The night sky was clear as the King Raven landed and Walker slid out of it. He had dropped Bowman off at the Medical Platform after seeing how injured he was. All he did was just land at the Command Platform and bid the pilot a goodnight as he limped his way towards the building. A sigh escaped his lips as the doors opened and he went inside, taking the elevator and went up to the level his apartment was at. All he wanted to do was take a nice, hot shower and go to sleep.
Taking a day or two off wouldn't hurt him too much. He perked up when the doors opened and he made his way out, eventually making his way to his apartment. His keys jingled quietly as he opened the door and shimmied his way inside. It was dark for the most part and the only light was from the TV across the couch. His shoulders sagged a bit when he saw Blake sleeping on the couch with Amiya on her chest. Red was curled up on the lounging chair with a blanket covering her. Jaune was just sprawled out on the floor with his personal pillow and blanket from his own apartment.
He quietly shuffled his way towards his room but stopped when he heard shifting around.
"Walker?" Red asked.
"..." He didn't say anything and cursed underneath his breath when he heard more shuffling around. Both Blake and Red were light sleepers, something he seemed to have forgotten at the moment.
"What?" Blake asked and slowly leaned up, putting her hand on the back of Amiya's head and lowering her onto the couch cushion. She looked over the couch to see him standing in the middle of the dark hallway with his back turned to them.
"When did you get back?" Red asked as she tiredly looked at him and rubbed his eyes.
"Several minutes ago." He answered tiredly.
"You're bleeding." She said as she stood up.
"It's not mine..." He muttered.
"Sit down." She instructed.
"I've been sitting down for the last twelve hours. I want to go to sleep." He responded.
"Walker... just sit down and let us look at you." Blake said. Both her and Red could see perfectly fine in the dark; they could see his badly damaged armor, slumped posture, and both blood and dirt that caked his body. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell that he had to get extremely dirty.
"..." He was too tired to argue and limped to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink. They followed him and caught him taking his armor off, setting it on the ground haphazardly and peeling his shirt off. His helmet was taken off and gently set on the corner of the sink while he swung open the medicine cabinet. There's been times he's taken off his shirt in front of them, but they were rare and it didn't make them feel any less embarrassed whenever he did.
"How'd it go?" Red asked.
"How do you think it went?" He asked bitterly.
"Walker, she's just asking." Blake cut in. Judging by his bitter tone, someone died and he felt guilty.
"..." He just went quiet and grabbed some supplies before setting them on the sink.
"Talk to us." Red said.
"I fucked up." He answered and grunted as he cleaned one of his wounds.
"How?" She asked.
"I got too hasty. I didn't make sure everything went smoothly as it should and eight Gears died." He answered, cursing under his breath as he wet the rag and started to wipe away the blood. It stained red almost immediately and he rinsed it, watching the blood mix in with the water and swirl down the drain.
"Not everything goes according to plan, you know that." She said.
"It was the settlement that had the Scarlatina home." He added and the other two went quiet for a while. Out of all of them, Walker was the one who had the most trouble letting them go. The times he spent on the Metal Throne with the tags dangling from his fingers was always sad to look at. Getting him to finally heal from their deaths nearly a year ago wouldn't come anytime soon.
"Walker..." Blake said.
"Scorn was also there. We fought and he kicked my ass but I managed to get a tracking device on the sack of shit." He chuckled humorlessly. He stopped and leaned forward when the pain hit his lungs and he shakily sat down.
"Here." Red said as she grabbed the rag and started to wipe his wounds. The scent of blood was heavy on him, but with each part she wiped away, she saw more ugly bruises on his body.
"..." He just lazily looked down at ground and leaned forward. Several scars were seen on his back, not too many, but it was clear they were from long ago.
Silence blanketed them and Red cleaned his wounds, making sure not to apply too much pressure on his bruises. Sometimes he would wince when she pressed down too hard while other times he would just sit there with his head slumped down.
"Let's go somewhere tomorrow." Blake said.
"I have work-" He started but she was immediately in front of him.
"You just got off a mission, we haven't seen you in almost a week and a half, and you need this. Walker, we don't want you driving yourself in the grave." She said.
"There's too much to do." He shook his head.
