A few days went by and Blake watched as Walker sighed and did some paperwork. Ever since they finished the bomb, he's been staying later at the office to make sure nearly everything went according to plan. He ran through several drills and exercises to find the best option and then made several more plans just in case the first went off course. A few people called him paranoid but he ignored them then tore into them for not taking this as serious as he was.
The few didn't understand the gravity of the situation, how crucial it was to everyone's survival. If they didn't manage to deliver and detonate the bomb, or the Locust captured it, then they were going to be pushed to the very edge.
Ironwood had offered some Ace Ops but was denied almost immediately. After what happened in Atlas, it was clear that Walker loathed the group with a burning passion. So instead, he offered a group that had some experience and Walker was about to refuse but forced himself to stop. There was too much on the table and he couldn't afford to burn any bridges at a time like this.
Blake snapped out of her thoughts when she saw him stand up and start to leave the office. She quickly followed him out the door and he seemed to notice her following him. Just before he could make his way towards the elevator, she gripped his arm and he stopped to look at her.
"Just talk to me." She said.
"About what?" He asked and turned back around, walking towards the elevator
"Just anything. You don't talk to any of us anymore unless it's about the war." She said.
"There's nothing to talk about." He just kept making his way toward the elevator, frowning a bit when he could feel her presence getting closer. He stopped when she stood in front of him and blocked his way, making his brows furrow and he just stared down at her.
"You can't keep doing this. Everybody's worried about you." She said.
"I'm fine." He said and tried to move past her but she kept blocking the way.
"You're not fine, Walker!" She snapped suddenly and stormed up to him. This was the first time she's raised her voice at him in a while but she was putting her foot down.
"Move." He looked down at her. Him being a healthy 6'3 and quite muscular made him seem larger than most but she wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
All she did was stare at him with a combination of annoyance, anger, and worry. She didn't want him to distance himself from everyone, she wanted the man who helped her and saved her life numerous times to come back. This bitter, cruel person that was starting to surface wasn't someone she knew or wanted to know.
"We're trying, Walker. We're trying to help you but you keep pushing us away." She tried to touch his arm but he just moved away from her.
"We'll talk about this later." He said as he tried move past her again but she just kept blocking his way.
"No, we're talking about it now. Red's trying, Jaune is trying, I'm trying, all of us want to help you because we know how much you're hurting inside. We can't do that because you won't stop fucking being stubborn and let us in!" She shouted, poking his chest harshly.
"..." He just glared at her then and took some deep breaths to calm himself down a bit.
"Where are you going?" She asked as she followed him.
"To pick up Amiya. She's at the daycare." He answered.
"W-" She didn't get to finish before he turned around to look at her.
"Listen, Blake. I'm not in the fucking mood. I don't want to talk and I'm getting pissed because you can't wait for once." He said harshly.
"Oh, I couldn't wait? I've been waiting weeks for you to talk to me. Red and Jaune have too. We've been waiting patiently this whole time but you're so stuck in your rut that you can't see that. You think you're the only one who's hurting? You think their deaths hurt only you?" She fired back.
"Get out of my way." He breathed harshly and clenched his fists tightly. She heard it all and knew that he was angry, livid even, but she needed him to finally let go a bit. Him bottling all these emotions up would only hurt him in the end and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want him to fall down a path of damnation like so many people had ever since the war started.
"It doesn't. I cherished them as much as you did. As did the other two. Who do you think helped take care of them while you were in that coma? It was the three of us!" She ignored his demand and hit her chest a few times to emphasis her point.
"Stop fucking touch-" Before he could snap completely, she threw herself into his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. His hands shook violently as they hovered over her back. It took nearly every ounce of willpower to not throw her off of him or strangle her and storm off somewhere.
The boiling hot rage that festered within his body threatened to break out. At this point, it was the only thing that clouded his soul aside from sadness.
"We're sorry, okay? We're sorry for not being there for you in Atlas and we're sorry for not being strong enough to keep them safe. All of us are hurting and it's going to stick with us forever, but Walker we can't keep doing this. None of us can keep pushing it away and hope that it'll eventually fade." She said and just squeezed him a bit tighter.
The violent shaking in his hands started to lessen little by little. It got to the point where his muscles were starting to ache and his hands slowly dropped to his sides. Within the past few weeks, he continued to shut himself off and hope that it would all work out like it had in the past. It's why he constantly kept himself busy because he figured that if he had something to take his mind off it all, then he'd either forget about it or it would eventually go away on its own.
Kelly basically had to do what Blake was doing right now, force him to talk despite knowing the risks of making it worse. More often than not, if he didn't get something off his chest then he'd fly off the rails if they waited too long. Forcing him in a corner was possibly the worst way to tackle the situation but it was strangely the only way for him. The stress of not finding a way home to the war taking everything was getting to him.
"Blake... get off..." He said.
"Not until you promise to let us back in. At least a little bit. You don't have to forgive us, but don't push us away anymore... please..." She said.
"I need to pick up Amiya." He said, uncharacteristically quiet. She quickly unwrapped her arms and looked at the time to see that it was six in the evening. Both of them separated and she looked at him. All that rage and hate he was feeling slowly worked its way out of his system, while it wasn't completely gone, it was enough for him to think straight for once.
She let him go and followed him into the elevator, standing next to him as he pressed the button. It was quiet in between the two of them and she pressed the button to the level their apartments were at, waiting patiently as the elevator started to descend.
Once the elevator hit the ground floor, he left while she stayed inside and watched as he made his way out the lobby. The doors closed and she sighed before leaning against the back wall and feeling the elevator start to go up again. A small tune was playing but she didn't pay any attention to it and simply waited for the next several seconds, blinking tiredly as she felt it stop and the doors open.
Her legs felt sluggish as she went down the hall and saw Red exit her apartment. She closed the door and stopped when she spotted Blake. Both of them stared at one another before Blake slid down against the wall and sat on the ground while Red did the same next to her. Neither one said anything for a while and simply listened to the faint noises of the air flowing through the vents and faint cleaning of the floors downstairs. They turned when the elevator door opened and Jaune saw them, walking up to them and greeting them.
He saw Blake's shameful expression and wondered what happened before they turned when the elevator doors opened. Walker carried a tired Amiya and saw the three of them. All he did was gesture for them to follow him as he unlocked the door to his apartment and entered it. They followed him inside and kicked their shoes off while he put Amiya down in her high chair while he started cooking dinner.
The sound of sizzling and the variety of scents wiggled its way into their noses. After forty minutes of cooking, dinner was finished and he grabbed a plate for himself and Amiya, telling the others they could get their own plates of food. He sat down and took his helmet off before grabbing a spoonful of mashed potatoes and feeding it to Amiya after blowing on it a few times.
