Northeast of Vale's walls, 360 km, and riding south, parallel to the coast. Rain cascaded down against the metallic hull as the dull rattle of tracks shook the cars speeding along them. Outside, Lightning flickered amidst the dark sky, cracking and illuminating the horizon for moments before consuming them in darkness again.
The train and its many armored cars held sufficient armaments to protect its cargo from Grimm and humans alike. Every fourth car held slow-firing automatic 25mm cannon's though the weapons outside were limited it was sure to be guarded with further turrets and security within. The inner bays and train itself kept their lights dim to see just enough of the track and their walkways to avoid mishaps.
The black train had a white plow affixed to it, a new feature to the old steam engine along with new markings. The Train was of Valean origin but was now used in conjunction with Atlas and its goods. After repeated train robberies by the White Fang and dust theft in Vale, the two kingdoms were working together to increase the security of their goods. This outdated train with a new paint job was a sign of such politics in the name of friendship at play.
From the tumultuous sky, in the distance and barely visible by occasional flickers of lightning, a lone bullhead approached intent on testing how capable these friendly ties were. It approached at low altitude from the sea. Hidden by the low approach and darkness of night, it wrestled with not submerging itself or running into the cliff face. The fact it was an older model did not aid in its handling either.
Perhaps the most shocking fact would be its crew. Four young boys dressed in black military attire that none of them thought twice about when their leader suddenly handed them the unidentifiable clothing. Caelum stood beside his nervous pilot and briefed his team one last time before assailing their target.
"That's Valean Cargo Transport 9412. At the behest of our benefactor and client, we are to steal a single box car with this old bird of ours and return to the outskirts of Vale where it will be left at the rendezvous and retrieved by their men, therefore completing the handover and our job. Any questions?"
"Yeah. I know our benefactor is Lukas' father, who's the client?" asked Niel.
"None other than Torchwick himself. Offered a hefty discount if we secured this deal" answered Caelum.
"Are you sure this is safe? This isn't exactly what I signed up for when I enrolled!" shouted Raiden from the pilot's seat. His eyes fastened wide open and alert for anything that may end in a crash landing.
"You did when you pestered me to be your partner and doubled down on this line of work" replied Caelum. Turning back to NIel and Lukas who would join him in the raid, He saw they were chuckling at the quip. "That all?"
Niel raised a concerned hand as his cheery expression disappeared. "What if we are caught? I do not shed blood for convenience and I doubt that there will be only machines aboard."
Caelum and Raiden shared a glance before Caelum addressed his concerns. "If only it were that convenient. We're not Fang. We won't kill if it's not needed. And if it is, leave it to those with experience."
At his words, Lukas nudged Niel giving him a thumbs up of reassurement that failed to do its job due to its sinister implement. Niel nodded in resignment as Caelum grasped Raiden's shoulder. At his word, Raiden maneuvered the bullhead to the rear of the train.
"Get to the back, we'll have a short time frame before the turrets detect the bird and fire, we get on and break in before that. Move out."
Niel offered encouragement to Raiden before heading back while Lukas whispered to Caelum. "Don't you seem strangely rehearsed in situations like this?" he taunted. The smirk he gave in the red lights of the bullhead seemed to convey that he had already figured Caelum out.
Ignoring his teammate's remark, Caelum stood at the front of his three-man group and watched as the bay door opened. Wind rushed them as they braced against it. Looking down they saw the churning sea below soon shifting to dark stone then tracks.
Seconds passed as tracks raced beneath them and finally, they saw the shambling black mass of the rearmost train car. The bullhead sped forward and up as the three huntsman hurriedly disembarked and landed atop the car.
Rain and wind swiped at their faces, wetting their palms as they fought for grips and watched the turret sensors light up as the bullhead peeled away into the dark. Without ever getting a solid lock, the systems went dormant once more. Now alone, the boys went to work.
This old style of train had steel cargo doors, side loaded, and secured with two locks. The first was a chain from the outside, and the second was an internal lock. The three placed a small object near the edge of the car and pressed a button. The device punctured the steel and locked it in place.
Next, they attached slings to themselves and the secured point then swung over the edge. Going 70 mph and dangling by a single point, Lukas and Niel seemed hesitant to join their leader who was already at work. Lukas had slipped on the wet steel exterior and crashed into Niel. The two began fighting to untangle themselves amidst their panic as Caelum sliced through the chain lock.
As his compatriots fixed themselves he pulled out a small square bundle and placed two sticks attached by a wire into it. Swinging himself to the side, he grasped the cart to avoid the blast as Niel and Lukas realized he was going to continue with or without them. Unable to fix themselves and avoid the blast they clung to each other and covered their ears.
Clacker in hand, Caelum blew the small charge. Swinging back to the doors he took his bayonet and jammed it into the lock, dislodging any sheared steel and freeing the doors machinations.
With a heave, he swung both sliding doors open and jumped in. Grabbing his partners, the three then unlatched themselves and shut the doors, finally ceasing the obnoxious wind outside.
