Authors' Notes:

Welcome to part two of the three part upload! I hope you like this chapter!

"Text"

"Speech"

Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout, RWBY, or any associated characters.

Remnants of a Courier

Arc 4: Chaos Theory

Chapter 38: Shifting Perspectives

The flight to the Forever Fall Forest had been quick and more than a bit confusing.

Blake had rushed into their room earlier and claimed that the White Fang had attacked some innocent people earlier that day. And that the Mimic was apparently on the move. How did she know this? She hadn't elected to tell them.

Not only that but the Mimic was heading towards a White Fang base. Seeing as how it was their last few days of the break, this was probably their only chance to get any leads on the White Fang and the Mimic for the foreseeable future.

Renting a VTOL hadn't been cheap. But combining their funding—mostly Weiss's—they pulled through for one trip there, an hour of waiting, and then a return trip.

It was fortunate for Blake that they were one of the few teams that had remained at Beacon the entire break instead of returning home.

Though Ruby wouldn't complain. This was the exciting work a Huntress was supposed to do! Kicking bad guy butt and uncovering secret plots.

That excitement didn't untie the knot in her stomach though. Not even the red leaves that reminded Ruby of herself did that. And she liked the color red!

Their walking was quiet, soft, and not a word was said. It was unlike them. Maybe because they were expecting a tough fight? No, it was more one individual that was causing the awkwardness.

Weiss and Blake didn't like talking about him but from what little they had said the Mimic was a bad person. Someone who had taken a lot from Weiss and terrified Blake.

A leaf crunched under Ruby's foot causing her to look down for a moment. "So, Blake. What's the plan?" She said, knowing that Yang and Weiss were still just as unsure as she was.

Blake frowned in response and didn't respond for a few moments. The silence that followed them as they walked didn't soothe the red-themed Huntress-in-Training.

"We get in, grab whatever information they have about what the White Fang are planning, and get out. And stop Six if he's there."

Ruby's sister crossed her arms while replying, "yeah, we get that. But how are we going to do all that? Do you know how this place is laid out? What if we run into White Fang?"

Another silence from Blake. Team RWBY's leader glanced over to the book-lover who sported a deeper frown.

"Then we knock them out, turn them in if we need to."

Ruby didn't pay attention to Yang's response. She could see Weiss at the end of their formation with a pale look on her face. Taking a step back and letting the two partners talk, Ruby took her chance to walk over to her partner.

As she got closer, it was easy to notice the pale-knuckle death-grip the former-Heiress had on her rapier; Myrtenaster.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby greeted before immediately cringing inside as her partner turned with a hard look in her eyes. Any momentum she had died with that look. "I… Wanted to see how you were doing. I'm guessing not great. But don't worry, we'll all be here as a team. You won't be alone."

"Besides, he might not even be here!" Ruby finished in a cheerful tone and raised one arm to elbow her partner. The tense reaction from Weiss as she crossed her arms was not what Ruby was looking for.

The Huntress-in-Training's outburst also earned her the attention of her other two teammates as she overheard Yang say, "are we sure Weiss is ready for this? I get you're gung-ho on this White Fang and Mimic stuff but she really isn't."

Despite her brain working in overdrive, the red-themed teenager couldn't think of a way to cheer her partner up. In truth, Ruby was more than a little nervous too.

The Mimic was dangerous and possibly out of their league. He was prone to violence and had killed at least one Huntsman. He also managed to evade the authorities and Beacon while hurting people. Not to mention what he did to Weiss's Father which was now hurting her team.

It reminded Ruby of her own mother…

The leader of team RWBY shook her head rapidly before hopping forward and in front of the rest of her team. She couldn't think about that, not now.

The red-themed teen turned to the rest of her group before saying, "alright. I know we're all just a teensy weensy bit nervous, but we're team RWBY! And team RWBY can get anything done as long as we're together." She hopped in place for a few moments, pumping herself up before continuing, "and as team leader, I'm getting us through this."