Dinner was quiet like it has been for the past few weeks, but this was a different type of silence. None of them knew how to describe it but just knew it was different for once. Silverware scraping against ceramic plates was the only thing that broke the stillness. He didn't say anything to them and they didn't say anything to him.
After Amiya and him were finished with their food, he put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and took her to the bathroom. Warm, soapy water filled the tub and Walker gave her a bath for the next several minutes before drying her off and putting her in a fresh diaper and her pajamas. By the time she was all set, she was almost asleep and he took her to her crib. She made a little noise as she was lowered into it and he covered her in a blanket before giving her a stuffed toy to latch onto.
Once she was fast asleep, he flicked the nightlight on and turned off the lights, closing the door softly and sighing in relief. Soft fabric from the carpet cushioned the sound of his footsteps as he made his way to the living room. The others were seen still sitting at the table and he just quietly sat in his seat, taking his helmet off and rubbing his face stressfully.
"What's bothering you?" Red asked.
"..." He just dragged his hands down his face until they were covering the lower half of it.
"Walker, just talk to us for once... please?" She asked.
"I miss them..." He said quietly. His voice barely above a whisper but they heard it perfectly fine.
"We do too, Walker. They were dear to us as well." Blake said softly and he closed his eyes and nodded. They watched as he put his face in his hands and saw him rub it harshly.
"My dad's name was Richard." He said and they froze in their seats. The pain in his voice was evident and they understood a bit better as to why he shut himself off like this. Richard Scarlatina had unknowingly taken the role of another father figure for Walker, so his death was similar to him losing his actual father. Similar to how Katrina reminded him of his mother and Ian reminded him of his younger brother.
They accepted him with open arms and treated him as one of their own after he helped Richard out. None of them pried into his past, and if they knew the truth about him then he figured they wouldn't care.
Walker had essentially lost another family, the only difference was this was preventable. He had come to terms with his parents passing away due to circumstances that were out of his control, but he could've done something different for the Scarlatinas. In short, he blamed himself for not being there and that would constantly stick to his mind and soul.
"We're sorry." She said.
"Nothing can be done about it now." He said hoarsely and pressed his lips together before clearing his throat a few times.
"We can talk about something else if you want." Red said and he nodded subtly. Her voice was soft for once because she understood his pain. It was already bad enough they had forced him to open up at least a little bit, they weren't going to push their boundaries and have him distance himself even more.
"What else is bothering you?" Jaune asked.
Walker hesitated for a second and he opened his mouth before closing it again. As much as he wanted to tell them about Sera, he decided that the time wasn't right. Sure they were talking for once, but what he wanted to tell them wasn't something to be taken lightly.
"I don't have a babysitter to look after Amiya." He sighed.
"We'll look after her." Blake said instantly as she gestured to Red and herself.
"Who's going to deliver the bomb with me besides Jaune? I need one of you to-" He started.
"Jessica should be available, and Cardin's always itching to get back into the fight. Not to mention we have multiple candidates." Jaune said quickly. As much as he didn't like interrupting Walker, he knew that if he didn't say his piece now then he wouldn't get another chance.
"Thank you..." Walker just nodded and rubbed his face. The other three sighed in relief that he was willing to accept. As much as they wanted him to take it easy for once, they knew him too well and knew that he wasn't content with sitting around. Every major operation that was held was spearheaded by him.
"Anything we should know that's new with her?" Red asked.
He began to tell them everything about Amiya, what time she went to bed, her diet, what she enjoyed doing, what time he picked her up from daycare, and other things. A majority of the information they knew, but it was clear that he had stepped into the guardian role easily. Despite his depressed state, he still allocated his time and upmost care into being there for Amiya.
The four of them talked for a while, while he was still quiet for the most part, he at least spoke to them a bit more. Their issues weren't resolved in the slightest, but just the mere fact that he was willing to let them back in was a start.
The grey sky that accompanied Vale hovered over it like a blanket. A King Raven flew through the air and Walker sat in his seat while looking out at the distance. The destroyed buildings and empty streets. Black crystals could be seen emerging out of the ground and on various surfaces while thunder rumbled above their heads and over the sound of the rotors chopping through the air.
Walker sat quietly in his seat and looked out the of the King Raven before leaning back in his seat. He closed his eyes and inhaled before exhaling deeply and reopening them before looking back out. In the King Raven was Cardin, Jessica, and Jaune; the three of them checked their equipment while occasionally glancing at him then turning back to their own devices.
They looked at him as he went over to the door and gripped the handle before sliding it to the side. His legs hung over the side and he looked to the side when he heard radio chatter about something important and he clenched his fists tightly when he heard it was several VDF teams found underground while an Ace Op's corpse was ripped apart. It was bad news considering the Ace Ops had information about the bomb, as did the VDF squads.
Which meant the Locust knew now and were making the necessary preparations to either destroy or steal it.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw that they were approaching the landing area and frowned when he saw Ruby and her team exit out of a Bullhead. The three of them were accompanied by another VDF squad and some Atlas soldiers as well. If Walker had to guess, the latter was due to Ironwood wishing to either build up a mutual relationship with the Gears.
"What are you all doing here?" He asked.
"We're under your care apparently." Yang shrugged.
"Of course you are." He shook his head and looked at his C-Droid, looking at the map to see where their next destination was at.
"You're not going to kick us out like usual?" Ruby asked.
"I don't have the time nor patience to deal with the legal bullshit. You're stuck with us unfortunately." He answered and looked up to see the street that was fastest to their destination was blocked off. His voice sounded tired and slightly bitter in a sense. A large sinkhole was in the way and he looked up at the museum before sighing and putting the device away.
"So what's our destination?" A VDF soldier asked.
"McArthur Station. The bomb is on the train at that station." Walker answered.
"That's several blocks away. Why didn't we just land there?" An Atlas soldier asked.
"There wasn't a clear landing zone." Blake's voice came on over the radio.
"Enough chit-chat. We're wasting time." Walker said curtly and they all snapped to attention before looking at him.
He gestured for them to follow him up the stairs, stacking up at the door before quickly heading inside. They cleared the lobby area and looked around to see empty cots and abandoned supply crates that were picked clean. It was quiet in the building, too quiet for their tastes, but luckily nothing was lurking inside as they made their way towards the second floor.
As they took the hallway that was headed towards the right wing of the building, Yang and Ruby looked at the paintings. Each one was faded without proper care and they wondered how long it had been since they had a semblance of a normal life. The war had been going on for a few years now but it felt like decades with how much they all went through.
Walker took point and constantly scanned ahead of him while the others followed him through the empty hallway. He stopped and raised his fist when he faintly heard the sound of scuttling and Jessica's cat ears perked up. There was a Ticker nearby and she looked ahead to see one suddenly dart around the corner. It screeched loudly and before they could fire at it, Walker slammed his foot in its side and kicked it into the wall.
