A month had passed by and they had entered the ninth month of the war, it was December now and the snow had fallen on the mainland.
Walker sat in his office with the others. His seat was at the edge of the table and he looked to his right and left to see the representatives and the higher ups. The BSS's ship was docked outside, providing their services in various ways. Blake sat to his right and he leaned back in his seat a bit, resting his head in his right hand. He listened to Theresa state that the ship was in need of a new fuel source and Michael had started making plans to come up with an alternative.
She seemed to grow more and more quiet when he talked to her, while the others just glanced in between them and shrugged. Walker ignored it for the most part, seeing it as a small reunion between the two, but his attention was more or less focused on the Resonator. They had finally completed one and the presentation was displayed on the screen. He stood up and explained that it would map their tunnels, similar to the beacons they plant in the ground, only on a much larger scale.
The only problem was that it needed to be detonated underground, either in one of their tunnels or a mining facility. The closest Dust mining facility was about thirty miles out from the city walls. A few of them would go there and deploy it before getting out of there before it went off. It was a high risk mission and they couldn't afford to screw up because all they had was one.
"Atlas contacted us finally." Blake informed.
"About what?" He asked.
"They're curious about the Gears and the BSS alliance." She answered.
"What are they curious about?" Theresa asked.
"From what a few of our contacts said, talk about drafting us into the Atlas army. They claimed that without them, we won't survive." Blake answered as she looked at her tablet.
"What? They think we'll just give all this up so they can-" One of the BSS operatives stood up.
"Sit down." Walker ordered calmly. They did it without a hint of hesitation and stared at him.
"So what are we going to do about them?" Jaune asked.
"We're not joining Atlas. We have our own factions and both our companies seem to be doing well enough without them. The only thing Atlas has to offer is information and possibly materials for creating more of our own tech." Walker said. That seemed to calm them down a bit; although he was slightly miffed at Atlas trying to indoctrinate them into their own army, he wasn't too upset about it.
"There's also talk they might have information regarding the Locusts." Blake said
"What kind of information?" He asked and leaned forward a bit.
"Mapping information." She answered after reading the encrypted message. Everyone in the room scooted back a bit from him when he clenched his fists tightly then slowly released them.
"How much?" He asked.
"It's hard to say. I do know that it's a bit, at least it covers some of Atlas." She answered.
"Look more into it if you can." He told her and she nodded before tapping the tablet a few times before setting it down. They all talked about the different topics, a majority of them regarding the war, but others were about the status of the people. The staff members in charge of caring for the wellbeing of the people updated him about the platform regarding the residential district.
He just listened as they told him that they were considering hosting a small event to raise the morale a bit. It wasn't anything large, but it would be enough for some to take some of the pressure off their minds. He approved it then they told him about the education, stating that they handled a majority of the problems but still needed to do something about the ones who graduated from the equivalent of high school.
His rules remained the same, either join the Gears or BSS, or they did something around their home. If they didn't want to do anything, then he would threaten to kick them out; something nobody wanted because they knew he was serious. He's done it before and being kicked out of their base was considered a death sentence.
There was also the fact that people felt a little homesick, wanting to go back to the mainland, but nothing could be done about that. The Locusts roamed the surface more often than not and he wouldn't risk them getting themselves killed because they wanted to see some trees. It was something they'd have to deal with and the only way they'd go back is if they joined to combat the Locusts.
The head of security updated him regarding the scuffles he had dealt with recently. Despite things remaining relatively peaceful around here, there was still several people who were considered bad apples. So the security members usually handled things here, enforcing rules without abusing their power. There were times people felt it was a bit unfair, but were quickly reminded that the staff were simply doing their jobs. They were a sub-unit of the combat platform, but still held just about as much experience as his frontline Gears.
At the end of the day, things ran smoothly. People were just glad to be alive for the most part, feeling a sense of ease when they saw a Gear or some security staff member patrolling around.
They all were dismissed and he was left alone, going over some of the operator files. It was slightly relaxing to read about the different people; reading about their strengths and weaknesses, what they could do to improve upon them. He frowned at some of them having disciplinary issues, but he'd be quick to rectify that. The last thing he needed was someone acting like a fool out there.
He didn't mind them being aggressive or using unconventional methods, he supported it sometimes, he just wouldn't have them causing unnecessary conflict. The last thing they needed was to be fighting among themselves. If beating it out of them physically was what it took, then so be it.
After reading the rest of the files, he stood up and put them in a neat pile, tapping them on the table to straighten them out. He picked up the folder of files and carried them out the conference room before heading towards his office. The door was unlocked and he put the files in the cabinet before walking out and heading towards the command room.
It took a few minutes, but he arrived and put in the code before waiting for the pad to beep green. Once it did, the doors slid open and he walked inside the room. Two rows of computers and monitors were right in front of him and four giant screens were seen on the wall. Each giant screen was split into four smaller sections, giving him a clear view of the Gears on missions. The ones at the desks had their own squads to worry about and assist in their own way, giving them commands and updates on the situation.
Everyone in the room looked towards him and quickly stood up, saluting him before sitting back down. He just crossed his arms before looking at the screens and his head snapped to the giant screen to the far right, seeing the Gears engage Locusts. He watched as they moved from cover to cover, striking the Locusts in different angles before darting away before they could get a bead on them. The firefight lasted four minutes before the Gears walked over the dead bodies, scavenging them for ammunition.
"Good work boys, Boss is pleased with your performance." One of them said.
"How long have they been out there?" Walker asked.
"About a day and a half, they said their ammunition is running dry." The staff member said.
