Slight timeskip ahead! Nothing too crazy. Just covering multiple missions with Alpha Squad, as they don't really impact the plot and would get rather repetitive.
Bit of a crazy week with more chaos on the way. Work just moved my big test event up from August to possible late April, which also means I might miss my trip to Florida for my sister-in-law's college graduation. Also means I've got about a month to finalize plans for a major event that I thought I had almost half a year to prepare for. Frantically scurrying to make this work while preparing to onboard a new engineer in the middle of that madness. Oh, and pretty much weekly doctor's appointments coming up, including the bone marrow biopsy on Monday morning that I mentioned last week. Other appointments will mostly be follow-ups, including one to talk about that "trivial" heart deformity. Fun stuff.
Well, enough of my suffering. It's Adam's turn!
Adam had made many mistakes in life. Trusting Alyssa. Leaving the caravan. Signing up with the SDC. Not to mention a thousand other things he regretted.
But right now, his biggest regret was putting Blake's mission off until last.
"Are we almost there?"
Or maybe letting her join his elite team at all was the mistake.
Unfortunately, it was too late to change things. Everyone on Alpha Squad had gone through their first mission. Everyone except Ilia and Blake. In hindsight, saving them for last was a mistake. He'd put them off as long as he could, struggling to come up with a safer mission for the two young teens, but he couldn't ignore them forever. Blake's whining had been bad enough - Ilia never really complained - but when Sienna had come knocking at his door to order him to figure something out soon, he'd been doomed.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the two girls. Blake was still the team's best fighter - behind him, of course - and Ilia had progressed quickly with training from him, Kaito, and Blake. They both had their aura unlocked and knew how to use it. He'd even taken them to help hunt Grimm outside Kuo Kuana a few times. If something went wrong, they'd have a much better chance of surviving than most of their squad. So why was he so hesitant to involve them?
Because they were still kids. No matter how hard Blake pretended otherwise, thirteen was still really young. So was thirteen and three quarters. Emphasizing the partial year only made her sound more childish. She'd finally hit a growth spurt recently and shot past the five foot mark, but that still left her at least a full foot behind Adam. Her face wasn't quite as round as it used to be, either. She looked stuck in some weird transition between baby and adult still, which had her acting all awkward and fretting over her looks constantly.
"How come we're the last ones to get a mission?" While her appearance might have begun changing, her attitude hadn't. She was just as impatient and demanding as ever, much to Adam's disappointment.
Resisting the urge to threaten to turn the airship around, Adam chose to ignore her question for at least the fifth time this flight. "We're only a few minutes out. Cerco and his team will meet us on the ground." And then, despite Adam's concerns, he'd let them take the lead. "You sure you don't want me to handle things?"
"It's our mission," Blake reminded him.
"Actually, it's Cerco's mission." He could admit to enjoying how that soured her mood a little. "Whatever he says, goes. We're here to support."
"What's the mission?" Ilia asked, always more focused on the objective than her obstinate partner.
"You'll have to ask Cerco." He already knew, but part of their training was to interact with the other leaders, both to prepare them for the future and to give them exposure. If Sienna wanted them to take more prominent roles someday, then the White Fang needed to get to know them. "Remember, when we land, it's go time. The moment you step off this airship, people will be watching and judging. Make sure to make a good first impression."
The two teens suddenly looked a lot more nervous. Good. They needed to take this seriously. Cerco and his team knew all about the arrangement, but that wouldn't stop them from having their own opinions of their so-called leaders. The name Belladonna carried weight, but not as much as back home. Ilia, on the other hand, was a total unknown out here. In some ways, that was better. Blake had a ton of expectations to meet as the daughter of their former leader, while the pressure was mostly off of Ilia.
Reputation could be extremely important. The men of Reyno knew Adam. When he spoke, they listened. They'd heard the stories, but more than that, they'd seen him in action with their own eyes. He was all business, fully focused on two things and two things only - the safety of his men and completing the mission, in that order. Grimm. Robots. Soldiers. It didn't matter what got thrown at them, Adam was always ready to respond. He was superhuman in their eyes, and as a result, they'd follow him without question.
