn't always take the time to land properly in a crisis after all, sometimes you just had to do it yourself.
"You are cleared to drop!" The woman shouted from the cockpit, and Pyrrha wasted no time In leaping out of the door.
The drop wasn't far, meaning she didn't have much time to limit her momentum or really plan out her descent. It was for that reason she closed her eyes and grit her teeth, pushing Aura into her legs in the process. She landed in a kneeling position, and the pain that momentarily spiked through her body earned an internal groan as she stood and shook off the feeling. Her friends were right behind her, Team CFVY dealing with the consequences of the landing in their own way while Penny looked entirely unfazed. Neither she nor Pyrrha were able to use their Maiden Powers to cushion the fall, as in addition to it being largely a waste of their magic, there was still the risk of them being seen.
Taking a moment to inspect their surroundings, Pyrrha saw an armored vehicle emblazoned with the symbol of Vale's police about a hundred feet away. The Bullhead had gotten them as close as possible and, now that it had dropped them off, was quickly moving back towards Beacon to make another run.
"We should try to find whoever's in charge." Coco suggested, stepping up beside Pyrrha, looking in the same direction as she was.
Pyrrha nodded, pausing only long enough to look back and make sure everyone was on the same page before sprinting off. It only took them a few seconds to cover the short distance, and as they did she noticed numerous police officers running around the area as well. That didn't surprise her any, but what did was the Soldiers clad in green with the flag of Mistral emblazoned on their shoulders doing the same. Two soldiers stopped them long enough to verify their identity before they could continue to what they said was the temporary command post.
When they finally arrived, they were met by a female police officer in a dressed-up version of the standard uniform as well as another Mistralian Soldier. The soldier wore a rank Pyrrha didn't recognize, a symbol different from the ones Atlas used, but clearly commanded respect as the two men hunched over a map on a table and issued orders to the surrounding men and women.
"The perimeter is set, no attempts to break anything in or out so far." The soldier gestured to the map, starting to say something more before the police officer looked to them and said something quietly, causing the soldier to look up. "Ah, good. Beacon, just who we were waiting for." He stood to fully face them as he held out a hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Neelam, Mistralian Expeditionary Commander. I'm the Officer temporarily in charge while the Colonel is unavailable."
"Colonel Aurelian is hurt?" Pyrrha couldn't help the shock from her voice. While certainly older, he was a Huntsman, and a formidable one if the stories were to be believed. If the White Fang had been able to remove him already, that didn't paint a good picture for how they were faring.
"It's more complicated than that, I'm afraid." The policewoman stepped forward. "Captain Sorrow, acting Vale Chief of Police. The Colonel is currently inside with the Council, along with the actual Chief of Police."
"The White Fang took them hostage?" Coco looked worried, understandably so, considering that a hostage situation was far more complex than what they had been expecting based on Pyrrha's experiences in her previous life. Had this been part of the plan, only for Team RWBY's intervention to mess things up? That seemed unlikely, and yet it was completely possible.
"Again, it's complicated." Neelam shook his head. "The Council are currently held up in their Council Chamber, along with the Colonel's personal escort and a few ceremonial officers who guard the Council Hall while it's in session. Fortunately for us, the Colonel and Chief of Police are both trained Huntsmen and were able to hold the initial assault back while they barricaded the doors. So far, the White Fang haven't been able to break through."
"There is no telling how long that will last however." Captain Sorrow added. "And there is no telling how many civilians may have been hurt, captured, or in need of assistance. The White Fang had cut all power to the building before their attack, the Colonel's radio is the only reason we have any idea what is going on in there."
It was luck then, as Pyrrha seriously doubted that the White Fang wanted them to have the ability to communicate, why else would they cut the power? The fact the Colonel was there had either been a mistake on their part or there was something else at play. At any rate, they wouldn't find out sitting out here. "How can we help?"
"I never thought I would say this, but we need Atlesian support." The Lieutenant Colonel didn't sound happy admitting it. "Preferably mechs if they have them to spare, we can create a wall and slowly advance on the White Fang positions-"
"I'm afraid that isn't possible." Pyrrha winced softly. "Atlas did not bring any large divisions of droids, the few they did were sent back on the first day of their withdrawal ." The Knights, for all their uses, were still potentially compromised, Watts' virus could still have been in play after all, and the chances had been too risky. "There are still Atlesian Specialist Teams in Vale however, they should be able to accomplish the same idea." If the goal was to create a wall to advance behind, Aura enhanced soldiers were the next best option.
"Can you relay them our request?" Captain Sorrow asked. Pyrrha nodded and the Captain gestured back towards the map. "If they can have one team land on the far side, then two more at these positions, with your help we can surround the building and overwhelm their firepower."
Pyrrha pulled out her scroll, dialing the General only for the line to be busy. That made sense, considering the crisis, but it certainly made things difficult. Instead, she called Winter. She wasn't technically a Specialist anymore, but Pyrrha knew she would be en-route just like everyone else and she knew who to reach out to coordinate the landings.