He raised his boot and it came crashing down, caving the upper half of its skull in and he lifted his foot, blood and bone caked his boot and he wiped it off before continuing like nothing happened. They all noticed the lack of explosives fused into the creature's back and looked up at Walker.
"Hey, why isn't this one strapped with explosives?" Weiss asked.
"It's wild." He answered and continued to move forward.
"So no explosives?" Ruby asked.
"No. They eat anything they can find though, so keep your distance as you would with a regular Ticker. Sometimes the wild ones swallow grenades." He suggested and rounded the corner at the end of the hall. His body slammed against the wall around the corner when he spotted a Hunter stomping through the hall. It stopped and sniffed the air before turning around to look in their direction before narrowing its eyes.
Walker gestured for them to crouch down and they did. Their backs were pressed against the wall and he slowly brought out his chainsaw bowie knife. It was twenty inches long and wisps of the specialized archaea flowed off the blade before disappearing a few centimeters away. They tensed up when the sound of stomping grew louder as the heavy Locust drew closer.
As soon as it rounded the corner and spotted the fifteen of them, it barely had time to react before Walker slammed his fist into the side of its face. There was a crack as he broke its jaw and made it whirl around. Before it could recover, he grabbed its forehead from behind and dragged the blade across its muscular neck. He then repeatedly stabbed it in the back several times before throwing it into the wall and stabbing it in the throat.
It slid down the wall and left a trail of blood on the surface as he ripped the blade out before cleaning it and putting it in its sheath. The others just looked at him before looking at the fresh corpse. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss shuddered at the grisly display of violence. They've seen him fight before, even having the chance to fight next to him, but they've never seen him be this... brutal.
"Jeez..." Yang muttered as she followed the others around the corner. There was a hole in the wall and Walker peeked through it before bending down and dropping onto a large pile of rubble and trash. He walked down the pile and glanced back at the others as they followed him towards the street on the side of the museum. It was empty with several abandoned cars either flipped over or maneuvered so that they could be used as a barricade.
Several Locust were seen up ahead and they spotted the group before taking cover. Walker and the others took cover as well and he winced as bullets sped over his head. The loud gunfire rang across the sky and he peeked over the hood of the car before bending back down when a bullet skimmed near him.
He looked to see the others drawing fire and stood up, aiming his Lancer at a Drone before squeezing the trigger. Several rounds ripped through its skull and it collapsed onto the ground. Walker's Skull-Drone popped off his back and they saw a blue light pulse from its gun. It launched a blob of superheated sludge at one of the Locust and hit it in the chest.
The Drone howled in agony as it flailed around while the flesh on its body started to melt. It turned into a puddle of gore and flammable sludge that started to spread out.
"Rook, sludge puddle!" Walker pointed and Jessica nodded before she stood up and fired at the puddle that was started to spread from the other side of the car. It ignited and spread to several Locust, catching them on fire and allowing the others to finish them off. Their bodies jerked around as the rounds tore into them and caused them to fly back onto the pavement.
It was a brief firefight but tense nonetheless. Every single fight they got into the Locust felt this way, because all it took was one slip up to result in someone getting injured or dying.
They followed him as he jogged down the sidewalk and ordered them to briefly collect ammo before continuing on. Nothing was said between them all, they could hear faint gunfire in the distance but Walker wasn't bothered by it. He knew the BSS and Gears had their jobs covered. The VDF, while growing, still needed a hand despite having more manpower than both PMCs.
"Hey, Walker... I thought you would have had the Onyx Guards take care of this." Jaune said as he panted a bit.
"They cleared out the stations for us. Gears and BSS have kept them secured along with the VDF." Walker responded as he kept jogging, eventually stopping when he came across a large sinkhole.
"I thought those were infested with Glowies?" Jessica asked as she looked around. The sinkhole was about the size of a block and they had to cut through one of the buildings and go around to continue towards their destination.
"Not anymore." He said as he revved up his chainsaw and cut a boarded up door. His boot slammed into it and it practically flew off its hinges. Dust clouded furniture and shelves while the color seemed to have been sapped from the building. He glanced at the faded pictures and then ignored them before finding the back door of the house through the kitchen before opening it. The others followed him into the backyard and he looked to his right before hopping the fence and continuing around the sinkhole.
Jaune and Cardin easily kept up with him, as did Jessica, while the others lagged behind a bit. Walker looked at them from over his shoulder momentarily before shaking his head and continuing to jog across the street and into an alleyway.
It started to rain a bit and he glanced up before he slowed down and brought out the C-Droid. He clicked the side and looked at the map with the others before seeing that they were still several blocks away from their destination.
"Walker, heads up, there's reports of a Shredder Bat storm incoming." Blake said.
"How soon?" He asked.
"About an hour or two away. If you're going to get the destination, you have to hurry or find somewhere to hunker down for the night." She answered.
"..." He sighed and nodded before turning back to the others and gesturing for them to follow with a brief nod. Nobody said anything as he headed across the street and into another alley before stopping when he spotted an infected Kantus shambling about.
It croaked loudly and twitched violently while the Gorgon pistol was fused into its arm. Black sludge dripped from its mouth as an extra set of teeth was seen forcibly growing in its mouth.
"Screamer up ahead." Cardin whispered.
"Do it quiet. We don't want to attract the others." Walker ordered quietly. Cardin, Jaune, and Jessica nodded before twisting on their suppressors. Ruby and the others looked at one another and noticed that they were missing suppressors unfortunately. Luckily, Jessica brought several for them and handed them some.
One of the Atlas soldiers accidentally knocked over a wooden plank and it rattled loudly against the concrete. They tried to catch it but was too slow, wincing visibly when it hit the ground.
The infected Kantus whipped around to stare at them before opening its mouth. Its throat bulged grotesquely and its jaw cracked loudly as an earsplitting screech tore from its mouth. All of them bent down in slight pain at the horrid noise. Jessica let out a silent scream as it affected her more than the others and she shakily aimed her Lancer at it and fired several times.
Each round tore into its body and it jerked around before falling backwards and exploding. Their ears rang and Walker helped Jessica up before he snapped towards the alley exits when he heard a chorus of inhumane screeches and croaks. On one side of the alley was several Glowies that were a mixture of human, Locust, and Grimm while on the other side was the same.
The infected screeched at them as they rushed down the alleyway from both sides, stumbling over one another as they recklessly rushed towards them while some fired their weapons. Walker took cover behind a dumpster while Jaune was crouched next to him. Cardin and Jessica were on the other side of the alley behind a broken piece of the building.
They fired into the horde while the other eleven fired on the other side of the alley. Ruby climbed up on the fire escape and picked off the ones that had ranged weapons with her Longshot. Yang kept the ones that were closest to them at bay with her Gnasher, freezing momentarily when an infected child slithered towards her, their legs fused together while their arms had turned into crystalline claws. When it lunged at her, she fell backwards but was saved when Weiss stabbed it with her bayonet.