"Blake," Ruby began as she pulled her arm back before shooting it forward in a dramatic fashion to point at her teammate. "Give us an idea of what we're dealing with, numbers, skill, danger! And what we need to get and where it is!"

The Faunus was about to respond when an explosion shook the ground they were standing on, then again, and again.

"I guess we need to double-time it, Blake, tell us what we need to know on the move!" It was Yang who spoke up, being the first to start running towards the explosions.

The rest of the group kept up with her as Blake responded, "No more than fifty people at most, and probably not that much. I don't think any of the higher-ups will be here either. So as long as we're careful, there shouldn't be anyone in there that can be much of a threat. As for what we're after, there's probably a computer or some physical files on hand in a secure room somewhere. That's where we need to be."

At the end of Blake's explanation, Ruby managed to spot the top of a grey concrete building with smoke coming out of it. "There!" She shouted, momentarily forgetting they were trying to be sneaky.

"Stop, I can hear fighting," Blake ordered as she slowed to a walk.

The Faunus's friends slowed as well, taking on a more cautious approach as they neared the base. The sounds of gunfire and shouting could be heard within. Ruby turned to her friend for an assessment but Blake shook her head. Not even her ears could hear exactly what was going on.

"Okay, Yang, you're up," the leader said as the group neared the entrance of the building. It looked small and Ruby figured it probably wasn't the main door into the building. "Clear our way inside, we'll support you."

After speaking, the youngest member of team RWBY moved into position a distance in front of the door. She slammed the end of her scythe down and aimed her sniper at the door, waiting for Yang's move.

Blake stacked up on one side of the door as Yang got directly in front of it and took a crouched stance. From Yang's other side Weiss took her position and channeled a glyph under the fighter.

After a few moments, Yang shot forward in a blur towards the door, knocking it off its hinges and disappearing inside.

"Uh, there's no one here?" Yang called back, causing Ruby to pick her scythe back up.

That was weird. There probably should've been guards. Something felt off about the situation but at the same time this was a golden opportunity to get in and out without fighting.

"This doesn't seem right," Weiss commented as she took a step inside.

Ruby followed in after them and noticed all the dust that had been kicked up; creating a cloud in front of them that was hard to see through. It didn't help that it was almost night now, the sun nearly gone behind the horizon. It all served to bathe the grey hall they were in a hazy orangish-red light.

"They're fighting someone else. We should get in and out before they notice us," Blake commented while stepping past Yang.

"I…" Weiss began before trailing off and falling in line. It hurt Ruby to see her like this. Sure, Weiss could be rude and cold at times. But they were not only teammates but friends. And as a friend, it was her job to make sure Weiss made it through this unscathed.

"I think we should head ba-"

"Hold on, someone's coming," Yang cut off Ruby as footsteps rounded a corner towards them.

Dead ahead were a group of four White Fang baddies.

It was hard to make out their features in the uniforms and masks. The most she could see were their mouths and general sizes. It was obvious one was a girl and that one was taller and older than the others. Other than that, Ruby couldn't make out much.

"Are those Huntresses?" While the question was said with a confused and dumbfounded expression, the voice of the grunt that said it was nice. Almost smooth in a way.

Her sister, always being quick to smack talk, responded. "Yep! You've got one chance to sit down before we beat you down, understand?"

A good warning, and a nonviolent one that would make Blake happy.

The White Fang group glanced at each other, seemingly trying to come to a decision. All except one. One of the smaller guys was staring at them intently and it was obvious he was holding something against them.

"Excuse me, but if you can't hear the gunfire going on upstairs, we're running away. I suggest you do too. Whatever is upstairs killed everyone here with no effort. I know you Huntresses are tough but I think even you might be…"

That was the smooth-voiced one that spoke who quickly gave a grin at her and her team. It was a little creepy and what Yang would describe as "slimy."

"Nah, trust me, we got this, right Rubes?" Yang replied confidently before elbowing Ruby.

