The Bullhead was quiet as they flew to Vacuo along with some of the others. For the last three weeks, they planned on how they would go to Vacuo. Three teams would head there and scout the area, looking for survivors and placing the beacons to provide better coverage. He ordered for R&D to develop a device like the Resonator to help map their tunnels. The only problem was that it would take months to create and there was no telling if it would work or not. He had to do something though.
They'd drop them off in the middle of the desert and the three teams would spread out after meeting on a cliffside. His helmet was left behind this time, as much as he enjoyed wearing it and it was his most prominent feature, it wouldn't do him much good now. A simple shemagh covered the lower half of his face while goggles covered his eyes. The others wore the same and either had earpieces or headphones to keep in touch. Their armor was stripped down, leaving only their chest piece, elbow pads, and knee guards.
The last thing they all needed was to suffer from a heatstroke wearing all that armor.
"Boss, there's been reports of survivors settled in a camp. The drone we sent the other day spotted them. Check your device." One of the leaders said. He brought it up and clicked the button, seeing the holographic map pop up. It showed the necessary information and there was a circular, highlighted area. He hovered over it and zoomed in before zooming back out. A single landing zone was available and he selected it, sending the coordinates to the pilot.
Although it provided data of the area, it was extremely limited and only showed within the last twenty miles. The beacons would expand it to at least a hundred, if not more.
All of them felt the aerial vehicle lean a bit to fly to the landing zone. It soon arrived and hovered over it, making them drop onto the sand and cover themselves when the grains of sand seemed to hit their bodies. The pilot wished them good luck and to be careful, taking off before any Locust could see them. He turned to the other eleven and crouched down, they did the same and looked at him.
"There's been reports of twenty-seven survivors in a hidden camp nearby. Bowman, take the canyon and use the edge to make your way across. Plant a beacon in the dune before returning to this cliff." Walker ordered.
"Copy. Let's move." Bowman whispered as he adjusted his boonie cap. His team nodded before following him, keeping low and using the blowing sands to conceal themselves.
"Winchester, you're looking for that group. When you make contact, notify me." Walker said.
"On it." Cardin said and took his team before departing. Walker turned to the other three and looked around the area before bring up his device and looking at it.
"Where do you want us?" Blake asked as she adjusted her tan cap. Her and Red wore hats or something over their head to avoid sand getting in their second pair of ears.
"Up here. Let's go, Jaune." He said. The girls nodded and lied down on the cliff's edge, having an open view of the dunes and the horizon. Gusts of wind would blow sand through the air and they saw the other ten go their separate ways. Bowman and his team to their right, Cardin and his to their left, while Walker and Jaune went down the middle.
Walker and Jaune trekked across the open desert, they left footprints in the sand as they made their way towards the target area. Their weapons were aimed forward as they continued on before coming across a road, looking both ways to see if a Locust patrol was nearby before dashing across it. They brought their hands up to their faces when the wind blew sand in it. Their goggles blocked out the grains while their scarves blocked a majority of it from their faces, but some of it still hit their exposed parts.
They continued to walk for the next half an hour before coming across a large, rocky structure. It looked like an abandoned temple inside a mountain and the two of them could see skeletons inside of it. Their boney hands stuck up from the sand and they ignored it for the most part before looking around. There was a large open area with fallen pillars and they walked through it. He just vaulted over a fallen pillar before walking through another hallway, turning on the flashlight and aiming it forward; Jaune followed his lead and would look back every so often.
They turned off their flashlights when they came across a secluded spot. The sun peeked through the opening and there were countless bodies surrounding the area. Some were Locust the rest were mainly human. There were barely any Faunus around and he bent down to look at one of them. They looked like they had been mauled to death while the rest were shot or crushed.
"Hey, Walker." Jaune tapped his shoulder. He looked up at Jaune and followed his finger when he pointed to a knife inside of a Boomer. It stuck through its skull and he went up to it, taking it out with ease and inspecting it. Wisps of orange particles floated off the knife and he looked closely at it. It looked like cinders the closer he got to it.
"Boss, scan that with your device so we can get a closer look at it." Control advised. He turned on the device and scanned the knife, watching as a holographic line brushed over the blade and sent the data to the base. His finger carefully brushed over it and noticed that it seemed sharper than the average knife.
"What'd you find?" He asked.
"We're not sure. Some of the microbiologists here say that it's some type of archaea. It looks like it had some artificial tampering though. If you bring it back here, we can study it." They said.
"Alright. Jaune, set the beacon." Walker ordered.
"On it." He nodded before going to the open spot and crouching down. The bag that was slung across his back was taken off and he opened it, revealing a spike-like object. He lifted it above his head and grunted when he stabbed it into the ground, twisting it to push it further down. A button on the side was pushed and he backed up, watching it pulse several times before it vibrated loudly. A blue cluster of light shot up in the air and detonated, sending particles of data through the air.
"Mapping data received. The other team successfully deployed their beacon as well." Control informed.
"Copy." He nodded. Both of them walked out of the small area and took cover when roars were heard in the distance. A group of Locust came into the temple and stalked the area, making them look at one another. They stayed silent as the Drones spread out and looked around to find them. Both split up a bit and Walker took cover behind a fallen piece of the wall while Jaune stood behind a pillar.
Jaune brought out a grenade and Walker nodded before watching as he peeked out of cover and swung it around, tossing it through the air and land in front of a Grenadier. It clattered and started to beep loudly, drawing the attention of the others.
