It was silent in the Metal Throne as multiple people stared at the four bodies wrapped in soft, brown cloths. The moment they heard the news of the Scarlatinas' deaths, it was like a incision in the hearts of the Gears. Nearly everyone knew of the family; of the deeds they did and how much they shaped the Gears as a whole. Richard had taught dozens of people his little tips and tricks, giving experience to them and many more. Katrina had worked as a florist and would often grow flowers for people. Velvet worked as a photographer and had delivered countless photos that many had in their homes. Ian, although still a child, had friends that were wondering where he was at.
After Walker had recovered, the life support tank was stashed away somewhere and a small open area was all that was left on top of the stairs in the altar. A few of the people had tried to coax Walker into allowing the four to be cremated by standard procedure but all it took was one look from him for them to back off. They didn't realize who it was at the time and quickly made the necessary arrangements when they found out.
The four bodies lied still on separate wooden platforms and a couple of candles surrounded them along with flowers placed on each of the bodies. Dozens of people, maybe even a hundred or more had decided to pay their respects to the deceased family. At the very top of the stairs was Walker and the other three, dressed in full dress uniforms. It was dark grey in color and everyone that was part of the military had their stripes and medals adorning their torsos.
Amiya was in Blake's arms with a little black dress on. She was very quiet and seemed to sense that something wasn't right, but made no noise. Blake adjusted her while staring at the four wrapped up bodies in sadness. Jaune and Red had the same expressions and the silence continued to plague them all.
It was broken when one of the attendants sat nearby and began to spin the crank of an instrument. An odd instrument but Walker wasn't willing to dwell on it too much. He knew the Scarlatinas' loved the thing and decided to have it played for them one last time.
The music sounded a little crude at the start but it eventually started to shift into a softer mixture of sounds and a few others joined in. After a few seconds, they synchronized and Walker stepped forward. Everyone watched him as he made his way up to the tables and put his hand on one of them, closing his eyes and letting out a slow exhale.
His arms slid underneath Richard's body and picked him up, carrying him into a casket and setting him down carefully. He went back and did the same with Katrina, carefully lowering her body in the casket next to Richard's. Carrying Ian's small body hurt him on another level and he momentarily stopped before steeling himself and walking over to the third casket. He lowered the small boy's body inside and gave his chest a few pats before standing up straight.
He stopped when he got to Velvet's body and he leaned down a bit and exhaled slowly.
"I should have been there for you all in your time of need. I'm sorry..." He whispered and grunted as he gently lifted her limp body and carried her to her casket. It was gently lowered and he backed up, looking at them and then at the others present.
The lids of the caskets were slid over and multiple Skull-Drones hovered near the sides of them. Each one grabbed a handle and lifted the caskets, floating down the stairs in a single file line. He followed closely behind with the others while the people in the seats looked sadly at the caskets. The music only made the atmosphere more depressing but to some it was a final goodbye.
Walker stepped outside and looked up at the cloudy sky, droplets of rain falling down onto everyone that slowly exited the building. Small puddles on the metal platform of the Metal Throne could be seen and it was oddly pleasing as it was depressing. His suit got wet but he didn't care, all he did was watch as the caskets were slowly, and carefully, put inside two vehicles so they could be cremated.
Blake stepped out with an umbrella over her head and adjusted Amiya in her arm while Red stood next to them. Jaune stood next to Walker in silence and he stared at the final casket being slid into the vehicle.
"Menagerie next?" He asked.
"..." Walker just stared and continued to let the rain soak him. The silence was slightly overwhelming but none of them tried to break it. An umbrella was slid over his head and he turned to his right to see Red holding it; she just allowed the rain to get her head wet and he nodded once before guiding it back towards over her head.
Both her and Blake stepped close to him, covering the three of them and Jaune slid up next to them. The four of them were underneath the two umbrellas and just looked at the vehicles, glancing at Walker when he made a gesture that allowed the vehicles to take off. None of them knew what to say to him, but they felt that they didn't need to say anything at the moment.
He was hurt, that much was obvious, and it didn't help that he found out that more Gears had died as well. Everyone that had died in that attack hit him all at once and the guilt and depression came hand in hand.
Amiya rubbed her eyes and Blake shushed her when she started to whine a bit, bouncing up and down before swaying side to side. It helped a little bit, but not by much and they all knew she was tired and probably hungry. If there was anybody who was considered lucky in a sense, it was her. She was too young to know what happened but Walker knew he'd have to tell her one day.