Hefting her giant scythe into the air, only to scrape it on the ceiling and then lower it down, Ruby chided herself and made a mental note of the confined space they were in. "As a team, we can take anything."

"Please, just put down your weapons, we don't want to hurt you." It was Blake who spoke, doing her best to prevent any bloodshed.

Ruby glanced towards her partner who remained silent. She looked conflicted and the teen hoped her partner wouldn't do anything rash while they were getting the bad guys to surrender.

"Listen, we need to go no-"

Then he appeared, the man in black that no one had detected until then. The Grimm-like human turned as he held his victim by the neck.

"I suppose I should thank you for having the decency to fear me."

Blake was the first one to react but even she was too slow to stop the man that appeared out of thin air. Gambol Shroud was aimed straight at Six but didn't have a clear line of shot as the Faunus was forced into the cement floor with an explosion from the Mimic's gauntlet.

Blake snarled as Yang took a step forward. Ruby was more focused on the mess that was already at the Mimic's feet.

While she didn't agree with the White Fang, no one deserved to die like that. To be a splatter on the floor. Ruby had to hold her dinner down as her face threatened to turn a shade of green.

"How many more are you going to make me kill before you learn your lesson little Huntresses? You can't win."

His taunting bit deep into Ruby, remembering what he had done to many. What must have been verbal knives to Weiss and Blake. But those same words brought Ruby back from the brink of vomiting. The red-themed Huntress jumped back and placed Crescent Rose in front of her, taking aim.

"Get behind me!" The big White Fang soldier shouted as he forced the other remaining members of his squad to the ground.

An orange dome appeared over them as Blake and Yang rushed forward.

This was Adam's fault.

The caved-in skull of the Faunus at Six's feet was Adam's fault. If he had just kept his people in line, made them behave like people, they wouldn't be dead right now. And he wouldn't be forced to engage team RWBY.

But they attacked him and those under his care, showing that they couldn't behave like decent people. That they wanted him to be the monster everyone thought he was. And if they wanted a monster, then he'd give them a monster. Whether they liked it or not.

Two black and yellow blurs sped towards the Courier who ducked under the fist swung at him. One of his fingers wrapped around the pin of a grenade he had stored in his duster before pulling it.

He was then forced to push himself back as Blake swung her weapon downwards. As the Courier rolled back, he dropped the grenade before getting to his feet and proceeded to back up to a safe distance.

The Faunus was the first to note the grenade and grabbed her partner before hauling her back and shouting, "grenade!"

The Courier was forced to bring up his right powerfist and tap into the secondary translucent green tube on it as Ruby fired at him from down the hall.

A pale green shield burst into existence in front of the Mimic that deflected the shots fired at him as well as the shrapnel from his own grenade that went off. That was one of his newest upgrades, Hardlight Dust.

Hardlight Dust was a rarity in this world. Atlas was known to have perfected it and had the largest supply of it. The Kingdom monopolized it mostly for military use in shield technology so it was hard to acquire if not with them. Hard, but not impossible.

He didn't have an endless supply of it though, he could probably pull that trick a grand total of four more times before running out of Hardlight Dust. Now wasn't the time to be frugal with his resources though.

As the smoke from the grenade dissipated, the Courier raised his left arm and pointed it at Ruby. As the Hardlight shield began fading, he charged both mechanisms of his left gauntlet at the same time. This caused the red and black metal to glow in a mixed hue of red and blue light from the tubes attached.

Once the shield lowered, Six ducked to avoid having his head blown off by Ruby before releasing the charged energies.

This was a carefully balanced dance of vying temperatures. If the ice heated too slowly, it would create water. If the ice was too cold, the fire would die out. If the ice heated too fast, it would explode in his face. The reaction required a careful balance of the output of both the Ice and Burn Dust leaving his powerfist.

Burn Dust and Ice Dust bellowed out of his gauntlet. The two compounds mixed in front of the Courier's gauntlet and created a temperature flux that caused steam to shoot forth. Six made sure to note where each member of team RWBY was as his adversaries advanced.