The cart was illuminated red and dim. The cameras detecting their motion were quickly shot out by Caelum and Lukas with silencers on their pistol and SMG respectively. Niel made his way to the door at the far end, housing two guards who were long devoid of any alertness due to the incessant rattling and cold of the train.
Niel broke the latched door separating them and before the two men could react, they received sharp blows to their chins, knocking them out cold. As Niel lay their bodies down safely, Caelum and Lukas disassembled the two auto-turrets on either end. An insistence on safety even if they were blind without cameras.
The car was secured in seconds and the three pulled out 'burner' scrolls with a single file on them. The train's cargo manifest lay bare all material and serial numbers. The only issue was that they weren't even told what they were looking for. Size, shape, packaging. Only its shipping number and that they'd need to take the whole train car of all things. Before their search began, Caelum lowered his face covering.
"No more fuck ups. Got it?" He chastised. "Raiden will be back in ten minutes as agreed. Comms stay silent to avoid detection by the city and he's ordered to leave us if we're caught so hurry or I'll leave you myself."
The two agreed bitterly, not willing to argue over the plausibility of the statement. Niel remained quiet as he scanned the cargo and Lukas muttered to himself in annoyance. "Frickin ass, not everyone's a damn natural rappeller."
Meeting at the forward end, they all shook their heads. The car was a bust.
The boys checked their time. Eight minutes and forty-two seconds left till Raiden returned.
And so the boys repeated the process. Moving onto each car they prioritized living personnel before disabling cameras and turrets. The occasional android patrolled only to be left mangled and tossed out over the cliffs as the boys searched.
With efficiency in mind, each car was cleared faster and faster, the only variable was just how hard the guards were incapacitated and how many rounds a turret fired off before it was disabled. The most frustrating part however was that they were now three-fourths of the way through the train with two minutes left and still nothing.
The forward most cars were for personnel, food storage, drinking water, and personal effects, therefore diminishing the amount left to search. Preferably they'd leave the train operators alone so there wasn't a fiasco when a stray train crashed into Vale's station. But where else could they look?
"Cae!" called Niel. "Look at this!" Urgently he rushed forward with the limp body of a man in a conductor's hat and prim mustache. In one hand he held a brick-like terminal. "This is the train's manifest!"
Caelum took the device and scanned it, immediately understanding what Niel was suggesting. The numbers didn't match the manifest provided by Roman. The manifest and serial codes had been switched before their departure. To make matters more difficult. Each container needed its serial number entered before it revealed what was within.
"Both of you pick a side!" ordered Caelum. "We're going through the whole train again, read off the numbers of all cargo containers that require machinery to move as we go."
With nods of acknowledgment, the boys strode through to the second to last car.
"334-08-5691" called Lukas.
"Next" demanded Caelum.
"7493-08-482," said Niel.
"Next!" responded Caelum in frustration.
"1114-97-820" shouted Lukas.
Caelum hesitated. "That's it!" As if on cue, the train car jostled violently. It could have been dismissed as the wind if all three boys hadn't looked at their scrolls. Raiden had returned.
"Lukas up top! Niel, grab the unconscious men in the train car and tossed them into the next one. I'll cut the couplings." The three ran to their tasks. Lukas stood atop the car, signing Raiden down to connect the magnetic locks onto the carriage as Niel unceremoniously carried three guards and tossed them into the next car.
Caelum meanwhile detached the frontmost coupling, letting the front cars gain some distance as he ran to the back. Ordering Niel to join Lukas up top the two secured the final locks onto the car as Caelum prepared to detach the rearmost car.
Without any communication, it was tricky let alone risky, but as the bullhead's engines roared from the strain of pulling the cars and trying to gain altitude. Caelum arrived too late to detach the final car behind. Raiden had pulled the front car off the tracks already and the couplings had become jammed from tension. With the risk of derailing their cargo and crashing their bird, Caelum jammed his MG's bayonet into the joint. As Niel ran down next to him.
With both their strength and Niels semblance they managed to pry the coupling open, bending the bayonet and sending the untracked car back down where in a shower of sparks it skittered off the rails and into the rocky cliff bottom.
Clambering atop the car as the bullhead began to make its way south to their rendezvous, Caelum noted how he'd need to replace another bayonet. For now, they settled in amongst the cold wind and rain as they didn't have time to land and board their bird. Mild discomfort was necessary to mitigate risks, even if they had to suffer through Lukas complaining along the way.
Congratulations were passed when the bullhead eventually landed. A small clearing out in the middle of nowhere, south of Vale and with a single dirt road accessible by only off-terrain vehicles. Whether it was retrieved by such or bullhead was Roman and his 'pets' problem from here out. The bullhead landed as Raiden rushed to check on his team who walked out of the rain and into the vehicle.
To his relief, Caelum told him "Smooth op, no casualties, no unnecessary death either."
Niel raised a thumb as he laid down on some seats and relaxed momentarily. Lukas meanwhile strutted over confidently, still visibly shaking from the cold. "Course it was, we ain't animals like the Fang" he snickered, removing his wet coat.