"Frag!" The Grenadier shouted before the grenade donated. The explosion shred through its thick hide and the two saw its body scatter into several directions, splattering blood into the sand. It's organs spilled out and landed wetly across the rocks. Both hid behind their piece of cover as the Locust fired at them, chipping off chunks of it.
"Advancing." A Drone said as it hopped over some cover and started to make its way towards Walker. He just switched to his shotgun and waited until it rounded the corner before firing. The loud bark of the weapon was heard and his arms jerked from the recoil. Blood splattered against his armor and cover as the Drone's body was practically ripped in half. He put the shotgun on his back and brought out his Lancer, revving up the chainsaw and swinging it around when another Grenadier vaulted over cover and aimed at him.
The teeth of the chainsaw cut though its thick hide and chopped up its flesh. Blood sprayed through the air and he ripped the weapon out before slamming his foot against its chest, knocking it onto the ground. He ducked back underneath cover when they started to shoot at him more.
Jaune took this opportunity to fire at them, killing two before they turned their attention towards him. He glued himself to cover and winced when when they fired at him, inching closer and closer as they moved around. He looked at Walker to see him loop around towards their side before firing at them, killing three of them and relieving Jaune from some of the pressure. He vaulted over cover and kicked one of them in the back, making it stumble before shooting its legs then move onto the next one.
The Lancer ran empty and he switched to the Boltok, aiming at its skull and firing. It's head exploded and blood, skull fragments, and brain matter caked the sand below. A dull thump was heard and Jaune breathed in relief before stepping out of cover and looking around. He noticed the last one try to crawl away and went to go kill it, only to stop when he saw Walker walk up to it calmly.
It tried to stand but Walker just slammed his foot onto its elbow and broke it easily. The Drone barely had time to shout before Walker tugged it upwards and used the new knife on it. The blade pierced its hide easily, easier than any blade he's ever used, and sunk into its neck. He twisted the blade and ripped it forward. Blood sprayed from the wound and it slumped onto the ground, dying with a wet gurgle.
"You alright?" He asked, reloading his Lancer and Sawed-off.
"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't move around all that much, it's different from when I do drills with the leg." Jaune mentioned.
"I bet. Come on though, Winchester said he's waiting for us near the camp." Walker jerked his head towards the exit. Jaune nodded and jogged alongside him as the two went out of the location to meet up with the others.
The sky was dark by the time they reached the small, hidden camp in the mountains. They kept their presence low with the exception of Jaune and Walker's little firefight and met up with the other two teams. Blake and Red were still on the cliff, keeping an eye on the area and providing them with updates. It was quiet for the most part, but they did say there was a massive Locust patrol on the way.
The ten of them had approached the small camp and took cover when they aimed their weapons at them. It was tense, but he made it clear that they didn't want any trouble and offered to get them out. The other party was skeptical of them, but soon recognized their weapons and lowered theirs. He knew they probably wouldn't do much, but it was clear that the group had survived by simply evading.
"You alright?" He asked them.
"You're the the ones who hunt those things, right?" One of them asked.
"More or less." He answered. The more he looked around, the more he saw that half of them were either injured or have never fought. Only three or four of them had a weapon, two with their personal rifles and one with a Hammerburst. The last one had a kukri, but he noticed that it had the same archaea coating the blade.
"Who are you guys?" Another one asked.
"Gears." Bowman answered, taking cover behind a rock and staring out into the horizon. He was a larger man, standing at least a foot over everyone else and carried the portable Vulcan with ease.
"Are you here to take back the kingdom?" The first one asked.
"No. Locust control it and we don't have the manpower or necessary information to." Walker answered. The other group felt their bodies be filled with a sense of dread. They had lost so many people within the last few weeks; going from over a hundred and thirty down to twenty. They were either taken or hunted and killed by the Locust and their dreadful beasts.
"So why are you here?" She asked.
"To gather information. Do you have anything useful we can use? Something about them to be more specific?" Walker asked.
"They've been taking specific Faunus, we don't know where, but they're just taking them and killing the rest. They stormed the academy when they first popped up and use it as their little fortress I think. Although, they keep going underground to another part of the area. Can we get out of here though?" She asked, nervously looking around.
"Boss, we're detecting a large horde of Locust approaching. A sandstorm is on its way as well. If you bring those people back, we can get more information from them. Maybe convince a few of them to join if they want to." Control said.
"Alright. Listen, we'll get you all out of here, but we need to move now. A sandstorm's on it's way along with a horde." Walker whispered to them. He saw their eyes widen and they felt their hopes rise a bit before nodding, collecting their injured and supplies. Looking around to make sure nothing was left behind, they all stayed close to the ground as the wind kicked up.
They winced when their vision was suddenly clouded by a thick cloud of sand. The winds was strong and it was slightly hard to move, but they kept going in order to make it to the extraction point. He ordered everyone to get down when the horde was faintly spotted, they marched along the road and looked around carefully to see the best they could.
The horde itself numbered well into the hundreds, possibly a thousand, by the mass of footsteps. Doing anything that tipped them off was suicide and none of them were too eager to test fate.
Four Brumaks stomped and shook the ground slightly with each step. The group could see prisoners in chains being dragged, one of them fell over but was yanked upwards and thrown back into line. When they fell again due to the strength of the storm, the Drone unlocked their chain and brought them out towards the field. They kicked and screamed as it dragged them by the hair and threw it to the side, aiming its Hammerburst at them.
Jaune started to raise his weapon, but Walker put his hand on it and shook his head. Even if they did manage to save them, there were too many for their small group and the Brumaks would only make the situation worse. A single gunshot was heard and Jaune turned away when he watched them stop moving while the Drone laughed and returned to its spot.
