Walker watched the newer recruits train with his arms crossed. He paced back and forth as they did their exercises and learned the basics of being a Gear. From that point on, they'd be separated into their advanced training and gather experience once they were ready. Some joined because they felt it was their duty to serve and fight the Locust, others did it for either money or to better their situation, and some even did it to find a purpose in their lives.

"What concepts will your practice?" He asked them.

"Order, Diligence, Purity, Labor, Honor, Loyalty, Faith, and Humility." They answered.

"Why Do I teach these things?" He asked and looked at them, seeing that none of them had faltered yet.

"So we will never forget them and merge it with our lives." They answered.

"Why do you serve underneath me?" He asked.

"To protect our home and people." They answered. The chorus of voices stood firm and never faltered as they continued to recite these teachings as they trained.

"What will you do if there is a threat to our home and people?" He asked.

"Destroy them!" They all shouted in unison. The confidence in their voices could be heard from afar and he continued to pace back and forth.

"What concepts will you practice?" He asked them again, but a little louder this time. They responded with the answer and got louder as well. For the next hour, they continued this before heading to the firing range. He left them to finish their exercises and they would do their daily duties before going on with their day.

A message appeared on his C-Droid and he looked at it before noticing it was updates about Pyrrha, claiming that she didn't seem to have ulterior motives but he didn't trust her one bit. He sent a message back telling them to keep a close eye on her throughout her stay. After sending it, he put the device away and started to head back to the Command Platform for another meeting.

He stopped when he saw Pyrrha taking pictures around the base, of the different facilities and the platforms. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he saw the different scouts looking at her from different angles and kept out of sight when she looked in that direction. He watched as she hid her scroll when Jaune approached her with some snacks and stashed it away when he handed some to her.

Walker just shook his head before walking towards the R&D building. He walked through the doors after walking for several minutes and immediately greeted by one of the staff members. The halls were pristine and not a trace of dirt could be seen on the floors. It smelled clean and he guessed that someone just cleaned the floors. A part of him felt a little bad about dirtying up the floors, but he recently received a message from Michael about another piece of technology.

He took several twists and turns through the halls and eventually came across a large door, opening it and seeing a small crowd. They all turned to see him enter the room and he raised an eyebrow underneath his helmet. There was a target at the end of the room and he knew it was a weapon they wanted him to test, even Brock and Simon were there.

"Ah, we were just talking about you." Michael said.

"Okay?" Walker asked.

"We've been working on a project that would assist you and a few others." Michael said as he showed Walker a small device that attached to the back of a piece of armor. Thin cords connected it to the left wrist and he rubbed his hand alongside the armor.

"What does it do?" Walker asked as he looked at the armor then at them.

"This." Michael said as he hit a few commands on a tablet and Walker watched as the suit was rendered nearly invisible. To say that he was impressed was an understatement of the century, and he nodded in approval.

"Well how about that." Walker clicked his tongue.

"We're still working out some of the kinks." Simon said as the suit returned to its normal state of visibility.

"What kind of kinks are we talking about?" Walker asked.

"It only works when moving slowly or remaining stationary. Crouching is advised for the most part, it only covers clothing and not your actual skin, and it usually requires a small charge pack to keep it running for extended periods of time." Simon answered.

"What about if you're hanging onto something?" Walker asked.

"It's another one of the kinks we've encountered." Michael said.

"Anything else?" Walker asked as he continued to circle the armor set and brush his hand over it. He saw that the actual suit part clung to the wearer's body and mirrored the anatomy of a motor system and muscle tissue, but it was fused in with the COG armor as well to provide protection. Pouches and sheaths were seen alongside the thighs and forearms.

"Noise dampening soles to reduce the sound of footsteps and we're working on making it more resistant to heat, water, and shock as well. We've already managed to work out the issue in maintaining the core body temperature." Michael said.

"Is this the only one?" Walker asked.

"No, we have another male armor set and two female ones. Take a guess as to who they belong to." Brock said as he crossed his arms.

"I already know. So far, I'm impressed. Good work." Walker complimented as he gave the suit one last pat before bidding them farewell. He did tell them to be creative as possible, but some restrictions were put into place. There wasn't anything wrong with creating tools for either the people or towards the war effort, but supplies were to last as long as possible.

His scroll buzzed and he saw it was from the Scarlatina family, making him feel better about his day. Talking to them was always enjoyable and it was always nice to see how they were doing. He kept pictures of them in his office and in his wallet. The same applied for Dead-Echo and his current team. Those people were who he held closest and would do anything to ensure their safety.