Rwby was in back, Blake and Yang up front, and Weiss was… Standing there?

Six continued to pump more of his Dust into the trick which quickly covered the hall in a thick layer of steam; obscuring everyone in the room.

With each member isolated, the Mimic sprang into action, lunging at the location where he last saw Yang.

Once the distance was closed, he ducked under a blind kick sent towards his head from Yang. His own fist shot out in response, connecting with the blonde's torso and forcing her back with the powerfist.

The Huntress-in-Training didn't have time to properly chamber her leg back from the blow and landed off-balance. Six used this moment to close in and deliver another jab to her chin which rocked her head back thanks to the powerfist launching forward.

This was the moment he was waiting for. He was going to use her disorientation to break down her own fighting style and put her out of the fight. The Mimic took on a more classic boxing stance similar to that of Yang's.

The blonde bombshell sent a wild swing at him while trying to gather her senses. Six stopped the blow with his forearm before delivering another jab to her face.

He was waiting for the right moment.

In response, she tried bringing up her leg to kick him. Six kicked her leg back down with his heel before delivering another jab to her shoulder.

The moment wasn't quite right.

Yang's back tapped the wall behind her as she raised both her hands towards her head in defense.

A knee to her gut signaled that she couldn't fight defensively forever.

"That's enough!" The blonde shouted as her eyes flared red.

This was it. Yang's signature move whenever she was backed into a corner.

The student of Beacon exploded with saved up kinetic energy as she brought her arm back and delivered a haymaker towards Six. It was wild, destructive, and predictable.

If her attack had hit, it would have rocked Six's world and put him down in one blow. Unfortunately for the student, he had predicted her attack and was fast enough to capitalize on it.

Instead of ducking under it like he had last time, the Courier lunged forward while cocking his arm back and preparing his powerfist.

Once Yang's attack sailed past him and he was inside her guard, the Mimic shot his arm forward and delivered a thunderous blow to the blonde's chest.

It was one thing for a human to throw his all into a punch. It was another for a cybernetically enhanced human to do so. And it was yet another thing for that enhanced human to be wielding a powerfist. But it was outright dangerous for Burn Dust to then be added to the mix.

An explosion shook the building as the Courier delivered his blow. It sent Yang into the wall and Six could hear the girl let out a single pained gasp as the powerfist did its work. The piston shot forward, driving her further into the wall and cracking it before the Burn Dust exploded and enveloped her.

Despite the Courier's enhanced body and the shock absorption of the powerfist, he could feel it in his arm. It hurt and shook from the sheer force of the blow. The results were well worth it.

When the smoke cleared, a good Yang-sized chunk of the wall was missing. He could see the blonde laying on her back in the next room, Aura flaring yellow. Not even that was quite enough to outright shatter the girl's Aura.

That was an issue in his plans. The entire reason he had toyed with her before delivering the blow was to shatter their morale in one punch. Every jab and kick was meant to lower her Aura to the point of breaking yet she was still up.

"Yang!" Six heard Blake call from behind him. He was just fast enough to roll out of the way as the Faunus sailed past him and into the hole.

He was forced to use another sum of his Hardlight Dust as the steam had cleared enough for Ruby to get a few shots off at him.

With the shield giving him a few moments, and the steam having cleared, the Courier was able to see a new threat had emerged.

The originally cowardly group of Faunus that hid inside a bubble had emerged. The big one was now carrying the weapon of his fallen comrade and it was glowing a dangerous red.

The weapon itself was a grey almost block-life rifle. Red streaks ran through the weapon and to where the "magazine" would normally be fitted. Instead of a magazine, there appeared to be a large glowing red battery of some kind that was charging some kind of attack inside the barrel of the gun.

That was bad. It looked somewhat like an energy weapon back on his world but that couldn't be right. Dust didn't work that way.

It didn't matter, what Six was focused on was running back and away from the charging weapon while he still had his Hardlight barrier up.