His team had no such reputation. Not yet, at least. They'd need to prove themselves. Adam's endorsement definitely carried weight with the men, but they couldn't rely on that alone. If they ever hoped to lead, they needed to learn to stand on their own two legs rather than be carried by his.
The airship slowed and descended, settling into a clearing well south of their target. Landing closer would've been nice, but they couldn't risk giving themselves away too early. Before the doors opened, Adam gave the pair a final word of encouragement. "You can do this. You wouldn't be here if I didn't think that."
He stepped off behind them, letting them take the lead but making sure he was visible as a reminder of his support. Cerco and two of his men - both already masked and armed - approached almost immediately.
"Adam!"
"Cerco," Adam greeted Reyno's commander. "This is Blake and Ilia. They're here to assist however you need them." Adam left off their last names on purpose. Blake needed to be more than just her last name.
"Cerco." Blake copied his greeting, though it came out a lot more flat and detached with how she'd never spoken with the man before now. At least she hadn't pulled a Laurence and reintroduced everyone. "Adam says you have a mission for us."
"I do." Straight to business, just like Adam had trained them. Pleasantries could wait. If Blake and Ilia wanted the men's respect, they'd be better off earning that through action than trying to get all buddy buddy with them beforehand. "The SDC is scouting a site for a potential dust mine. A bunch of scientists taking samples with an armed escort for protection. Nothing too serious, but if they like what they find, then it'll mean a new mining camp for the SDC."
"And a new source of income," Blake said.
"Not to mention all the faunus miners they'll hire to exploit." Ilia might not have ever worked in the mines, but she'd been more exposed to it than someone like Blake. Adam could see her skin reddening at the thought of more families going through what hers had.
"Our job's a simple one. We go in, steal the samples, destroy their equipment, and get out." It wouldn't hurt the SDC much, but it would inconvenience them.
"Won't they just send another team?" Blake questioned.
"Maybe, but that'll take time." And to a massive company like the SDC, time was money. "It'll also spook them if we hit a scouting team like this. They'll need more protection for future teams, which will make future expeditions more expensive. That should slow their expansion a little."
A small blow in the grand scheme of things, but anything they could do to hurt the SDC was worth it. Most faunus had never been to Atlas or dealt with their brutal ways before, but almost every faunus knew someone who had been involved with the SDC at some point. Nothing drove faunus to join quite like a chance to get back at the SDC.
"So what'll we be doing?"
Adam had a feeling Blake wouldn't love the answer. "You'll be holding the perimeter."
"What?!"
"We're on Grimm patrol," Adam clarified before Blake could make a fool of herself.
"I thought we were actually going to be doing something."
"You are," Adam promised. "You're protecting our men so they can do their job. If any Grimm show up, they'll be stuck between Atlas guards and those monsters. We watch their backs so they don't have to."
"Why can't we just take out the guards instead?" They'd be a lot better equipped for a fight. Adam could probably take down the entire scouting party in seconds if he had to. With three of them, the SDC wouldn't stand a chance.
"Because we'd still be leaving our men to face any Grimm that show up." And while Cerco and his men had trained for that, it just wasn't worth the risk. "The guards should surrender when faced with superior numbers. Grimm won't. If we're lucky, we'll take their camp without a single shot fired and be gone before the Grimm can react."
"Fine." Blake's tone didn't sound fine, but she knew better than to fight back. "We'll hold the perimeter. No Grimm will get past us."
Cerco somehow brushed off Blake's little outburst and stayed on mission. "Good to hear. The boys will be grateful to have you three backing them up."
"Not every mission is direct combat," Adam added, doing his best to keep her disappointment focused on him rather than Cerco. After all, Adam had specifically requested a backup role for this mission ahead of time, not that either of them would ever tell Blake. "Cerco and his men can handle a few guards. They need us to focus on the bigger threat. Any questions?"
Ilia raised her hand. He really needed to teach his team to stop doing that. "How long do we need to hold for?"