"That's your problem. You work too much and it's starting to affect you." Red said. She was usually calm and reserved, never speaking back to him most of the time. However, that didn't mean she didn't have a limit.
"Blame my mom. I got my workaholic tendencies from her." He commented and both Blake and Red looked at one another.
"What was she like?" She asked, seeing this as an opportunity to get his mind off the mission and to learn more about him. This rare opportunity was something that probably wouldn't happen anytime soon.
"What's there to say about her? A workaholic, airheaded at certain times, a sucker for romance novels and all that bullshit." He shook his head.
"..." Blake and Red just stayed silent and listened to him.
"There were times when she forgot to feed herself because she was so invested in her work. She was also messy as hell to add on top of that. I remember one time I had to cook dinner because she fell asleep due to researching something." He glanced at them before turning his gaze downwards again.
"Was she a good mom?" Blake asked.
"The best..." He answered; his throat felt scratchy for some reason and he cleared it a bit. It's been a while since he's actually talked about his family.
"What were some of the good things?" Red asked.
"Smart, kind, cared about her boys despite everything..." He started and stopped when he stared forward. His vision was blurry for some reason and he brought his hands up to his eyes and saw that they were wet. It was at this moment did he realize how much he missed his parents despite finally letting them go. He realized how many people he's lost over the years.
His mom, his dad, his best childhood best friends, several people he's bonded with during the Locust War, Velvet and her family, and dozens of Gears here on Remnant. All their deaths constantly filled him with guilt but now it just started to hit him.
Before anything could continue, crying was heard from the living room and Blake was already out of the bathroom. Only him and Red were left and he winced again when she applied too much pressure on his wound. A nice shower and sleep sounded nice right now, but he wanted to see Amiya before she went to bed.
"What was your dad like?" She asked.
"Pops? He was a good man too... a little rough around the edges during certain times, but a good man nonetheless." He answered.
She just listened to him talk a bit about his parents, nothing too deep, but more than what they knew previously. How he got his workaholic tendencies from his mom to his tenacity from his dad, even to his episodes of apathy from his grandmother. The thing she noticed was that he always spoke about them in past tense and she wasn't stupid in the slightest to not know that they were gone.
That was another thing they had in common, both their families weren't around anymore.
Before she could say anything, Blake stepped into view with Amiya swaddled up in a blanket. The toddler rubbed her eyes fussily and didn't look at him. It was clear that she had woken up and was still tired, but was trying to fight the sleep off for some reason. A bit of light seemed to return to his eyes and Red backed up as he shakily stood up and limped his way towards Amiya.
"Amiya look, who's that?" Blake whispered and pointed at Walker.
"Baba." She rubbed her eyes and leaned towards him. It was late at night and she was too tired to actually comprehend that he was here.
"Baba's here." He said quietly as he took her into his arms and held the back of her head. That word has been thrown around a lot recently and he already knew what it meant. A part of him didn't know how to feel about it, but like her, he was too tired to even care about it. He wanted to sleep in tomorrow, or at least as much as he could. Waking up early was a double-edged sword for him.
"Let's let baba to take a shower. He stinks." Blake said as she gently pried Amiya from Walker's arms.
"I don't stink that much..." He mumbled.
"Walker, you do stink. You smell like dirt and whatever else you've been rolling around in." Red said.
"..." He just looked at both of them and nodded before gesturing for her to leave the bathroom. Once they were out, he closed the door and slid the shower curtain open, turning on the water and letting the temperature adjust. The moment he got inside, he shuddered a bit as the warmth eased his sore muscles a bit. Losing his Gears was always hard, and their deaths would be on his mind for a while. He may have not known them for their entire lives like their families and friends, but he still formed a bond with them.
The Gears that got close to him always shared both their fears as well as their goals. They confided in Walker, even some of their deepest secrets because they knew he wouldn't tell a soul. It gained him their respect and he was never one to use their secrets against them. To the Gears, he was their sole leader and they didn't listen to anyone but him. While this did generate some problems, especially with Atlas, and even the VDF on occasions, it usually only took either one look or a simple order for them to step in line.