There was a short dash followed by a dive around a corner of the hall before the weapon went off. A red line tore down the hall and impacted the wall before veering off in his direction. The concrete walls in its way melted at the sheer heat of the impact, destroying its initial point of impact and then a good majority of the wall he was sitting behind. Six watched as it lanced over his head from his prone position, turning concrete to slag.

There was a moment where the Courier pushed his mind into overdrive as he tried to discern the weapon's capabilities. It was some kind of energy-based weapon or perhaps a plasma-based one. He was leaning towards the latter due to the sheer heat of the weapon and that it turned concrete to slag. It needed some kind of immense power source but what could do it? Some kind of rare Dust?

"Holy shit!" Six heard someone say from back down the hall.

These were all questions for later. Now, he needed to figure out his next course of action.

Instead of getting up, the Courier remained prone and twisted himself so he was facing the corner. He could hear them regrouping down the hall as he stowed his powerfists away and produced his anti-material rifle. They were filled with normal Dust rounds so Six figured they shouldn't kill the teenagers.

While he didn't have a line of sight, Six could hear the sound of shuffling feet and a scuffle going on.

"I'm sorry, but that weapon shouldn't be in your hands." It sounded like Blake was saying that as the sounds of shuffling turned into shoving.

"Hey! That belongs to the White Fang, not you!" The new voice was distinctly feminine but not one he recognized. One of the other White Fang grunts?

There was more shuffling before the voice of the smaller male White Fang soldier spoke, "Lika let it go. We don't want to fight you and we sure as Gods don't want to fight that monster down there."

Their momentary distraction gave the Courier an opening to get out. He didn't need to fight team RWBY nor did he want to.

"Th-That asshole copied how I fight, did you see it?" That sounded like the brawler of the group. It also seemed that his little ploy had worked and he was successfully throwing her off balance.

Six hopped to his feet before leveling the rifle down the hall. Well, it was more of a large room now that a portion of the wall had been melted exposing the room next to the hall.

He fired off a few rounds before anyone could respond. He wasn't particularly aiming at any one individual causing his rounds to ping off the walls as he began moving away from the group.

That was when he noticed the stationary figure of Weiss. She stood stock-still in the hall not moving. In fact, he didn't recall her moving throughout the entire fight. Had she frozen up during it?

Great, now that was something else he'd have to talk to her about as House.

The group returned fire as he heard more shouting but by the time they got organized he was down the hall and turning a corner.

Remembering the layout of the building, the Courier moved quickly through the hall and to a set of stairs. The building groaned from the strain of having a good portion of its structural support blown apart or melted.

It was a straight shot from here to the main entrance of the building.

He could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching behind him. Not bothering to turn around, the Courier ran down the hall as fast as he could.

Dust rounds whizzed past his head as Six ran into smoke that was slowly filtering into the hall from the lobby.

As he emerged from the hall and into the larger room, the Courier slung his rifle over his shoulder before grabbing a powerfist. He used another Hardlight shield and covered the entrance behind him. It would give him a few moments to get to cover.

The room was a mess. What used to be a fairly large room with a few chairs and desks was in disarray. At the very least the minimalist style of the base meant there was little furniture which in turn meant less debris. That didn't stop the parts of the caved-in roof that spilled out onto the floor or the fallen pillars.

Fire actively raged to Six's right as he made his way forward, smoke quickly filling the room and leaking out of it. The fire was forming a wall that blocked off the entire area and was slowly creeping closer.

Bodies lay strewn about the room, all having been blown away from a singular pillar. They lay in an almost circle-like formation around it, missing chunks and limbs. That was where he had placed the C4 earlier. It was good to see that it worked.

Six hopped over a fallen pillar as he made his way to the steel double door. A larger White Fang soldier sat next to the door. He was leaning against the wall with his head down and a large gash in his side.