He sat on a nearby bench and simply talked to them for the next half an hour before hanging up when they had something to do. Enjoying the small sense of security was what he wanted to have, it's another reason he had set up a base over in Menagerie. People were still moving over there and contributing in some way shape or form. They knew that it was either that or be stuck at Beacon.

His electronic cigar was brought up to his lips and he flicked the holographic lighter on, sighing when a group of people approached him. He was starting to think people didn't want him to enjoy some things and put both items away. The group were the ones from the slaughterhouse raid and they came to thank him for saving them and giving them another chance at life.

He still wasn't too used to people thanking him for saving them. Back on Sera, people would often regard him with contempt despite him trying to help them live another day. The people he swore to help would often try to screw him or his team over and he grew a little jaded. By the time the Locust War was over, he didn't really care too much about what people thought, so long as they didn't try to kill him.

To hear people pledging loyalty to him and treating him like he was a savior was embarrassing. All he did was thank them before they left shortly after and he was left alone once again. Now, he didn't even feel like smoking his cigar and simply stood up before heading to his truck. He climbed inside and looked over his shoulder as he put it in reverse and backed up.

Music filled the vehicle as he turned the radio on and listened to it, resting his head in his left hand as he drove to the Command Platform. His device buzzed and he looked to see it was Jaune calling. He answered it and put the scroll up to the side of his head, wincing when a loud noise on the other end blared loudly.

"Sorry." Jaune apologized and the sound of him adjusting something could be heard.

"What's up?" Walker asked and ignored the sound as well as the apology.

"Hey, my family really wants to meet up with you. They said that it can't wait any longer." Jaune said.

"That's too bad." Walker responded evenly.

"Come on, man. I don't want to deal with them either, but they're insistent about it." Jaune said.

"..." Walker just stayed silent and mulled over his thoughts for a second before sighing audibly. As much as he didn't want to meet with Jaune's family, he was postponing an inevitable encounter.

"You there?" Jaune asked.

"Fine... where are you?" Walker asked.

"At the residential district. Pyrrha's with me too and she's talking with my family right now." Jaune answered.

"Which district?" Walker asked.

"District 4." Jaune answered.

"Alright, I'll be there in a bit." Walker sighed and hung up. He let a small curse slip from his lips as he pulled into the Command Platform before spinning around and driving across the bridge again. Due to the increasing numbers, the residential platforms had to be divided into districts for better organization. Nearly every apartment was the same and was kept clean due to the bots, but there were some people that felt they deserved more.

Like the Arc family, who wanted bigger spacing but didn't use half of it. He didn't care if they wanted more and until he could get more platforms to build upon, they were stuck dealing with the space they had. He didn't even know why they were complaining because the apartments looked nice in his opinion. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large living room connected to the kitchen.

Hell, some people were actually in awe at the state of the apartment and could compare it to a luxury one. Walker didn't like luxury and he would keep it that way for the rest of his time on Remnant. After he left, they could do whatever they wanted so long as they didn't screw the common man over.

He perked up when Red was seen walking on the bridge and he stopped before rolling the window down. She didn't seem to be having a good day but her face did brighten up a bit when she saw him driving.

"You alright?" He asked.

"No." She said as she climbed in the passenger seat.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he took off after she put her seatbelt on.

"I'm not feeling too good." She mumbled out and closed her eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Stomach ache, nausea, headache, and I'm tired." She listed lazily and he finally noticed the bag of medicine near her feet. He just glanced at her before picking up his scroll and calling Jaune, updating him that something came up before hanging up shortly after.

"My apartment or yours?" He asked.

"Yours." She answered and he nodded before mentally chiding himself for thinking otherwise. Red always slept in his apartment, and the only time she really slept in her own was when she was in one of her moods and didn't fell like talking to anyone or was mad at him. His apartment always felt just right in her eyes and he didn't really have a problem with her staying there.

As long as she cleaned up after herself when she made a mess.

It didn't take long to reach the platform and he helped her out of her seat. She clung to his back and buried her face into the back of his shoulder before falling asleep as he carried her inside the building. He didn't have much trouble carrying her; with the amount of people he's carried to safety and him constantly working out, she was quite light in his opinion.

After a few minutes of walking and taking the elevator up, he arrived at his apartment and unlocked the door. He put her down in his bed after giving her some medicine and covered her in his blankets, closing the shades and turning off the light. The door shut with a soft click and he sat down on the couch before pulling the laptop onto his lap and doing some work.