He knew he needed to take the next few days off, but he also knew that getting the funeral prepped was necessary. Aside from being in a coma, he was present at nearly every funeral of the fallen Gears, giving them one final send off. They didn't have a graveyard like most places; instead they were cremated and placed in the memorial. Some joked about being dumped into the ocean. He wasn't so heartless as to scatter them into the heartless sea...
Minutes eventually turned to ten minutes and he turned the water off, letting it drip off his body. The shower curtain was slid open and he stepped out, drying himself off and realizing that he didn't have any clothes. He sighed and wrapped the towel around his waist before cracking open the door and peeking outside, seeing that they weren't looking and he quickly rushed to his room, closing the door quietly and throwing on some more relaxed clothing.
His door opened and he went back to the bathroom, swiping up his dirty clothes and throwing them into the dirty laundry bin before tossing his helmet onto his bed. He limped his way to the living room and saw that Jaune was awake, lying on the ground while he played a game on his scroll. As soon as he spotted Walker, he gave a two finger salute and went back to playing his game.
"Scoot." Walker said as he limped around the corner of the couch and Blake scooted towards one end of the couch. He didn't even try to slow his fall as he plopped face first onto the couch and lied down on it.
The quiet ticking of the clock met everyone's ears and he breathed softly. As much as he wanted to start a conversation, he was too tired to actually conjure one up. All he wanted to do was sleep and not think about the next few days.
"Baba." Amiya said.
"Yeah?" He asked and turned his head.
"Hi, baba." She waved.
"Hi, Amiya." He greeted back. A pained grunt escaped his lips when he felt her sit on his back and lie down on it. He felt her adjust herself into a more comfortable position and he just scratched the back of his head. His face turned into a deadpan expression when he heard the sound of pictures being taken.
"Ah, another one for the archive." Blake said.
"Delete it." He said.
"What do I get in return?" She asked.
"You get a paycheck." He responded.
"Nice try." She retorted and saved the photo before putting it with the others. She sent it to Red as well and the other woman sent her a few photos she didn't have.
"I swear you two-" Walker didn't even get to finish his sentence before he fell asleep. All the fatigue from before finally came crashing down on his head and he finally ran out of gas.
"Baba?" Amiya clumsily slapped the back of his shoulder clumsily. Had he been awake, each one of her slaps would've hurt.
"Here, let baba sleep. He's had a hard day." Blake said quietly as she plucked Amiya off Walker's back. At first, she wasn't took happy and wiggled a bit, eventually she tuckered herself out and rubbed her eyes tiredly as well.
While Blake put her to sleep, Red just grabbed a blanket and covered Walker, returning to her chair and curling into a ball.
"Say, Red... about that thing you said you wanted to say to him-" Jaune started.
"Not another word." She said suddenly.
"Okay, okay... I mean, I just thought I'd tell him in the morning." He said.
"I will throw you out the window." She said.
"You wound me." He responded. Sometimes it was more fun to tease both Red and Blake than his own sisters. The two of them could take a joke better than them.
"Tell him what?" Blake asked.
"That she wants Walker to-" Jaune started but immediately stopped when Red picked up the coffee table and lifted it over his head. A feat like that wasn't uncommon since she used aura, but to see her do it so casually made him think twice. The only drawback was it made her arms sore later.
"Red, put the coffee table down." Blake sighed.
"I will crush your skull." Red narrowed her eyes at Jaune.
"I-I'm kidding! Calm down, you damn psycho!" He whispered.
"..." She narrowed her eyes at him and lowered the table down with a quiet thump.
"You two are so stressful at times." Blake sighed. Whenever Jaune and Red interacted, it was like siblings quarrelling in a way. The only difference was that Red was more prone to violence whenever her fuse was lit.
"Jaune, stop antagonizing her... Catherine, calm down... Blake..." Walker mumbled out, making the three of them jump.
"What about me?" She asked.
"..." He just beckoned her over and when she was right next to him, he flicked her forehead.
"Why?!" She asked as she rubbed the tender spot. His flick was so sudden that she didn't even have a second to react.
"That's for letting Amiya jump on my back." He answered.
"She didn't even jump on your back." She pointed out.
"So, Walker, you want to head to the mall with us?" Jaune asked.
"We have a mall?" He asked back.
"Are you serious? Have you never been the mall before?" Jaune sat up and looked at him incredulously.
