Chapter 49

I don't own anything.

No signal

It was damning. Oobleck had spent the last couple of minutes checking the other scrolls, just in case it was some kind of glitch. It wasn't. There would be no extraction coming for us, no backup, and maybe most important of all, no evacuation in Vale. Not unless we could somehow get a signal out.

I felt nauseous, almost like the panic was physically bubbling up in my throat. I took a deep breath, though, and sucked it up. There was no time for panic.

I looked back to the doctor, whose sharp, blue eyes didn't seem quite as certain as they had during the rest of the mission. Despite that, you wouldn't notice anything amiss, if all you only looked at his face. Fake it 'till you make it. I thought, schooling my face into a neutral expression of its own.

"What do we do, sir?" Oobleck, for his part, seemed almost stunned at my question, though he recovered quickly.

"We must move." He said, his eyes darting around the street, as if he expected enemies to pop out of the rubble and shadows at any moment. "There is no telling what reinforcements are on the way, and it is imperative that we leave the signal blocker's range."

"What?" I had expected it to be Blake, but I shouldn't have been so surprised that it was Weiss who seemed outraged instead. "We can't just leave." She continued, and I wasn't shocked when Blake nodded along.

"And yet we must. There is no telling the reinforcements the White Fang may have stationed here. Further, it is imperative that we get a message to the city. There is no telling the damage they can do with their bomb should people not be able to evacuate."

That answer, however, didn't seem to satisfy Weiss, Blake, and surprisingly, Pyrrha, who spoke up.

"Sir," She started slow, hesitant almost, "we don't know how far we will have to go to get a signal. We might be too late, I don't think that's a risk I'm comfortable taking."

"My priority is your safety, Miss Nikos. Admirable as your conviction is, I cannot in good conscience lead the four of you into a reckless charge against a terrorist cell with unknown numbers." The doctor remained calm, but I could hear the undercurrent of frustration which leaked into his voice.

Even so, the others looked to me, not to the professor. Their question was an unspoken one, but I knew what they wanted me to say. They wanted to me to disagree with Oobleck, they wanted me to tell him that we should go and stop that train ourselves. But could I really do that?

Fighting the White Fang here meant putting the team in danger, a lot of it. Adam had been stronger, faster and plain better than us, and there was no telling who else might be here. The thought of fighting him again, this time with him knowing my tricks, was a prospect that made that panic bubble right back up. On the other hand, trying to get a signal out might mean dooming a number of people in Vale to injury or even death. That wasn't even counting the negativity something like this would create, which would only lead to more casualties in the long run.

Oobleck was right, though, charging in recklessly wouldn't help anyone. I turned to Blake.

"How many are there?" She frowned, looking between myself and Oobleck, but I just shook my head at her. There was no time to hide, not if we wanted to do this.

"Here in Vale, Adam leads the White Fang, and he is also the strongest person in the cell, other than Torchwick and his accomplice, who just left. I don't know exact numbers, but from what I saw there were between 30 and 50 members at the base here, including the ones who followed me here, all of them have their aura unlocked, but none of them should give us much trouble."

I nodded, turning back to the doctor, who pinned me with a narrow-eyed stare.

"Sir, we're going."

"Mr. Arc I must ask that you reconsider-"

"I'm sorry sir, but with all due respect, Pyrrha's right. There's no way for us to know how far that blocker goes. If we try to go to the edge and they get to Vale before they can evacuate, I don't think I could forgive myself."

The professor's neutral facade cracked, a pained look flashing across his face for an instant before it smoothed back over. "You children will be the death of me." He said, though I was sure he knew we wouldn't budge. I looked back over to Blake, waved a hand.

"Lead the way."

The road to the White Fang base was not a long one. Evidently, Blake had not cut a straight route from wherever the camp was to the street where we'd found her. Walking straight there, it only took a few minutes before the sounds of the White Fang reached us.

It sounded a bit like a construction site; all shouting, heavy boots treading on rubble, and the thuds and bangs of crates being picked up and dropped. And then, it came into view. There didn't seem to be any White Fang members patrolling outside of their base, though that might be due to a lack of numbers rather than a lack of caution, judging by what I'd seen of their redheaded leader so far.

The White Fang's base in Mt. Glenn was much like the city itself.