The rain continued to come down and Walker saw people start to exit the building slowly, sticking in groups and some offering their condolences. Michael and Theresa had attended, along with Abigail following the two. Brock and Simon had come as well, with the former in a suit surprisingly. They all crowded around Walker and gave him a sympathetic look, but all it did was make him feel like shit.
"Walker-" Michael started, only to stop when Walker tugged his arm away and started to make his way towards the Memorial platform. They wanted to desperately follow him, just allow him to let them in for once but knew that he needed some time alone. When Blake and Red tried to start following him, the brothers stopped them and shook their heads.
"The kid needs some time alone. He's hurt and grief can do things to a person." Brock said, his gruff voice uncharacteristically soft for once.
"But-" Blake looked at him then looked at Walker's retreating figure, giving a worried glance when it was clear that he didn't care if he got soaked at all and that he'd get sick from this.
To say that he was hurt was an understatement. Devastated was a more appropriate term because everyone knew he considered the Scarlatinas family at this point. He wasn't pushing them away because he was angry about what happened in Atlas, he was doing it because this was the only way of coping he knew. The same thing happened when his best friend died from the horrid torture he endured by the Locust on Sera, to his dad's tragic death from Rustlung, to seeing his mom turn to ash in front of his eyes.
Walker never really had a therapist on Sera since the people who were educated in the matter were scarce. He only talked to Kelly when he was absolutely forced to, since she was the only one with a medical degree and constantly documented everyone's mental state, but he mainly kept his troubles to himself. It was an extremely unhealthy habit that ran in his family. No one on his dad's side liked to talk and they constantly kept everything bottled in. It was one of the longest stages to accepting what had happened.
He really did miss everyone on Sera now and he wanted to go back now more than ever. In this moment of weakness, he wanted to leave this planet and let them deal with the war themselves to go back home. He wanted to see his grandfather and little brother again, to see everyone on Dead-Echo.
He should've never snooped around.
The heat from the bodies being cremated slowly died down and Walker watched as the ashes were deposited into four separate urns. He watched as the caps were put on and each one was neatly organized in a case. The lid to the case was closed and he took it before carrying it out of the room and setting it on the front desk. Even though the receptionist said he didn't have to pay, he still did it anyways.
He left without a single word and walked out of the building, stopping at the entrance and spotting a vehicle. The window rolled down and Jaune gave him a sad nod before rolling the window back up and unlocking the doors. Walker went around to the back passenger seat and opened the door, he stopped when he saw a car seat and then remembered that this was his vehicle.
Back when Amiya was first born, he had a car seat put inside when he went out to buy her clothes. When the others were still alive and he shook his head before putting the crate on the floor and shutting the door roughly. He climbed in the passenger seat before slamming the door shut after he got inside. A curt gesture was thrown up and he felt the vehicle take off.
Neither of them said anything and the only sound that was heard was the windshield wipers against the glass, pushing the rain to the side to allow Jaune to see clearly. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Walker just stared out into the horizon, seeing nothing but the ocean and a few platforms in the distance. Another platform was currently being constructed and Atlas had begrudgingly given a hefty amount of funds and materials for keeping the kingdom from falling.
The kingdom was still trying to merge the Gears into their own military, but Walker knew it wasn't Ironwoods doing anymore. Despite the man holding two seats at the council and being the general of the military, there were some things that were out of his control. However, none of it mattered to Walker because his main concern was the Locust, figuring out how to take care of Amiya, and getting home.
He pulled up his C-Droid and looked at the requests on there, some of them trivial while others weren't. The R&D department wished to go forth with a project while Brock and Simon were waiting as well. He cleared the latter first before looking over the project the former had to offer. He wasn't going to spend money recklessly because the scientists had wanted to conduct an experiment.
Lights passed over the vehicle when they drove by each one and he looked back out at the horizon some more. The memories of the family constantly played in his mind and he regretted not informing them sooner. None of them knew he was awake and that made him feel all the more guilty.
For the next fifteen minutes, they just drove across the bridges and platforms before eventually arriving on the Command Platform. As soon as the vehicle parked in its spot and shut off, Walker was already out and he grabbed the crate of the urns. He remained silent as he walked in the pouring rain without a care in the world and entered the building.
The receptionist at the front desk greeted him but he didn't hear her. It made her flinch when he seemed to ignore her since he always greeted her, but Jaune just apologized to her before racing after Walker. He managed to slide in the elevator just before the doors closed and saw that the button to one of the upper floors was pressed. The silence was overwhelming at this point and Jaune coughed once to break it momentarily as they ascended.