It was nice to see Ilia still had her head in the game. "Shouldn't take too long," Cerco promised. "This is a quick hit. Thirty minutes at most, and we're back on the trail. The sooner we're gone, the better."
The shift back to specifics brought Blake back down to Remnant as well ."What if they don't surrender? Do we leave you to handle it?" Or charge in themselves to take out the guards? Adam and Cerco could both hear the unasked question.
Cerco chuckled as he answered, "I doubt that'll be a problem. We'll make sure they see you three taking position behind us. One look at Adam and they'll know fighting back is pointless."
Again, reputation mattered. As much as the White Fang revered him, Atlas and the SDC knew what he was capable of. The average Atlesian saw him as some sort of unstoppable monster that could kill them with just a look. Soldiers from Atlas might hold together and fight, but these were security forces from the SDC. They'd be more likely to wet themselves than actually try to fight someone like Adam.
"Anything else?" Neither of the girls had any other questions. "Alright. The boys are loading the trucks. We pull out in ten."
"See? That wasn't so bad," Adam said as Cerco left to direct the final preparations.
"You put us on babysitting duty?" Blake hissed.
"Guard duty," Adam corrected. What? Did she think he'd have them leading an assault on an SDC camp or something? Sure, it was a little tamer than most of the other missions thus far, but they couldn't all be action packed thrillers. "It's an important job. One I expect both of you to take seriously."
"Yes, Adam," Ilia obediently answered.
"What do we do if no Grimm show up?"
"Be grateful," Adam replied. A day without Grimm was a good day in his book. "Look, you're not the only ones training out here. These men are trained, but some of them only joined recently. We're here to ensure their first mission isn't their last."
"So babysitting."
"Protecting." Arguing with her could be frustrating at times. "Look, it was either this or transporting supplies." And if she thought Grimm watch boring, just wait until she spent the day unloading trucks instead. "We do what we need to keep everyone safe. You don't like it? Then maybe you're not ready to be out in the field."
"No!" There it was. With how long she'd been cooped up in Menagerie, threatening to keep her there did the trick. "No. I…you're right. We'll keep them safe. I'll do whatever needs done." Under her breath, she added, "Even if it is super boring."
She really should know better than to press her luck like that. "Good, then why don't you start by helping them load the trucks?" His smile grew at their confused looks. "You're both strong enough. Plus, it helps you connect with the men. Let them see you as one of them rather than standing off to the side and making them do all the work." Poor Ilia. Condemned to suffer for Blake's hubris.
"What about you?" Blake asked. "Are you gonna help, too?"
"I would, but I need to coordinate our flight home with the pilots."
"B-but-"
"Run along now." Adam shooed them both away before Blake could argue. "Don't want to keep everyone waiting. And remember, we're here to help them. I'll make sure everything's taken care of here and then we'll head out."
Had Blake been thinking straighter, she might've realized that he wouldn't have flown them all the way out here without a return plan. While he did relay their timetable to the pilots, they'd pretty much heard it all already from his pre-mission planning with Cerco. More than that, they weren't exactly going anywhere. Their orders were to wait for Adam and his two proteges to come back, then fly home to Menagerie. Until then, they'd probably just hang out and play cards or something. Either way, his chat with them focused a lot more on wasting time than actually going over any plans.
By the time he wrapped up his little visit, the trucks were loaded and ready to go. Blake headed for the passenger seat of one of the trucks, only for Adam to stop her. "We ride in the back. Good to let them men get to see and talk with you. The sooner they get to know you, the more they'll trust you." Or something like that. It definitely had nothing to do with wanting to mess with Blake. No. He'd never do something as petty as that.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Another mission in the books without a single complication. Maybe it was a sign of how well their training was paying off. Cerco and his men were becoming a well-oiled machine. They'd pulled off a perfect ambush without firing a single shot, forcing the SDC security force to surrender to overwhelming firepower and the threat of Adam Taurus. They'd left their victims unharmed but devoid of samples or equipment and booked it back to the airship in practically no time at all. All their preparation had been worth it.