"Send in a supply drop." He ordered.
"Understood. Supply drop is inbound, enjoy the present." She said to them. Walker watched as she pulled up another tab and sent the supplies to the Gears. It was a crate that would land on the ground, containing whatever increased their chances for survival. Food, water, weapons, medical supplies and ammunition. They could only send it where they planted the supply beacons.
He nodded and continued to watch the other teams through the various screens. Whenever he was watching, his men fought harder than before. As opposed to Huntsmen and Huntresses, the Gears and the BSS relied on pragmatism rather than flair. They did whatever it took to get the job done while doing their best to keep casualties at a minimum. Both companies had the willpower to do whatever it took to repel the underground threat, and often clashed with the academies.
Vale had come to the decision of establishing a military once more, seeing it as the only thing necessary to deal with the Locust and Grimm. It was a wise decision but it came with a cost; that meant funding towards training Huntsmen and Huntresses was to be cut short in order to compensate for the growing needs of training, materials, and resources. Needless to say, Beacon wasn't supportive of the decision, especially Ozpin.
Old factories had to be refurbished and put to use, producing various items and pieces of equipment. People who weren't contributing towards the frontlines often found jobs in the factories. The ammunition he had given them was produced in masses; while it wasn't the explosive rounds the Gears used, it did do its job in killing the Locusts just as well.
Vale created its own military force and had drawn in countless people. It was mainly people that had been rejected by the academies or people that had wanted to contribute in some type of way. The Gears and BSS had sent instructors to at least give the basics and ultimately left it up to the council to run their own military. Both companies still operated independently though, essentially making them their own power that rivaled Atlas.
The Gears and the BSS handled the Locusts and relief efforts while the Vale Defense Force dealt with the Grimm that came knocking on their doors. They were informed that they'd sometimes do joint missions with the Gears. However, nearly everything that was related to the Locust found its way back to Walker. When it came to dealing with them, he had absolute command over any operation.
"Sir, there's a problem." Someone called out, making him walk over to them.
"What is it?" He asked.
"We have reports of bandits trying to steal one of our shipments. How should we proceed?" They asked.
"Leave the highest ranking one alive and interrogate them then kill the rest." He ordered. They nodded and relayed his message to the Gears, watching as they nodded before quickly finding the highest ranking bandit and killing the others. Screams mixed in with gunfire and he watched as his men quickly dealt with the bandits. He listened closely as the last one blubbered out whatever information he had before his life was ended.
He nodded and simply observed the other screens before departing shortly after, deciding that now was a good time to call it quits for the day. The elevator down the hall was taken and he pressed the button to the top floor. He stepped inside of it and pushed the button to take him to the apartments, exiting it and walking to his quarters.
It was a decent day today, with the exception of Atlas trying to pull some of their usual bullshit.
He woke up from his nap on the couch and groaned a bit as he leaned up into a sitting position. It was one of the few days he decided to take off on his own accord and he cursed under his breath when the knocking on the door got more erratic. He wasn't feeling so good and the person on the other side was making his headache worse.
"Stop knocking... I'm almost there." He grumbled and opened the door. Jaune looked around then back at him, making him raise an eyebrow when the blonde suddenly wormed his way inside.
"You have to hide me." Jaune panicked.
"Why?" Walker asked as he shut the door and locked it.
"So, I was doing my daily exercises with a couple of the others and we bumped into Red on accident." Jaune sat down.
"Okay?" Walker asked.
"She was carrying her Longshot and... it might have accidentally went over the edge of the platform..." Jaune finished with a cough. Walker just stared at him and Jaune just stared right back. Neither one said anything to each other for a minute and the silence was almost suffocating.
"I don't know what to tell you." Walker shrugged and lied back down on the couch. He was too tired for this and wasn't about to get in the way of Red's warpath. Touching her Longshot was the equivalent of physically touching her, a death sentence on its own.
"Come on, man. You have to help me. You're like the only one she really listens to." Jaune pleaded.
"What happened to the others?" Walker asked.
"We scattered and she bolted after them." Jaune answered.
"How long ago was this?" Walker sighed.
"About two hours ago." Jaune answered.
"Did Red get it back?" Walker asked.
"From what I saw, yeah. She dove in to get it and-" Jaune stopped when there was a pounding on the door. As quiet as he could, he opened the window and hung on the edge before shuffling over to the side. The pounding on the door became more forceful and Walker sighed before getting up and staring at it for a second. He just listened to the pounding become borderline slamming before unlocking the door and opening it.
"Where is he?" Red asked heatedly. There was the faint dripping of water on her swimsuit and her tail as well. Her ears were pulled back and her expression slightly neutral, but he could tell she was livid.
"I don't know." He answered tiredly.
"There's no point in hiding, Jaune. I can smell you." She called out, noticing the open window. Her bloody fists clenched tightly and Walker just sighed before moving to the side to let her in. She stomped around the apartment, looking for Jaune before throwing her head out the window and looking to the left. He gulped as she spotted him and stared him for a few tense seconds.
He let out a high pitched scream when she gripped his collar and dragged him inside the apartment.
"I'm sorry!" He shrieked and tried to scramble away, only for him to widen his eyes when Walker closed the front door and window.
"Try not to rough him up too much." Walker said before lying on the couch.
"Walker, you son of a bitch!" Jaune shouted before gagging when Red climbed on his back and wrapped her arms around his throat, leaning back and squeezing tightly.
"Do you know how much that rifle was?!" She shouted angrily. It was rare for her to raise her voice, but she only did it when the situation called for it.