He didn't even get to say anything as the doors opened up and Walker began to make his way towards his office. It didn't take long to reach his office and he unlocked the door before quietly walking inside. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the urn case was gently set on the desk and Walker stepped back out, locking the door and heading back to the elevator.
Jaune didn't know what to say, and he was unsure if breaking the silence would cause the other man to react poorly.
They rode the elevator two floors down and Walker went to his apartment, reaching in his pocket and bringing out the keys. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, spotting Blake and Red on the couch. Amiya was asleep and Walker gave her a sad look before closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Hey, Walk-" Blake stopped when he made his way towards his bedroom without a single word. The door closed softly and all went silent as Jaune rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"Oh shit..." Jaune said under his breath.
While they were in the living room talking quietly, Walker was lying face down in his bed. He didn't have the energy to even take his clothes off, just barely mustering up enough to take his shoes and helmet off, then lied motionless. He was so devastated over losing what he considered a second family that it hurt him more than losing his Gears. Loss was something he should have been accustomed to at this point, but each time he lost someone, it hurt him in a different way.
He didn't know how much time had passed and he didn't care anymore, all he wanted was the pain in his soul to go away but he knew it wouldn't. It never did unfortunately. It would forever cling to his heart and mind like a sick parasite.
His scroll was brought up and he narrowed his eyes at the sudden brightness in the dark room, but he began to look through old messages, pictures, and videos. He looked at it all for the next half an hour, not seeming to accept that the people that he held so dearly were gone now. The device was put on the nightstand and he rubbed his eyes stressfully before putting his face back in the pillow.
A knock on his door made him tiredly look up at his bedframe then put his face back into his pillow. He didn't want to be bothered by anyone, but he also wanted to talk to one of them. A sense of confliction clouded his mind and he was torn between letting them in and pushing them away. His mind was starting to lean more towards the latter as usual. That unhealthy habit of his was rearing its ugly head out once more.
The rain hit the window and slid down the glass and faint thunder could be heard in the distance. Normally days like this would calm him down but it made him realize how depressing all of it was. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the door slowly open up; he didn't care either way because he wasn't in the mood for talking now.
Blake peeked inside and looked at him sadly as he just kept his face in the pillow and remained motionless for the most part. She saw that he didn't even get changed into more comfortable clothes. It broke her heart to see him this devastated and she saw a man who had been beaten down both physically and mentally. A man who constantly shouldered the burden of the war to make sure people lived to see another day.
With the Locust, Ozpin and Ironwood's meddling, the Glowies, to even some people constantly causing trouble, it was a miracle Walker was even still standing. More often than not, he would work himself to the point of exhaustion to make sure the people of Remnant had a chance at a future. While a majority of the citizens here at Mother Base knew this, the people on the mainland didn't.
"Walker..." She called out quietly.
"..." He heard her but didn't move an inch.
"Walker... we-" She stopped herself and stood in the doorway. What was there to say? That she was sorry and that she understood his pain, because she cherished the family as much as he did? Words couldn't express the sorrow that constantly washed across her soul.
"..." He still didn't say anything but his hand twitched.
She flicked the hallway light off and quietly walked inside the dark room, sitting down at the edge of the bed and looking at him. For once, she wanted him to say or do something, whether it was an angry shout or telling her to leave. She wanted him to just do something she could work with... but he didn't.
All he did was lie on the bed with his face in the pillow. His hands went slack and she closed her eyes before scooting close to him and stopping when she got to his shoulder. It was silent for several minutes before he turned his back towards her and stared out the window. She didn't do anything for a while and before she could say anything, Amiya's cries from the living room was heard.
He got up faster than she expected and was already out of the room, walking down the hall before entering the living room. Red and Jaune looked up to see his face and they subtly recoiled when they saw his appearance. His eyes had lost some of their light, and he looked more tired than usual. He was running on fumes at this point. Despite what he looked like, his eyes were focused on Amiya as she rubbed her eyes tiredly.
"Did she eat?" He asked hoarsely.
"Yeah." Red nodded.
"What about her diaper?" He asked in the same tone. It sounded like it was an effort to speak and that he was forcing himself to even open his mouth.
"We changed her as well." Jaune said.
"Blake and I gave her a bath when Jaune went to go pick you up." Red added quietly.
"..." Walker nodded and went up to her, picking her up off the couch and bringing her close to his chest. She rubbed her face in his shoulder and he started to go back to his room, seeing Blake still sitting on the bed.
She watched as he managed to get Amiya to sleep after a while and put his hand on the back of her head and set her down on the mattress. He lied back down in his spot and turned his back towards Blake while putting his index finger in Amiya's hand, feeling her squeeze it in her sleep.