Blood splattered her cheek and they looked at one another before Yang stood back up and fired into the horde again.
On the other side of the alley, Walker ducked when an infected Locust rushed at him and swung a cleaver at him. He brought out his knife and dragged it up its torso before stabbing it in its skull. His boot slammed on its stomach and he kicked it away before watching it explode and cause a chain reaction with the sludge from the previous fallen infected.
An infected that was in the back raised its arm and the appendage started to shift around. Bones cracked violently and muscles moved around grotesquely before it launched a combination of bones and crystals forward. The projectile sped through the air like a bullet and gave a shrill whistling noise. It squelched as it pierced the helmet of one of the Atlas soldiers and his head swelled up before suddenly exploding.
Blood splattered wetly against the area and slid down the walls while the others were momentarily stunned from the grisly sight. Walker glanced at them after reloading before he pulled out a grenade and swung it several times. He tossed it over their heads and they all saw it bounce against the ground and into the horde. It exploded and killed several Glowies.
He turned back to his side of the alleyway and ducked behind the dumpster when more rounds were recklessly fired at him. Seven Glowies pushed each other out of the way as they rushed towards the group, only to fly backwards when dozens of rounds were shot into them. Each body exploded and his side was clear. He whipped his head to the opposite direction and saw an Atlas soldier be dragged towards the horde of Glowies.
A desperate scream echoed across the alley as he a tendril wrapped around his foot tightly. Someone grabbed his hand and tried to pull him back but it slipped from their grasp. Just before he could be pulled into the mass of claws, the roar of a chainsaw met his ears and he shielded his face. When he didn't feel any excruciating pain, he lowered his hands slightly to see Walker violently cutting off the tendril.
There was a shrill howl of agony and Walker threw another grenade at the horde, killing several of them while the Atlas soldier was dragged back. Jaune and Cardin stood next to Walker and killed the remaining Glowies that scrambled over one another. The infected creatures were similar to the Locust by overwhelming their enemies through sheer numbers, but in a more reckless fashion.
One final Glowie writhed around in agony when Walker dragged the chainsaw through its torso and slammed his boot into its chest. It stumbled backwards before suddenly exploding at a safe distance. When the fighting finally died down, everyone turned to the Atlas soldier that was still on the ground.
He groaned in agony and held his leg. Blood seeped through the fabric and Jessica knelt down in front of him, bringing out her knife and cutting the pants leg a bit.
Ruby gagged when she saw his bone protruding through his shin and ankle and several black crystals embedded into his leg. It was a mangled mess and the pain was overwhelming for the man, who could only gasp in pain when he was set against the dumpster.
"We're going to have to amputate it." Jessica said as she took off her backpack but stopped when Walker put his hand on her shoulder.
"Not now, Nemacysts are inking the sky and the Shredder Bat swarm is rolling in faster than we thought. There's a safe house two blocks from here." He said and she nodded in understanding before putting her backpack on.
Walker gripped the man's hand and hoisted him across his shoulders. Everyone surrounded the two of them as they made their way to the safe house. He pulled his Boltok out and kept it slightly lowered. His watched beeped quietly and he looked at the time to see that it was six in the evening. The sky started to darken considerably and the faint sound of screeching was heard in the distance.
There was the faint feeling of dread when everyone heard that and they arrived at their destination. It was in another alleyway and they all looked around in confusion while Jaune and Cardin lifted the manhole and slide it to the side. They entered it first and turned on their flashlights while Jessica was the next one in. He lowered the injured soldier down carefully before gesturing for the others to get inside.
One by one, they climbed down the ladder and Walker was the last one to enter. He grunted as he dragged the cover towards him, whipping his head towards the top of one of the buildings when he saw a small swarm of Shredder Bats. They spotted him almost instantly and sped towards him. Their fangs gleamed brightly despite the darkness that surrounded them and he barely managed to slide the cover over him, just in time for them to miss his head.
He stared up at the cover before sighing in relief as he heard rabid screeching above ground then looked down to the others. His steps were quiet as he climbed down the ladder and jumped down, feeling the eeriness of the storm drain. Darkness surrounded them and the only thing that was keeping them from getting lost in it was their lights and Jessica's vision.
"Of all the places, this was what you chose?" Yang grumbled, gagging when she stepped in something mushy and nearly slipped.
"It's better than being up there. Shut up." Walker ordered evenly and started to lead them towards the safe house. He opened up his C-Droid and looked at the map, looking both ways before taking a right and ignoring the moisture that slid off the ceiling and walls.
For the next several minutes, they made their way through the network of tunnels. Multiple times they had to stop when the injured Atlas soldier winced in pain as crystals began to grow on his foot. Eventually, they stopped completely and set him down before looking at his leg and looked away for a moment.
"I don't want to die down here, man." He shook his head.
"If we're going to amputate it then we need to do it now." Jessica said as she set her bag down and fished through it.
"Wait... just wait a minute." He held his arms up.
"I'm sorry... can you guys hold him down? I don't have any anesthetic." She said to them all. The rest of the Atlas squad and all of the VDF squad went up to the man and held him securely, making sure he didn't move. She brought out a device in the shape of a ring. It was bulky and had several buttons on the side while the inside was filled with vents.
She snapped it open and clamped it around his leg, just below his kneecap and took a deep breath. It took all of her willpower to ignore the muffled howls of agony as she turned the device on. A blistering, white hot pain set the man's nerves on fire as a red light appeared from the inside of the device. Several beams tore through his flesh and spun around a few times, cutting his leg off and cauterizing it at the same time.
Everyone winced at the painful sight and Jessica removed the infected leg, throwing it to the side and watching as it melted into a black sludge. She lit it on fire and watched as it burned into nothing. As soon as it was done, she immediately went to tend to the wound, coughing at the scent of burned flesh.
It took a few minutes but she eventually got it bandaged up and backed up a bit when he held the stump. Her backpack was put over her shoulders again and she picked up her weapon before nodding at Walker. He led them to the safehouse in silence and they eventually found it. It was hidden behind a thick sheet of metal and a reinforced door was kept secure by a sophisticated lock. He held his C-Droid up to it and a holographic ring spun before there was a series of clicks.
"Surprised this place is still standing." Jaune said as he entered the safehouse.
"Might as well rest here until the Shredder Bat swarm goes away." Walker said as he slid the sheet of metal over the reinforced door and shut it. He dimmed the lights a bit and looked at the safe house. There was a crate of ammo and some food but that was about it, no information that would give the Locust an advantage and no bodies or unknown breaches thankfully.
"How long is it going to take?" Cardin asked as he sat down in one of the chairs and inspected his Hammerburst.
"From what Blake said, a few hours." Walker answered.
"Until?" Weiss asked.
"Shredder Bat swarm goes away. It doesn't help that the weather's against us as well." Walker said.