"A lot!" Jaune gagged.
"I spent twenty-five thousand in total on that!" She strangled him some more. It was true, with all the attachments and enhancements she made to it since she first received it, it was no wonder she was in such a sour mood. Improved rifling, a scope that allowed her to switch from normal to thermal, better grip, sturdier material to handle various types of rounds, and even had a little design drawn on the side. It was more of a personal gift from Walker when he saw how lethal she was with it.
"I'll buy you a new one!" Jaune struggled out.
"You're paying for the repairs!" She responded, gripping his head and slamming his forehead on the ground. The coffee table rattled from the force and Jaune just groaned in agony then rolled onto his back. He coughed and sucked in air before wincing when she stomped on his stomach a few times.
Walker just stood up and engulfed his arms around her before putting her on the sofa and lying on her. His back was pressed against her entire torso and he just stared up at the ceiling before closing his eyes. Jaune was both grateful and pissed at the same time before perking up when someone knocked at the door.
"Go answer the door." Walker said, ignoring the slight thrashing below him.
"Fine..." Jaune groaned and got up before answering the door. He greeted Blake and she brought in some food before stopping in her tracks when she saw Walker lying on top of Red. She didn't say anything but just put the bag of food on the counter and took a picture with her scroll. He grunted when she sat on his stomach and Red let out a small whine from the weight.
"You going to be good?" Walker looked down at her.
"Yes, now get off me." She winced a bit.
"Alright." He nodded before poking Blake's side, making her get off him while he climbed off Red. Like always, he sat in the middle while they just sat on the opposite sides of the couch and Jaune sat in the chair to the side. The TV was turned on and they watched the news regarding the war, raising an eyebrow when all had been relatively quiet for the most part.
"Red, where are your clothes?" Blake asked.
"Someone knocked my Longshot into the water and I had to go get it." She answered, and Blake saw Jaune flinch before shuddering a bit.
"I'll pay for the repairs, stop complaining." Walker said tiredly. He took off his helmet and set it on the table before leaning back and closing his eyes. His forehead felt a little sweaty and hot. The other three seemed to notice because he felt a cool hand be placed against his forehead, it felt nice and he subconsciously leaned into it.
"You're burning up." Blake said as she kept her hand on his forehead.
"I'm fine." He blinked tiredly.
"Stop saying you're fine for once. Red, can you go see if he has a thermometer." She said. Red nodded and went to his bathroom, searching in his medicine cabinet and seeing various medication. She looked at the sleeping medication he was prescribed and saw that some of the pills were missing. Deciding not to say anything, she grabbed the thermometer and sat in front of him.
"Open up." Red said, placing the thermometer underneath his tongue when he opened his mouth. They all saw how tired he looked, the fatigue from the last few months seemed to catch up to him and his body finally hit its limit. His temperature was a degree over a hundred when the thermometer beeped. A string of saliva was seen on the thermometer and the probe was taken off and discarded in the trash.
All three of them helped him to his room and he closed the door, having them wait outside while he got into more comfortable clothing. A simple pair of shorts was worn and he decided it was too hot in his sick state. He opened the door and climbed underneath the covers, blinking tiredly at them. It's been a while since he's caught something that made him feel this bad.
A cool towel was placed over his forehead and he sighed a bit in relief. Jaune went to go get Theresa while the other two just took care of him, grabbing him fresh water and medicine. He already ate so he was fine in that regard, and he just needed a day or two to recover. Then he could go back to work.
"You're not going back to work." Theresa said as she entered the room.
"How'd you know?" He asked, groaning when he sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed.
"You mumbled it out. Now breath deeply." She instructed and placed the stethoscope against his chest. He breathed deeply and exhaled slowly before doing it again when she put it against his back. There wasn't anything wrong with his breathing nor his heartbeat.
"I'm just a little tired." He dismissed.
"This is different." She said, observing him.
"How?" He asked.
"I haven't figured it out yet. Do you mind?." She asked and he held his arm out when she brought a syringe from one of her many pockets. He barely reacted when she found a suitable vein and drew some blood. She wiped the area and held it before putting a band-aid on it. After a few more minutes of her checking on him, she left to go grab something to drink with Michael.
He knew the whole deal with check ups because his mom constantly checked up on the people on the Sovereign. She specialized in several medical fields and they would find her in some lab more often than not. It's where he got his workaholic tendencies from, she often worked herself to the brink of collapse and he usually had to bring her back to her quarters. She had a strange interest in Imulsion, her entire side of the family did.
A part of him felt that it was strange that he seemed to have a higher tolerance to the stuff than some. He knew that he wasn't immune to it though, and he wasn't too keen on swimming in a vat of it to find out. Which was a good thing considering they found out that it was a parasitic fungal organism.
He sighed and climbed back into the bed before bringing the covers over his lap.
"I have to go, someone's calling me." Jaune stood up and glanced at his scroll.
"Is it Nikos?" Blake gave a smug smile.
"No! It's uh..." He looked away.
"It's a girl." She nodded in understanding.
"Jaune snagged a girl that can deal with him being an idiot?" Walker asked with his eyes closed.
"Rude." Jaune muttered.
"Yeah, he didn't even know who she was when he first met her." Red added, sitting on the other side of the bed.
"Isn't she like some big shot or something?" Walker asked.
"You mean to tell me that you don't know who Pyrrha Nikos is?" Blake asked.
"Pretty much." He answered.
"The invincible girl? She's won countless tournaments over the last few years?" Blake brought up her scroll and showed him, only to realize he still had his eyes closed.