He just let his thoughts wander around a bit as he mindlessly did some work.

Red woke up the next morning and yawned before rolling around in the sheets. Her hair covered her face and she sighed a bit when a bit of the sun peeked through the blinds and into her face. She heard the sound of a birds chirping surprisingly and sat up, stretching a bit before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Her back popped a bit as she stretched some more and sighed in relief.

It was hard to tell what time it was, but it must have been early in the morning because the birds were singing. Back when she roamed around the wild, that was her way of telling it was morning. A pleasant smell masked the air and she quietly opened up the door then peeked outside. The smell got stronger and she heard the sound of cooking along with some talking.

She yawned and stepped into the kitchen to see Walker cooking while Blake and Jaune sat at the table eating their food. They looked at her then at Walker, then back at her and blinked in surprise. All she did was blink tiredly at them before standing next to Walker as he continued to cook some eggs. The farms were massive so they could afford to have things like these for now.

"So uh... you two are sleeping together?" Jaune asked.

"No." Walker answered as he continued to cook.

"No." Red shook her head and stood next to him, staring at the eggs and the plate of bacon on the side.

"Are you sure?" Jaune wiggled his eyebrows. The two of them looked like something with how relaxed their clothing was.

"Jaune, you're probably sleeping with Nikos. I don't want to hear it." Walker drawled and the blonde shut up instantly. Blake choked on her drink and spit some of it out before wiping her lips and looking at him.

"Details." She merely said.

"S-Shut up! I'm not!" Jaune looked at them.

"Jaune's stupid ass brought her to his apartment and I can only assume what happened next." Walker explained evenly. Whether they were or weren't it wasn't any of his business and Jaune was a man too.

"Shut up!" Jaune cried out and covered his face.

"Why did you think we were even sleeping together in the first place?" Red asked him tiredly.

"You're wearing his shirt." He pointed at her. She just looked down and saw that she was wearing one of Walker's shirts before shrugging.

"I mean, I wear his shirts sometimes. Doesn't mean we're sleeping together." Blake chimed in.

"Do you two just raid my closet?" Walker asked and looked at the two of them.

"Sometimes." They answered truthfully and he gave them a deadpan expression from behind his helmet before shaking his head. He knew something was up when he started to notice his shirts kept disappearing.

"Stop doing that." He said.

"Come on, we're best friends." Blake tapped her cheek lightly.

"Best friends don't steal each other's clothes. You don't see me stealing your clothes." He responded.

"They'd look too big on you, fatty." She jabbed at him with her fork.

"The audacity..." He muttered and shook his head.

"If it makes you feel better, your shirts are good sleepwear." She offered.

"Can I have them back?" He sighed and looked at her and Red tiredly.

"Why?" Red asked.

"What do you mean? They're mine!" He whipped his head and exclaimed. She just shrugged and he sighed before finishing the eggs and putting them on a plate with the bacon. Some toast was served on the side and he handed the plate to her before starting his own meal. It was quiet as he cooked his meal and they ate theirs. More often than not, they brought some of their own ingredients and helped him cook.

"Hey, Walker." Blake called out.

"Hmm." He hummed in acknowledgement.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" She asked.

"My grandpa and myself." He answered. It went quiet for several seconds and he ignored the feeling that was being radiated from the atmosphere.

"Not your mother?" She asked.

"No. Mom was too busy with work." He answered. His mom cooked for him, like any loving mother would, but there were times where he had to cook for her and Ajay when work nights were long. Those nights when she was slumped over her desk with paperwork next to her and her computer screen having gone dark long ago.

"What about your dad?" Jaune asked.

"Dad was too busy as well." Walker said as he finished cooking his food and sat down with them. They watched as he took his helmet off and set it down before digging into his food.

"You don't talk about your family too much." Red said.

"No reason too." He responded evenly.

"You're not even worried about them at least a little bit-" Jaune started.

"They're gone." Walker interrupted. None of them said anything at the way he said that. He sounded more tired than anything, like it was an effort to say that his parents were gone. Maybe that was why he never talked about them. None of them asked and he probably still wasn't over their deaths.

"We're sorry." Blake apologized.

"It's fine. They died a while ago, so I've come to terms with it." He shrugged and it went quiet again. It's been years since his parents died and he wondered what they would think about him now. Creating an entire faction based off the COG, but running it differently. Would they be proud of him? He didn't know and it bothered him sometimes.