The minutes seemed to slip by and the group waited half an hour for the horde to pass. Sand accumulated over their bodies and covered them, concealing their bodies more and made them more difficult to see. The storm seemed to lessen and it eventually stopped, leaving only a small breeze. They could finally see the edge of the horde and waited for another five minutes before seeing it finally pass. Once the patrol was further down the road and couldn't see them, they stood up and shook the sand off their bodies.
"Why didn't you save them?" A civilian asked.
"There were too many and once we fired, we'd be dead before we even got a chance to do anything." He answered, shaking his scarf and getting rid of some more sand. Nothing else was said as they made it to the landing zone. They met up with Blake and Red, seeing them covered as well. The device was brought out and he clicked the side quickly, seeing the holographic map. It was updated and was more detailed than before.
The particles from the beacons floated through the air and provided a constant source of data, being powered from the energy in the air. They were expensive pieces of equipment, and extremely difficult to make, but it was worth it. Created from the wonderful minds back at base, yet another group he would reward for their hard work.
He selected the landing zone and put the device away. The Gears just formed a protective barrier around the civilians while they just looked around anxiously. It was silent for the next several minutes before they turned to see the Bullhead fly towards them. It closed in on them and hovered above the ground, kicking up copious amounts of sand and small pebbles.
The injured and civilians were loaded in first while the Gears were next. He was the last one to board and sat on the edge, putting the belt over his lap to keep himself from falling off. They started to gain altitude and he unbuckled himself before gripping the door and sliding it shut. It was slightly cramped, but the civilians didn't care in the slightest. They were just happy to finally be out of that sandy hell.
Some of them cried tears of joy while the others just prayed to whatever gods were above.
He brought out the knife and looked at it, noticing the cinder-like particles still glow a bit. It was interesting and he noticed an older man look at him. The younger man with the kukri also stared at him.
"Where did you find that knife?" The old man asked.
"I found it inside a temple, buried inside a Grub's skull." Walker answered.
"Why did you take it?" The old man asked.
"I found it interesting. Standard blades don't pierce they're hides very well." Walker answered. He crouched in front of the older man, seeing the younger one tense up. The Gears readied their weapons, but he just gestured for them to lower them slightly. The older man stared at him and he did the same thing before flipping the knife and giving him the blade.
"I assumed you would forcefully take it." The old man said as he took the knife.
"At first, I considered it. It must be special if you and your boy keep looking at it. What's on the blade? I know for a fact that it isn't Dust." Walker said.
"It is a special strain of archaea. The Grimm in Vacuo have tough shells and hides... I needed something to assist my people in fighting them when standard blade were not working." The old man said.
"Works like a charm against the Locust." Walker said as he crouched in front of the man.
"I'm glad." The old man nodded. He had lost nearly all the people in his tribe to them, but knew that he was too old to do anything. In fact, he accepted his death after he heard about the news of his son's death, leaving him with his grandson.
"Do you have some place to stay?" Walker asked.
"We're not going to Atlas. You people can-" The grandson stood up.
"We're not from Atlas." Walker interrupted, making him stop.
"What?" The grandson asked.
"Atlas is too busy hiding up in their floating fortress to do anything. The people down here are the ones who are at risk from the attacks." Walker said.
"It's true, kid. We're usually at base or defending settlements and Vale to the best of our ability." Bowman said.
"Then why didn't you come to Vacuo?" One of them asked.
"We were busy in Vale. Not to mention we were only a hundred people at the time, couldn't be everywhere. There was also the fact that it was all a synchronized attack." Jaune answered. They stayed silent and looked at the Gears with some suspicion before eventually letting the feeling go. It had been so difficult losing their village that they didn't seem to realize these people probably came halfway across the world to look for them. Not specifically them, but survivors in general.
"I suppose we should be thankful for you all coming to get us." The old man sighed.
"I would appreciate it. You never answered my question though." Walker nodded.
"No... we never have nowhere to stay. We never did." The old man answered.
"Do you want to stay with us?" Blake asked.
"That is a generous offer, but we aren't too sure." He said.
"We have food, clean water, housing, and a fighting force." She added. That peaked their interest a bit and Jaune started to explain the base a bit more. He stated that they were independent and didn't answer to any kingdom unless it benefited them. Each of the Gears put their input in, stating that they had somewhat of a stable government; founded on Walker's concepts.
In the end, it was their choice to join his faction or not. He wouldn't hold it against them if they didn't. Sacrificing individual freedom wasn't something he liked. He saw what it did to the COG and decided not to follow its footsteps too much. In a way, he was somewhat rebuilding the COG... but without some of its bullshit.
Despite people at the base being content, there was still conflict. It fell onto his security force to deal with that; if diplomacy didn't work then violence was the next thing. His security force mainly consisted of individuals who didn't make it into the Gears, but still wished to be useful. It's where one of the previous company leaders came in, she specialized in tactics like this and did strict background checks, ensuring the right individuals were entrusted with the job.
The security force were equipped with Mark I Lancers and Snub Pistols. Most were loaded with rubber bullets, but live rounds would be authorized if the situation escalated out of control.
Ultimately, all the power belonged to Walker. He had ultimate say, but decided to remain humble enough to ensure his citizens were content with their way of life. His rules were somewhat strict and ruthless in certain cases, but it offered people a sense of security and a state of ease. He would beat the arrogance out of his Gears, physically if necessary, before they were even allowed to hold a weapon.
"If we do join... what will we do?" One of them asked.