"Jaune, I didn't even know we had several things here. There's a lot I missed since I've been in a coma." Walker waved his hand dismissively. Since his face was in the couch pillow, he didn't see the look on the faces of the other three. None of them liked remembering him during that time. To see him floating so lifelessly in that tank, wondering if there was a chance he'd never wake up again. Every time they thought about that, it was like a wound was opened and salt was poured into it.
"W-Well, we have a lot of things now. A mall, an arcade-" Jaune started.
"Which you wouldn't shut up about." Walker slid the comment in.
"An artificial hot spring, a few bars, and some other things." Jaune continued.
"You all spent so much damn money on needless crap." Walker murmured.
"Oh come on, it's not all needless. You just never go out and have fun." Jaune pointed out.
"I have work to do, a war to fight, and a kid to take care of. Do you really think I have time to partake in any of that needless shit?" Walker asked.
"Walker, when was the last time you actually relaxed? And no, I don't mean recovering from your injuries." Jaune held his hand up and clarified before the other man could answer.
"..." Walker just went silent and thought about the time he managed to wind down. The only places he went to was his office, his apartment, the Combat Platform, the Metal Throne, or on the mainland. He stopped chatting with the citizens and didn't even spare a second glance at little events they held. If he did, then he watched from a distance and let them enjoy themselves.
"See. You can't even tell. You're a workaholic." Jaune pointed.
"Alright, alright. I get it..." Walker dismissed. He already knew his terrible habits. The word fun and him didn't mix well. He had too much to worry about and he didn't need to be caught off guard because he wished to indulge himself. The Locust never wavered in their genocidal campaign against humanity, and he couldn't waver himself. He had to remain ever vigilant for threats that could possibly end them in an instant.
"Bro, come on... just enjoy what we have." Jaune said.
"Another day." Walker said.
"Why not-" Jaune started.
"I have to notify the families of those Gears and prepare for their funerals." Walker interrupted. It went quiet for several seconds and Jaune didn't press the matter further. There was no need to because he knew that each Gear that died, Walker was the one who always attended their funeral. He made the preparations, attended them, and let the families mourn in their own way. Some took their anger out on him but he never took it to heart. He understood that they were hurt and needed time to heal.
At this point, he was so used to people dying that it he wondered how many would be left when the war was finished. The voices of the other three meshed together as the fatigue hit him once more. Before he knew it, he was asleep and the other three followed not long after.
The funeral for the Gears was like any other one. Gears giving them a final send off, family and friends quietly crying, and Walker informing them of what would come after. He sat in his office with multiple people, informing them of the compensation they would be given and if they wanted to hate him, they were allowed to. The offer sounded tempting, but none of them could muster up the strength to hate him of all people. When their family members became Gears, they knew the risks and still went out.
Things were cut short when he informed them that they had time to think. Guilt bled into his voice a bit and each one of them could tell that it was genuine. Once they left, he was left alone in his office and he clasped his hands together before exhaling loudly. He closed his eyes and tapped his clasped hands against the mouth part of his helmet before looking at his office phone when it started to ring.
He stared at it for several seconds, blinking at it a few times before sighing and picking it up.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Commander Ronin?" A female voice asked.
"Who is this?" He asked, hearing the woman on the other end clear her throat.
"Good evening. My name is Willow Schnee, wife of-" She started.
"Jacques Schnee, the current owner of Schnee Dust Company. You are the mother of Winter Schnee, Weiss Schnee, and Whitley Schnee." Walker finished. It wasn't even hard to do a little digging about their family. Before the war erupted, their company had an iron grip on the flow of Dust.
"Yes." Willow coughed into her hand.
"To what do I owe the pleasure to, Ms. Schnee?" He asked. The door cracked open and he saw Blake peek inside, at her feet was Amiya. The toddler wore her daycare uniform and had a small yellow helmet. Both peeked inside and Amiya started to waddle inside but was gently tugged back in between Blake's feet.
"I need a favor." She said.
"I don't do favors." Walker responded almost instantly. To him, favors was done between people that were either somewhat close to one another or were extremely close and shared a bond.
"..." She went silent and gripped her scroll tightly.
"..." He stayed silent as well and she sighed.