"Doesn't ring any bells. I don't pay attention to celebrities." He said.
"Anyways! I'm going." Jaune said suddenly before leaving the apartment and heading towards his. The other two just stayed in the room while Walker just slowly fell asleep. His body relaxed and he occasionally let out a small cough before returning to normal. It was nothing but a harmless illness, a mere obstacle that his body would eliminate within a day or two.
Theresa sat in the café and sipped her coffee while reading the files over Walker's bloodwork. He requested that she look into it, and she knew it was a test to see if he could trust her or not. She thought it was odd that he was already healthy; what he caught was enough to put him out of commission for at least a week. Despite being on friendly terms, she saw that he was a man who didn't trust people easily. He would rather nip the problem before it grew too big to deal with and some would chalk it up as being paranoid.
She trusted him though, he had resources and manpower that assisted the combined company very well. Not to mention, she actually enjoyed being in the other faction's base. It was an odd mixture of a city and a fortress with its own economy, entirely self sufficient. She even saw a few platforms that were entirely dedicated to agriculture. It was the home of some of the toughest warriors on the planet.
It was still much of surprise that he was talking about expanding it. He had built such a wonderful place to live, but he was gone half the time from what she's heard around. The most he would spend is probably two weeks before he's off on another mission somewhere. Even when he's back at his home, he's busy planning the next contingency plan in case the Locusts popped up somewhere.
The BSS was possibly the only other major opposition he had, but he didn't view them as competition. He claimed that what they were doing was necessary and providing relief effort was what gave humanity a fighting chance. He did a lot for the people of Remnant, much more than the government had done within the past several months. However, he made sure his people were taken care of first and foremost.
Her eyes flicked to the screen on the laptop going over the data regarding his bloodwork. She found out that his immune system was surprisingly strong for someone who lacked an aura; and she found it odd that there wasn't even a trace of aura in his cells. Aura could be found in nearly all cells of a body with the exception of Grimm, since they were soulless beings. Yet, he didn't even show a trace of it.
Something didn't add up and she tapped her chin and sighed.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something." A voice said. She jumped in surprise and looked up to see Michael slide into the booth.
"Oh no! I was just caught up in work." She waved her hand, closing her laptop and sliding it to the side. Her back was facing the wall so nobody could see anything.
"I noticed." He nodded and ordered a simple coffee. She didn't know what to say to him to be honest, neither one had any bad blood between each other, but they had been so focused on their work that they kind of fell out over the years. They knew each other since middle school and always talked to one another, and they were eventually inseparable until their high school graduation.
"So... how have you been over all these years?" She asked quietly.
"I've been good. What about you?" He asked, thanking the waiter when his drink arrived.
"Good." She nodded. It fell silent again and the atmosphere turned slightly awkward; it was hard to discuss some things after not talking for almost twenty years.
"So what'd you want to talk about?" He asked.
"Just anything, to be honest." She shrugged.
"Let's get the whole ship situation handled. Then we'll catch up." He said.
"Alright." She nodded and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear while looking at a tablet. He had been working on an alternative fuel source for their ship that would replace the use for Dust eventually. It was more of the Black Steel leader's ship than hers, but both agreed to share it as a mobile base. It had gone through countless enhancements over recently, but their biggest one would be the alternative fuel source.
They talked for a while, and he pointed out that it would take some time to make the adjustments. She just waved her hand and stated that they'd probably stay a while anyways considering the BSS had come to enjoy staying at the Gears' home. It felt like its own city despite not being one and she heard there was even talk of making it a mobile base if the granite cracked, but that was years down the road.
The hours seemed to bleed by as the two caught up slowly, but surely. It was nice in their opinions, just enjoying the small sense of peace and momentarily forgetting about the war. Little moments like these made their efforts worth it, every single moment. They had stepped into a war they had never seen.
"Say, how did you meet him?" She asked.
"Walker? Well, it was actually through Richard Scarlatina." He answered.
"Who?" She asked.
"He's one of my best workers. A brilliant mind with a knack for vehicles." He answered.
"Ah." She nodded before sipping her drink.
"Anyways, we talked at one point and he recommended Walker's services. He said that he was a different type of person, a man that had seen some rough times but still remained a polite person." He said.
"Polite... yeah." She looked away and shuddered when she first saw him train his recruits then train some of the recruits in her company. It was like a flip was switched and she saw him go from a polite man to a violent, brutal instructor in half a second.
"So I hired him to bodyguard my daughter. They faced... complications..." He trailed off.
"Bandits?" She asked. It wasn't uncommon for bandits to target individuals worth a large sum of lien. Not only did it allow them to hold them for a ransom, it also gave them an edge over different parties.
"Some group. Walker's took care of them though. Without him, Abigail would have either been taken hostage or killed." He said.
"..." She just remained quiet.
"I paid him in compensation for his troubles before he presented some interesting ideas for alternative resources to Dust and vehicle designs." He said, showing her some of the files.
"I noticed those APCs looked a bit odd." She commented.
"It's what I told him, but I did start to come around to see their usefulness. From then on, we entered a partnership. He would safeguard my supplies and staff while I paid him in lien and equipment." He said.
"How come he didn't pop up on the radar until the Emergence?" She asked.
"Well... the company never really was operating on legal grounds." He whispered, making her choke a bit.
"Is he insane?" She whispered back, wiping her mouth with a napkin. Establishing a security or military power without going through the legal process usually ended up with life in prison or being fined depending on how large the security company was.