"It depends on what you want or what you're good at. If you want to be a cook, then fine by me. You want to be a Gear, then you better toughen up because you'll be fighting the Grubs and other people." He said.
"What about the elderly?" The old man asked.
"We can find something. Even the elderly have a spot." He said. It was true because there were times Gears or others went to the older generation for advice. If they couldn't offer their physical effort, then providing lessons for the future generation was the next best thing.
"I..." The old man looked at the remainder of his village before nodding. They needed a new home and the place didn't sound too bad. From what he heard, the younger man in front of him was humble enough to let them leave any time they wished, providing them with supplies on their way out. He was later informed that the representatives that listened to the people and enforced the rules were former leaders themselves. Even he consulted with them regularly about the status of base.
"You may not like it all the time, but we do our best. Especially in these dark times." Walker stood up and shook the elder's hand. The older man offered to teach the medical staff about the archaea coating, weaponizing it against their foes.
It was another addition to the war machine.
The civilians were immediately taken to the hospital and cared for while the Gears were taken to the combat and command platform. Once they arrived at the command platform, a squad of Gears were waiting, snapping to attention and saluting him as he was dropped off. He dismissed them and walked inside the building, taking the elevator with the other three and talking to them. They went to the top level where their apartments were located and went to their individual ones, taking off their armor and taking a shower.
After showering, getting something to eat, and relaxing a bit for a couple of hours, they decided to drive around base. He climbed into one of the light utility vehicles. It was usually meant for transporting supplies, but a dozen or so were meant for personnel. Blake sat in the passenger seat while Jaune sat behind him and Red lied down in the back, staring up at the sky. The music was turned on and he simply drove on the bridges, going between the several platforms.
His golden helmet gleamed in the bright, sunny day and the air felt just right. This spot was actually one of the very few spots that were on top of granite. The other ones had cracks inside of them and he wasn't willing to take the risk of them digging underneath.
Blake just stared at the different platforms as they drove on the bridges. She wondered what would become of her had she been accepted at Beacon. She most likely would have gotten her team into countless scenarios, both legal and illegal in different ways. Burdening them with her old problems and dragging them into oblivion because she couldn't open up and face her past. To think she'd be able to change a terrorist faction for the better when they weren't willing to change themselves.
She finally opened up to Walker about being a part of the White Fang, even showing him her tattoo. The way he stared at her made her squirm, as if he was judging her for being a part of that group. He asked her if she ever killed innocent people, or ones who didn't deserve it. When she told him that the person she killed in the forest while on a job with him was her first time taking a life, he let it all go. It didn't matter because she was clearly regretful of being a part of them.
The tattoo was removed after that and that was the final thing to sever her from that chapter of her life. She looked at a picture of the White Fang and raised her hand, letting it slip from her grasp and she watched it fly through the air. It disappeared into the heartless sea and with it, the weight of her past did as well.
Jaune looked at Walker and felt grateful for him accepting him into his company. Walker was as much of a mentor as he was a friend to him. When he was at his worst after getting rejected from Beacon, he was there to pick him back up. Since day one of him being underneath his wing, he stood by Jaune; teaching him and training him to be a capable person. It took Jaune losing his leg to finally realize that Walker knew what he was doing and listening to him was the best option a majority of the time.
He gave Jaune a path to walk on and finally be somebody rather than some background individual. Despite his sometimes harsh treatment, he could tell that Walker did enjoy his company and cared about him. If he didn't, then he wouldn't be wasting time on him.
Red felt the same... surprisingly. She opened up to him one day about her past, something that rarely anyone could get out of her. He just listened patiently and let her tell her story at her own pace, never prying on things she still wanted to keep secret. She told him how she never really had anyone to trust because out in the wild, trust was a fickle thing. Open up too much and people used it against you, but keep too many secrets and they started to become suspicious.
It also didn't help that her speech was limited in the past, only getting better when she met a kind older woman. She often missed her and buried her out of respect after a Beowolf came into her cabin and killed her.
People who she thought she could trust would abandon her after seeing her as a used up tool. She could count on both her hands how many people left her to die to escape from either Grimm or bandits, leaving her to fend for herself. So she traveled, going from settlement to settlement to find someplace warm to stay. Nobody wanted her so she couldn't rely on anybody but herself.
It was how Walker and some of the others found her. Stumbling onto the settlement, her clothes soaked from the downpour, and her stomach in agony from the lack of food. He brought her inside and paid for her first meal at the tavern. The food was good and he paid for the food until she was content. He explained to her that she could stay at the settlement until she was content and told her that she could leave anytime, so long as she at least did something; no matter how small it was.
The longer she stayed, the more she realized that this settlement was different from the others. It was structured, and offered order and a sense of security, but it didn't hold its denizens by the throat and strangle them if they didn't comply. The more organized it became, the more she realized that it was like a machine. Individual parts needed to do their task in order for it all to run smoothly.
The three were brought out of their thoughts when he stopped by the R&D building. The building was clean and he passed by some of the staff, nodding his head at them in appreciation for developing their equipment. The familiar sound of bickering was heard and they stepped into a forge, seeing the brothers bickering. Neither one noticed the three and continued to argue, only snapping shut when Walker cleared his throat.
"Well if it ain't the beefy bastard, stumpy, tabby, and little red riding hood." Brock said as he waddled up to a bench and placed his hands on it.
"Hello to you too, dwarf." Walker said as he looked around, seeing the countless weapons litter the room in organized sections.
"What can I get for you runts?" Brock asked.
"Nothing, was seeing how the new place is holding up." Walker said.