"So we're just gonna sit here all night?" A VDF soldier asked.
"You all are. He's hurt and this place is the safest location within the immediate vicinity." Walker answered as he took some extra ammo and put it in his pouches.
"We're gonna deliver the bomb, aren't we?" Jaune sighed.
"Bingo." Walker nodded and tossed him a grenade.
"I don't know if you noticed but there's a swarm of literal flying death outside. You're walking us into our graves." Weiss said.
"You still got those flares, right?" Walker asked.
"Yeah, the colonel drilled it into our heads to always keep several on us." Ruby answered as she fished in her backpack and took out several flares.
"We're gonna need all of them." He said and grabbed a couple flares himself.
"When we heading out?" Cardin asked.
"In two hours. I got to make a call." Walker said as he stepped away and started to talk to Blake. The others faintly heard him ask about Amiya and how she was doing, they couldn't hear what was on the other end but they saw him pace around and nod.
Whenever someone would approach and try to listen in, he'd just stare at them until they went away. It was personal and he wasn't about to have people he wasn't close to listen in on his conversations.
A few hours went by and Walker slowly lifted the manhole cover. He peeked outside and looked around to see the sky was clear then slid the cover to the side. With a quiet grunt, he climbed out and aimed his Lancer down one entrance of the alley while the others climbed out.
It was only him, Jaune, Cardin, and Jessica going to the station. While he did trust the others to do their duties, he could see that the VDF and Atlas squad didn't have enough experience, despite being told otherwise. So he Ruby and her team to secure a crate full of medical supplies instead while the others remained in the safehouse.
"You sure it was a good idea to leave them there?" Jaune asked.
"The VDF squad I'm iffy about but the Atlas squad need to stay there and keep the injured man safe. As for Rose and her team... I don't trust them with this. This will tip the balance of the war and I'm not going to have them or anyone else fuck it up. I don't care how skilled they are, they're too young to be meddling with something like this and whoever cleared them is an idiot." Walker responded quietly.
"What about the Gears at the station?" Jessica asked.
"Still keeping it secure and illuminated. We better hurry though, I don't want to waste any more time and I doubt they want to be stuck there all night." He answered as he slid the manhole cover into place and looked at his C-Droid.
"Blake, what's the fastest way to the station?" Jaune asked.
"Take a left when you exit the alleyway and then take a right at the intersection down the street. It should be a straight shot to the station if there isn't anything in the way." Her voice came from the other end.
The four of them carefully looked around the corner and saw nothing there. It was an eerily empty street and they slammed their backs against the wall when a small swarm of Shredder Bats flew near the ground then up into the sky again. It seemed like they avoided the lights that were scattered around and couldn't get very close to the ground, lest they crash into one another and scatter.
Walker gestured for them to follow and he led them through the street. They stayed low to the ground and he looked up a bit to see a swarm approaching them all, making him bring out his Skull-Drone and flash the UV light at them. The miniature swarm burned to a crisp and they all made their way to the intersection, looking in each direction before taking a right like Blake told them to.
As they made their way down the dark street, they stopped when the bridge was raised.
"Blake, the bridge is out. Can you lower it?" He asked and all that he received was static.
"Seeder?" Jessica asked.
"Seeder." He nodded and gestured towards one of the buildings. They went into an alleyway and he clasped his hands together before bending down a bit. Jessica put her Lancer on her back and walked up to him, putting her hands on his shoulders and stepping on his hands. She was lifted up suddenly and grabbed the bottom of the fire escape ladder and climbed up it.
It was kicked down and he gestured for Cardin to climb up.
"You're not coming up?" Cardin asked.
"No, see if you two can find the Seeder from up there. Jaune and I are going to look for the power station." Walker said and the other two nodded before climbing to up the fire escape.
Jaune followed Walker out of the dark alley and looked at the map of Vale from his device. The power station was seven blocks away and they had to take the long way around to it. Both of them looked when they heard the sound of rumbling and one of the buildings ahead of them shook.
A Brumak suddenly appeared and turned its head to its left, spotting them instantly. It roared loudly and started to charge at them, making them bolt to their right and run down the street. They bobbed and weaved as dozens of heavy rounds kicked up the ground next to them and hit a several cars in the process. An explosion shook the ground as they came across an intersection and suddenly skid to their left, just in time to avoid a missile.
The war beast continued to follow them and Jaune pointed towards an observatory at the end of the street. Their feet slammed against the pavement as they continued to barely avoid getting hit. With each block they ran past, the bullets started to inch closer to their bodies. After a few seconds, the Brumak stopped firing as the pilot decided to force the beast to smear them across the concrete.
Walker glanced behind him before grabbing a flash grenade and pulling the pin out. He threw it behind them and up into the air before continuing to run towards the end of the street. It exploded and a bright flash briefly illuminated the area, causing the Brumak pilot to steer the beast into a nearby building.
The two of them made it to the observatory door and slammed their shoulders into it, wedging it open and repeatedly slammed into it. After a few tries, the door was wide enough for them to squeeze inside and they slammed the door shut. A desk was slid in front of the door and they heard the sound of stomping and a earthshattering roar from outside. The stomping grew fainter as the Brumak went to go somewhere else and both of them looked at one another.
"Now what?" Jaune panted a bit before standing up straight and looking around.
"We keep moving." Walker answered as he brought out his Lancer and turned towards the building. There were two sets of doors on either side of the front desk, both leading to the same room, and they walked through them.
As soon as they entered, Locust roars could be heard and they took cover behind two metal desks as they were fired at. Three Locust were on ground level while five more could be seen on the second floor.
"GRIND!" A Grinder announced as it spun the crank on the Mulcher and laughed as it stomped towards them while firing. The two of them winced as countless bullets sped past their heads and some impacted the metal desks, making them rattle. A few rounds pierced their cover and they just moved to the side a bit.
The Grinder stomped towards the left side of the room near Walker's cover and he brought out his sawed-off. He waited until it was right next to him before peeking out and slamming the barrels against its chest. The loud bark of the weapon echoed across the room as the Grinder's body scattered, splattering blood and gore all over the desks and ground.
He grunted as he slammed the Mulcher on top of the desk and aimed at the Locust above. Dozens of heavy rounds swept across the second floor when he spun the crank and began to fire. The Locust up above had their bodies ripped to chunks of flesh and he ducked when the ones on ground level fired at him. A round skimmed the top of his helmet and he glared at it, mentally noting to save that one for last.
Jaune crouched down and ejected the empty magazine before putting a new one in. He heard the sound of running and looked to his right to and aimed at the desk next to him. As soon as the Grenadier peeked out, he shot several times and killed it instantly. He stood up and fired at the Drone and knocked it down, allowing Walker to rush over to it and kick it on its back.
His boot slammed against its skull and crushed it easily, caking his greaves in thick blood. He turned his head and moved from cover to cover until he was flanking the last Locust. It barely had time to react before its legs were shot out and it collapsed onto its stomach.
