The snow was gone at this point and the warm air kissed his skin but he didn't pay it any mind. It didn't bother him very much, nothing really did at this point except the disappearances. The people of the settlement didn't take it very well and he quickly quelled the upcoming wave of negativity before Grimm flooded their gates. They noticed that the Gears' training became harder and more ruthless, presumably to battle the possibly threat. More people had decided to become Gears, slowly bumping their numbers up to a hundred and twenty.

Brock and Simon barely spoke to one another as they worked in the same forge; Walker worked with them and acted as a verbal bridge between the two. The room was hot and he wore a sleeveless shirt as he carried countless items and helped them out. Simon was gifted in electronics, which helped in regards with the helmets. A small portion of the COG arsenal was acquired through days of painstakingly time and effort. Both brothers were well known for the speed at which they could create weapons and armor should they work together.

"Make sure to secure the clamps on the armor." Simon commented.

"Make sure to secure your upper lip to your bottom lip." Brock retorted.

"Shut up." Walker ordered evenly. Further arguments didn't occur after that and he wiped away some sweat before continuing to help them out. He sharpened several combat knives and polished them a bit before helping maintain the weapons and armor. The three of them continued to work in silent efficiency and soon found themselves in a small groove. Brock created the weapons, would check with him, then store them for later use. Simon would create the armor from Walker's designs, check with him, then store it for the designated units.

For the past month and a half, nearly everyday, they would do this for several hours after he was finished training.

"Hey, kid, this shit looks powerful enough to stop a truck." Brock commented as they finished the latest project.

"It is." Walker said as he lifted the Vulcan Cannon over his shoulder and aimed it at the wall. He grunted as he set it down and inspected it carefully.

"Do you think we could make some modifications to it?" Simon asked.

"What kind of modifications?" Walker asked.

"Well forgive me, but it seems like a bit of a hassle to for two people to have to man it." Simon said.

"Nothing to forgive." Walker shook his head.

"I was thinking if we could make a sort of backpack for the ammo." Simon suggested.

"How would we keep feeding the ammo then?" Brock crossed his arms.

"I thought you were the weapon expert?" Simon asked.

"You little-" Brock bristled a bit.

"Enough. Make a few more and you two can toy around with this one." Walker got between them. Both of them looked at him then at each other before nodding and going to their separate spots. He just shook his head a bit before stating he was leaving then bid them farewell.

People were out and about at this time in the night. His representatives figured it would be a good idea to have a little event to get rid of some of the negativity. The Vytal Festival was right around the corner and a lot of people were either excited to go or watch it. Looking around the settlement, he saw countless people with smiles on their faces. Both children and adults laughed and let some of the tension ease its way out of their bodies. Neither of the brothers liked events very much and he wouldn't force them to partake in it.

Gears constantly patrolled the area, giving him a quick salute before returning to their duties. Nearly all of them had been on assignments; some getting wounded and learned from their mistakes while others came back fine. They were somewhat aloof with their clients, preferring to do their job then leave shortly after without forming too many attachments. It's what distinguished them from the other security companies. He could see that they were cautious of the Gears. Most didn't get their hands dirty but it was clear to them that the Gears weren't afraid to cake their hands in filth if it meant getting the job done.

Blake saw him and ordered some food before walking over to him and handing him a corndog. The found a bench and he looked around a bit before tilting his helmet up and eating it. She had a pastry in her other hand and started to eat it when she finished the corndog. It was enjoyable to say the least, to unwind a bit, but he knew that sooner or later he wouldn't be able to. Not with these things dwelling deep underground.

He had Hal scan it and it confirmed his suspicions that it was them. In fact, he should of guessed judging by the casings that littered the ground. Countless Hammerburst casings and empty Gnasher shells. A part of him wondered how they got here, but a large part of him didn't care. If he could find out how they got here, then he'd possibly find a way home. Yet he knew that he couldn't even make attempts to go home with these bastards doing whatever in their little tunnels.

It's why he needed more firepower, vehicles, and technology. He needed each and every piece in the collective war machine and he didn't care if it was amoral. The Locust didn't care, so why should he?

"Walker?" Blake shook his shoulder.