"We like it, me especially. The cleaning bots do a remarkable job in getting rid of all the nastiness." Simon said as he cleaned some armor. Walker was able to buy them better equipment and supplies, which meant they could produce more weapons and armor faster. They thanked him and immediately used their new tools.
"So what were you two arguing about?" Blake asked.
"Pig-head over here mad that his smelly beast isn't here." Simon jabbed with his thumb before securing a few clamps on some of the armor.
"She has a name, you clean freak." Brock snapped.
"What was her name again? You never were good at naming things." Simon said offhandedly.
"Fucking Gratitude. At least she shows some, unlike you." Brock retorted. Simon let out an offended gasp and glared at his brother, causing another argument to ensue. It was the norm with them and nearly everyone on the base knew about the brothers' attitudes. The other four just looked at one another before Walker tapped the bench, stopping the two from fighting some more.
"I would love to hear about your sibling fights, but did you look at that blade?" He asked.
"That thing? Yeah, I did, since Mr. cleanliness doesn't want to. That biological science mumbo jumbo isn't really up my alley, but I've been looking into it seeing how it's on a weapon." Brock said.
"You find anything about it?" Walker asked.
"It's weird. I don't know how the geezer did it, but this shit cuts through aura too." Brock said as he brought up a picture on a nearby computer. The four looked and saw a demonstration of it. The archaea seemed to take away at the aura within proximity of the blade, and seemed to sharpen the metal more.
"Well, the guy did say that he needed to help his people defend against Grimm. From what I read, reptilian Grimm usually had thick hides aside from the bone." Jaune said.
"Still doesn't explain why it penetrates aura so well." Walker crossed his arms.
"Maybe it eats aura." Simon chimed in, making the other five look at him.
"Alright, smart guy, what makes you say that?" Brock put his hands on his hips as he turned to his brother.
"I took a class back in Atlas about microorganisms." Simon said.
"Your germophobic ass would do that." Brock mumbled.
"I mean Archaea usually get their energy from breaking down molecules from the environment. Maybe this particular strain consumes aura as another source of energy when none of the other nutrients are available; such as the Grimm. Then... maybe it also adapts to eat away at new targets easier." Simon rubbed his chin. The others just looked at him as he started to mumble underneath his breath and take the knife, staring at it with newfound interest.
"I'm not going to bore you with this mumbo jumbo. He's got that covered." Brock gestured with his head.
"Good. In the meantime, see if you can make this armor." Walker said as he pulled the device out. He stuck a cord into Brock's scroll and transferred the files then unplugged it and put it back in his pocket. Brock looked at it and with interest before tapping his brother's shoulder and getting his attention. He snapped out of his mumbling storm before looking at the armor some more.
It was Onyx Guard armor, but Walker would use it more specifically for night operations. If he did recreate that group, they'd have the arrogance beaten out of them. They didn't need people like the Onyx Guards that arrived on the Sovereign.
"This'll take a while to make, you know?" Brock raised an eyebrow.
"I know. Take your time with it, but not too long." Walker nodded. The brothers nodded and looked at it some more. They understood that he wanted it soon, but decided not to rush them in order to get it faster. With a sarcastic farewell from Brock and a polite wave from Simon, the four of them left the armory.
They exited the building and climbed back in the vehicle, turning on the music and driving across the different platforms once more. It felt a little nice to unwind after their mission.
A couple of weeks went by and he met with the rival companies' leaders. There were three and he sat quietly as they stared at him across the table. Nearly everyone was at the base with the exception of a few Gears by his side, aiming through the conference room window just in case things went sour. They offered to buy medical and food supplies off of him in exchange for information.
The Skulls, Black Steel, and the Saviors were the ones who didn't accept his offer to join him. The other three companies did, and he utilized their skills nearly every day. When he told them that he was meeting with these three, they tried to go with him; but all he did was deny them. They were needed at base to oversee a couple of missions and they hesitantly had to accept that.
"So what can I help you three with?" He asked, clasping his fingers together and leaning forward.
"We've been hearing word around that you've been fighting these things." The Skulls leader said. He was a violent man and was the only one who attacked his shipments in the past.
"And where did you hear that?" Walker asked as he leaned on his hand, staring at the violent man.
"From around town. You think you can just steal our business out of the blue? Then turn around and kill my company off?" The man asked.
"I do." Walker nodded. In truth, the group had nothing to offer him. Most were violent criminals who had nothing but drugs, sex, and murder on their mind. The ones that squealed were either dead or used as informants. He knew that once their leader was dead, they'd eventually die off or scatter like rats. They weren't different from the bandits in the past. Only they had legal ground to operate on.
He didn't move, even as the man stood up and pulled out his gun. His head jerked back and blood splattered against the wall; his body crumbled to the ground shortly after and the other two jumped. They shakily looked at the window to see a hole inside of it, cracks around the place it entered. A gulp was heard from them and he had to resist the urge to laugh.
"You knew that was going to happen... didn't you?" The Saviors' leader asked. Her company was more of a pharmaceutical company than a private military contractor. He looked into her company and did have some respect for her cause. She provided aid to those who couldn't afford it and were sometimes left to die.
"I had a hunch. He seemed to be the type to snap at something when it didn't go his way. Plus... he was useless anyways." Walker admitted truthfully. He was aware of how cruel he sounded, but he wasn't going to lie to them.
"Someone finally shut his trap." The Black Steel leader said. The man originated from Vacuo and was disheartened to hear it fall so quickly, but he expected it.