"How much would it cost for my children to be relocated to your headquarters?" She cut straight to the point.
"Why?" He asked and leaned to his right to see Blake and Amiya wiggle their way inside. Amiya waddled around the desk and gripped his pant leg while tugging. All he did was quietly pick her up and make a shushing gesture with his index finger.
"I don't want them fighting in this war." She answered.
"Despite my connections, I can't just pull your daughters from their respective militaries. Your son is also an issue." He said.
"In what way?" She asked.
"Your son presence here would most likely cause complications legally. I take it that your husband is being kept in the dark about this whole exchange?" He asked.
"..." She remained silent and he already had his answer.
The SDC had lost a lot of influence a week after the war broke out, yet they still held some power behind their name. The Gears and BSS rarely dealt with them, despite the Dust company trying to wiggle their way into controlling a portion of the companies. In all honesty, Walker had forgotten about them a majority of the time and they didn't really have anything he wanted.
"If you don't have-" He began.
"Do you have children, commander?" She asked.
"..." He went silent and heard her audibly swallow on the other end. His gaze slowly drifted to Amiya, who was preoccupied with a notepad on his desk.
"If you do, you would know that you'd do anything to keep them safe. I'm not a good mother, a terrible one if I have to admit, but I don't want any of my kids fighting in this war." She admitted.
"..." He just glanced at the phone.
"So please, just tell me what I need to do in order to get them away from all of this. If you need lien, I can give you that. Just say your demands..." She said quietly and it went quiet for a while.
When he glanced at Blake, she just looked at him and he then turned to look out his window, seeing multiple people in the distance. As much as he didn't want to have any of the Schnee family members here, he knew it was only a matter of time before they called. He held no quarrel with them, and intended to keep it that way. However, things didn't always turn out like he wanted and he had accepted that long ago.
"You will have to speak to Ironwood and Creed about your daughters. The chances are close to none that they will let them go though. I prefer to stay out of what goes on in Atlas' military and the VDF. That includes pulling strings to have people brought out and into a different faction." Walker said calmly. He knew she wasn't happy about that news, judging by something dropping in the background, but it was the truth.
Atlas, the VDF, BSS, and the Gears had made a treaty that none would try to forcefully acquire another's troops unless absolutely necessary. It kept the tensions low and while the soldiers themselves had begrudgingly agreed, they knew that this was the best way to keep them from killing one another due to personal reasons. The last thing they needed was fighting amongst themselves for petty reasons, especially when horrors beyond the safety of the walls lurked so close by.
"What about my son?" She asked.
"Your son is an easier case." Walker started.
"Thank you-" She began.
"However, what kind of person is he?" He asked suddenly.
"Why?" She asked.
"Make no mistake Mrs. Schnee, depending on what kind of person your son is, I am the one who ultimately decides if he is allowed to stay here. I do not accept lazy and entitled people within this place. Should I take him in, he will find a job and earn his keep here. Any influence he had in Atlas does not apply here." Walker explained briefly.
"I understand." She said quietly.
"So what kind of person is he?" He asked again and listened to her describe Whitley. When she told a lie, he informed her that she had three strikes, three chances is all she had to lie to him and if she used all of them up, he would end the phone call. So she took a deep breath and tell him nothing but the truth. How Whitley took after his father so much, how much he idolized him and tried to copy him. The more she told Walker about her son, the less he liked him and kept lowering the phone little by little.
Just as he was about to hang up, a hand was placed on his wrist and he looked to see Amiya slapping it clumsily. She looked up at him and gave him a smile, making him falter a bit and sigh. Once Willow stopped describing her son, Walker had let the silence overtake them.
"Commander." She called out.
"So far, I'm not impressed by your son." He said.
"I know, but that also falls on me failing as a mother." She said. A large part of Whitley's problem was that she wasn't more active in his life, the same applied for her daughters as well. It's why she reached out to the Gears and BSS, but the latter already denied her requests. It wasn't out of spite, but merely the fact that they didn't have any room on their ship.
"However, I am willing to come to a compromise when it comes to him." He said suddenly and she perked up.
"What is it?" She asked.