"Yeah?" He turned to her after being thrown out of his thoughts.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He waved, noticing that she didn't even look remotely convinced.

"No, you're not." She shook her head.

"..." He had been quiet for the last few weeks. His daily routine consisted of training, going on jobs to acquire more power, and making weapons to battle the oncoming threat. That didn't include trying to figure out where they came from or how they got to Remnant. He slowly started to draw into himself like how he was back on Sera, being so caught up in figuring out how to kill Locust or tinkering with Hal. There were times he'd go days without speaking to anybody, only coming down to eat or exercise.

"Walker." She poked the side of his helmet.

"I'm fine..." He brushed her hand away.

"Just talk to me, alright?" She said.

"I'm stressed, alright?" He sighed and looked up at the sky.

"About that threat?" She guessed.

"Yeah. Something bad is coming. It's why I want us to be prepared for it. The people needed this little event to help them relax a bit. While they've been preparing for this, I've been establishing connections. Money, food, weapons, water, medical supplies, and whatever else we need." He explained a bit.

"You need to relax." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I can't. I bought that plant out in the ocean, even got a few platforms to build upon it. One for command, one for training, one for the citizens within this settlement and the next few, and a place to grow our crops." He said.

"How much was it?" She asked.

"Thirty-two million. Before you say anything, we have enough to get by." He said.

"That's not what I was going to say. I understand you want to be prepared, but you've been pushing yourself to the brink of collapse these last two months. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it on our own turf." She tried to cheer him up, it seemed to have the opposite effect though.

"We won't be. I need to save as many people as I can before it's too late. These people don't deserve the shit that's about to happen in the future, Blake." He shook his head and stood up. She didn't even get to say anything before he started to walk away, disappearing into the crowd and towards the house. The voices around her seemed to fall of deaf ears as she thought about what he said.

Jaune found her sitting on the bench alone, staring at the house and he did the same. They shared a look before nodding and heading towards the house, deciding to retire for the night and ask him about it in the morning. They both knew he knew something, but wasn't telling them for some reason. He was cautious, but he wasn't this cautious and it seemed to stress him out whenever they brought it up.

He seemed haunted in a sense, but there was an undertone of malicious hatred mixed in with it. It worried them and scared them at the same time.

The days seemed to slip by and Walker continued to do the same routine until it was nearing the festival. He had sent Gears to the city, sneaking them inside and having them stay at designated safehouses. Jaune came in handy when it came to connections and he used them to the fullest extent; purchasing old properties and storing small amounts of equipment inside them.

Michael Taylor had been a huge benefactor to the Gears' current standing. The man supplied vehicles, technology, and equipment; while Walker supplied protection and ideas for energy in return. Each one was highly trained personally and had experience, a small amount or large depending on the unit. They were the talk of the town within the settlements, but refused to say anything to the council without Walker's permission. He knew they kept trying to contact him but he ignored them for the most part, opting to leave them alone as long as they didn't interfere with his business.

Richard still kept in contact with him and Walker personally did several jobs with him occasionally. He was glad to hear the Faunus was doing well, and assigned him Gears for protection as a gesture of goodwill. In return, he would come work on the vehicles, getting a better understanding of them to learn different ways to repair them. His job working at Taylor's company allowed him to pay for Velvet's tuition more and contact her more frequently.

Right now he stood with a couple of his representatives, staring at the state of the settlement. As much as he loved seeing it, they'd slowly move towards the new base after the Vytal festival was over. There's no telling where the Locust were at now and he wasn't about to wait for them to rear their ugly faces to find out. He discussed with them the status of the settlement, something he had nearly every Sunday.

Unlike other settlements, the Gears would regularly check up on its inhabitants, keeping them updated within their classification level. Only certain jobs were allowed to be discussed while others were often kept under lock and key. They helped one another learn different skills and he had recently taken a liking to the individuals who could live off the land itself. It was a useful skill that he had Gears learn, and even he learned some himself.

Everyone had a purpose; was a part in the greater machine. They were either becoming Gears, maintaining and defending the settlement, or learning. It was a small, stable community that started to expand; much to the chagrin of the council. He worked hard in order to minimize the deaths when they came, but often ended up overworking himself to where Blake had to drag him to his room. It was something he was grateful for. She respected his space and was constantly there for when he did feel like talking.