"Now that that's out of the way, let's discuss business. I didn't fly all the way out here to just see the sights." Walker said.
"We want to establish a partnership." He answered.
"You want to explain a bit more?" Walker stood up and made his way over to them. He sat in the seat near them and stared at them evenly. The sniper outside trailed their sights on their heads.
"We already know you're not like the other companies around the globe. You're different; better training, equipment, and even more vehicles that would rival Atlas in time. There's no point in even trying to compete with you. The council wants you, Academies want you, and even Atlas wants you." The Saviors' leader said.
"I don't want any of them though." He said, making the other two blink.
"What?" She asked.
"The council wants me because they believe they can control me and use it over the people. Instead of coming up with a military, they're content with using Huntsmen and Huntresses as their main fighting force. The academies focus on preaching individuality, which I respect in certain cases, but fail to realize that the lack of unity is the main reason shit hit the fan. Atlas is busy up there in their floating fortress, not bothering to deal with the threat below the surface." He explained as he walked around the two.
"Who do you belong to?" She asked, making him stop.
"I belong to something. My Gears are my responsibility though. I train with them, help them improve, and practice unity. The difference is that they are individuals, and I will not do anything to change that. They have individual freedom and it would be wrong to take that away from them." He said.
"That's noble of you." The man commented.
"Thank you, but I'm pretty sure you're here to discuss something other than my practices. What kind of partnership are we talking about?" Walker asked.
"Black Steel and my company are merging together. We know you have supplies, more than enough and wish to establish a mutual relationship." She said.
"What can you offer me?" He asked.
"Not much. Information, medical expertise, and maybe operatives if you're curious?" She asked, hoping he would accept. Walker just stared at them for a minute, causing the atmosphere in the room to grow a bit heavy. A part of them hoped that at least joining together, they could make their combined company appealing enough for him to consider them as useful.
"I take it you want some training too?" He asked.
"Is that too much?" She asked.
"No, it's not. Allies are an important thing, especially in this dreadful war of ours." He said and stood up.
"So..." She asked. It was quiet as he pondered this some more. When he looked at the two, he saw people trying to make a living and do their best. A part of him felt a little guilty for essentially stealing their way of life.
"Fine... I'll send you supplies along with my more experienced Gears for training; so long as long as you provide information, medical personnel with experience, and finally assistance." He nodded after considering it.
"Thank you." They breathed in relief.
"Don't backstab me though." He warned. They nodded and shook his hand. He looked at the body and shook his head before leaving with them. The three of them discussed future joint operations between the two private military companies and he felt that he established a good relationship.
Their companies merged into the Black Steel Saviors. It was a pharmaceutical company along with a private military contractor. While he did do relief effort, they did it more often and were better at it than he was. In fact, he was eager to learn from them; something they took note off. They talked to him some more and found out that he wasn't some power hungry mercenary leader, but someone who did what was necessary to ensure people's survival.
The Gears were essentially soldiers without borders and provided military force to anyone that needed it. All of his staff were from around the globe, bringing in different skillsets that greatly improved the military power of their growing army. They had a place to call home when the world seemingly abandoned them or they had no where else to go from the Locust.
As he stepped away and bid them a brief farewell, it was only then did they realize how dangerous he was. He could've killed them and forcefully absorbed their company into his own through fear and intimidation, but he didn't. He was unpredictable; ruthless as much as he was kind. He could kill a group of people then save more if he wanted to. People couldn't hold anything against him because they didn't have a single clue who he was.
If the Locust weren't here, then he would be someone who ran a whole war. Either from the sidelines or from the frontlines, it didn't matter. All that matters is that he won in the end. Defeats were studied and learned from, adapting from their mistakes and employing more ruthless methods to keep it from happening again.
They looked up when the Bullhead ascended. His sniper jumped up off the ground and easily latched onto the door, pulling herself up and hanging outside the edge. Red just looked at them calmly before slinking inside when he went inside himself and slammed the door shut. After that, it was quiet while they waited for their rides.
When they didn't arrive, one of Walker's Bullheads arrived instead, offering them a ride. They accepted seeing how their own wasn't coming to the settlement and climbed inside. No reason to turn down a free ride.
With the new merged company as allies with the Gears, they provided relief effort for the civilians at the safe zone and in the settlements better. Walker's company provided training and supplies, while they supplied information and medical staff. It was a mutual partnership and the council, academies, and Atlas wanted a cut of it. However, they weren't willing to negotiate peacefully for it; making demands and trying to force the two companies into service.
All the private military companies did was ignore them and focus on their jobs. The Black Steel Saviors did their best to tend to the civilians, while learning how to deal with the Locust should they pop up. The Gears mainly dealt with the Locust, eliminating them and returning to their assigned position or back at base. There were times when he'd just be out in the field with his soldiers, spending weeks with them. He wasn't content just sitting around while the ones serving underneath him fought tooth and nail.
A new batch of Gears was sent to the mainland while the previous one returned to base. They had served their duty for the last few months and deserved a break. Every special assignment, he went on and the ones at base knew he was gone half the time. Despite having a platform dedicated entirely to collecting and managing information, he still insisted on gathering it himself. It was what he was used to, and that wouldn't change anytime soon.
It got to the point where they had decided to band together and make him take some time off, at least for a few weeks. He just begrudgingly accepted and relaxed a bit. The other leaders claimed that going on constant missions back to back wasn't good for his mental state. There was no need to constantly be on the defensive, but he knew otherwise. While they were right about him constantly staying out there without rest, he knew he couldn't let his guard down. One moment of hesitation meant death with the Locust.