Raiden repressed the sour memory of his first interaction with the Fang and Roman as Caelum walked to the cockpit and radioed a message. Seeing his complex expression, Niel ushered him over and began dramatically retelling their small venture. The distraction worked as the four boys slowly changed out of their black gear and prepared to head back.
Caelum pulled a small transponder. "I'll place this and then we can go get a hot meal and warm beds."
Sighs of relief emerged from all but Lukas. "That's it? I was wondering what the hold up was but we ain't gonna peek?" Blank looks answered his question. "Oh come on. I can't be the only one curious. Raiden, ya ain't the least bit curious what the Roman Torchwick would request of the syndicate and have us, unabated plausible denial assets, steal from a multi-national train?"
Raiden looked away, Quietly murmuring that he held some interest. The response was good enough for Lukas. "Caelum, don't you think it'd be proper to know what you may be dealing in? What if it comes back to bite ya? May as well know right? A peek wouldn't hurt. I'm sure Niel here is up for anything, aren't ya?"
With an indifferent shrug from Niel and a wide grin from Lukas, Caelum looked to Raiden who couldn't help but seem guilty. "Fine" sighed Caelum. "You and that damn semblance of yours."
"Blame whatever you want, you're just as curious" laughed Lukas as he hopped up and ran ahead to the stolen train section. With a loud rattle, the doors slid open and the four teammates clambered inside.
Within lay crates neatly stacked against both walls of the car. In the center of which and on the opposite wall, were three large crates nearly scraping the ceiling. These three were the cargo that they had gone through the trouble for.
"Niel! Would ya mind?" asked Lukas.
"My weapons are not tools of convenience" he grumbled.
"I'd say they're pretty convenient, you can shoot people and now you can pry this top off. Come on, we ain't got a crowbar so just get over it."
-With a frown, Niel obliged and drew his two revolvers. With a flick of the wrist the barrels locked and aligned with the grips and with a spin in the hand, he held them in a reverse grip. Slamming the two large gun blades into the small crevice he began prying the covering boards off.
"There we go, nice and slow. Don't want Roman throwing a fit later because we peeked." cheered Lukas.
Once a sufficient amount of room had been levied, Niel and Lukas moved the large wooden cover over. Lukas let a whistle out at the sight as Raiden's jaw lowered. Niel was perplexed as Caelum glowered at the device.
The large machine was bipedal and bulky with large armaments attached to it as it lay in a fetal position for transport. The four boys scanned the machine as they voiced their impressions.
"What is it?" asked Niel prodding the visual sensors in the front.
"No good for whoever's fighting it," remarked Lukas as he squatted next to the right arm which showed a dust-powered autocannon.
"It's got to be Atlesian. I mean look at the tech on this thing. My guess is it's a mech. Maybe a prototype?" replied Raiden as he looked over it to see the rocket pods on its back.
"It is a prototype" answered Caelum. ATLA-001P. There on the arm, it means Atlesian arms serial number 001 prototype."
"Guess Roman caught wind and wanted a turn with the new toys" snickered Lukas.
"Must've cost a fortune in research and funding" added Raiden.
"It does" hissed Caelum. "And It's a waste. They spend it on shiny new weapons that yield no results only to make people feel safe."
"We get it, Atlas is stupid, doesn't take a genius" groaned Luaks kicking the mech.
Raiden shoved him at his pointless action while Niel voiced his concern. "Won't this cause a stir? Especially since he's with the Fang?"
The team exchanged glances before Caelum shrugged. "The officials will never admit to it. At least not publicly" said Caelum.
"Ain't gonna cause problems for ya and by extension us, will it?" asked Lukas.
"Not my problem, it's Ironwoods now" stated Caelum indifferently.
"Atta boy" grinned Lukas in delight. "When we get back, drinks are on me. Let's board her back up and get outta here."
"One moment" interjected Raiden.
"What is it?"
"If this is a prototype and the security was this lax… I want to try something. Adjusting his glasses, Raiden pulled out his 'burner' scroll and connected a cable. He then searched the mech with assistance from Caelum who depressed a latch and turned it.
The machine whirred before its cockpit opened up like an egg. A dull light emitted within as a small monitor emerged with the word "Paladin". Raiden plugged in his device. "I was right," he said as he began clicking away.
"About what?" asked Niel.
"There's no security on it. It's a prototype meaning they're sending it to garner some attention and perform some tests. They never imagined it'd be stolen" answered Caelum as Raiden was too absorbed in his task to reply.
"You two go warm up the bird and make sure we don't leave any trace we were here. Me and Raiden will pack it back up," ordered Caelum.
Following their instructions the four boys quickly did so and departed with more than they had anticipated. A successful mission that showed their training's results, and knowledge in their tenuous friendships operations, and goals. Now, thanks to Raiden, information and schematics on Atlas' latest tech was a bonus. Surprisingly the sight of this seemed to dour the young prodigy's mood with a lackluster response. So much so that he voiced worry that perhaps Atlas' grand tech sector was mere propaganda.
For now, however, the four docked their bullhead back in Vale and thankfully to Caelum's semblance, had a short return trip to their dorm where a well-earned rest was had.
-Chapter End-