Either that, or fate was laughing at him by making things easy for everyone else.
Whatever the case, with a crate full of dust samples and a few choice pieces of equipment - they'd destroyed most of it, but Cerco insisted a few of them would be valuable to the right people - Adam, Blake, and Ilia said their goodbyes and settled in for the long flight home. Just to be safe, they'd swing out over the bay and head south, keeping plenty of distance between themselves and Reyno.
"So, how was your first mission?" Adam asked the two, as he had all the other members of the team after their first time in the field.
"I thought it went rather well," Ilia summarized.
"Better than being stuck back home." And…there it was. "Are they always that easy?"
In his experience? No. Practically never. "Sometimes. Careful planning and organization help, but you can't plan for every outcome."
"Like what?" Ilia piped up.
"Like a Grimm attack."
"But weren't we there in case of Grimm?"
Adam nodded. "We were, but what if they'd attacked from all sides? Or what if there were too many?"
"Too many for you?" Suck up.
"It's not just the Grimm you have to worry about. Atlas and the SDC aren't exactly idiots." Life would be so much easier if they were. "They adapt. Increased security. Ambushes. More powerful weapons. Whenever we act, they're always quick to adapt."
"That's why we change up our missions so much."
"Exactly." Was this what it felt like to be a proud teacher? "Our advantage is in being unpredictable. Keep them guessing and spread them thin."
"So when's our next mission?"
Adam stared at her in disbelief. Next mission? She'd just been on her first! "Hold your horses. Missions take time to-"
"Can't we just hit an SDC camp?"
"Aren't there, like, dozens of them in Anima?"
"What? We can't just…" Adam sighed as the two girls tag teamed him. "Look, missions like this take time to plan. We have to scout out targets, train personnel, create a plan…you can't just rush this kind of stuff." Not if you wanted to survive the next mission. "Look, I know you're eager to help, but it could be a while before your next mission."
"How long?" Blake demanded.
Fine. She wanted the truth? "Months." Years if she kept pestering him. Getting her out in the field was meant to calm her down, not have her demanding another. "At least for anything big. We might do a trip to Reyno for training with everyone, but even that'll be at least a few weeks." That way they could make sure the heat died down a bit first. No reason to press their luck.
"More training?"
"You can never have enough." Not when they were daring to challenge two Kingdoms, one of which had the only standing army in all of Remnant. You didn't poke that Ursa unless you were ready for a fight. "Sienna and I want to make sure you all are ready for what's coming."
"What is coming?" Blake asked.
Adam didn't really have an answer, but it couldn't be good. Atlas had been up to something, but they still didn't know what exactly. Obviously they wanted Reyno, but beyond the occasional scouting party, they'd made little effort to expand. Heck, the SDC had been more active than Atlas lately.
More visibly active, that was. It wasn't like Atlas to be so discreet. They had to be preparing for something. Something big. Their relative silence was like the calm before a storm, and Adam couldn't help but wonder if they were prepared to weather whatever came next.
And then, the first storm clouds began to appear.
"We might have a problem."
Adam held his hand out, telling the pair to stay put as he ventured forward to the cockpit. The pilot that had called out nodded as he entered, prompting the co-pilot to offer his headset to Adam.
The voice on the other end was decidedly not friendly.
"-to heading two eight zero and reduce speed to three five zero, over."
"What's going on?" Adam looked to the copilot for answers. "I thought they couldn't spot us out here."
"They can't!" The impatient voice on the radio would beg to differ. "At least, they never could before. We're way out of range of the nearest control tower."
"Well somebody sees us!" Adam leaned forward to press the transmit button. Doing his best to sound like a startled civilian - not a hard sell, given how rattled he felt - Adam hoped to calm the situation down a bit. "H-hello? Who is this?"
"Unidentified aircraft, you are ordered to divert to heading two eight zero and reduce speed to three five zero. This is your final warning. Over." The last word felt a little pointed.