The representatives left the room and he stood there alone before going down to the living room and sitting on the couch. He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting himself drift into a light sleep. Blake walked in the room and saw him, lying him down before covering him with a blanket. He barely made a noise as he slept while she just read a book in silence. Occasionally, he would shift around in his sleep, but wouldn't wake up.

An hour and a half passed by before he finally woke up and lifted his helmet to rub his eyes. He sighed and swung his legs around and leaned forward, shaking his head a bit standing up and stretching.

"You alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He nodded before going to the bathroom. His scroll rang and he sighed before leaving the bathroom and picking it up, looking at it before putting it down. A little notification was heard and he looked at the scroll before leaning back and reading it. She just looked at him toss it onto the coffee table then lie back down at the couch. His helmet was a little uncomfortable and he took it off, setting it on the table then closed his eyes.

"..." Blake just stared at him with a look of surprise and gulped.

"Stop staring." He said suddenly, causing her to look away in embarrassment.

"S-Sorry. It's just..." She trailed off.

"You're not the first person to have this reaction." He said.

"I've never seen you without your helmet." She cleared her throat.

"A lot of people haven't." He responded. It went quiet and he simply enjoyed it a bit before putting his helmet back on after a while. Hal plopped down in front of him and he tinkered with the bot for a while. It felt nice to do this, to unwind every once in a while. Another ping on his scroll made him sigh and pick it up before looking at it, raising and eyebrow when he saw that it was Taylor once more. The man had requested his services once more, offering to pay a hefty amount along with adding an aerial vehicle as a bonus should he accept.

"Let me guess, Mr. Taylor?" She asked.

"How'd you know?" He looked at her.

"Abigail sends me texts every once in a while. She wants to go to the Vytal Festival with her dad." She lifted up her scroll and gestured to it.

"Since when were you two close?" He asked.

"For like, the last two months. She's actually a pretty nice girl if you get to know her." She said.

"Like hell she is." He shook his head.

"You wouldn't know because you just call her a brat and refuse to talk to her." She rolled her eyes.

"She is a brat though." He argued.

"No she's not. Anyways, are we taking the job or what?" She asked.

"Yeah, I need to get out and do something." He said, standing up after repairing Hal. The bot beeped happily at him before disappearing into thin air.

"So, where'd you find Hal?" She asked as the two of them walked out of the house.

"He was assigned to a couple of us. Little shit comes with all sorts of tricks." Walker said as they walked down the street and towards the armory. He opened the door for her before stepping in himself. There was the sound of arguing and he sighed a bit before clearing his throat at the bickering brothers. They stopped and separated a bit before looking at them.

"What brings you here today?" Brock asked.

"Need some equipment, got another job soon." Walker answered.

"Of course you do. Well, come on then." Brock gestured with his hand, having the other two follow him and Simon. The password for the armory was put in and the light was turned on, revealing countless weapons and armor sets organized neatly. Blake looked at the lightweight Commando armor and picked it out, stuffing it in a duffle bag neatly. She grabbed her Retro Lancer out of her locker along with the Longshot. She took the sniper apart a bit to fit it inside the bag better before grabbing a Snub and stuffing it in the bag along with her personal weapon.

Walker grabbed his bag and unzipped it, stuffing his Lancer and shotgun inside of it. His armor was placed neatly inside while he kept his Boltok in its holster then zipped the bag up. He sent a message to Jaune and a couple of his Gears before looking at the Vulcan, seeing its modified version and staring at it with interest. He saw two more on the side and nodded in approval.

"Finally managed to get the damn ammo box to be portable." Brock grunted, picking the gun up and handing it to him.

"Is it functional?" Walker asked, putting the ammo pack on his back before picking up the Vulcan and aiming it at the wall. He buckled at the weight at first before slowly adjusting to it and took a few steps.

"We'll test it out when you get back. Now, come on, you germophobic runt. We got weapons and armor to make." Brock said, dragging his brother by the back of the collar. Simon yelped and protested a bit while Walker and Blake just stared at the two. They shrugged when they saw the brothers go to their portion of the room before they left.