"I think he is sometimes." He nodded.
"Jeez..." She rubbed her head. It made sense as to how Walker was operating so well and the council didn't say anything. He never bothered to bend to their rules and built his own power from the ground up. He ran the group how he saw fit and would find a way to suite his needs one way or another.
"So how did you meet him?" He asked.
"It was a bit after the war started. We heard how three other security companies joined him. They saw how their companies were failing and they didn't really stand a chance against the Locusts. Black Steel and the Saviors wanted to remain independent. I'm pretty sure the Skulls just wanted to take him out though." She said, ordering a small muffin when the waiter passed by.
"Wait... that violent criminal group?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"They didn't do anything to you all, did they?" He asked.
"Oh no! He came with us to the meeting and..." She trailed off.
"He killed him?" He asked.
"He didn't but one of his snipers did." She clarified.
"It was probably Red." Michael nodded.
"You know her?" She asked.
"Was it a wolf Faunus that jumped into the Bullhead when it was already off the ground?" He asked.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"That was Red then." He said.
"Who is she?" She asked. It was good to know the operators that resided at the base.
"Her real name's Catherine, but everyone calls her Red-" He started.
"Why?" She asked.
"Nobody really knows why. Don't call her by her real name though, I've seen what she did to someone when that happened." He shuddered. It was one day when he was taking a break and spotted her talking to another Gear, and heard the Gear call her by her real name before trying to touch her. He watched as she broke their jaw with her foot after breaking their hand.
"Noted. Who is she though?" She asked, putting them back on topic.
"I'm actually surprised you don't know. Red is probably one of his most loyal lieutenants, an expert in sniping and wilderness survival." He started.
"I thought Ms. Belladonna was?" She asked.
"She's more a scout than anything. However, and don't quote me on this, she's the eyes and ears of this place. She isn't the leader of the intelligence platform for nothing." He said.
"I'll... keep that in mind." She said quietly. She had no intention of double crossing the Gears, not in a million years, but it was stupid to think that they considered going against them in the past. It wasn't a mere security company anymore, but a private military.
"Yeah, both of those girls are scary in their own way. Abigail actually is trying to get a job at the intelligence platform." He said.
"Oh?" She asked, chewing on her muffin a bit. She'd have to take several muffins when they finally depart in the future.
"Yeah. I mean, she's certainly got a talent for it." He nodded a bit proudly.
"What does she want to do?" She asked.
"Cyber security. There was also talk of her wanting to go into the field but Walker convinced her otherwise." He said.
"Isn't that what Ms. Belladonna does?" She asked.
"Yep, Blake's probably the top field agent out there." He nodded.
She listened some more and nodded; there was a sense of familiarity and fondness in his tone as he spoke about the Gears some more. It was clear he held them in high respect, because nearly everyone here did. Why would they not respect the ones who faced a relentless enemy and didn't always make it back? They built a home on the one place the Locusts couldn't dig underneath, not without flooding their tunnels and dooming them, and thrived.
There was a sense of camaraderie within the ranks and the community was diverse. It had individuals ranging from all over the globe; both old and young of both species. Soldiers who felt they had been wronged by the world found their way here and Walker accepted them. He didn't manipulate them into joining, but they eventually became loyal to him for giving them either a purpose once more or a home.
They were an odd set of people; the fighters had been tempered by conflict and had proved their resilient nature more often than not. Very rarely did they back down from a fight, but if they did then they made sure to hit the enemy back twice as hard. It's what made them different from so many groups in the past.
Unlike Huntsmen and Huntresses, they didn't seek glory. Sometimes they even shunned it when on the field. They preferred to take their targets from afar and if the enemy got too close then they met a brutal demise. It's another reason why the academies viewed them in a negative light at times, seeing them as too serious and too much like Atlas in some cases.
That wasn't the case at all. They simply knew the cost of acting like fools on the battlefield and some paid the price for it. There was no point in celebrating glory if one was not alive to tell it.
The memorial of the fallen was a sacred place as it was quiet. Gears that had given their lives were placed there and immortalized in some way shape or form. Some had their COG tags placed inside a container and displayed while others had their ashes placed inside an urn and sorted neatly on shelves. Their information was put on it and a list of their greatest deeds on the back.
They were part of a machine, and they had served their purpose, but to lay them to rest and let them be forgotten was a dishonorable thing to do.
Blake yawned as she took the elevator back up to their apartments. In her hand was a small bag of snacks from the vending machine a couple of floors down in the main area near one of the break rooms. They had snacks that she always craved for early in the morning and she wasn't about to drive across the platforms to go to the store and buy some.
She loved the sweat pants and T-shirt they had, it was both comfortable and stylish in her opinion. Plus, it was good for nearly all occasions with the exception of combat. The sweats were a dark grey while the shirt was a dark blue that fit oddly well together. The socks made her toes wiggle in delight at the comfort and they didn't constrict her feet at all.
Her eyes snapped forward when the elevator doors opened and she saw Red outside her door. She looked around and froze when she spotted her, causing the two of them to have a somewhat awkward staring contest for a few seconds. It was either a couple of things; either she wanted attention, she had a nightmare that was too much to handle, or she ate all her food and was looking for some.
Red was an odd girl, but a welcome kind of odd.
"Attention, nightmare, or food?" Blake asked tiredly.
"All three." Red answered quietly and tucked her tail between her legs.
"Walker's not answering his door?" Blake asked.