"You will explain the situation to him and I will meet with him personally. If I choose to accept him here, he will have to prove himself. That means finding a job, no matter how insignificant it may be, and earn his keep. Just because he holds the Schnee name does not mean it carries any weight here. Many wealthy bloodlines have lost their influence when they chose to live here. You all are no different." He explained.
His tone was calm, collected even, but it wasn't filled with arrogance. He was simply telling Willow how things would be should he accept Whitley at the secret location of the Gears. While Willow herself would have liked to ask, she knew she didn't really have anything to offer. Her daughters could fight and were knowledgeable in politics, which meant they could at least provide something if they managed to get in.
"Will I be able to visit him?" She asked.
"You will be allowed to visit him if I send him back to Atlas." He answered.
"..." She went silent again and let out a few shaky breaths.
"Should he live here, he will not reveal the location of this place or endanger the safety of anyone here." He said.
"If he does?" She asked.
"Then I will not hesitate to take care of him." He said instantly and tension seemed to suffocate all of them. His tone never changed, but Willow knew that it wasn't a simple threat.
This was a promise that this man would kill her son and it made her think twice about sending her children there. While she had a feeling he wouldn't do anything unless absolutely necessary, it was still unsettling to hear something so callous.
Blake herself was slightly shocked at that, but she knew that it wasn't necessarily true. Yes, he would eliminate any threats to Mother Base and its inhabitants, but he would hesitate at the beginning. He didn't want to kill anyone he took in, but wasn't below it.
"I understand..." She said quietly.
"One month is all he has to prove himself. If not, then he will be sent back home with you and Atlas can do whatever they want with him." He said before hanging up.
It went quiet in the room and he sighed irritably before reaching underneath his helmet and rubbing his face. A pair of footsteps approached and he glanced up to see Blake walk around the desk and stand next to him. There was a look of understanding on her face surprisingly.
"So are you going to accept him?" Blake asked.
"I don't know yet. He sounds like a headache already. I'll think about it, but chances are that I'll reject him more than anything." He answered.
"Today was supposed to be your day off." She said.
"I know..." He sighed quietly and stared at his screen. There was so much to do, and he knew that he couldn't rest since he recently encountered Scorn.
"What about taking Amiya swimming?" Blake asked.
"When?" He asked.
"That fast?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Amiya needs to learn some things at a young age. Swimming is a good thing." He reasoned.
"Are any Gears using the pool?" She asked.
"We have a recreation pool, remember?" He asked back.
"Why not just use the pool at the combat platform?" She asked.
"Do you really want Gears looking at you?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really want random kids splashing water in Amiya's face? Plus, I know you feel more comfortable around your Gears than you do civilians." She responded and smirked internally when she saw him look the other way.
"I'll schedule for the pool to be used tomorrow in the afternoon." He said and clicked a few things on the computer. Once that was all set and done, he tugged Amiya away when she clumsily slapped her hand on the desk a few times.
"Come on, Amiya. Baba has work he still needs to do. And he better not work himself to the bone again." Blake said as she scooped Amiya into her arms.
"Ungh." He grunted at her comment and watched her hold Amiya's hands and place her small feet on her own.
"Up." Blake lifted her right foot.
"Down." Amiya said as their right feet softly hit the ground.
"Up." Blake said as she lifted her left foot.
"Down." Amiya repeated and leaned forward a bit.
Blake kept repeating the one word, and Amiya would repeat the other one. She wasn't the only one who did it with Amiya; Walker did it, as did Red and Jaune. Despite Red's aloof expression a majority of the time, it wasn't a secret to the other three that she adored Amiya just as they did. She wasn't as sneaky as she thought when she slid the young Faunus a treat, often making a shushing gesture.
They found out because Amiya had handed him the same treat and made the shushing gesture like she saw Red do. Amiya's birthday was coming up soon, she was going to be turning two and he wondered how he was going to celebrate it.
Although, the first thing he needed to do was track Scorn and find out where he was lurking. Once he had a set location, he could start planning on how to orchestrate the downfall of the Locust after the Reclamation Movement.
Ringing on his scroll made him look to see that it was Creed on the other end.
"Tell me you have good news." Walker said and listened to the man on the other end update him on how the VDF was slowly expanding upon Patch and it would be a while before they reclaimed the island.
Hey everyone, here's another chapter for you all. See ya.