"Sorry. We didn't mean to cause any trouble." Not for themselves." Buddies and I are restoring an old airship and wanted to take it for a spin, but the steering's a little wonky and we don't have much in the tank. We'll just head home and-"
"Standby." They didn't have to wait long. "You are in violation of Charlie Alpha Romeo Nine One Decimal One Three Three. Mantas are being dispatched to escort you to the nearest landing strip where both you and your vessel will be detained and searched. Over."
"What? But we didn't do anything!"
"Your aircraft is leaving an area of reported White Fang activity and flying outside of established flight lanes." Ah crap. "You will be escorted to the nearest landing strip on suspicion of terrorist activity. Any attempt to flee will be viewed as hostile and your vessel will be fired upon. Reduce speed to three five zero and await escort. Out."
"Looks like they're not in a talking mood," the pilot said with the hint of nervous laughter breaking through. "What do we do?"
Landing wouldn't be a great option, but taking on two fully armed Mantas would only get them killed. "How fast can this thing go?"
"We're about to find out." He gripped the throttle firmly, whispering a quiet prayer before yelling, "Hold onto your butts!"
Adam stumbled backwards as the engines roared. The craft shook as they picked up speed, putting as much distance behind them as they could. Hopefully, they'd catch the phantom voice off guard and get out of range before anything bad could happen.
An angry blaring from the console dashed that hope.
"We've got missiles!" Two very menacing red dots appeared on radar and began creeping closer.
Adam's mind raced for a way out, slamming down the transmit button once more. "Abort! Abort! There are children aboard!" Blake might complain later, but he'd rather her be alive to do so than die with her dignity.
Nothing but silence.
"Strap yourselves in!" The pilot nosed their craft down, gaining even more speed as Adam did his best to keep his footing on the way back. "This might get bumpy!"
"What's going on?!"
"We're being shot down!" Adam shouted back as he strapped himself in next to Blake. She fumbled with her own belt, prompting Adam to reach over and help her snap it into place.
"Not if I can help it! Deploying chaff!" Adam could feel more than hear a series of thumps from behind him. A louder boom sounded somewhere further back. Blake clutched his arm so tight he could almost feel his aura flare. "Trash two missiles. Diving low before they send more!"
"How low?" Adam gulped as his stomach leapt into his throat from the sudden descent.
"Low enough that I won't need to wash the undercarriage when we get home!"
Adam really hoped they were exaggerating. He didn't dare get up to look. Not that he could've with Blake still attached to him. The sound of Ilia frantically muttering something to herself barely reached his ears, though he recognized one or two words from his childhood.
He quietly prayed along in his mind.
Whether or not the gods got involved, the lack of any evasive maneuvers or angry sounds from the cockpit - warnings from the system or cursing from the pilots - let him breathe again. The engines started to die down to a dull roar. Adam slowly pried himself free from Blake's clutches and made his way to the cockpit. The pilot was drenched in sweat and he could smell the acrid tang of vomit from somewhere nearby.
"Are we good?"
"We're alive," the pilot answered, knuckles white from his unfaltering grip on the controls. "Old bird can get up and go when she needs to."
"Can she get us back home?"
"Tank will be a little light, but she'll make it." Good, because they couldn't afford to land anywhere nearby. Not if the skies were being watched. "Nothing on radar, so I think we're clear. I'll keep her low until we're further out. Just to be safe. See if we can stay below radar for a bit and give them the slip."
Looking at the two men, Adam asked, "How about you? You okay?"
"We'll make it. That'll teach me to complain about long, boring flights." The laughter felt just a little too forced. "I knew Mistral was angry at us, but never thought they'd try to shoot us down like that."
"That wasn't Mistral."
"It wasn't?"
"Atlas." The way that woman spoke on the radio. The shoot first mentality. "They said they'd send Mantas to escort us. Those are Atlesian craft." Ironic, given they were in a stolen Manta themselves. Thank goodness. The Mistralian airships weren't exactly built for speed.
The copilot looked like he was barely hanging in there. "What's Atlas doing all the way out here?"
"Looking for us."