Taking a second glance at the White Fang member, Six noticed that this had probably been the lieutenant in charge. He was tall enough and featured several prominent scars on his arms. If he recalled right, this guy often partnered with another lieutenant that wielded a chainsaw weapon.

He was probably the same one who dented the solid steel door outward, creating an opening in the locked door. Bastard probably bled out while trying to escape. It did allow Six to exploit the man's effort for his own benefit.

Using his powerfist, the Courier brought his arm back and slammed his fist into the door. The opening widened from the impact so he did it again. After a few smacks, he managed to make an opening just wide enough for his armored form to fit through when a bullet grazed the shoulder piece of his armor. It might have done more if Dust could do any meaningful damage to hard materials.

A few more rounds pinged off the metal around him as the Courier crawled through the opening. Now he just needed to get beyond the tree line and he'd disappear.

The Mimic stood up to spot a very upset Faunus glaring at him behind a white mask standing in a small clearing just outside the building.

"You did this," Adam both accused and stated as he addressed the Courier.

Six took a few steps forward, steeled himself, and responded, "I did."

Behind the Courier, the now unstable building burned. With the shattered moon having come out, the primary light they were bathed in was from the fire behind Six. It cast the front of the Wastelander in a dark shadow only contrasted by two glowing optics.

The fire served to illuminate the bottom half of Taurus' face which was curled into an ugly snarl. That combined with the way the light danced with Adam's red hair and horns made the Faunus look almost devil-like.

"They didn't do anything to you, they were innocent." Hearing that line come from Adam made something snap in the Courier. "They weren't the ones who attacked you!"

"Innocent? Innocent!?" The Courier retorted before pointing a finger at Adam. "There were no innocents!"

His arm swung behind him as Six gestured to the raging fire behind him. "Any one of them could have said 'stop, this is wrong, we won't attack a man and his child in their own home.' They didn't." The Butcher of House wasn't shouting or screaming. It was a quiet anger, a cold hate at the entire situation that was being laid bare before Adam.

Six saw two figures standing behind him, likely Blake and Weiss, but he was a little busy at the moment. Turning back to Adam, the Mimic stretched his arms out to the side before continuing.

"You've always had it wrong Adam. You, the White Fang, Beacon, even Cinder. You're not an animal because you're born one, no matter what anyone says. You're an animal because you behave like one."

Six lowered his arms, as he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. The heat on his back reminded him of the Mojave. Reminded the Wild Card King of the city that belonged to him. It brought forth all the memories of what he had to do to maintain his control. What he did to people who stepped out of line.

"Your people fucked with me. Came after my people," Six began as he gestured back towards the fire briefly. He then swung his arm around to point at Adam. "They acted like animals and the rest sat by and watched. You sat by and watched."

Six lowered his hand, his form slightly hunched. It felt good to let it out, to show some of that anger again. To stand before his enemies as the king he was. The man that would help everyone, even if he had to drag them kicking and screaming to do so.

Six reached into his duster to materialize the mysterious magnum out of sight before bringing it out. With a powerfist in one hand and a revolver in the other, Courier Six was ready for a fight.

The rifle on his shoulder slid off and clattered to the ground as the Courier finished his tirade.

"And that's why I put them down like the animals they are."

The last line stirred both Adam and Blake into action.

"You're the animal you fucking hypocrite!" Adam barked at Six while charging, both hands on the handle of his blade.

It dawned on Six that he had seen Blake and Adam's partnership firsthand before Blake defected. He also remembered them being really deadly together.

Using the rest of his Hardlight Dust, Six held his gauntlet upward and clenched his fist.

Light green energy shot out before descending around the Courier. It formed a sort of pulsing energy bubble around him just as Adam's blade connected with it.

As expected, both Blake and Adam's attacks were ineffective and repelled, Adam taking it worse as he put his entire body into the attack.

That did little to deter the bull Faunus as he began repeatedly swinging his blade at the shield. It would only hold for a bit longer so Six needed to think fast.