The sun hung high over the settlement and Blake rotated her shoulder a bit before slinging her bag over it. He unlocked his Armadillo and opened it, tossing his bag inside before catching Blake's and tossing it next to his. Two Gears approached him and saluted before climbing inside of the vehicle. The three of them waited for Jaune; ten minutes passed by and he still wasn't with there. Just before Walker called him on the scroll, he came rushing over to them.

"Sorry-" He started.

"Shut up and get in, Arc." Walker interrupted. Jaune flinched before nodding and setting his bag inside. He climbed in his seat and the door closed with a loud snap. The roar of the engine was heard throughout the settlement. The gates opened up and the APC sped out of their residence.

People saw it disappear before the gates closed, keeping its occupants safe while the threats outside.

Walker waited until it was nightfall before he pulled up to the gate. The guard looked at him before looking around and accepting a wad of lien, clearing them through. He drove the vehicle for the next half an hour, taking the roads that didn't have many cameras before pulling up to Taylor's building and parking the Armadillo inside of the garage. The five of them grabbed their bags and waited outside for an SUV to come and pick them up, driving them to a certain location.

They were dropped off at a designated location before making their way on foot to the safe house. The others' eyes widened at the safe house, seeing several beds, a few crates of supplies, and a map of Vale.

"When'd you get all this?" Blake asked.

"When I did jobs in the city. I told you that I wasn't just messing around here. Each time I come here, then I make sure to grab something on the way out." Walker said as he threw his bag down next to his cot.

"You didn't even bring me along." She shook her head.

"Tough shit, suck it up." He retorted.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" One of the Gears asked.

"Michael and Abigail Taylor need an escort for when the Vytal Festival begins. Congratulations you two, you've been selected." Walker nodded at them. They looked at one another before shrugging and nodding back.

"What about you?" One of them asked.

"Blake's doing recon, Jaune's establishing more connections, and I'm overseeing this little mission." He answered.

"How?" The other one asked.

"Whatever needs to be done. Taylor's company is one of our biggest benefactors, believe it or not, you two are to ensure him and his daughter's safety at all costs. Whatever threat may be, I want them dead." He ordered.

"Understood." They nodded in unison.

"Good." He nodded then motioned for them all to disperse while he stood in front of the board. Blake patted his shoulder as she left while Jaune told him that he was going to go talk to Junior some more. The other two left shortly after and he was by himself for the next few hours. Technically, Gears weren't meant to be within the city seeing how they didn't sign a contract, but he didn't care right now. Getting this job done was a must and his payment would be an aircraft or two.

Michael Taylor's business was flourishing at the moment, creating new sources of energy that were more efficient that Dust. It was either combined with Dust to increase its overall efficiency or was used as an alternative. More and more people were purchasing his products. His company was rising through the ranks and slowly dominating the competition. He recently had several farmers and ranchers sent to the field at the new base, stating that what they were doing was necessary and that they'd be protected there.

They'd have a steady supply of meat and crops should he play his cards right and prepare accordingly. People were slowly moving to the base, but he needed more air vehicles for both combat and civilian transport. He wasn't paying attention to the council or Beacon's shenanigans because they weren't his problem at the moment. The more he listened around, the more he realized that the Locust were kidnapping people in recent years. Which meant they had been here longer than he has; playing it smart rather than going all out at the start. It wasn't uncommon though, he knew first hand how crafty and cunning they could be.

He sat down at his cot and thought about what he had to do next. When they did invade, he'd have to discuss things with the council. That's if they were still alive and not some pile of gore somewhere. They'd have to find their own place to hide though because the civilians would be shipped to the new base once he started expanding. He'd talk and they would listen if they wanted to survive the first few years, but he had a feeling they'd put their pride before their lives. It's why he was so hesitant about discussing the Locust with them. He knew they'd fuck all that he built because they thought they were the smartest person in the room.

If that didn't work, then he'd choose violence, and if that doesn't work then he had no problem leaving them to the Grubs. There was so much to do and he hasn't even thought about how he was going to get home.