Blake left the room quietly and shut the door softly while Walker just looked at the closed door then sat up, looking down at Amiya and pressing his lips together tightly. It was hard not to look at the little Faunus and not feel some type of guilt. How was he going to explain to her what happened to her mother when she got older?
His finger slowly slid from her hand and he sat at the side of the bed that was closest to the window, staring out of it blankly. He was tired but didn't feel like sleeping for some reason, his fatigue was the type that mere sleep couldn't fix.
He wished he was still in the life support pod...
The next day was busy and Walker had left with Amiya before any of the others woke up in the living room. He was running errands such as buying her clothes and other necessities. His next stop was the adoption center to fill out the necessary paperwork. While she was in the next room with a couple of other kids, he was doing the necessary steps in order to gain legal guardianship of her.
Normally this process would have taken months, but Velvet had left Amiya in his, and the others', care should something happen to her. It seemed that she had thought about this and did her part to make everything easier. While she did mention Yatushashi, she wrote him off as an unreliable guardian and simply referred to him as the sperm donor.
Walker signed the final paper and neatly organized the stack before handing it to the lady. She excused herself to make a copy while he just sat in his seat and looked around the office. It was a neat looking room and he saw a picture of the lady with her family, they were standing what looked to be pre-war Vale and he wondered if her family was alive.
It took several minutes for her to return and she handed him a folder with his papers and wished him luck. He nodded in appreciation and stood up out of his seat, shaking her hand and walking out of the room. The door shut behind him and he looked down at the folder and slid one of the papers out, reading it and sliding it back in. Money wasn't an issue for him, since he had enough to last him several lifetimes, it was how well he would do as a caretaker.
He began to make his way down the hall, seeing pictures of the orphaned kids. Some had been recently adopted while others hadn't. Hell, some didn't want to be adopted at all and were content with staying here. They had everything they needed, food, a place to stay, education, and other things. The ages ranged from infancy to late teens and the ones who had just turned eighteen either had a choice to stay as civilians and find work or join the military.
A majority of them joined the military, often looking for a new family within the ranks or a purpose. It didn't matter because Walker was one of the few who trained them; he didn't mold them into weapons like Atlas, but he didn't let them run wild like Academies did with their Huntsmen and Huntresses. His interactions with them often earned him their loyalty and they respected him for leading them from the field.
When he got to a certain room, he spotted Amiya playing with a few toys. A few others within her age group were busy interacting with one another and she did as well. He knocked on the door frame a few times and all the kids turned to the source of the sound, blinking owlishly at him before going back to their toys.
Amiya spotted him and shakily pushed herself onto her feet before waddling over to him. She lifted her arms and made a grabbing motion while the pacifier in her mouth muffled any noise she made. He bent down and lifted her into his arms, adjusting her so that he was carrying her in his left arm while the right one held onto the folder full of documents.
He left the room and looked up when a bell rung loudly. Within several seconds, dozens of kids left the rooms they were in and started heading to lunch. Multiple groups stopped when they spotted him and rushed up to him, asking him countless questions. The cacophony of voices meshed together but he understood each question clearly and answered them the best he could.
When he got to the exit, he spotted the two dragon sisters that he saved when Vale fell. They seemed to be doing much better and they greeted him like every other child. The older one with silver hair and the younger one with blue hair. Neither one seemed particularly bothered by the fact that their parents weren't around and he wondered if the sorry excuses were still alive.
He managed to leave after answering a few more questions and looked at the folder before sliding it underneath his armpit and grabbing his keys. Two beeps were heard as he unlocked the door to his armored SUV, opening the back door on the driver's side and carefully putting her in the car seat. He looked at her face when she yawned and the pacifier slipped from her mouth and onto the floor.
"..." He swiped it up and threw it on the console before buckling her up and making sure she was secure before shutting the door. He opened the door and climbed into the driver's seat before tossing the folder onto the passenger seat and sliding the seatbelt over his torso. The roar of the engine was audible throughout the area and he looked in the side mirrors as he backed up before taking off, making his way out of the parking lot and onto the metal road.
It was quiet as he leaned his head on his left hand while driving the vehicle across the platform, eventually making his way towards the bridge and stopping before he got to it. People on the tram station could be seen and he watched as several of them got off while several more got on it. The introduction of the system was one of the Gears' more proud achievements. It was fast, reliable, and relatively safe since the operators constantly logged their daily routine down.
They had managed to get the system up while he was in a coma and he could only nod in slight approval. He was brought out of his thoughts when the tram darted off at the speed of a bullet and the pathway was clear, allowing him to drive along the bridge.