The Courier activated the fourth and final trick from his powerfists. The yellow tube next to the now empty Hardlight supply flared to life as Six touched the shield.

The only warning Adam had was a single moment where a yellow light danced from the Courier's hand to the shield. Then his body writhed in pain as he was forced back, involuntarily spasming.

Six grinned underneath his mask as the lightning Dust snaked its way through the Hardlight shield as intended, acting as an electric barrier for him. It at least got the White Fang officer to back off.

"Why?! Why are you even doing any of this!" This time it was Blake who called out from the other side of the shield.

There wasn't enough time to respond as the green and yellow light finally flickered out of existence, forcing the Courier back on the defensive.

The Mimic jumped to the side and out of Blake's strike as she lunged at him.

Readying himself for another attack, Six took in his options as he had just a little room.

Adam was currently getting to his feet from being shocked. Blake was advancing on him albeit more cautiously now since Adam was behind her. And Weiss was staring at him. No, she had been staring at him.

But it wasn't a look of pure fear and dread as before. It was closer to contemplation. The teenager neglected to speak even now. What was going through Weiss's head?

The bull Faunus took a step forward before answering Blake, "it's because he's a self-righteous ass who thinks he can do anything he wants. That everyone else is just a stepping stone!" There was a pause as Adam turned his attention to Blake. "Just like you and the Schnee."

The swordsman brought his blade up as he continued, "but that stops here," before bringing Wilt down towards Blake.

The teenager turned, ready to defend herself, but was cut off as a gunshot rang out. The Mad Bull's blade was deflected to the side and embedded into the ground; giving Blake just enough time to back away.

The revolver from Six's barrel was smoking as he said, "I can speak for myself, Little Bull…"

Adam watched as Six's demeanor changed. It was easy to tell the guy was pissed off, outraged at the entire situation. The Faunus didn't give two shits about that.

But now, it was different. Like the air around them was being caked in a layer of heat. As if the fire had already engulfed them all. A menacing presence drifted over the group as the armored man let out a long sigh after insulting him.

"Little parasite."

Every word seemed to empower the fire consuming the building, increasing that crackling noise tenfold. But Adam knew that was impossible.

"An animal that delights in making noise, pretending that he's the messiah of all Faunus, who thinks he's dangerous and unstoppable."

Every word seemed to be building up, increasing to a climax Adam was not looking forward to. As if each word were a step, leading up into an inferno that was scorching the night sky.

"Are you going to continue challenging me?"

Adam gritted his teeth under his mask. He gripped the hilt of Wilt, completely sure that Six was going to charge him at any moment. It felt like he would charge forward and summon actual flames to fight.

"Are you going to fight me!"

His voice increased, just slightly, but it felt like this armored monstrosity was screaming at him despite the calm tone. A question that was truly a statement, because it was said with the conviction of someone who already knew the answer.

Finally finding his voice, Adam spoke, "Of course. I won't back dow-"

"I'll kill you, then I'll move on to the White Fang. I'll hunt every last officer, grunt, and janitor. Then I'll move onto their families, every last man, woman, and child that even associated with the White Fang will be put on display as they die."

Unlike before, the Courier made very little gesturing in his speech. The only movement came from the slight tilt of his head.

"I've seen towns and cities burn, people raised on crosses to starve to death, bleeding from the barbed wire that held them there. I've done it myself, and I'll do it again if you force my hand."

The human, or maybe the thing just dressed like a human paused. It let its words sink in. But eventually, it straightened its back, stood to its full height, and continued while looking down on him.

"Think very carefully about what you do next, little Adam."

This was the first time Blake had ever seen Adam afraid. It wasn't a curl into a ball in fear but it was enough to give the usually confident Faunus pause, causing Adam to grip his sword to the point of shaking.

It scared her. Some would find it strange. But despite Adam's downward spiral to what he was now, his steadfast confidence and attitude—even as an enemy—was something she admired. To see that come into question was shocking.

Before either her or Adam could act, it was Weiss who replied.