It was stationed in a collapsed subway station, a massive pit in the ground that still had rubble everywhere, except for the areas that had been explicitly cleared out for the White Fang's use. One end of the pit seemed to have way more rubble than the others, and even now I could see some of the White Fang members clearing it out. That must have been the noise I'd heard earlier. A cave in, either one Blake caused, leading to her discovery, or one she had caused to help her escape after being discovered. I couldn't say which.

In the centre of the crater was a train track, conspicuously void of any rubble at all. On it was a train, an older model that had probably been new when Mt. Glenn had been build, but which had become outdated since. The fact that the carts were a rusty brown due to a lack of maintenance probably didn't help its appearance any.

The five of us watched as pairs of White Fang members carried heavy crates into the train, filling the front carriages with enough Dust to blow us all to kingdom come. I counted 24, including the members who were patrolling the crater's perimeter. Less than we'd expected.

A quiet tap on my shoulder made me tear my gaze from the train, it was Oobleck.

"Our goal is to sabotage the locomotive before making our exit. We are not here to apprehend the White Fang members, nor are we here to requisition their stolen Dust." The doctor clarified, and I had to shake my head at both Blake and Weiss, neither of whom looked happy at the restriction. I couldn't help but agree with Oobleck, though.

I'd rather avoid fighting Adam again if I could.

"How do we stop a train, though?" I couldn't help but ask.

"The engine?" "The wheels?"

I almost, almost rolled my eyes at the rather obvious suggestions, though I did kind of ask for it.

"Yeah, but how?" I asked, the more pressing question. How do you break enough wheels on a train to stop it from moving, or how do you break the engine. Or maybe more importantly, where is the engine.

"I could freeze the wheels."

"That will not work, unfortunately. These trains were built to travel between Vale and Mt. Glenn even in the middle of winter, when the tracks are frozen over. Though not a bad thought Ms. Schnee." Oobleck said, squinting his eyes at the train. "It seems the cab is located at the front of the train, notice that the last carriage seems to have windows and a railing on the outside for the driver. I would have expected the cab to be at the back, putting the driver further from the explosion, but I suppose they plan to jump ship before coming close to impact."

"Probably…" I trailed off, looking at the amount of Dust they were loading up. Even with my, frankly stupid aura reserves, I wasn't sure if I could survive being on that train when it blew. As fanatical as they were, I didn't take the White Fang to be suicidal.

"I propose we sever the connection between the front cart and the main payload. If the connection is damaged beyond repair, the train will be unable to take off." I nodded along. Looking at the connection between the carts, that seemed easy enough. Not to say that the connections looked especially flimsy, but they were made to be flexible, so the train could bend, and in this case, break.

Getting to it wouldn't be quite as easy.

"Now, if this Adam character makes another appearance, I suggest you allow me to deal with him." Oobleck continued, and I let out a short, relieved breath. It was almost like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and when I looked to the rest of the team, my neutral expression wasn't quite as hard to hold.

"Ready?" I got a round of nods, and turned back to the doctor, who looked on with a fond smile, only, it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Then let us begin." The man said, sighing as he stood.

And then we were off. We didn't bother trying to hide our approach. The only cover we might be able to use to obscure our entrance were the piles of rubble that were stacked every dozen feet or so. Only, those areas were patrolled the most, and the area around the train itself was void of those obstacles anyways, giving whoever was near it an unobstructed view of our approach, no matter how sneaky we tried to be.

So, we traded stealth for speed instead.

And for all that we didn't possess Ruby's incredible speed - save maybe Oobleck, though I couldn't be sure who was faster between the two of them - Huntsmen were fast. We covered half the distance to the train before the first shouts of alarm even began. When they did, though, all hell broke loose.

Crates were dropped, weapons were raised, and then the shots began. I took two on the shield, and one hit me right in the shoulder, the round failing to slow me as it bounced off my aura. And then Crocea Mors cracked the shooter's aura in a flash of blue light. An almost gentle tap from my shield send the man to the ground, unconscious. Pyrrha, who had been running alongside me, meanwhile, had taken care of the man's own partner.

Up ahead, I could hear similar sounds of combat, and there I found Blake, Weiss, and Oobleck taking out White Fang members with similar ease. We rushed to catch up to them, almost at the train now. I turned to deal with some type of dog Faunus who charged me with a machete -

"JAUNE!"