"So what's on todays agenda?" She changed the subject. The atmosphere was growing too tense for her liking and she didn't want him to be in an upset mood for the rest of the day.

"I don't know." He answered.

"Not going into work?" Red asked.

"No. I'm tired and there's nothing to do anyways." He shook his head.

"You still want to meet my family?" Jaune asked.

"No." Walker answered.

"Come on, man. They won't stop bugging me." Jaune pleaded. All Walker did was just roll his eyes and continue to eat his food before they put the dishes in the dishwasher. Meeting with the rest of the Arcs was something he wanted to avoid, but the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could get back to doing his job.

"What do they want?" Walker asked.

"Mainly about space. They said it's too cramped for their tastes." Jaune answered.

"Not my problem. I gave each of them enough space to live comfortably." Walker said.

"What do I tell them?" Jaune asked.

"Nothing, because I'm going to talk to them since you can't tell them." Walker said as he leaned in his seat.

"Actually... Red and I are going to go shopping later." Blake said.

"Then why did you ask?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No idea. Just trying to start up a conversation." She shrugged.

"You two are something else." He shook his head and stretched in his seat.

"Anyways, we'll see you two later. You want anything?" Red asked as she stood up.

"No." Jaune shook his head.

"My clothes." Walker answered.

"Too bad." She shook her head while holding a small smirk. Her and Blake laughed a bit at his dismay before leaving the apartment. It was quiet for several seconds before Jaune looked at his scroll and saw a few messages. He bid Walker a farewell as well before leaving the apartment.

The sound of the faint clicking of the clock and the fridge running were the only sounds in the otherwise quiet apartment. It was somewhat relaxing in some ways and for once, he didn't feel like working or doing anything related to the management of their home. Maybe he'd use this time to tinker with some things or read a good book. There was so much to do, but the only thing that was on his mind was work or the war.

He really needed a hobby...

Walker perked up when he heard the sound of distant popping and looked out of his office window to see fireworks in the night sky. He just grumbled a bit and shook his head before continuing with his work. He had forgotten that there was supposed to be a small celebration over their first actual victory against the Locust. It must have been something he had approved haphazardly and didn't pay too much thought into it.

His office door opened and Blake, Red, and Jaune stepped inside. They looked at one another before looking at him and shaking their heads. Despite them finally being able to relax and recuperate a bit, he was still working himself to death as usual.

He barely got a word out before he suddenly found himself being dragged by the back of his collar. All he could do was sigh in exasperation and simply let himself be dragged around like a sack of potatoes. While he appreciated them trying to get him to relax and enjoy what little down time they had, but he wished they would take the war as serious as he did.

"I'm driving." Jaune said as he started to get into the driver's seat.

"Fuck you, I'm driving." Walker said and shoved the blonde out of the way before climbing in the driver's seat.

"Why do you always drive?" Jaune asked.

"It's mine." Walker responded and started the vehicle up. He put his head in his left hand and music was turned on, creating a calm atmosphere for them to relax a bit. For the next several minutes they drove they along the bridge and through the various platforms before eventually getting to the desired platform. The door was locked as they got out of the vehicle and he followed them.

He just followed them for the next couple of minutes, seeing the countless people chatting with one another. They all were waiting for the show to actually begin and the small demonstration was just to grab their attention. A stage was further down and he actually wondered when they built that because he's never seen it before. He supposed it was alright for rare occasions like this, so he'd let it slide this time.

Michael and his daughter were seen a bit further away and the two spotted the four of them, carefully weaving their way through the crowd and towards them. Both of them were in causal clothing for once and were here to simply enjoy the night.

"I'm surprised you're even out here." Michael said.

"I was in my office working." Walker said.

"You're worse than I am." Michael sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Can't afford to take a break." Walker shrugged and looked up when another firework went off.

"Not even for a night like tonight?" Michael asked.

"Nope-" Walker started.

"He can, he's just being stubborn." Blake put her hand where she assumed his mouth was. It did nothing to stop him from saying anything, but it got the point across well enough.

"No, I'm not." He looked at her.

"Shush." She shushed him quickly and he rolled his eyes underneath his helmet. The six of them broke off into an easy conversation, talking about different things while looking at the sky when a firework or two went off. Each one that went off would illuminate the sky in different hues of bright colors. Theresa soon joined them all and stood close to Michael and Abigail, holding a bag that contained muffins for the two.

"Commander!" A familiar voice called out to Walker and he turned to see Jessica weaving her way through the crowd. She apologized when she bumped into someone and she eventually made her way to them all.

