Author's Note:

For this chapter, I had to make some judgment calls on the timeline here as well as the first major alteration to the canon timeline. This is in part because it lines up with the story and because of the changes that have occurred due to the Courier's presence.

"Text"

"Speech"

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

Remnants of a Courier

Chapter 13: The Plan

The sounds of low whistling were slowly chiseling away at the Courier's patience. It had been an entire week of the grey-haired boy's incessant meddling in his affairs and Six had the notion to kill him and hide the body.

Joshua would resist such urges for now though as said boy was currently being employed by his employer's employer. That fact didn't make the urge to kill Mercury any smaller.

At least his partner, Emerald, could keep her mouth shut and her nose out of his business. Ever since Torchwick had introduced him to the two teens, the grey-haired fighter was sure Six was going to betray them.

The kid's partner—Emerald—hadn't interacted with him, thank whatever gods above. In fact, Six had only spotted her once during his entire stay here so far, she was a pretty busy person it seemed.

It didn't help his nerves that they hadn't actually done anything since they arrived at the "White Fang" base. Six was pretty sure Torchwick had paid for the place.

Cinder… The only reason Six knew that Cinder even existed was because of her brief appearances on the first floor. She didn't even bother talking to the White Fang stationed here or to anyone outside her circle. Instead choosing to communicate through her lackeys when necessary.

From what Six heard, the base they were in wasn't the only base around this city. They had more than a few of them scattered in and outside of the City of Vale. Almost all of them seemed to house some form of White Fang as it appeared the terrorist group was integral to Cinder's plans.

The White Fang members had been a worry at first but Six quickly found that they were dismissive of him as well. They saw him as another lackey of Cinder and a necessary cog in their own plans. Everyone was currently either suspicious of him or looking down on him. Honestly, he preferred the latter, it made them easier targets later.

The Courier finally pulled his head out of his own memories, only to be met by Mercury. "Either stop whistling or go somewhere else," the Courier said placing the still partially melted transportalponder on the desk.

This was the current item he was working on. With the resources in this base, he had been able to at least try to dismantle the thing. In time, he could reverse engineer the thing but that wasn't the problem.

Its normal source of energy, whatever it was, was definitely not on hand in this world. This meant that he had to test small and unimportant pieces of the device on dust to see how it would react. So far, the tests had been… Less than optimal.

Small explosions and even more burnt pieces of the device had been discarded and replaced. This also added to the Courier's current levels of frustration.

There was a smirk splayed across Mercury's face as he heard the Courier's words. "Or what, you'll run to daddy Roman to tell me to stop?" The boy's words were meant to provoke Six, to get him to react.

"No, but if you have a problem with me, I'd prefer you just come out and say it instead of dancing around the issue like a kid." The Courier figured his words struck true as the grin fell from said "kid's" face.

"Yeah I got a problem," Mercury replied while pointing a finger towards him. "You. I get that Roman needs people but either he doesn't know anything about you or won't say anything. The rest of us know what we want. You're an unknown factor and I don't like you."

Six smirked under his mask while replying, "you mean I'm making you restless."

"Oh, hardy har," the assassin said while rolling his eyes. "The big bad freakshow that won't tell us his name. I thought we're supposed to be working as a team."

"Freakshow," Six said with fake hurt in his voice. "I'll have you know I am perfectly normal where I come from." That was a lie.

"And where would that be," the teenager questioned, leaning in with a grin.

Joshua shrugged in response, doing his best to not give a direct answer. "Wouldn't you like to know, boy."

That seemed to stir something in Mercury as he leaned in grabbing the Courier's collar. Joshua knew he needed to play this cool, only turning to look at his aggressor.

"Only one person ever called me that, he's dead now," Mercury said that with a little too much conviction to Six. He figured it was probably a sore point. A good weakness to exploit later.

"What kind of name is "Six" anyway-" Mercury was cut off as the Courier grabbed his offending wrist and threw the teen over his shoulder. The assassin landed with a hard thud and a breath of air was forced out his body.

"Oh, it's on," the grey-haired teen muttered rolling onto his stomach before clambering to his feet.

