It was a normal Monday in Beacon. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sky was blue and clear and the morning breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the courtyard. Students went about their business, all smiles and joy that they finally got the time to meet with each-other again after the long break. Sure, it'd been a bit since they started, but old friends meeting again was a good enough reason for the groups, teams and small cliques to celebrate.
"Holy fuck!"
Of course, that exclamation took a bit of attention, considering it came from a girl belonging to one of the second year teams. What could surprise a second year enough to cry out like that, everyone wondered as they went to see. All students, male and female alike, stopped dead in their tracks as they watched a group of twelve boys and girls marching forward, clad in Beacon's school uniforms. Two of them were Faunus, of course. A rabbit and a wolf, to be exact.
Still, it wasn't the fact that the gang of about a dozen had two Faunus with them, nor was it the fact that one of the girls had scars, short hair and a freaking skeletal robot arm poking out of her uniform jacket. Oh, no, it wasn't. It was the fact that all of them looked like freaking models, even for Beacon's rather high unspoken standard of good-looking alumni. Toned, taller than your average Joe and Jane and all also bearing some degree of scarring, they strode forth through Beacon's courtyard, to the whispering of the other students talking among each-other.
"Oh my gods," whispered one girl, eyes locked onto Daisy and Kelly.
"I know, right?" Another stated, a big grin on her face, "D'you think any of the lads are single?"
"Ladies are cute too," Voiced a pair of twins, a male and a female, both of them high-fiving moments later. John and the Spartans tried to ignore the whispers of their new class-mates, but Penny seemed fairly more jaunty and ready to welcome the words. She looked to him, a smile on her face as they continued. She then turned to Kelly and Linda, listening to the two chat away about something military related.
"It seems we still piqued people's interest, but this time positively, have we not?" Penny remarked, smiling.
"We did," John remarked, less thrilled over the prospect, clearly.
"Is something wrong, Dylan?" She asked, then observed, "You seem distraught."
He hummed, "Not used to this many eyes being on us."
"Your teammates seem to be acclimatizing to it, Dylan," Penny remarked. Indeed, as John looked around, he saw much of their little makeshift platoon engaged in small-talk, while Fred and Sam seemed to be learning the functions of their newly-delivered Scrolls. Indeed, the technological devices which John and Penny had also gotten were quite the useful electronic tools. He removed his own Scroll from his pocket and looked it over, then nodded.
"I guess they are," He answered, then looked ahead, to see teams RWBY and JNPR coming in to greet them. Ruby, more specifically, was waving at them with a wide smile on her face. John remarked, "And there's the teams..."
"Yo! Dylan, Penny and Dylan's gang! Welcome to Beacon!" Ruby greeted them jovially, "You got here just in time!"
"Class is about to start," Weiss voiced, looking over the entire fire-team. They were most certainly the strangest bunch of soldiers that she had ever laid her eyes upon, but even as she looked over each's face, she could see those stares, those hollow gazes that every soldier seemed to have. She recognized them as such because she'd once spoken to an old Veteran, one that saw both the Great War and the Faunus Rights Revolution as an active combatant in the Mantle and, later, Atlas military. For people as young as they seemed, it was odd...
"Y'all are looking mighty fine, if I do say so myself!" Yang smirked. Of course, Weiss thought, her teammates would ignore the details.
"Thanks, Yang," John remarked, then started "Right... Everyone who hasn't met them, these are Penny's comrades from here. Teams RWBY and JNPR. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long and Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren, respectively," and, as he was going through, each member of each team gave a quick salute, a wave, a smile, a flex of the muscles(In Nora's case) or a nod as their names were called. John then went on to introduce his teammates, having memorized their 'fake' family names... Except for Six's.
The members of the teams stopped, looking to the girl with raised brows. She said, her face devoid of emotion, "Alice... Just Alice is fine..."
After a short pause to let the awkwardness between the groups subside, Ruby nodded, then said "Right... Well, c'mon! We'll lead you to the first class!" before pausing to look over them once more. Her gaze, however, lingered on Sam for a moment. That moment was enough for Yang to see her sister's cheeks turn the slightest shade of red and her grin be replaced by a genuine curious look. Tracking her gaze to Sam, she smirked, a welling sense of pride in her chest... Alongside one of protectiveness.
As the group started walking together, Linda had looked over Pyrrha a bit. She was fit, combat-ready and one could see the influence of the hoplites of old Greek descent, especially in her weaponry and uniform. Still, she seemed the calm and collected type. Some of the data Cortana and John had given them told them she was also big on the competition stage, at least in the locales of another Kingdom due East of Vale.
She eyed Ruby next, looking at the girl as she seemed to be eyeing Sam tentatively, her cheeks the faintest shade of red. She raised a brow, then shook her head. Cal poked her head in next to her, then asked "Something the matter, Linda?" as she took to her side, with Dasiy and Kelly already engaged in some other form of small talk relating to firearms and CQC behind them.
"Ah, Cal," She remained composed, despite the sudden appearance of her Sniper counterpart, "No, just taking in the sights."
"Pretty interesting place, huh?" Cal remarked. Linda nodded. The two of them had trained together to be the perfect snipers of the Spartan project. They had always been both friends and competition to one-another, despite their generally fewer-than-average interactions. Whenever they did talk or participate in an Op together, however, they were almost in-tune with one another's thoughts and both had been proven to cooperate well. The Covenant and Innies they faced were always shocked when multiple sniper shots rang out.
"It is," Linda concurred, "You doing well?"
"Decent enough, I guess," She replied, "We all probably need to talk about how we got here, right...?"
"What do you mean?"