"Hal, go find Blake and provide her support." Walker ordered, opening the door to the safe house. The bot beeped before disappearing and tracked her signal through her scroll. He sat back down on his cot and sighed before lying down and staring at the ceiling. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him and he closed his eyes, letting himself fall asleep for the next few minutes. The stress was slowly catching up to him and he decided that he needed something to focus on while his Gears did their jobs.

It was what he trained them for, and they'd only continue to grow as time passed. They still needed people willing to get down and dirty for when the horde finally came.

Blake sat down on the edge of a building and stared at the city, her eyes seemed to glow a bit like the lights down below. It felt nice to see something other than the wild for once and she simply enjoyed the urban environment. She sighed a bit as she ate some of the food she bought recently. Several months ago, she was struggling with funds but now she had more money that she did before. In some ways, she was glad that she decided to stick around with Walker. She didn't want to see the shame on her parents' faces when she ultimately returned home.

Several thoughts crossed her mind when she thought about them. Despite them saying they weren't disappointed at her for getting rejected by Beacon, she still felt that burning sense of shame for some reason. She knew they wanted what was best for her but she felt restricted with her choices sometimes. They wanted her to pursue a career in fine arts, but didn't realize that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to fight for the Faunus but didn't realize that her way of doing things was doing more harm than good in the end.

It wasn't until Walker told her to stop doing that and respect people's space did she see that she was wrong. She wondered how many people she pushed away in the past because she wasn't willing to accept their viewpoints on some things. Racism went both ways and she was so focused on the Faunus that she didn't even consider that humans could be on the receiving end of it. It wasn't until Walker brought it up with her about Tukson's somewhat blatant prejudice did she finally see. She changed for the better and it was because of some odd, yet good man in a golden helmet.

There were times she wondered about him; where he came from, who he was, and why he was the way he was. It was obvious he came from a harsher environment judging by his pull your weight attitude, yet he also seemed to stem from a military background. She knew he didn't originate from Atlas because he often spoke how stupid and uptight they were, not willing to adjust to different situations. Yet he seemed different from a person from Vacuo.

That's not to mention he knew something about this unknown threat. He claimed they were ruthless abominations yet never went into detail about them. A red flag on its own and she noticed that their training became more ruthless. She was pretty sure having weapons that inflicted an unnecessary amount of pain was violating several conventions and protocols. Firearms that had exploding rounds were outright banned due to the damage they inflicted, yet he didn't seem to care in the slightest. She was also sure that owning what was equivalent or more powerful than Atlas' weaponry was illegal.

At this point, she didn't care because at least the Gears did something other than kill people for money or to spread a message. He may not have noticed, but she did see him teach a class of children on certain occasions. He also wasn't opposed to donating to an orphanage out in the frontier. When she brought these things up, he either looked away in embarrassment or just ignored her and changed the subject.

She knew she should have been more skeptical about being a part of a technically illegal organization, but she wasn't. A part of her wanted to come clean and say that she was part of the White Fang, knowing he wouldn't care; but she was too afraid to. She left before she even killed a single person, but the same couldn't be said about her friend.

Adam Taurus.

Her family had took him in when he was younger, nursing him back to health after seeing the state of his eye. A vicious branding on it that permanently blinded that eye and caused it to become a different color. He lived with them and formed a sort of sibling bond with her, keeping her safe from other people. Both joined the White Fang despite her parents telling them otherwise. She kept him in line as they got older and he would have been a good person had a certain tiger Faunus not met him.

Blake hated Sienna Khan for several reasons, some of which she wouldn't dare say. The main reason was because the vile woman corrupted Adam's mind. Like a Siren, she lured him into the dark abyss and filled his head with poison. Her parents did their best to steer the boy away from a violent path, but Sienna actively encouraged it and molded him into her perfect little acolyte.

Whenever he took a life, Sienna was there to make him feel better about it. She quickly snuffed whatever guilt Adam felt about taking someone's life and told him that what he did was right. After a year or two of him working underneath her, Blake saw whatever traces of her friend/brother gone and replaced with a spiteful, violent activist. She knew something was wrong with Sienna though, the way she instantly latched onto Adam was suspicious in several ways. It was like she knew him on a personal level, stating she knew his parents. He once told Blake that his parents died in a mining accident when he was younger.