"Where are you going?" Walker asked as he walked towards it while it tried to crawl away. He left blood footprints after he stepped in the trail of blood and stood over the downed Drone.
"Walker?" Jaune stood up from his cover and watched as he slowly approached the final Locust. He didn't say anything as Walker opened his sawed-off and wrapped it around the Drone's neck, pulling upwards with his knee in its back.
Walker strangled the Drone and ignored its struggled before he twisted to the side while pulling upwards. An unsettling crack reverberated from the Locust as it suddenly went limp and he let the body fall to the ground. He flicked the shotgun shut and put it on his back before walking towards the door to the back, carefully opening it while aiming inside to come across a long hallway.
It was empty with faded splotches of blood and dust caking the walls. He ignored it along with Jaune and and the two stopped when they felt the ground shake slightly and the radio cackled to life. Both of them sighed in relief and knew that the Seeders were gone now.
"There you are, I've been trying to reach you for the past hour." Blake said.
"Got a little mixed up." Walker said as he looked outside.
"I figured." She sighed exasperatedly and shuffling could be heard.
"Bridge is raised and it's the only way to the station from here. You think you can do something about the bridge controls once we get the power back on?" He asked.
"Yeah, I should be able to." She answered and he nodded in approval.
"Hey... how's she doing?" He asked as he slowly left the building while Jaune followed him out the door.
"Amiya's doing fine. She's wondering where you are but Red and I have managed to keep her happy." She answered as she twirled something around her fingers.
"Thank you..." He said.
"Make sure to get back safe. As far as the power station, it's about six blocks away." She said.
"Direction?" He asked.
"East. You should see it by the large battery on the front of the building." She answered.
"Got it." He responded and glanced at Jaune before gesturing towards the direction of the power station. They quietly crept through the streets while looking around carefully, sweeping the barrels of their Lancers around the area. Faint rumbling made them momentarily stop before continuing forward
Bodies littered the streets and they avoided stepping on them; Jaune saw a few bodies inside some buildings that were turned to ash. A husband shielding his wife before being reduced to an ash statue and it made Jaune feel uncomfortable. It was like they knew their end was near and wanted to cherish their last moments together. Had the war not broken out and the Heaven's Spear been launched, then these people probably would've lived normal lives.
"Oh, man..." He whispered when he saw crystalline statues of a group of children. They were running towards somewhere but were killed by some means.
"Jaune, what are you doing? We're wasting time." Walker called out quietly and Jaune snapped out of his stupor to see him across the street. Neither one said anything before Jaune quickly jogged up to Walker's side and followed him to the power station. Fires burned and they looked up in the sky to see a small swarm of Shredder Bats above their heads.
The swarm avoided the two since they were in the light and Walker took note of that. It was anything brighter than the natural moonlight that they couldn't handle, so a torch was capable of warding them off.
"There's been a lot more of those things flying around recently." Jaune commented.
"The asshole is probably here then." Walker murmured as he vaulted over a destroyed car.
"Who?" Jaune asked.
"Scorn." Walker said bitterly. There wasn't a hint of fear or apprehension in his voice, just an unhealthy amount of venom that dripped off his tongue.
"What's he like?" Jaune asked.
"Tall, methodical, and as sadistic as any other Locust. He's also smarter than the average Theron." Walker answered and took cover around a corner, peeking around it before disappearing shortly after.
"You said he spoke like a person." Jaune said as he followed Walker around the corner. All Walker did was hum and the two arrived at the power station, seeing the large battery symbol on the front of it. The front door was slightly cracked and they looked at each other before walking up to it and slowly entering.
The front lobby area was filled with dust and grime unsurprisingly. Before either of them could move, something dropped ahead and they aimed their weapons in the direction of the noise. They carefully began to make their way towards the origin of it and took cover on both sides of the door.
Jaune looked at Walker before gripping the handle and nodding, counting down from three slowly then ripping the door open. Walker aimed inside but stopped and lowered his weapon when he saw Ruby and the other two in the room.
"What the hell are you three doing here?" He asked bitterly.
"Jeez, not even a hello-" Yang stopped when Weiss hit her in the side. Out of the three of them, Weiss was the only one who paid attention to how Walker operated. When it comes to war, he was a no-nonsense type of person and trying to mess around when the situation didn't call for it was an good way to get on his bad side.
"I thought you three were supposed to take care of the supplies?" Jaune asked.
"The supplies were already delivered. We didn't have anything to do and the VDF squad left with them, taking the Atlas squad as well." Ruby explained and looked around. Her helmet was missing and she had decided to get rid of it since it was damaged and slowing her down.
"..." Walker just glanced at her before shaking his head.
"So what's the plan?" Yang asked.
"You're rolling with us. We need to get the power back on and the bridge lowered so we can get to the station." He answered and stepped past her. As he entered the first room, he saw huge generators spread across and immediately noticed the one on the right side of the room was missing.
"What?" Weiss asked as she looked in the direction he was looking in.
"They took it underground." He pointed towards one of the generators.
"So?" Yang asked, making him give her a deadpan expression from underneath his helmet before shaking his head.
"Blake, one of the generators is gone. Is there any way we can reroute the power to the other three?" He asked as he held brought out his C-Droid and pulled up the holographic screen.
"One second." She said and he saw her disappear from the other end.
"Pretty cool thing you got there." Ruby pointed towards the device.
"Hmm." He just hummed and continued to wait for Blake to return. While it seemed like he was being an asshole, he didn't really have time for idle chit-chat. They needed to hurry up and get the power back on so they could help Jessica and Cardin.
"There's a couple of panels that you need to work with. Each one is labeled with symbols and you need to flip the switches in order to reroute the power to the generators. There's a catch though-" She looked at the grid closely.
"Of course there is." He mumbled.
"Oh hush... the catch is that someone needs to mess with the circuitry." She said.
"Anything else?" He asked.
"You're going to need something to connect the transformers outside to the building in order to jumpstart everything." She informed.
Before he could say anything, the ground shook and an idea popped in his head when he spotted the Brumak stomping outside the building. It snarled wildly as globs of saliva dribbled off its teeth. The pilot looked around for them before continuing to direct the war beast forward.
"Found the thing that's going to connect the transformers to the building." He said as he looked out the window again.
"Don't tell me..." Jaune implied.
Walker flashed a thumbs up and Jaune slumped his shoulders before standing up straight again and sighing.
"Hal, get out here." Walker ordered and the bot suddenly appeared next to them. The other three jumped in surprise at the robot's sudden appearance and tensed up when he let out several beeps.
"Has he been here the whole time?" Ruby asked.
"Get the circuitry aligned correctly. We need power to this station." He instructed and the bot gave several beeps in confirmation before hovering over to the wall with several panels. A holographic line appeared and Hal scanned the wall before beeping and going to work.