I spun, my shield raised in front of me as I did so, even as the machete sparked off my aura, bringing the bar back under the halfway mark. And then Adam's sword slammed into my shield with all the force of a battering ram. Even with Chitin Shield up, I was sent flying back, bowling over the dog Faunus who had been behind me.

I rolled to my feed and tried to raise my guard, but it was too late, Adam's red blade was inches from my face. I closed my eyes, hoping to the Brothers that my aura would protect me. Only, instead of pain, all I felt was a spark and a loud, clanging noise. I stepped back, more on instinct than anything else, only to find Akuóu flying back through the space where Adam's sword had been.

I felt, more than anything, Pyrrha line up next to me. It was a feeling I'd had before, almost like I knew where my allies were without being able to see them, but it had never stood out as clearly as it did now. Further away, I could feel Oobleck charging towards us, barely slowing to disable any White Fang soldier he came across as he cut a path through them. Blake and Weiss were fighting further up, taking out whatever remnants of the White Fang as they, too, made their way over.

"Now!" Adam's voice rose above the roar of gunfire and the clanging of blades colliding. It was odd. For all that the man had been remarkably well-spoken, he had been mostly quiet while we fought, unlike Torchwick, who couldn't shut up, even when fighting Oobleck. But it soon became clear why he had spoken.

At the redhead's command, the ground rumbled. Behind me I heard stone fall, crashing into the ground like a rockslide. For a single moment, I turned to look, and that fear and panic I'd buried so deep inside bubbled right back to the surface. Where we had clearly held the advantage with Torchwick and his accomplice out of the picture, we were now surrounded. Even from under a thick layer of dust and dirt, the white metal of Atlas' mechs was recognisable.

One of the mechs raised an arm, its turret spinning as it warmed up, aiming at Blake and Weiss. I felt them move, running for cover, even as Oobleck changed course, dashing straight for the robots.

"Disable the train!" The doctor shouted, even as he used his staff to turn aside a blow that could have shaken a building.

I felt Pyrrha move, her arm snapping out to block a hit coming for the back of my head. She pushed Adam's sword to the side, but even that glancing blow was enough to send her arm flying into my face. Better that than a sword, though. I finished my spin just in time to raise my shield, my shoulder, arm and back all under the influence of Berserk. And for the first time, I matched Adam's strength, even if it made me see stars from the pain.

With his sword stuck in a stalemate, he couldn't block both Miló's and Crocea Mors at the same time. Adam's scabbard rammed into Crocea Mors so fast it almost flew from my hand, but in return, Miló sparked off his aura, sending red sparks out into the night.

Pyrrha leapt back as Adam switched hit attention to her, lashing out faster with every swing, only for her to dodge every hit by a hair. And then Adam lashed out with a kick. Pyrrha managed to block the hit with her shield, but it sent her flying backwards. He had figured out her trick, then, or at least he was starting to.

I didn't have time to capitalise on the opening, though, as Adam suddenly turned and ran, zigzagging back in the train's direction. Where Blake and Weiss were.

"Are you okay?" I turned to Pyrrha, who was back on her feet, looking no worse for wear. Her aura must have taken the brunt of it.

"Yes."

"We need to move, Adam's on his way to Blake and Weiss."

Nothing more needed to be said. We ignored the shaking ground and rattling of automatic gunfire, trusting Oobleck to have our backs as we ran towards the train, chasing the red blur ahead. I felt Blake and Weiss move towards the train, too, unaware of the danger heading their way. They came into view, then, covered in the dust the mechs had kicked up.

Clearly, Adam had seen them too, but contrary to my expectations, the man simply ignored them and kept running. Towards the train.

"He's going to start the train!"

My shout kicked everyone into a higher gear, all of us falling into a dead sprint to catch up. We were a dozen yards out when the train's engine slowly flared to life, the wheels turning slowly, as if belonging to some slumbering beast that was just waking. By the time we reached it, the train was moving slowly. We jumped on, and Adam was there to meet us.

This time, he didn't even bother going for his sword, instead, the man just kicked out, his boot slamming into Pyrrha's shield hard enough to send her flying off the train. I didn't have time to think on it, though. I leaned back, letting Adam's sword pass by my face, even as the man twisted to dodge a stab from Myrtenaster. Then, he lurched forward, a purple bullet slamming into his back while he was overextended.