As he adjusted the rearview mirror, he saw Amiya leaning her head against the side of the car seat, fast asleep. He sighed in relief before perking up when his scroll buzzed and he unlocked it, seeing Blake sending a message. He glanced at it before tossing the device to the side and finally arriving at the Command Platform after fifteen minutes.
Sunlight was reflected of certain parts of the platform and he winced when a sudden glare hit his eyes. He sighed quietly as he parked in his spot and sat in his seat for the next several minutes. All that was heard was Amiya's soft snores and he forced himself to get out of his seat and go to the backseat, unbuckling her and carefully picking her up.
Her limp body against his shoulder made him freeze for a second and he snapped back to his senses when she adjusted herself a bit. The folder of documents was picked up and he walked towards the building, opening the front door and wiping his feet on the large mat at the entrance.
The front desk receptionist greeted him like always and he couldn't muster up the energy to give her a decent greeting, but a little wave was enough. A lot of people knew he was in the process of mourning and he was trying not to let it get to him, but it was damn near impossible.
Up head was the elevator and he pressed the button before waiting patiently for it to arrive. They had stairs but he wasn't about to walk up nine stories to get to his floor and he was too tired to even attempt to do it. A chime was heard and he looked to see the elevator doors open and an empty cabin was what he was met with fortunately. He entered it and pressed the button to the level his apartment was at and stepped back.
With a small jerk, the elevator started to ascend and he waited patiently for the next several seconds. The doors opened with a small ping and he stepped out into the hallway slowly. Each step he took was quiet and he put the folder underneath his armpit to fish for his keys. The small jingle made Amiya stir in her sleep and he unlocked the door before opening it and put the keys on the counter.
He went to the spare bedroom and opened the door, seeing the crib set up and guessed Jaune had put it together while he was handling the paperwork at the orphanage. Fresh paint managed to wiggle its way into his nose and he knew Blake and Red had painted the room recently. The door was shut and he went further down the hall to his room to put Amiya on his bed.
She woke up and yawned before he sighed and picked her up, carrying her towards the kitchen and sliding her in the high chair. He didn't say anything as he started to cook dinner for her, chopping up some vegetables and meat before cooking it. After twenty minutes, he put her meal in front of her before taking his helmet off and putting it on the table.
Some mashed potatoes was scooped onto the spoon and he blew it several times to cool it off enough for her to eat. She opened her mouth when he put the spoon close to her face and she ate the mashed potatoes. A knock on the door made him look in its direction and he ignored it for the time being. For the next few minutes, he just fed her dinner and ignored the knocking some more.
Feeding her didn't take long and he was glad that she didn't put up much of a fuss. Unfortunately, the knocking continued and he frowned before storming up to the door and unlocking it before cracking it open.
Blake, Red, and Jaune saw Walker's face through the crack of the door and subtly winced at the look. He looked bitter and tired. It made them feel uncomfortable and their minds flashed back to when he told them off back in Atlas. The anger and disappointment in his voice back then was something that not even they were immune to.
"We brought food." Blake said and Red held up a bag of food.
"I'm not hungry." He said as he started to close the door.
"Are you sure?" She just looked at him.
"Yes." He said but his stomach betrayed him and she raised an eyebrow. He pinched the bridge of his nose before opening the door for them. They looked at one another and entered his apartment then saw Amiya at the table. She was gnawing at her finger and smiled when she spotted them. It made them feel a bit better but Walker just sat back down at the table and rubbed his face stressfully.
That familiar, uncomfortable silence returned as they took the containers of food out and passed it around. One of them was slid in front of Walker but he didn't even bother looking at it, all he kept doing was rubbing his face. None of them tried to say anything and simply ate their food.
He looked at the time and saw that it was getting late so he decided to give Amiya a bath and put her down for the night.
"Make sure you clean up when you're done." He said and grabbed his helmet, putting it on and scooping Amiya in his arms.
"Do you need help?" Red asked.
"No." He answered.
"Are you sure? We can-" Blake started.
"I'm fine. Just clean up and go back to your apartments. I'll talk to you three tomorrow." He said curtly, making her cat ears press flat against her head. Her expression turned a bit hurtful but he didn't see it since his back was turned towards them.
All that was heard was the soft click of the bathroom door and the sound of the tub filling up.
Here's another chapter for you all. As far as handling this whole grieving process, I can't guarantee that it'll be good since people have different ways of handling grief and I'm not too skillful at writing it unfortunately.
Other than that, thanks for reading and see ya later.