"What do you need us to do?" Weiss asked.
"You three defend Hal while he gets everything aligned. Once he's done, wait for us to handle the Brumak, then listen to Blake's instructions on turning on the power." He said and headed to the other side of the room.
"But-" Ruby started but Walker and Jaune were already out the door, making her throw her hands up.
Walker jogged through a hallway and eventually turning left down another hallway and seeing a door. He slammed his shoulder into it and was outside, checking his watch briefly before jogging alongside the right side of the building. He saw transformers to his right and cables above his head.
They eventually came across a large open area with several, giant pieces of rubble for cover. where the Brumak was seen crouching down a bit. It immediately spotted them and gave an earthshattering roar. The rocket launcher on its back shifted forward and the pilot pointed at them, hurling an unheard insult at them before the weapon shifted back into place.
"Now what?" Jaune asked.
"You ever kill a Brumak before?" Walker glanced at him.
"What? Not like this." Jaune looked at him.
"You will now." Walker said before rushing forward with Jaune. Both of them dove in opposite directions when dozens of heavy rounds began to trail up to them. The ground was kicked up and they took cover behind large pieces of rubble.
They were on opposite sides of the area, with Walker on the right side while Jaune was on the left. The Brumak turned towards Walker and started to fire its wrist mounted guns at him, making him wince when he felt the vibrations as the ground near him was torn up. He felt it stomp closer to him and started to maneuver his way to his right while clutching his weapon tightly.
Jaune peeked out and aimed at the tanks on the Brumak's back. He squeezed the trigger and let out several bursts at it, denting the containers a bit with each bullet. He trailed down and fired at its legs, causing it to roar in pain and slowly turn towards him. His back slammed against cover as it began to fire at him and he stumbled when a rocket was launched near him.
Walker aimed at it and fired at the tank Jaune was firing at, causing more dents in it. Some fuel began to leak from a small hole and it turned to face him, roaring loudly and making his ears ring a bit. As it raised its wrist mounted guns at him, he fired half the magazine at the right gun, causing it to spark and explode. It jerked to the right and raised its injured arm before stomping towards him while firing the left gun.
For the next few minutes, Walker just kept firing at the tank when it turned its back towards him then took cover when it faced him again. He could tell it was starting to get angry because the pilot was starting to lose control of the beast.
The left gun suddenly exploded when Jaune shot at it before taking cover and diving to the right when it launched a rocket at the piece of rubble. His previous cover scattered into several chunks and he rushed through the area the slid into another piece of cover. It was right next to Walker and they looked at one another before peeking out and firing at its legs.
"Kill the pilot!" Walker ordered when he saw the Brumak collapse onto its knees and the rocket launcher slid forward a bit. The pilot jerked around and the two of them fired at it, tearing off large chunks of its body and watching the corpse collapse onto the ground. Sparks caught the leaking fuel and one of the tanks exploded, causing a large chunk to be torn out of the Brumak.
It howled in pain before reaching up and gripping the rocket launcher. The weapon was torn from its back and thrown onto the ground as another explosion shook the area and caused them to stumble.
"Where to?!" Jaune asked over the sound of roaring.
"The transformers!" Walker pointed and both of them looked up when the Brumak gripped the top of their cover and roared at them. The bolted away from it as it started to chase them, shaking the ground with each step. They panted as their legs carried them as fast as they could but they could feel it start to gain on them.
They passed under the cables and dove forward as it snapped its jaws at them, only to be caught in the mass of cables. It flailed around and bit several of them. Electricity quickly shot across its body and started to electrocute it violently. Several agonized roars and squeals met their ears as they watched it meet a violent end.
Its body seized up and went rigid before it started to fall forward, causing them to scramble onto their feet and move out of the way just in time. Had they not moved then they would have been crushed and its body twitched several times while the scent of burned flesh wiggled its way into their nose.
Not long after, the power turned on and they sighed in relief as the adrenaline started to fade a bit.
Walker clenched his fist and lightly hit Jaune's shoulder twice before walking past him and back into the building. Jaune just looked at the Brumak's twitching corpse before following Walker inside the building.
It took them several minutes to get back to the bridge, but they saw two dozen Locust around the area while Cardin and Jessica were taking cover. Nothing was said and they all followed Walker as he ran to the station. The night was starting to turn into day and they stopped momentarily.
"Walker, this is bad." Blake's voice suddenly appeared.
"What is it?" He asked as he continued to run towards the station.
"The Locust found out which train actually had the bomb. They took off already and are throwing people onto the tracks. If you want to catch it then you'll need to hurry." She said.
"Shit..." He said and started to sprint towards his destination. The others were momentarily shocked, because he seemed faster than usual, then quickly caught up to him and matched his speed.
It took a few minutes but they eventually arrived, looking at the clock on the entrance to see that it was six in the morning. The sun was starting to peek through the clouds for once and they saw dozens of bodies littering the area. VDF, BSS, and even some Gears were seen strewn about. They all felt a lump in their throats when they saw them lying still on the ground but had to force themselves to continue forward. Mourning came after they delivered the bomb.
"Where is it?" Jessica asked as she looked around. Suddenly, the train sped by and they turned when several Locust appeared behind them. They took cover and Walker killed a few before glancing and seeing the train start to end.
"Let's go!" He shouted and Cardin, Jessica, and Jaune nodded.
"In a second!" Ruby responded as she took cover behind a pillar.
"Ah, shit..." Walker muttered as he ran alongside the train before jumping onto it. The other three followed him were close behind him and jumped on the train after him. After that, the train sped by and left Ruby, Yang, and Weiss at the station. They managed to kill the last Locust but weren't fast enough to catch the train.
Wind blew against them as Walker and the other three stood up. They started to jog along the cars, ducking down slightly when Reavers flew alongside the train and four Drones hopped onto the car in front of them. They took cover behind crates as the Drones ahead fired at them before taking cover themselves.
"Advancing!" A Drone announced as it vaulted cover and began to rush towards them. It fell backwards when Cardin shot it with his Hammerburst and another one advanced towards them, only to fall when it was killed. The two remaining Drones couldn't move out of the way when a grenade was thrown in between their legs and their bodies scattered into multiple pieces.
The four of them wasted no time and advanced through the next three train cars before stopping when a dozen Locust stood in their way. A Grinder spun the crank on its Mulcher and kept them suppressed, stomping loudly as it advanced on them. When it was close enough, Walker aimed his sawed-off at its stomach and squeezed the trigger. A large chunk of its body was ripped apart and it spun to the ground before the rest of the Locust were dealt with by the other three.
Jaune vaulted over a crate and grabbed a grenade before following the others as they made their way through the train. They were about halfway through when they felt the train shake a bit.
"Walker, you need to move, Wretches are trying to cut you off from the rest of the train." Blake advised.