So he decided to stay in his office and do some paperwork. Operators from the other company were to arrive and he looked at their files. Each one of them came from various backgrounds. Some had months to even years of combat experience, while others didn't. They were loyal to their company and he didn't want to change that. It felt odd, but in a good way, to have people refuse him. It just meant that not everyone wanted to be a part of his faction, and it forced him to accept that.
He sipped his drink and heard a knock on the door, when he asked who it was, he heard that it was just Blake. She opened the door and saw his face, making her stop before continuing to walk inside. Only her, Red, and Jaune had seen his face so far and he intended to keep it like that. The door was shut behind her and she handed him some papers before sitting on the small couch next to his desk.
"You know it's half past nine, right?" She asked.
"And?" He asked back.
"You've been here since six this morning." She said.
"I'm just doing some overtime. It's nothing." He shook his head. She pressed her lips together and helped him finish his work faster before making him shut everything down. This wasn't the first time he's done this and she knew that he'd stay until he passed out from exhaustion. He's done it before.
"No, you need rest. It's why you hired more staff to do these things for you." She said as she dragged him by his collar.
"There are some things I need to do myself, you know." He said as he let himself be dragged across the floor by the back of his shirt.
"Yeah, I know, but you can't do much if you're practically dead from exhaustion." She countered. He looked at her and she looked back at his helmet lights before turning back around. She did a double take when she saw him have some documents in his hand, giving him a deadpan expression.
"It's the last of it, I swear." He said.
"You're such a workaholic." She sighed.
"I kind of have to be. I run one of the biggest private military companies on Remnant. It doesn't run as smooth as it does because its leader slacks off." He said.
"Did you at least visit some of the others?" She asked.
"Yeah. I visited Brock, Simon, Michael, the other leaders, recently discussed some things with the BSS-" He started to list.
"The BSS?" She asked.
"Black Steel Saviors. They were the two that merged recently and provide assistance when we request it." He answered.
"I meant your people. The staff meet with you regularly. I'm talking about the people in the residential district, like Velvet and her family." She stopped him.
"..." He didn't say anything because he knew he couldn't. As much as he wanted to sometimes, he rarely did anything recreational aside from watch the news and tinker with Hal. A part of him wasn't used to people wanting to see him, at least so many. He was content with being in the background and being left to his own devices with very few people to notice.
"It's okay to relax a bit." She said.
"I'll relax when the war is over." He countered, then tapped her arm to let him go. She dropped him and he landed with a dull thud, making him stare at her blankly. Her face was blank as well before breaking out into a smug smile, ears twitching in mirth. It was more of a playful expression than anything, but there were times when humor went over his head.
"Come on, Red's waiting for us at the coffee shop." She said.
"A little late for coffee, don't you think?" He asked.
"I'm getting tea." She said. He just shrugged and put his papers back in his office before returning by her side. The two walked through the halls and took the elevator down, walking through the main lobby area and out the door. His personal vehicle was sitting idle; it was an off-road SUV that had four doors and was grey in color. Extra lights were added to the roof and extra armor in case he ever took it to town.
They climbed inside and he turned it on, selecting the music she had picked out. It was a relaxing combination of jazz and lo-fi. Soft on the ears, would put anyone at ease. He often asked her if she could send him more to listen to. She found it endearing in some ways to see him so excited to listen to another song or two. It was like he truly found some way to relax and wasn't so tense all the time.
Her window was rolled down and she just enjoyed the ocean air, listening to the music as they drove. She closed her eyes and bobbed her head a bit to the music while he just rested his head in his left hand, using his right to drive the vehicle. It took ten minutes to get there, but he parked it in the commercial platform parking lot near one of the bridges. They stepped out and he looked around to see the countless stores there.
He knew that he should have visited, but he was so busy that he never had time to unwind. The residential platform was connected by a small bridge, but had a two lanes to allow some vehicles to enter and exit. For the most part, people took bikes, used scooters and skateboards, or just walked. Once they started expanding some more, then he'd bring in more vehicles to allow faster transport. He's went to every other platforms but these two... it just didn't sit right with him.
Maybe civilian life wasn't his preferred living style. Everyone in his family were in the service, whether on the frontlines or behind them, they still did their part. He knew that they knew he wasn't eighteen, but they needed all the help they could get. So... he lied, just like his childhood friend. Neither one were really troublemakers, but they weren't content with sitting around and doing nothing.
He shouldn't have had to pull the trigger on someone he considered a brother. Both of them should have seen the end of the war, but only one of them had the chance to.
His thoughts were interrupted when Blake led them through the streets and they finally stopped at a little coffee shop. It was a cozy little shop on the corner, there weren't any people inside of it and they saw Red waiting for them. She played on her scroll a bit and put it away when she spotted them, giving them a small wave as they walked up to her.
"Have you seriously not been to this place?" Red asked.
"Red, I haven't even been to this platform until today." He admitted.
"You should get out more." She said evenly. Some would gawk at her for saying that and use that tone too, but he didn't mind it too much.
"That's what I said, but somebody-" Blake quickly looked in his direction. He looked the way she was looking then turned back to her.
"You knew there was nobody there, don't act dumb." Red pointed, making him shrug.
"Somebody insisted he works until he drops." Blake finished.
"I'm not saying anything." He shrugged. She just rolled her eyes and looked at her scroll.
"When is Jaune getting here?" She asked.
"Maybe in ten minutes? He was still exercising." Red answered.
"He's always training." Blake said.