She yelped in surprise when Hal suddenly appeared next to her, clamping his claw around her collar before she plummeted off the building.

"Hal!" She screamed at him. The bot made an apologetic series of beeps and all the anger seemed to dissipate from her body. For some reason, yelling at the bot was like yelling at a puppy. It was weird when she thought about it. The little robot that followed Walker around was basically like a puppy. He took a liking to some people and hated others while giving a different series of beeps when he was praised or scolded.

She didn't even know why he was here since he usually stuck to Walker.

"He's giving you support." Walker's face came up on the screen that Hal projected.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Don't break him. I'm not kidding when I say that though, you're ass is on the line if something happens to him." He said.

"What can he do?" She asked.

"A lot of things. Other than that, what'd you find out?" He asked.

"Nothing much. The ships carrying the people for the Vytal Festival comes in two days." She stared at the pier.

"Any word on Atlas rolling in sooner?" He asked.

"No. From what I've heard around town, they're supposed to arrive on schedule." She answered.

"Alright, you see Jaune around?" He asked.

"Last I saw, he was at Junior's club." She said.

"When was that?" He asked.

"Half an hour ago. I'll keep an eye on him." She said.

"Good, make sure he's not fucking one of the girls in there." He said.

"I'll make sure. Now get some sleep." She rolled her eyes before cutting the video feed. Hal disappeared in front of her eyes and she started to plummet off the building, hooking her hands on the railing of an emergency exit and slowing her descent. She rolled onto the ground and dusted herself off before walking into the street. Her leaned body easily weaved through the crowd of people. She tied her hair into a ponytail and stretched a bit before putting her signature flat cap on.

The bustling crowd seemed excited for the festival and in some ways, she was too. She wondered what it would be like if she were still at Beacon; talking to her teammates about classes and boys. Her eyes flicked up when she saw the three girls that were supposed to be her teammates walking her way. They seemed happy talking to each other and she just dragged her hat down in front of her face.

They passed one another and she just shook her head of those thoughts. No point in thinking about the what ifs of the past when she had her future to look forward to. She didn't regret going with Walker though; he was possibly one of her greatest friends along with Jaune, and she wouldn't have it any other way. So when she was finally far enough away, she raised her head a smirked a bit.

The other three girls looked back at her and looked at one another. As they tried to look for her, she had already vanished in the crowd and towards her destination.

Walker sat at a conference desk with Blake, Jaune, and the other two Gears. He leaned back in his seat a bit and listened to Michael tell him about a project he was about to start on. A hydroelectric dam that would generate some power within the city. Walker was interested in the idea and listened to the man ramble on. It was only when he had started to tell him about more projects did Walker finally say something.

"I'd love to hear more about this, but... I'm pretty sure your daughter is about to finish with school." Walker pointed out.

"Oh shoot!" Michael exclaimed before checking his watch. He dismissed himself while Walker nodded and stayed in his chair, twisting around every so often. It was quiet and the five of them just sat there in the comforting silence.

"What'd you all find?" He asked.

"Turns out Atlas isn't sending a whole fleet anymore." Blake said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"From what I've heard, it's considered a show of force and the Headmaster convinced the council to deny them completely should they bring nearly all of the army with them. I don't blame them." She answered.

"Won't have to worry too much about Atlas coming down on us. You know how they are." He commented.

"Junior's willing to negotiate so long as we provide payment for information." Jaune said, taking a donut and eating it.

"His information solid?" Walker asked.

"Couldn't say for sure. It's worth investigating each time he provides us with some though." Jaune chewed on the donut. Some crumbs flew from his mouth and landed on Blake, causing her to smack his arm and scoot away from him.

"Noted, I take it you two are doing your jobs?" He looked at the other two Gears.

"Yeah, had a few run ins with some unsavory people, but we handled them." The first one said.

"Good. Taylor has been so kind to provide us with six aerial vehicles." Walker looked at them then slid them a few pictures.

"These look different from the standard Bullhead." Jaune commented.

"Richard redesigned them. More space for troops and passengers." Walker said as he took the scroll back and put it in his pocket.

"How much did it cost?" Blake asked.