He nodded and jumped down a ladder, catching the side of it before he got to the bottom and grunted when his feet hit the bottom. The train shook wildly and he spotted a pack of Wretches clawing at the cables that connected the train. He crouched down and fired at them along with the other three, jumping backwards when a Wretch lunged at him. His armored shin met its jaw and he kicked it off the side of the train, hearing its body be eviscerated under the locomotive.
They continued forward and hit a button, disconnecting the rear end of the train as Locust boarded behind them. The next three cars were empty and they climbed to the top of the train, seeing the final car up ahead. The massive bomb was up ahead in the final car but there was only one Locust standing in front of it.
It was clad in black armor and had a wrist mounted gun on its right arm. In his left hand was a VDF soldier and the man suddenly went limp when the Locust broke his neck, tossing him over the side of the train before staring at them.
"You can't stop us. It's only a matter of time before we crush you." It spoke, making everyone but Walker, blink in surprise.
"What the fuck?" Cardin asked.
"You must be the one Uzil Scorn has a keen eye on. I hope he won't be too angry with my decision to kill you, I held back during the attack on Beacon but I-" The Locust looked at Walker before activating a hard-light shield when he aimed his Lancer at it and fired.
Walker wasted no time and began to advance, not giving the Locust any time before he suddenly had to take cover when several Locust sprang out of hiding. The others took cover as well and started to draw the fire from the Locust while Walker's gaze was solely on the one in black armor.
His hearing was muffled as he reached over his cover when a Locust was on the other side. He gripped the back of its collar and hauled it over before kicking its kneecap and breaking it. It barely had time to howl in pain before he revved up his chainsaw bayonet and slammed it on its neck. Blood flew through the air as he cut its head off before firing three bursts at a few Drones and a Grenadier, killing them with well placed shots.
He stumbled a bit when a Hammerburst round hit his chest and he threw a grenade at the Locust that shot him. It exploded and all that was left was the armored Locust.
It slammed its shield onto the ground and aimed at them, firing accurate bursts in their directions. None of them could advance or look up because they knew that they'd be hit. This Locust was different from the regular Theron, not only was it a deadly combatant, it was alarmingly smart and instantly knew to keep them suppressed.
Walker peeked out from his cover and instantly ducked behind it when a burst of gunfire barely hit the top of his helmet. He could hear stomping and the sliding of the hard-light shield against the train car. No one could do anything so he took a gamble and stood up before rushing at it. As expected, it fired at him, hitting him in his chest a few times but had to brace itself when he slammed his shoulder into its shield.
He felt himself being thrown over its shield and his back slammed against the ground. The others aimed and fired but it outstretched its arm and brought its shield up behind it. The rounds bounced off or detonated upon impact while Walker just stared up at the barrel of a wrist mounted gun.
It was kicked out of the way when Walker spun around and slammed his foot into its arm. He rolled backwards and onto his feet before aiming his Lancer at it and firing. Another shield popped up suddenly and he clicked his tongue in annoyance before an idea popped in his head. He brought out his Boltok and aimed at a certain part of the shield, tilting his head as the Locust roared before firing once.
The heavy bullet ricocheted of the shield that was facing the other three and hit the wrist mounted device then disabled the shield that was facing Walker. It brought out a short, serrated sword and swung horizontally at him. He ducked underneath it before slamming his helmet against its face, stunning it momentarily. That was all he needed to give him the opportunity to go behind it and wrap his hands around its waist.
He grunted in exertion as he lifted it and leaned backwards, throwing it over his body and slamming its head on the train car. The others stopped as he rolled onto its back and gripped its head while placing his foot on its back.
The Locust roared in agony as it felt its muscles began to tear and with a shout, Walker ripped its head off with an unnatural burst of strength. He breathed harshly as he looked at the head and threw it over his shoulder before looking at the body. Blood squirted out of the mutilated stump and he searched its body before finding a small paper, rotating it and seeing what appeared to be a note.
It was stashed in his pocket and he quickly climbed the ramp and stood in front of the bomb. The other three had to get over their shock of seeing him rip a Locust's head off before standing next to him. They turned to see a King Raven suddenly fly over them before it flew next to the train.
"Here we go." He whispered as he put in the activation commands and gestured for the others to hop on, where Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were inside. They jumped into the aerial vehicle and waited for him.
He stumbled a bit when the bomb activated and each torpedo started to glow brightly and let out loud pulses. When it asked for his permission, he granted it before running down the ramp and stopped when he saw a swarm of Shredder Bats surrounding something.
Time seemed to slow down as he saw a small part reveal itself and Scorn glared at him. He did the same under his helmet and clenched his fists before pointing at Scorn and running towards the King Raven. His right leg used the railing as a springboard and he jumped off the side of the train, extending his hand out and feeling Jaune and Jessica catch him. Cardin helped him inside and everyone looked at Scorn.
A shudder ran through their bodies as he glared at them. It was the look of the epitome of evil but only Walker wasn't intimidated by it. He just matched the ferocity as he looked at Scorn standing on the train.
"We need to stop-" Ruby stopped when Scorn jumped onto a Reaver at the last second flew away as the train flew off the bridge, landing into the river and the bomb sank below the depths.
The torpedos drilled into the ground and navigated their way towards a certain destination, tearing up chunks of the rock and soil in the process. After a few minutes, they breached into a tunnel system and one of them slammed into a Boomer, reducing its body to paste before detonating along with the others.
A blue energy filled the tunnels and it disintegrated any Locust that was caught in its radius. It didn't matter how large or how fast they were, it killed hundreds of Locust in its immediate blast zone. Hundreds more perished before they could react and that number eventually turned into tens of thousands as the energy continued to grow. Countless Drones, Grenadiers, Snipers, and anything the Locust had acquired over the years was gone in a flash.
Walker held onto the handle as he stared out into the distance before sitting down and tilting his helmet up. He brought the cigar in between his lips and activated the holographic lighter on his C-Droid. A long drag was taken and he blew a plume of smoke out before sighing in relief.
"Holy shit... we actually did it." Jaune said. The others laughed triumphantly and celebrated a bit. This was possibly humanity's first major victory against the Locust and they felt it was deserved.
"..." Walker nodded a bit and continued to stare out in the direction of Scorn.
Scorn just glared at the King Raven from on top of a mountain. He watched as it soared off into the distance and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath to calm himself a bit. Without uttering a single word, he tugged at the reigns and his Reaver took off in the opposite direction. He didn't stop the bomb because there wasn't enough time to, a few seconds was all he had and that wasn't enough.
Although, he had to respect Walker for fighting up until that point. He didn't expect the man to actually succeed but he should've known in some way. That was alright... that just meant their next attack would be more violent and the attack after that. Scorn wouldn't stop until either he was dead or Walker was.
Thanks for reading and sorry if the chapter isn't all that. See ya.