"I saw him in his office." Red answered, making Blake stop. She handed Red her bag of snacks before walking towards the elevator and stepping inside, pushing the button to the top floor. The doors closed and she felt the elevator shift a bit before ascending towards the top floor. It opened after a few seconds and she walked down the hall before opening his office door.
He didn't even look up when she entered his office because he knew why she was there. All he did was simply do paperwork while in his sweats and a simple short sleeve shirt with house shoes set next to his desk. The clock let out a faint ticking noise and the thunder outside rumbled. The large pillars outside repeled any hurricanes that threatened their base and collected the wind power, converting it to energy and storing it for later.
There was talk of them creating a sort of shield that would form around the base; but they knew that was millions, if not billions of lien.
A stack of papers was off to the side and she sighed before walking next to him and looking at the papers. Her mood soured a bit when she saw files from an orphanage, each one of them had a picture of the children, but some had a deceased label stamped onto them. She heard how the Locusts attacked and managed to kill a large amount of children in the orphanage. They created a small opening before releasing Tickers inside the building.
The surge in negativity had caused a horde of Grimm to approach and knock on the walls, causing Vale's defense force to react quickly. They managed to repel the Grimm, and were assisted by the Huntsmen and Huntresses as well. It earned the latter some of the respect, but they let the attention swell their egos and heads a bit. It cost them because the Locusts swarmed the veteran team almost instantly in a surprise attack shortly after.
The VDF could barely do a thing as they watched the Locusts rip the team apart, quite literally.
"The Bullhead carrying the orphans arrives tomorrow." He said, reading the last file before scanning it onto his computer. His voice was tired and she could only send him a sympathetic look.
"How long have you been here?" She asked.
"Since seven." He answered, putting the scanned files in a folder.
"Where are they staying?" She asked, helping him a bit.
"At the orphanage here. Safe zone is starting to lose its defensive capability, the Locusts are attacking more frequently, and Ozpin's bullshit is starting to piss me off." He answered tiredly and started shutting everything down.
"Is he still preaching about individuality?" She asked.
"It's all he does. He's not out there fighting the Grimm or Locusts. All he does is sit on his ass all day preaching about the old ways." He rolled his eyes. He knew that Ozpin had years of experience underneath his belt, he could see it in his eyes, but he never used it half the time.
"I take it the council are still ignoring him and still continuing with establishing a stable military force?" She asked, making sure everything was organized.
"They seem to finally see the threat the Locusts present and knew that it was either do that or die." He said. It only took a genocidal race of humanoids to surface and almost two hundred thousand lives for the government of Vale to get their act together. A unified fighting force, comprised of both settlement and city inhabitants. The numbers soared into the hundreds and many more were being trained.
"Well, we can worry about that in the morning. You're taking the day off because don't think I didn't notice you bring your laptop to your room while you were sick." She pointed.
"I'm not going to lie to you." He shook his head.
"Good. We shouldn't keep Red waiting though." She said.
"I'm guessing she's outside my room?" He asked.
"It's your turn to deal with her." She said. The other Faunus girl usually had a habit of sleeping in the apartment of the other three. She claimed it was considered a bond that few got to experience with her, but she didn't sleep in Jaune's apartment anymore considering it always smelled like cereal and bad cologne.
"I dealt with her last time." He said, locking the door and walking down the hall.
"She's been sleeping in my apartment for the past two days." She said.
"Sucks for you then." He shrugged.
"You're lucky I don't sleep in your apartment." She responded sarcastically.
"I mean, it doesn't seem to stop you three. You sleep on my couch, Jaune sleeps on my couch, and Red literally climbs in my bed and sleeps in it. Which forces me to take the couch." He said, pressing the button.
"You don't seem to mind." She pointed out. He just shrugged when she had a point and the two waited for the elevator to descend to their floor. The doors opened and they saw Red slumped against his door, the bag of snacks lied next to her. He just sighed and put her on his back before unlocking his apartment and entering it. She clung to his back tightly and mumbled something in her sleep while Blake just sat in the chair.
"Red, get off." He said as he woke her up and tried to pry her off of him.
"No." She mumbled stubbornly.
"I need to get some sleep." He responded.
"You had your chance earlier." She said. His lips pressed into a fine line and he stared at her from over his shoulder.
"Catherine..." He said evenly. Her ears flattened and tail tucked in between her legs before he felt the weight suddenly leave his back. She sat on the couch quietly and didn't look at him as he got a spare blanket and pillow before handing it to her.
Blake just stayed silent as she accepted a spare pillow as well and got comfortable on the other side of the couch. She knew how much Red hated it when someone called her by her actual name. She became volatile, violent, and even sometimes murderous depending on how much she disliked the person. When it came to Walker saying it, she became obedient and docile, even a bit meek if she dare say.
She looked so small, and it was almost hard to believe she was only a few months younger than Blake.
"Sorry..." Red muttered.
"It's fine. Get some sleep. Goodnight, you two." He said tiredly, giving her head a quick rub before slowly slid his hand off and walked towards his room.
"It's three in the morning." Blake commented.
"Same thing." He responded in the same tone and dismissed before shutting his bedroom door. Red just wagged her tail a bit and Blake gave a smug smirk when she looked at her.
"What?" Red asked.
"You like those little scratches." Blake covered her smug smile with her mouth.
"Don't act so coy, you ask for them too." Red pointed out.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Blake looked away, wiping her nose in dismissal with her thumb.
"I think you do. You asked for some the other day." Red said.