"It is an adequate plan, though I agree it would be ideal to have a detachment of Knights to lead the charge." Winter replied, she was still at Beacon from what Pyrrha could tell, waiting for an available Bullhead to come ferry her and a few others from the school's staff. "Sadly, we will have to make do. What kind of defenses have the White Fang set up?"
"Most of the windows on the lower levels have been broken out, and shooters are trained on anyone that tries to approach." Captain Sorrow reported. "I lost six officers trying to force our way in."
"Otherwise, they have kept their cards close to their chest." Neelam continued. "They haven't been able to get through to the Council yet so heavy ordinance is unlikely, and the Colonel was able to hold them back so we don't expect any high-value combatants."
"Just because you haven't seen them yet doesn't mean they aren't there." There was a roaring over the speaker as a Bullhead set down near Winter. "I am on my way, I will patch into Atlas Command and coordinate a response! Qrow is already in route and should be there well before me, hold your position until the rest of us arrive!"
Pyrrha stored her scroll away as the call cut out.
"Hold our ground until we have enough firepower to overwhelm them, typical Atlesian strategy." The Lieutenant Colonel nodded. "No disagreement on my part though, in the meantime we hunker down and make sure the White Fang can't break out." He gestured to the map and the thin line that seemed to represent the barricade. "I recommend your team split up to cover each side. I have men already covering every angle but we are stretched thin. If they wanted to push out they probably could."
"The last thing we want is fighting spilling out onto the streets." The Police Captain added. "If we have to, we keep the fighting located around city hall, but under no circumstances do we pursue the White Fang through the city itself. Too many lives would be put at risk."
If they couldn't stop the White Fang they were to let them flee then, Pyrrha didn't like that, but knew that it was probably for the best. If the White Fang felt pressured they might take hostages or cause any kind of damage to slow down their pursuers. If they could keep the White Fang within the boundary of the City Hall barricade however, they could capture them.
"Is splitting up really a good idea?" Pyrrha asked, looking back to Coco. She trusted their ability, but there was a notable difference between her being right beside them and them being stretched out over the entire area.
"We'll be fine." Coco nodded and offered a small smile. "You can trust us."
It took a moment longer than Pyrrha would have liked for the doubt to subside. She did trust them, but that did little to dampen her fears for their safety. The White Fang had already killed members of a team she led, and she wasn't sure that she could handle it happening again. Taking a deep breath, she nodded back. They would be in danger when the Festival eventually arrived, and they were going to be in danger here as well. They were strong enough to defend themselves however, and she would be there to help if things got bad.
"We'll split up to cover each side." Coco said quickly. "Py-Amber can stay here and Penny can take the far side."
"Split up the heavy hitters." Fox was the quickest to agree. "It's a good plan."
"One on both far sides to swing in and kick ass if we need it." Coco nodded. "Yatsuhasi and I will take the solo sides. Velvet can stay here with Pyrrha."
"Guess that leaves me with the North side." Fox said audibly, before switching to his Semblance. "Hope you won't mind the company, Penny."
"I certainly will not!" Penny replied easily. "Your Semblance should make responding to an attack easier as well."
Communication was key when trying to plan anything, and while Scrolls were useful, they could also be annoying to use in battle. Team CFVY certainly had the edge in that respect.
"The distance shouldn't be a problem either, although if we have to push out at all, it might get difficult to keep in touch."
"That shouldn't be a problem." Pyrrha shook her head. "Head to your positions, and if you see anything-"
"See something, say something!" Coco smirked as she stepped back, turning to run off in the opposite direction of Yatsuhashi. Fox and Penny following closely behind her. "First round is on Atlas after this is done!"
Pyrrha waited until they were gone to give her full attention back to Neelam. "Where do you need us?"
"An attack out of the front door is the least likely as that would put them directly on path for us." The officer replied. "So you two should be fine to stick to the outskirts closer to your team. If the White fang push out, I suspect it will be there."
Nodding once to him, she turned her eyes to Velvet.
"I'll take the side with Yatsuhasi." Velvet gestured in the direction her partner had gone.
"If you see anything let me know." Pyrrha reminded her. Velvet was far from weak, with her Semblance and weapon she was probably the strongest on Team CFVY, they wanted to save that surprise however, which meant she was at a disadvantage.
"I'll be fine!" Velvet yelled back as she took off to her spot.
Pyrrha turned to do the same.
"Wait!" The Lieutenant Colonel called out for her to stop. When she looked back, he had a handheld up to an earpiece that Pyrrha hadn't noticed until then. "Say again, Overlord."
There was a long moment of silence. "Copy, possible HVT on site. Confirm on positive ID. Dragoon-Six, out." He lowered his hand, focusing on Pyrrha once more. "We have unconfirmed reports of a High Value Target."