"I thought you would have been asleep now?" Blake asked.

"Well, everyone was talking about some firework show and I wanted to see what the big fuss was about." Jessica replied.

"It's just a light show." Walker said.

"It's more than that, you big grump." Blake poked his helmet a few times. He just grunted and crossed his arms as he waited for the show to start. There's only been one instance where he's seen fireworks and it was when Dead-Echo used it as a distraction. Other than that, he's never really seen fireworks for what they were worth. He viewed them as a waste of resources a majority of the time.

"Did you bring muffins for everyone?" He asked Theresa, she just stopped and looked at him before looking in the back and shaking her head.

"No." She answered with a few crumbs on her lips.

"Oh, so it's only for Michael and Abigail, huh?" He asked.

"Pretty much." She answered.

"Don't you own the bakery?" Abigail raised her eyebrow.

"I do." He answered.

"So why don't you just go in there and just tell them to give you some?" She asked.

"Wouldn't be very kind of me to just abuse my position. I'm a person like everyone else. Paying for things like that don't bother me too much." He answered. That was what made people flock to him sometimes; he was willing to relate to the common man to avoid a trap of hubris. It gave him a different perspective other than his own and helped him understand people better.

"I guess I better start paying back then." Jaune muttered.

"You haven't been paying?" Walker shot him a look.

"They just give me stuff and I kind of just... take it." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Jaune!" Blake looked at him as well.

"I say thank you!" He defended himself.

"That doesn't make it any better." Red chimed in.

"How much do you owe?" Walker asked.

"I think a thousand lien." Jaune answered.

"That's coming out of your next paycheck." Walker said evenly and kept looking at the stage.

"How am I supposed to buy Pyrrha gifts?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know and don't really care." Walker responded.

"Can I just pay you back if you take care of my debt?" Jaune asked.

"Hell no! Learn some damn financial responsibility." Walker exclaimed and smacked Jaune on the back of the head. The hit itself wasn't hard at all, but the others did see that it was meant to scold the blonde. Both of them had a brotherly bond and Jaune considered Walker his older brother at times.

"It's starting!" Jessica pointed and they all looked to see the people on the stage begin to light the fireworks. They looked up when the first few went off and exploded in the sky, making people cheer a bit at the sight. Another few went off and gave the night sky color momentarily. It was nice and people started to pull out their scrolls to record for the future.

Walker just kept his arms crossed as he continued to stare at the show, finding every firework that cracked in the sky somewhat appealing to see. The others just pointed at some and smiled brightly when they saw one that gave them a sudden boost of happiness. It was nice and for yet another moment, they forgot they were at war and simply wanted to enjoy the peace that was given to them currently.

When he looked at the people around him, he saw all the faces that didn't hold any worries. He saw people that cherished this little moment and would love to experience it some more in the future. His gaze went to Blake, Red, Jaune, and several of his Gears. They had fought so hard alongside him and he realized that they probably needed it more than him. Each one of them deserved all the pleasant moments after all the death and destruction they witnessed.

It was at this moment did he truly feel a small sense of peace and he had to admit that it felt nice. People that got to live another day and continue to survive was what he had joined the COG for against the Locust. These were his people and he'd go to the ends of the world for them, so long as they did right by one another and not screw it all up. Although, he knew they'd make mistakes like anybody else.

"You alright?" Blake asked as she saw him staring up at the sky quietly.

"I'm alright... just enjoying the show." He glanced at her and gave a small thumbs up.

"Here's to hoping we get more moments like these." Red said and he gave her shoulder a pat in agreement before crossing his arms again. More fireworks illuminated the sky and people cheered at it, feeling their souls be filled with happiness despite the darkness that lurked around.

People murmured when they saw a rather large firework be brought out and he simply tilted his head in confusion. The fuse was lit and the people who did it quickly backed away, getting to a safe distance before joining the others. Sparks hit the ground and the large firework soared in the sky like a rocket. There was a small delay before it suddenly exploded with a loud bang.

Everyone collectively cheered in amazement when they saw the firework in all of its glory and even Walker had to admit that it was impressive.

It was a giant cog with saw blades on the edge, it was grey in color and inside the cog was Walker's golden helmet. They helmet lights glowed blue and after almost fifteen seconds, it started to die down and slowly descend. The cheering of the people made some of their spirits raise and he closed his eyes before smiling a bit. Good times, and he'd do his best to keep having good times like these. It was the only thing he could do at the moment.

Keep fighting to live another day.