"Doesn't ring any bells." Blake still looked away. She looked back when Red pulled up a video on her scroll and showed her, making her eyes widen. It was her helping Walker with some paperwork and gesturing towards her head. He just rubbed between her ears for a few seconds before returning back to work while she just smiled proudly. It was something he only did to them, anyone else he simply kept his distance and gave them a thumbs up or a simple pat on the shoulder.
"This will do nicely." Red nodded calmly.
"Delete that." Blake said.
"No, you have so much dirt on me. I at least deserve something." Red shook her head.
"No-" Blake stopped when she realized that the other girl was right. She had dozens of pictures and a few videos, so it was only fair.
"Exactly. Now the dirt on both Jaune and Walker." Red said.
"Oh?" Blake raised an eyebrow before sitting up. Red nodded and scrolled through her gallery, playing videos of Jaune falling over. Another video showed Walker with his face in the ground after not reading the wet floor sign set up. Yet another video was of the two of them passed out with Walker on the couch and Jaune lying horizontally on the chair.
They continued to cycle through the videos and laughed at each one before noticing two glowing lights in the scroll reflection then froze. A sudden feeling of dread engulfed their bodies and two hands gripped their heads, barely squeezing but holding them firm.
"Having fun?" Walker asked evenly.
"Y-Yes, sir." They gulped.
"I'm glad." He shook their heads side to side before gesturing for the scroll. It was given to him shakily and he took it before going back to his bedroom, leaving the other two in the quiet living room.
Another month had passed by and they had just entered a new year. The month of January seemed more cold than usual; food was more scarce and it forced people to have meals cut to three rations a day. People couldn't eat as much as they used to and it upset them, but with the Locust hitting a settlement entirely dedicated to food, they had no choice.
The Gears, despite having more than enough, had also cut back to provide for those in the city. Containers of food, clean water, and medical supplies would arrive in bulks and evenly distributed among the thousands of refugees. With the help of some of the others, they established a somewhat stable system within the safe zone as far as supplies went. They had recently killed a bandit group who had been stealing supplies from both his transport and the outer settlements.
While they were people that were trying to survive, there was no need to horde it all to themselves while others suffered. Two settlements died from illnesses and starvation because of a greedy group of bandits managed to intercept the convoy and take it for themselves. It took a week to find it, but that solidified the decision to place cameras and tracking devices on it.
He sat in his seat at the conference room with the others. This time, Ozpin and the council were on the call and he just sighed a bit. At least the council was cooperating and decided to not have their heads shoved so far up their asses.
"Doctor Theresa? What are you doing there?" One of the councilmen asked.
"I'm cooperating, but that's not why we're here." She answered politely.
"I think it's important. It's not common for a pharmaceutical company owner to be aligned with a private military corporation." Ozpin chimed in.
"What I do and who I associate myself with are none of your concern, Headmaster." She said evenly, shuffling in her seat to get a bit more comfortable.
"We're not here to discuss personal allegiances, the status of the war is what we're most concerned about." Walker interrupted, cutting to the chase.
"Ah, yes. We'd like to thank you for assisting us in getting started with the establishment with our military." Douglass stated.
"It's not a problem. However, I take it that our deal isn't going to end anytime soon?" Walker asked.
"What deal?" Glynda perked up and looked at the screen in slight alarm.
"Both the Gears and the BSS will spearhead any operation regarding the Locusts and provide relief effort. With the establishment of our new military, we have unfortunately had to make some cuts regarding funding to the academies." Douglass started.
"How much funding? We still need to provide for the students here." Glynda said.
"Fifteen percent." He answered, making her clench her fists a bit before nodding reluctantly.
"With all due respect, councilman, Huntsmen and Huntresses need all the resources they can get. How else are we supposed to deal with the Grimm?" Ozpin asked.
"With what is given to you. As much as I regret to say it, the time for Huntsmen and Huntresses is coming to an end. We face a threat that is more cunning than Grimm, but is just as dangerous, if not more." A councilwoman said.
"Then let us learn how to deal with them. The students have been learning within these last several months." He said.
"Don't lie to them." Walker said, making everyone look towards him. He leaned forward a bit and stared at the screen on the TV, making sure their attention was on him.
"They have." Ozpin said.
"Then explain to me why some of them still couldn't figure out what a standard Drone looked like. That wearing nothing but their shirts, and even a lack of a shirt, was alright when dealing with them." Walker said.
"They are their own individuals, it's best not to try and limit that." Ozpin said.
"There's nothing wrong with being their own individuals, but you need unity now more than ever. You're sending your students out there with no form of protection and still hold onto the same delusion that aura will protect them. One of these days, they're going to pay the price and I refuse to take blame for their deaths." Walker explained.
"We understand, we'll do a better job of educating them and preparing them." Glynda cut in, keeping any more of their relationships to strain.
"I think it would be best if we have several evacuation plans on standby." Blake chimed in.
"Such as?" A councilwoman asked.
"From what we know, the Locusts are burrowers and can emerge at any time. Beacon sits on a large formation that is tough to dig through and should provide defensive position in case-" She stopped when Ozpin tensed up.
"Absolutely not." Ozpin interrupted.
"Let Ms. Belladonna finish, Headmaster." A councilman said evenly before gesturing for her to continue with his hand.
"Thank you. As I was saying... Beacon is not a safe haven, but it should provide a good position to fall back to in case the Locusts emerge and we can't defend the safe zone." She finished.
"The BSS will provide humanitarian aid as well as combat support alongside the Gears." The BSS leader said, crossing his arms and leaning back.
"That begs the question, who is willing to aid the Vale Defense Force and what is their position?" Douglass asked.