Mercury knew he could take this guy. He wasn't even sure why Roman had brought him around. Some muscle to look intimidating maybe? It didn't matter.

The teenager started with a high kick to the head, planning on ending this as soon as possible. There was a twinge of annoyance that turned to alarm as Six leaned into the hit; blocking it with his arm before grabbing his ankle.

The Courier's free hand went to his knee and in one motion he quickly twisted it downward, forcing Mercury's form to buckle as he fell on his right side. It didn't hurt due to his prosthetic limb but his situation was deteriorating quickly.

Every time he tried to move his leg away, Six tightened his grip. The asshole had him in sort of martial arts lock and damn if the freak wasn't stronger than he looked.

But he wasn't exactly helpless either. He brought his other leg up, kicking at the asshole's leg. It hurt. Did this guy have a prosthetic limb too? And why hadn't he hit the guy's aura? Mercury could feel pain where his prosthetic connected to his leg. Though from the hissing noise Six was making, his assailant could feel it too.

In response, the Courier leaned back, stretching out Mercury's leg. "Fuck," the assassin let out, feeling his prosthetic limb ever so slowly being ripped from his leg.

He was about to kick the freak again when a familiar orange-haired conman walked in. "That's enough Six," Roman called out tapping his cane on the floor.

The pressure on his leg was immediately gone and the teenager got to his feet as quickly as possible.

It was a bit childish that Six put the kid in the dirt but really it was the quickest solution as well. Mercury's hostility wasn't going to go away for a long time unless they just fought it out now.

"Ready for round two," the kid asked him taking a low stance. Six, in turn, raised his harms close to his head, ready for whatever the kid was going to throw at him.

The two were cut off by Roman who said, "I said, as your current employer, stop." Joshua glanced over at his boss before sighing and taking a step back.

At the Courier's relaxed state, Mercury backed up as well, moving to take a seat on one of the crates nearby.

"As much fun as it is to watch the children fight, there's finally a job for the two of you. Well, the group of you…" Roman's words were punctuated by two people walking into the room behind him.

The conman twirled his cane once as the form of Neo and another figure Six didn't recognize stepped beside Roman. The new guy was tall, red hair, a Faunus of some kind, and wore a mask over his eyes. The sword at his side and the serious attitude meant this guy was probably White Fang.

"You already know Neo and this is Adam. Leader of the White Fang, or at least this portion of it." The orange-haired man's words drew Six's attention. This portion? Were there different factions within the White Fang? Adam didn't bother speaking, rather waiting for Roman to continue.

"There's a new mission and everyone here is going to be partners for it," Roman began as he turned away and began walking back towards the stare. The statement drew a glare from Adam to Mercury and Six. Or at least, Six assumed it was a glare behind the mask. "Cinder's orders," Roman said as he took his first step up.

"Meet in the planning room on the second floor in ten minutes." And with that, the conman was gone, leaving the four occupants of the room alone.

Neo smiled at the Courier while making a scooping motion with her hand before bringing it to her mouth.

While Six was trying to figure out what that meant, Adam finally spoke, "I don't need any of you slowing me down. The White Fang will handle this, just don't get in our way." With that said, the Faunus turned to follow Roman back up the stairs.

"Well he's a kind soul isn't he," Joshua joked as the trio watched Adam leave.

Mercury shrugged before responding, "he has a giant stick up his ass about the whole Faunus' rights thing. Not like I give a shit, it doesn't affect me." The grey-haired teen turned and gave Six a look before continuing, "so what was the deal with me hitting you through your Aura?"

The Courier would have to think of something good for this one. He didn't want his employers to know about his situation just yet. Six went to open his mouth but was cut off as the last occupant of the room grabbed his hand.

The ice cream themed girl was currently giving Six a pout that could kill. In turn, Joshua let out a sigh as it finally clicked.

"Fine, we can get you ice cream before the briefing. We'll talk about this later kid." The Butcher of House didn't particularly want to grab more ice cream for the small criminal but it did get him out of the pain of explaining his lack of Aura. Plus, Mercury's face of annoyance was priceless.

A short trip to get ice cream later and the Courier with Neo walked into the briefing room. From what Six saw on the upper floor, there were a few bedrooms, a briefing room, and the planning room.