His sword sang as it cut through the air, aiming for Blake, who had been standing behind him. It cut through her without resistance, the Blake standing there proving to be a clone. Adam completed his spin, though, his fist sending Weiss slamming through the cab's door, her aura sparking.

I took the single instant of reprieve to check my own aura levels, and found the bar hovering at around a fifth.

This wasn't looking good. I lunged, Adam blocked. Weiss shot a fireball through the door, though Adam let the fire wash over him, his aura flashing as it reached critically low levels.

Then, Blake threw out Gambol Shroud's ribbon, looking to tangle Adam's legs. For a moment, I thought she had succeeded, but Adam proved me wrong as he used her weapon against her. With the ribbon around his leg, he tugged on it, pitting his strength against Blake's. She lost her weapon.

I rolled to the side, dodging a swing from the White Fang commander. I lashed out with Crocea Mors while he was extended, though his scabbard came up to block again. It did give Weiss enough time to recover and stab out through the doorway, breaking through Adam's aura, and for the first time, drawing blood. Adam didn't let that go unpunished, though.

He turned his attention to Weiss, moving into the cab faster than either Blake or I could follow. All I heard was a thud, a crash and then silence. When I finally got in, Adam was stood in the centre of the cramped cab, his sword extended and Weiss slumped against the wall, her aura cracking in a flash of white as it gave out entirely. He moved forward, but I wouldn't, couldn't let him.

I flooded my entire body with borrowed strength, my sight going black as the pain threatened to overwhelm me. That was fine, though, I didn't need to see to hit him. There was nowhere to dodge, the cabin was too cramped.

I felt bones crack as my shield smashed through Adam's guard, sending the man flying, much as he had done to Weiss. My sight returned, but the pain didn't subside, not completely. I looked to the side, where Adam was stuck in the console, the metal having warped and bent in placed. The redhead was slumped, the last of his strength having left him. His mask had fallen off, and I couldn't help but grimace at what lay beneath it.

It wasn't that Adam's face was repulsive. Not at all. Even the massive scar that ran over his face didn't detract much from his rugged look. It was what the scar said, that made me sick.

Property of SDC

"See what they… did to me." The man hacked out, blood leaking from his mouth. He was on his last legs. "I am… not the only… one. Not the… worst." He said, one arm reaching over to a lever. "I cannot… let them… win. Not even if it means working with her." Adam bit out, using the last of his strength to wrench at the lever, ripping it out of the console entirely. More blood leaked from his mouth, and then the message signalling his death popped up in the middle of my sight, even as stars danced across it, but I dismissed it. I didn't have the time.

Out of the front window, I could see the wall approaching. We were nearing Vale.

"Blake! Cut the carts!" I shouted, looking to the console for the brakes, but I couldn't tell what was what. The wall was getting closer.

I felt it, then, the lurch of the other carts falling away. I looked back and saw Blake walk through the door, her weapon back in hand. Behind her, the rest of the train slowed, friction and air resistance chipping away at its speed now that it was no longer being pulled along. Our cart, on the other hand, only sped up now that we no longer had so much weight to pull.

The wall came closer.

I considered jumping from the train, but the tunnel was rough, rocky and not at all safe. Blake and I might be able to survive the fall, but Weiss would surely die without any aura to protect her. Looking at my own aura bar, sitting at barely a tenth, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to survive.

Only a couple hundred yards now.

"Blake, how much aura do you have left?" I was frantic as I asked, ripping the driver's seat out of the ground to spin it around.

"Thirty percent." She said, eyes wide as she stared at the approaching wall.

"Get in the seat." I told her, snapping her from her shock. I went over, took Weiss from where she was slumped against the wall and dragged her over. I sat my back against Blake, putting Weiss in front of me, pulling her close. Then, with a prayer and a whole load of hope, I pressed my hand to the metal floor and let the last of my aura flood out of me. Every metal surface gained a solid, black sheen.

I closed my eyes. I felt the impact, and then I knew no more.

Ah, I love it when old plans finally come into play. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed, we're getting to the end of year 1. There will be 2 or 3 more chapters before the end, and then I can finally get started on year 2.

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