"The VDF should work closely with the academy students and veterans, dealing with the Grimm. Tighten security around the walls for the Grimm that come knocking on the door, because the last thing we need is a three way war between the Locusts, the Grimm, and us." Walker said.
"We understand. Preparations will be made in the meantime." Douglass nodded.
"Before we leave... has anyone been able to contact Atlas?" Walker asked. It went silent and they all looked at one another before shaking their heads, making him sigh under his breath and nod. The kingdom had been silent for the last several months and he was beginning not to care about it, more Atlas than Mantle.
The meeting went on for another half an hour before the screen turned off and left the occupants in the room to themselves. It was quiet and nobody wanted to say anything surprisingly. Ozpin's somewhat bitter stubbornness drew some suspicion from all parties, the only difference was that the council didn't seem to pick up on it, but everyone present in the room could. The higher ranking Gears knew something was up, but couldn't put their finger on it.
"He's hiding something." Michael stated finally.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that." Theresa said.
"What I want to know is why he's so against having a military force in Vale." Jaune mentioned.
"Probably because he can't control it like he does with his little Hunters." Brock said. It was uncommon for him and Simon to attend meetings since they weren't interested in politics, but they decided to stop by surprisingly.
"Explain." Walker said.
"Think about it. When something terrible happens who do Huntsmen and Huntresses answer to whenever a disaster strikes?" Brock asked.
"Ozpin." They all muttered.
"He knows that he can't control things with the military like how he does with the Huntsmen and Huntresses." Simon added.
"There's also the fact that he's not able to keep information under lock and key like he's been doing in the past. If people want information, then they'll get it one way or another." Brock said.
"Makes sense." Walker nodded.
"So what are we going to do about Atlas? These drones are starting to become a problem." Blake said as she tossed a destroyed drone on the table. Its tracking device was ripped from it and tossed about a hundred miles from their current location.
"I'll figure it out. What'd you find?" He asked.
"Reports are saying Atlas is working on a missile called the Heaven's Spear." She said, putting schematic up on the screen for them to see. It was a massive missile that had smaller pieces attached to its side. They all saw screenshots of countless Atlas personnel working on it, dwarfing even the tallest staff member by leagues.
"That's a big missile." Jaune commented.
"That's a weapon of mass destruction." Brock corrected.
"You know about this?" Walker asked.
"That bomb me and my brother created back then? It was a prototype for this. Those little pieces on the sides are cluster missiles, meant to detach when it reached a certain height and maximize the blast radius. I knew there was talk about it, but didn't think they'd actually go through with it. WMD's are considered a threat to all life." Brock explained.
"You think this is why Atlas has been seizing all the Dust?" Theresa asked.
"Maybe. I'm more or less curious as to who they intend to use it for." Walker said.
"Can't say for certain. That's just one of them though, there's another one in a secret facility somewhere else." Blake informed, making them all stop.
"See what else you can find out about this." He said.
"I'll see what I can do." She nodded.
"What do you intend to do with it?" Brock asked.
"Either destroy it or use it against the Locusts." Walker answered.
"You don't think they would figure out how to use it, right?" Simon asked.
"I wouldn't put it past them. If they're smart enough to hijack vehicles then it wouldn't take them long to figure out how to launch that missile." Walker explained.
"I'll start seeing about defensive countermeasures." Michael said.
"You do that. In the meantime, get some rest. We're deploying the Resonator next week." Walker told them. They all nodded and left the room leaving him alone to think about some things. He knew that it was wrong to be spying on Atlas, but the last thing he needed was for the the kingdom to blindside them all, especially with the Locusts and Grimm knocking on their doorstep.
However, he wouldn't put it past them if they decided to attack the Gears. Conflict was what humanity was known for, and he doesn't think there's been a single time they haven't killed one another over something so trivial. He had over three thousand people to take care of and he'd be damned if they were harmed under his eye.
Nothing new, just an update. Let's get into the reviews.
bass30655: Yes.
DOOMRAIDER: Precisely.
saitama1155: Up to some bullshit.
Janny092: Good insight about what the base would be like.
Taliats: Damn dude... I was actually playing Arknights. Well... there goes the joy of experiencing the story for the first time. It's all good though.
IX404: Thank you, hope you continue well with your work as well.
Mark The Gamer of Grima: No promises.
Laplase: Haven't decided yet. Yeah, I mean, even in scenarios like this people will still have kids. Whether out of desperation to continue as a species or not, it depends.
Jack Huynh: Can't say for certain. I don't really do the whole chapter counting thing before something big happens. It messes with me and it's better for me to just let the story flow naturally rather than rush everything.
whatsupman: Black Steel Saviors, basically combining the two companies. Plus, it was better to call them the BSS rather than the BS.
Guest: Pretty much.
SchattenSoldat08: Who knows, this is Gears of War after all.
Ferno16: Patience.
Helljumper206: They will in time.
Austin: Yeah, he really screwed the pooch. To be honest, I don't know how I'd deal with the Grimm. Like, they're a threat and all but they're just so... I don't know. The more I look into RWBY, the more I feel the spark die. I'm not saying I could come up with an entire universe but... I don't know anymore. I think after it's all said and done, I might just call it quits and move on. If I'm being completely honest, I look at the fucking scenery more than I pay attention to the story itself.
JHcola: No... I don't think I will.
Zakuzilla: Nice.
Nice-Spize: I mean, if she hasn't changed in the past eight years since the show first aired then I doubt she will in this.
Guest: You bring up a good point about some things. From Roman, to Sun, and even the White Fang.
Don't have much to say.
Bye.