"Came with the payment. Right now, Taylor's company is growing at an exponential rate and is almost up there with the SDC." He said, noticing how Blake's ears flicked irritably and her hair bristled a bit.

"They're producing these products kind of fast, aren't they, boss?" The second Gear asked.

"The company uses robotic labor for the most part, along with some regular labor. What would have taken six months can be completed in half that time or a month and a half. Computer specialists come in handy more often than not." Walker said.

"I heard we're moving from the settlement soon." The first Gear said.

"We are. It won't be that soon though." Walker shook his head.

"Alright, I met some pretty girl a few weeks ago and we've been hitting it off pretty good." The second Gear said.

"Good for you. We don't have much else to discuss so let's get moving." Walker waved his hand. The Gears nodded and left, leaving Blake and Jaune with him. The three just sat in the room for another few minutes before walking out the door. They ignored the people as they entered the lobby area then out the front door. All of them decided to get something to eat at a nearby stand and they went to the one where he picked Blake up at.

They ducked underneath the flaps and sat down in the three seats, ordering their food. Walker and Blake already knew what they wanted since they had been there before, but Jaune took a while to decide. They talked for a while before thanking the chef when his their food was slid in front of them. Blake beamed in delight while Jaune tore into his quickly, Walker just enjoyed it at a decent pace. It was probably his and Blake's favorite place to eat at, there was something about it that made it special.

It was a nice break from all the hard work they had been doing recently. There was no jobs to complete, people to kill, Grimm to worry about, or anything else stressful. Right now it was just the three of them sharing a good laugh and enjoying each other's company. He wondered how the remaining survivors on Sera were doing; finally able to relax after so many years of fighting.

In some ways, he envied them, but realized that it was rather selfish of him to make it all about him. A lot of them had lost more than he had and it finally dawned on him as time passed. Remnant was lucky in his eyes, they had never experienced something like the Locust War... but he knew they were about to. They'd feel the wrath of the horde and all its violent fury. There would be death, that was for sure, but he did what he could to minimize the amount of people who died.

It's why he prepared his Gears to fight them once they finally surfaced and a place for people to stay once it was finally finished being built. There was only so much he could do though, he was only one person at the end of the day. He already had a plan A, and a plan B, if those two failed then he'd move onto the next one and the one after that. He'd continue pushing himself in order to best his foe or he'd die trying.

That was the least he could do for them.

Another chapter so soon, yes. Don't know why I'm writing this so much, guess I'm just in the mood. I've also hit somewhat of a writer's block with WTWA so there's that fact. Otherwise, thanks for reading this.

Toasta: Not this chapter, but a chapter very soon.

bmanbeast57: Yes.

SchattenSoldat08: Maybe both? Yeah, it worried me when I saw it gone and had to fight around with the site to get my story back.

anon44575173: You sense right.

David4796: Yeah, the original was pretty cringy as far as the edginess. I think after this chapter or the next chapter it'll be deleted. As far as the typos, if I made some, then I'll know better next time to improve.

IX404: Yes.

naufalrakha0104: It'll be revealed.

Mark The Gamer of Grima: I'm not saying right now, you'll just have to wait for a future chapter.

Ssgtsplatter: No, not Swarm. Plus it's hinted that in either the novels or the comics that Locust did kidnap people before Emergence Day.

Guest: Yep.

Syqadelic: Affirmative.

Warmachine324: No, not this time around.

Janny092: No, if I deleted WTWA then it'd stay gone.

ZeBaguetteFromFrance: Nailed it right on the head.

Somerandomperson: Thank you, you have a good one as well.

Austin: As far as WTWA, I couldn't give you a clear answer. Something must have bugged out, but I have spare copies on the standby just in case it happens again.

DOOMRAIDER: Yep.

whatsupman: I'm glad they're all back as well. The start of Remnant's doom did start last chapter, but I don't want to rush into things too soon. Kind of ease my way into it in order to avoid having a dumpster fire that was the original version. I don't want to take things too slow though in order not to bore people. You're right about not having enough firepower when it comes to the Locust though.

That's it for reviews, but I'd like to thank you all for reading this. Even if it isn't the best, it still means something to me that you all took the time out of your day to read it.

See you guys later. Bye.