They knew Atlas was in the area, but they'd assumed it was just another round of searches that would turn up nothing. Eventually, they'd be told to go home and everything would go back to normal. The White Fang would do their best not to stir up Mistral to the point of calling in Atlas again, while Atlas would bide their time, waiting for their closest ally to call them in again. It was a vicious cycle, but a predictable one.
Except Atlas hadn't left. They'd been in Anima longer than expected doing gods knew what.
Well, now Adam knew as well.
Atlas had finally announced themselves. Air traffic monitoring. A radio station. Mantas and missile installations. Atlas had dug in for the long haul. With bases like that, they could almost completely shut down White Fang operations in the area. Airship travel was out of the question. Atlas would see them coming a mile away and have birds in the air in no time. The White Fang pilots were good, but they couldn't hope to go toe to toe with the Atlesian Air Force. And once Atlas controlled the skies, finding Reyno would be just a matter of time.
Adam knew what they had to do. This new base, wherever it was, had to go. Anything less would see them pushed back to Menagerie, stranding Reyno against overwhelming odds. Best case, they'd evacuate and get everyone to safety before Atlas could strike. At least his men would survive that way.
But then what? Atlas would have them cornered. Even if they didn't decide to throw caution to the wind and attack Menagerie, they'd almost certainly try to set up a blockade of the island. Adam would become a prisoner in Menagerie, unable to step foot off the island for fear of being caught. Maybe in time they'd be pressured to back off, but whatever momentum the White Fang had seized would be wiped away in an instant.
Adam couldn't allow that.
"We need to get home," Adam ordered, not that anyone would disagree. "Sienna needs to hear about this."
Returning to the hold, Adam found Blake trying to calm a nervous wreck that looked an awful lot like Ilia - if she had a terrible case of jaundice. They both looked up as he entered with a mix of hope and fear. "What happened?"
Adam did his best to explain. It was all speculation, but he couldn't think of any other explanation. Their pilot was right. Mistral had never been so heavy handed, even after Adam had attacked the capital. Atlas, on the other hand, had a strong belief in overkill. They'd been holding back, confined by the pressures of the other Kingdoms all this time. They could only stand by and watch for so long, though.
Knowing Blake would want to know what the plan was, Adam added, "Anima won't be safe for us as long as that base still stands."
"You're going to attack it." Call her what you wanted, but Blake was no imbecile. "Adam, you can't!"
"I have to." What other choice was there? Either they fought back or let Atlas win. There weren't any other options. "Don't worry. Sienna and I will come up with something."
What that something would be, he had no idea. If he could see the writing on the wall, then he'd bet Ironwood could too. He'd know what was coming. Security would be on high alert. Winter Schnee would likely be on site as well to oversee the defense personally. He'd be facing a fully prepared fortress led by someone who had already beaten him once. Even if he somehow defeated her, he'd still be facing an entrenched force specifically trained to stop him.
The clock was ticking. They needed to find this base and raze it to the ground if the White Fang had any hope of surviving. Every moment they waited bought Atlas more time to prepare. Specialist Schnee would do everything in her power to make sure both he and the White Fang were finally brought to heel.
It looked like he'd be getting his rematch after all.
Two chapters in a row of skipped missions. Don't worry. It's a temporary thing. Not gonna start next chapter with "Wow. I can't believe we pulled that off. That base was really hard to attack!" Been planning this mission for a while, so it'll get a proper amount of attention.
Managed to sneak in a few references and a bunch of random research this week. You've got two movie references with both The Incredibles and Jurassic Park. Also, CAR 91.133 is from the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) dealing with flying in restricted or prohibited airspace. Swapped Federal for Atlesian, just for fun.
Atlas has finally revealed themselves, leaving the White Fang scrambling for an answer. All their raids and activity will mean nothing if Atlas can lock down the skies above Anima. And of course, Ironwood knows they'll have to have an answer. Both sides are hurtling toward an inevitable clash that could shape the future of the White Fang.
Next chapter: Adam and Sienna prepare for what comes next.