It was likely that only the higher-ups slept here and got access to the planning room. The briefing room itself wasn't large. It contained a small round table in the middle, a few chairs, and a holographic projector that was currently displaying a map of the City of Vale.

The short criminal at his side nudged Six before moving over to take a seat. Deciding to follow her lead, Joshua took the seat next to her as she happily ate the ice cream he had acquired; this time straight from the box.

Other than Neo and himself, the room contained seven occupants. It was relatively crowded in the room if one considered that Six and Neo made nine people.

Mercury, Emerald, even Cinder was here standing next to Roman with an impatient look. Roman, Adam, and two White Fang lieutenants Six didn't recognize were the other occupants of the room.

"Alright gentleman and lackeys," Roman began as he stepped up to the holographic map on the wall. "We've got a big operation this time."

Using his cane, the conman pointed to an outer section of the city on the map. "Along here lies a railway used to transport Dust. It moves around the city and to and from other settlements nearby. It's rather complicated but you don't need to know the infrastructure that well!"

Roman's cane moved to a small section of the south side of the map. A small line left the city for a brief bit before reconnecting a short distance away. "What you do need to know is that there's a large shipment of Dust coming through this area of the railway! As you know, we need Dust for our operations and this might be the biggest bust yet!"

"Luckily for us, the respectable and very competent law enforcement of Vale leaves this area nice and unguarded save for a few turrets." After Roman spoke, he lowered his cane and tapped the remote he was carrying causing the slide to change.

This time it showed several large and automated turrets along a large cliffside. "That's because the natural geography of the area protects it against Grimm and bandits alike. So, if we hit it here, all we'll have to deal with are the turrets and the guards on the train."

"That's the good news," Roman said with the same smug grin he always had. "The bad news is that those turrets are anti-aircraft and anti-Grimm. Which means you'll be climbing that cliff and staking out for the night."

A groan came from one of the White Fang lieutenants before the conman cut him off, "ah, ah, no complaining because there's more good news. Those turrets are designed for aircraft and flying Grimm which means they won't even register you. This also means I lied to you before and that you'll only have to deal with the guards on the train."

"But how are we getting the Dust out of the train, we can't carry it because of the cliff," Six asked while placing his hands on his knees.

"I'm glad you asked my new and second favorite employee," the suited man said as he moved over to the small table in the center of the room. He opened a large duffle bag on the table before pulling out what looked like a plastic explosive to Six.

"This, is a Dust IED. Plant these on those pesky little turrets our friends have set up, pull the trigger, and watch the light show." After his words, Roman placed the explosive back in the bag before zipping it up. "This will allow Bullheads to land for you and the cargo."

"There's a secondary objective as well." These words didn't come from Roman but rather the woman in the red dress. Joshua hadn't heard her voice before. It was calm, cool, almost icy.

"Three high-level members of the SDC or Schnee Dust Company will be on this train. While the Dust is more important, taking these targets out will help us in the long run." Where Roman had said his words with a theatrical flair and pitch, Cinder was cold and factual. It was a bit refreshing.

"Right," Roman cut back in as he pressed the remote again. This time a picture of an older man with white hair and a suit appeared. Adam and his goons seemed to grow eager and angry at the same time while looking at the image of this man.

"The president of the SDC himself, Jacques Schnee will be attending our little party." Roman stopped himself to press the remote again before continuing, "his son Whitley Schnee." Again, white hair accompanied a pale complexion. The boy looked like a younger version of his father. Prim, proper, probably ruthless.

"Finally, we come to Weiss Schnee, the middle child of the Schnee family." The conman's words caught Six's curiosity. So, there was another child who wouldn't be attending?

This appeared to go through Adam's head too as he spoke, "we could nearly wipe out the Schnee bloodline in one go…"

"But the Dust is more important," Roman replied giving Cinder a sheepish smile. The leader of this criminal group had been giving a glare to Adam before the conman had cut in. Now she leaned back against a wall of the room.

"Now we need to discuss how this going to work," the suited man continued before pointing to Neo. "You'll be staying with me at the Bullheads as security for me and the cargo. I'll be using the radio on the Bullhead to keep you all informed on what's happening."