"Who?"
"Adam Taurus." Neelam said grimly. "As I said, unconfirmed at this time, but would your Team be capable of handling him?"
As a Team? Pyrrha was confident they could hold their own, but split up she was less certain. Not without Penny or herself to offer some heavy support via Magic.
"I am familiar with his style and Semblance." Pyrrha wasn't arrogant, but without a lucky surprise attack like he had managed to get her with the last time that they had fought, she was confident she could beat him or, at the very least, hold out long enough for Qrow and Winter to arrive.
"Then if he shows himself that is your priority." Neelam ordered. "Leave the grunts to us, we can meet them blow for blow, but Taurus is something my men are not equipped to handle."
"Understood." Pyrrha nodded once, rushing off towards the position she planned to hold, sending a message to her friends as she did.
"Adam Taurus, here?" Velvet was the most worried of the group, though the others had similar responses. "I thought you said he wasn't a part of the Breach?"
"He wasn't before, and they haven't confirmed it yet, but it's possible he was somehow involved, and we just never knew." The attack by Team RWBY had forced things to go ahead of time, so maybe there had been additional objectives that they hadn't known about. Now, without the mission to Mountain Glenn, the White Fang had been given the time to actually plan. Even with the increased activity on their side, it had still let them adjust.
"I don't like this…" Coco sounded uneasy, and just a little nervous. "Maybe splitting up wasn't the best idea after all."
"I'm close enough to respond if they do attempt to break out." Pyrrha did her best to reassure her. "They think an attack on the front is unlikely, so I am ready to move if I have to. Besides, we don't know an attack is coming. They might just stay-"
A roar drew her attention towards the front door of City Hall, the cry of dozens of voices sounding out as one. She couldn't see the main entrance from where she was, too many armored vehicles blocking her view, but she could still easily hear it. It was less words and more just noise, but it did grow slightly louder as the seconds went on. Moving so that she could see the entrance itself, Pyrrha cursed internally.
"Change of plans." Pyrrha drew Allos, shifting it into its rifle form. "The White Fang is pushing directly out the front door."
"I thought you said that was the least likely?!" Coco sounded aghast. "What if it's just a diversion?"
Pyrrha watched as bodies clad in white and black wearing the familiar Grimm masks of the White Fang continued to run out the main entrance. "I don't think this is a diversion." If it was, it wasn't one they could afford to ignore. There were too many of them, and from what she had seen, the Mistralian's didn't have enough manpower to hold them back.
"Velvet, can you get back to the commander and make sure they don't need any extra help?" Pyrrha thought of doing the same, but she had a different target to look for. She couldn't see Taurus in the crowd, but people were still streaming out of the building.
"What about the rest of us?" Fox asked. "Hold our positions or head back?"
"This may be a diversion to allow Adam Taurus the chance to escape." Penny added.
"Abandoning our positions may be what they want us to do." Yatsuhashi agreed. "That does not mean we can ignore the diversion if it is a sufficient threat."
It was definitely a sufficient threat, but that didn't mean Pyrrha could ignore their points. Adam Taurus was a threat that she would have preferred to deal with now than during the festival. If he managed to escape her again she would feel personally responsible. Made all the worse by the fact that team CFVY was looking to her to make the call.
Come on. Pyrrha watched the main entrance closely. All reports, and even her single encounter with him, seemed to point to the fact that Adam led from the front. Maybe not quite so literally as a leader did need to hang back enough to observe, but he was always in the fighting.
Show yourself.
A flash of red hair in the doorway was the first time she saw him. He wore a different uniform than the standard grunt and thus stood out in the crowd as they flooded out around him.
"I have eyes on Taurus!" Pyrrha relayed the update. "This is the main attack, converge on the front and help the Mistralians hold the line!"
"What about Taurus?" Coco asked.
Pyrrha watched as he moved towards the center of the field. Where once the field had been open, a park meant for people to enjoy themselves, it was now littered with the remnants of the White Fang's initial assault and subsequent skirmishes. Vehicles, some of which were armored, and others that were clearly just regular cars you would expect to see on the road, offered the White Fang cover as they pushed up, shielding them from the fire coming from their defensive perimeter. All the while, Adam pushed up with them, getting closer and closer to the command truck where Captain Sorrow and Lieutenant Colonel Neelam had been.
"Leave him to me."
The front ranks of the White Fang finally made it to the line, and the fighting went from carefully aimed shots and suppressive fire to a chaotic battle for life. The Mistralians and the police were holding their own however, and that put Adam closer than ever before. Moving out from behind her cover, Pyrrha sprinted off towards her target.
Author's Note: The last time Pyrrha fought Adam was a blow out, but only because he had the drop on her. Now it's time for a rematch. I wonder how that will go.
Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter. Be sure to review and let me know what you think.
Sincerely, SE