The pale Huntress-in-Training lunged forward, aided by the power of a glyph, intent on running Six through.

In retaliation, the Mimic brought up his strange gauntlet and deflected her rapier upwards before pushing her back. The sound of metal on metal hurting Blake's ears. "The princess finally decided to act," the armored man taunted before raising his revolver towards Weiss. "Do you have something to say too?"

Weiss's bravery spurred Blake forward. The Faunus dashed to her friend's side and took a defensive stance. What Ruby said before was right. If they stuck together, they could survive this.

She also wished Ruby and Yang were there. But Yang's Aura was uncomfortably low and it was too dangerous to have her press forward. Those White Fang soldiers they let go were still out there and someone needed to make sure she got back home safe. With Ruby's weapon being too big for the tight halls of the building, it was only natural she went back. It still left them at a disadvantage at the moment.

"I don't know what you're planning or why you're doing any of this. But I'm going to stop it." Weiss's words sounded more confident than she looked. Not that Blake was one to judge, she was still trying to steel herself.

There was a moment's pause from their adversary. Why? Was he nervous? Angry? It was frustrating not knowing.

"And how are you planning on doing that?"

The former Heiress didn't smile. In fact, her current look was more forlorn and solemn than anything else as she replied, "you should be asking why I'm stopping you."

The Mimic tilted his head slightly, at least curious enough to let her continue.

"Because we're all idiots."

Her answer gave Blake pause. What did that mean?

"Maybe you are, Schnee girl," Adam mocked as the first grin since the encounter began crossed his face. It didn't deter Weiss who shook her head in response.

Weiss's face scrunched up for a second as she made a hand motion pointing to all of them. "No, we-I. We're all here because we're hurt, I've realized that now. And I've realized that it was a mistake for me to be angry before."

"I lashed out because of what my father did to me. Then I lashed out after he died. And again when everything kept spiraling out of control. I was hurt, scared, and angry. But most importantly, I was acting on a childish impulse."

Weiss raised her hands and motioned to everyone present. "That's what we're all doing." The white-themed girl pointed to Six. "People you care about were attacked right? And you're upset because of it."

Six's reaction was interesting. Blake made sure to note the slight twitch of his hand and stiff attitude. Was she actually right?

Next came Adam. "You want to help Faunus who have been treated unjustly by my family and the Kingdoms and to avenge the fallen here."

Then Blake. "You're here because you feel guilty for having associated with the White Fang, for having helped in my father's murder."

That made the Faunus shrink back slightly. Blake laid her ears low for a moment as she dared not look at her friend.

And finally, Weiss pointed at herself, doing her best to keep a straight face even as tears welled in her eyes. "And I'm here because I felt like I had no choice. Because my father did terrible things to me and then died before I could set them right. Because I'm scared of all of you, of having it all happen again. Of becoming what everyone else thinks I am, a selfish, greedy, arrogant Schnee."

"And I realized that because one person told me to understand other people's perspectives. Someone who has been through hardship in his life…"

There was a look of relief and resignation on Weiss's face as she finally stopped. Like she had let it all out and come to some sort of realization. To Blake, she just looked tired.

"We're leaving," Weiss said as she turned and walked back towards the burning building. "We shouldn't fight each other."

A strange energy had come over Weiss and Blake wasn't sure if she should be happy or worried for her friend. Nevertheless, Blake followed her friend. There wasn't any chance the two of them could take both Adam and Six.

"You're only leaving in a body bag little slave-driver!" The bull Faunus challenged before darting after them. Blake turned and raised her weapon but again several shots rang out forcing Adam to stop and block the shots with his blade.

"We still have unfinished business, you and I."

Even as Blake turned away and left the two killers to fight, she couldn't help but wonder. Why had the Mimic—Six—helped them escape?

Author's Notes:

Is pauldron only used for old plate armor? Or can it be used in a more modern setting as well? I thought about using it for the scene where the Courier gets dinged in the shoulder but I don't know the answer so I didn't.