The girl glared at him but a quick and uncharacteristically serious look from Roman calmed Neo.

"So, you'll be mission control," the Courier commented absently, not really expecting a response.

But a response he got as Roman said, "that's right! Now, you two," before pointing to the two lieutenants. "You'll be piloting the Bullheads, landing them, and transporting the cargo onto them. Don't worry, your men will be creating a distraction elsewhere so there'll be no danger to you."

The two Faunus seemed disgruntled but a quick look from Adam silenced them.

"Mercury and Emerald, you'll be in charge of placing explosives on turrets…" The two criminals didn't seem bothered by the conman's words and Roman looked pleasantly surprised before moving on.

"Finally, Adam and Six, you'll be going through the train together and clearing it."

Him and Adam? The human-hating Faunus?

"Roman… A leader of the White Fang and a human paired together," Six asked in a tone that bordered on mockery.

The bull Faunus let out a sigh and Joshua assumed Adam rolled his eyes. "All you humans are the same. As long as we're working towards the same goal, I'll tolerate you for now. Just don't slow me down."

That was… Surprising coming from Adam. Maybe he wasn't as insane as the Courier thought.

"See, it'll be fine," Roman replied picking up right where he left off.

"I'm bringing Blake," the bull Faunus stated in a tone that made it clear that this was not up for debate.

"It's not a good idea about getting too many people in on this," the conman replied obviously trying to placate Cinder who was again glaring daggers at Adam.

"It's not negotiable, she's one of my best fighters," Adam continued before Six raised his hand.

Joshua lowered his hand when all eyes turned to him. "I don't see the problem here." The Courier knew he was irritating his boss but continued anyway, "we could use another skilled pair of hands and one more person isn't going to blow the lid on this right?"

If Adam was grateful for the support, he didn't show it, instead turning back towards Roman.

The suited man in turn looked nervous. "I mean, while you're right we can-"

"Enough," Cinder said cutting off Roman. "It's fine if he brings his little kitten. But you'll keep her in control."

There was a brief battle of wills while Adam and Cinder glared at each other. Though the silent debate seemed to calm when they turned away from each other.

With the argument seemingly over, the conman held up the remote before saying, "now that concludes the presentation boys and girls. This little operation of ours starts in two days bright and early. Be ready!"

Roman began moving out of the room with Cinder before turning back and saying, "oh and I assume this goes without saying, but don't let anyone know about this little shindig of ours."

With that, the two leaders left the room, leaving all the disgruntled lackeys—including Joshua—to their devices.

"Good luck mister grim and dark," Mercury commented as he walked past Six with Emerald in two. The girl letting out a sigh at her partner's antics.

Joshua didn't really care to respond to the boy choosing to instead make his way over to Adam. Before Six did so, he glanced back at Neo and said, "enjoy the ice cream." In turn, the girl nodded and gave him a smile. She was too friendly with him for Six's liking.

The two lieutenants were currently moving out of the room with Adam when Six spoke up, "I think we should talk."

"There's nothing to say," Adam replied turning towards Joshua. "Just don't get in my way and pull your weight."

"Fine," Joshua replied actually enjoying the straightforward if blunt nature of Adam. "I work better at a distance so you'll be the frontman and I'll shoot from the back. All I wanted to say."

The bull Faunus shrugged not particularly caring. "Works for me, keeps you out of my way." With that, Adam turned away and left, looking for his lieutenants.

Well, it was just him now. Joshua would go get prepared for now and put the transportalponder on the backburner. He'd get the bigger guns ready with his riot armor. Stealth likely wasn't going to be a big factor in this mission.

Author's Note:

Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you think of my interpretation of Adam.

Current Gear:

Burned Man's Armor

Elite Riot Gear

Modified Stealth Suit Mk. II

Mysterious Magnum

Rebreather

Maria

Survivalist Rifle

Modified Anti-Material Rifle.

YCS/186 Gauss Rifle variant.

C4 – Plastic explosives (10)

Detonator.

Frag Grenades (5)

Frag Mines (0)

Combat Knife.

Plasma Grenades (10)