"He literally doesn't have a limb." He commented. They didn't say anything when he mentioned that and just looked around, seeing the various people pass by. People waved at him and he waved back before bring up his device when he received a notification. Lien was transferred into the overall account after several of his Gears completed a job. The minutes went by before Jaune arrived and apologized for being late, something none of them cared about too much.
They all stepped inside and were greeted by the barista, who momentarily stopped when he spotted Walker. Nearly everyone in the commercial and residential platforms knew who he was; he was the leader of this little army, but to see him here was an odd thing. He wanted to thank him for letting him live here, but didn't know what to say. Silence seemed to be the best thing though.
They picked a booth near one of the windows and sat in it. Their drinks were ordered and they were left to their own devices while the barista made them their beverages. A few minutes passed by and their drinks were slid in front of them.
"So what's next?" Jaune asked.
"We're headed back to the city." Walker answered, stirring in some sugar to his tea. He decided not to get coffee since it was late and he didn't want to be up all night.
"For what?" Jaune asked.
"Council wants to see if they can expand the safe zone a bit. Plus, we still need to wait for the Resonators to finish." Walker said.
"They've been working on that thing for months." Blake said.
"It might take a year or two to finish. Atlas isn't willing to help us with this, even though I asked them numerous times." He answered while sipping his tea.
"They're still up there?" Red asked.
"The elites are up in the city. Mantle has been left to its own devices. I'm actually surprised it's still standing." He said.
"Why?" She asked.
"From what we've gathered, they basically left those people to die." He said.
"I thought we had operatives there?" Jaune asked.
"We do. The BSS has been trying for months to evacuate Mantle's people, but haven't had any luck." Walker said.
"The BSS was Black Steel Saviors, right?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah. You actually got it right, unlike someone." Walker looked at Blake.
"Hush. I didn't know what the abbreviation stood for." She huffed and turned to her book. He chuckled at her attitude and merely teased her some more, much to her utter annoyance.
"You would think that Atlas would care more about its citizens." Jaune commented.
"They care about status. They want to remain at the top of the world while the rest of us grovel in the dirt." Walker said.
"I mean, we're similar in some ways if you think about it." Red said.
"In what way?" He asked.
"We have our own piece of land, only it's on the water instead of the air, and we have select people here." She answered.
"I won't go as far as to say select people. They chose to join us even after us stating what we did. We did offer them a choice, remember?" Blake asked.
"You think we should have forced them here?" Red asked curiously.
"No. No point in forcing them to fight if they won't even see the threat for what it is. Plus, we're still expanding our territory." Jaune said.
"Red is right some way, but she's also wrong. I can see the similarities between us and Atlas, as far as having a place that's relatively safe. The difference is that we're still expanding and only have a couple of platforms for civilians. Atlas has an entire landmass that probably has more than enough room to accommodate." Walker said.
"You think the other Kingdoms are starting to make plans?" Jaune asked.
"Can't say for sure. The BSS are doing their best to tend to civilians." Walker said.
"I heard they had a ship to take them on." Red said.
"They do, it's not that large, but they are doing their best. It's why we agreed to assist one another in the future." He said.
"Wow... I didn't think we'd have anyone standing in our way." She said.
"Not everyone wants to join us. I don't have a problem with them remaining their own company, so long as they don't backstab us or anything else." He said. Looking at the time, he decided to call it a night and they paid for their drinks. The barista waved at them before cleaning up a bit while they just piled back into the vehicle. He turned on the music and rolled down the window, setting his left arm on the window.
Once they were at their rooms, each one bid another goodnight before entering their apartments and getting into their individual beds. It felt a bit nice to unwind, and the Gears in the city deserved it as well.
Not much to say other than let's address the reviews.
Laplase: I'm glad, it feels more natural in this than in the original.
saitama1155: She is.
IX404: I'm glad I can be of some assistance to your stories. I wish you the best of luck and hope they receive more love and attention in the future. You definitely deserve it.
Janny092: Yeah, I want to flesh some things out a bit.
Ferno16: They did get caught up in the moment, so yeah. Thanks for reviewing.
DOOMRAIDER: I'd rather not talk about WTWA right now, I'm taking a bit of a break from it.
Spartan Ash: No it's fine, I feel as if I was the one who was confused. You have nothing to apologize for. Thank you for reviewing and giving your side of the explanation, I hope this won't happen too much in the future.
Austin: Original Locust characters. The dead are not going to make an appearance and that whole resurrection deal is difficult on its own. Also about them replenishing their numbers... I haven't come to a decision about that. Same goes with the military dog.
Akin2018: Thank you for reviewing, Chukwu.
Rakos: Congratulations... you get an honorary golden gear for writing that. I didn't even make the connection until I read it a few times.
ZeBaguetteFromFrance: That first sentence... I'm not going to lie, I thought you were talking about me until I read the rest of the review. As for him causing someone to that point, I can see him doing it.
MythianTechCorp: It's Walker, but close enough.
The Disquieting One: I don't know, I might? Haven't really thought about it after I finish the stories.
Guest: Yeah, the forums is opening an entire can of worms on its own. It's why I typically stay away from them. Going on there is like arguing with a brick wall with some people. I recently read one where they were put against the Primarch to the Ultramarines chapter. Some people were even stating that they had a chance, and I'm like... "this is such a stomp it's not even funny..."
Guest: You know, I really didn't consider that Remnant would have a Dust fixation. You've seriously opened my eyes and I thank you for that thought.
That's it for reviews, not much else to say other than thanks for reading. The story isn't famous and I like it, it feels like I'm heading back to my roots and writing as a hobby again.