"... It's a really long story..." Cal voiced, a grim look on her face. She looked to Daisy, then stated "I think Chief knows how Daze went out... I know how I went too. Sam's aware as well, so..."
"Lots of our dead being revived," Linda whispered, "We'll figure it out."
"Sure hope so," Cal responded, "Because I can't imagine how many others are out there."
"That's our objective after school. Head out to find the others."
Content with their little chat, Cal bowed out and went back to her spot next to Daisy. Meanwhile, Noble Team hanged around the back, chatting with one-another while Jorge kept an eye on them. Compared to the IIs, they were kids, but they could easily hold their own and fight, plus, they knew each-other well enough. Well, except for the one that wasn't really talking to them. Jorge had noticed since their walk that Alice had been sitting in the back.
Entering the class, Ruby turned to the Spartans and, with an apologetic look on her face, said "... I'm sorry... I forgot we had Port's class."
While Weiss seemed calm, Blake and Yang looked like someone had just strangled their cat, their faces drained of color, eyes wide and pupils dilated. The blonde boy, Jaune, was much the same, while Nora seemed to be trembling and Ren and Pyrrha remained as calm as Weiss. John hummed, then asked "Something wrong with the man that's got all of you scared?"
"... No, not scared, just..." Blake's voice trembled.
"Concerned," Sighed Yang, "Prof Port really enjoys telling stories."
"Okay," Kelly poked her head out from behind John, "What kind of class is this?"
"Grimm studies," Weiss stated, "Information about the different types of Grimm creatures one can encounter are taught here... And frankly, do not listen to them. Professor Port is a great teacher."
"Sure," Yang chuckled, "Anyway..." She looked into the class and whistled, "They expanded it a bit. There's a few dozen new seats in there... Must be expecting a lot more students."
"Probably to do with the Vytal Festival," Ruby remarked, "Anyway, c'mon, folks! Penny! Let's sit close!"
"Certainly, Ruby, my friend!" The carrot-top smiled. She looked over to John and asked "You don't mind, do you?" getting a negative. She beamed, then left with teams RWBY and JNPR, while the Spartans fanned out into the room, finding a multitude of seats that were free and taking them. John, Sam, Kelly, Fred and Linda were all sat together, with Daisy, Cal and half of Noble Team behind them and the other half across to the left.
Teams RWBY and JNPR, alongside Penny, were right in front of them, though team RWBY took the bench closest to the chalkboard. Entering the room moments later, as the chatter in the class quietened down, a rotund man with a bushy mustache, narrow eyes and grey hair jauntily strode forward, a smile hidden behind that 'stache of his. The old man, presumably professor Port himself, began speaking, his voice booming, raucous and proud, "Greetings, my dear students! It is good to see you all again after so long! I am glad to see that our bond of teacher and students can continue and..." He eyed the new arrivals, the Spartans, before saying, "My, I didn't expect us to have this many new classmates!"
And yet again, the Room's attention was directed at them. The old man smiled, then said "Headmaster Ozpin has told me of our newcomers for the day! I would ask you to introduce yourselves, but for now, I believe you should be content with doing so after classes. My name is Professor Port and I shall be your teacher in the study of the great, treacherous foe that we are training you to fight! And that we've, of course, fought ourselves."
Made sense. One wouldn't teach how to cook if they didn't know how to cook. It was the same with slaying monsters, the Spartans imagined.
"Why, that reminds me of a time-"
The collective groan of all the students in the class actually, actively and openly startled the Spartans, their senses going into overdrive as if they thought someone would attack them and their new classmates. Ruby looked to John and the others apologetically again, an awkward smile and a healthy red tint in her otherwise pale complexion, while Penny hummed merrily along, listening. All of them actually listened in on the prof going on an all-out purple-prosey story about one of his exploits. They held fast through all of it, up to the end, well aware of how that must've looked for their classmates.
Unflinching, uncaring, stone-faced soldiers in teen uniforms sat there, listening to the tale of combat a man faced against a Grimm, describing it in all the detail of a writer priding themselves in such frivolities. John sat there, he himself focused on the man's speech, "... And so, I was alone, being hounded by a dozen beowolves, my weapon out of my reach, my Aura almost gone and darkness all around me after nightfall. But once I hid myself 'neath the large redwood tree's exposed cage of roots and doused myself in mud, the pack animals lost my scent. It was truly an experience... So, class, what can we learn from this?"
... What can one learn beside what has just been mentioned in the last bit? John raised his hand, much to the surprise of the entire class, sans his own comrades. Getting a nod from Port, he spoke straightforwardly, "That the Grimm are more like their animal counterparts than it first appears, such being the case with them losing you in the dark after you hid, sir."
"Correct, my young lad!" Port smirked, "The usage of mud to cover my scent, coupled with the darkness of the forest, ensured that I was safe and able to return to my camp with little issue! Well done!"
A bump in the shoulder from Sam and a thumbs up from Kelly told him he'd probably impressed. They heard a whispered groan from the front, followed by Ruby's voice, filled with fear, "You mean we were supposed to listen to all that?!"
"Of course, you dolt!" Weiss retorted in a similar tone of voice.
"Mou..." Ruby whined, to the chuckle of Sam. As the bell rung, Professor Port spoke encouraging words to the kids, patting John on the shoulder as they passed him by. The group of friends reformed, with Jaune looking back to John with a raised brow. Ruby herself piped up, "How did'ya even pay any attention to all of that?! Are all of you machines!?"
"Years of listening to DIs and teachers scream into your ear about being combat ready and how to be prepared helps with concentration," Sam replied for the Chief, taking his old friend's side. He flashed Ruby a welcoming smile, to which the girl smiled back, waving awkwardly and blushing. The Chief raised a brow at him and the blonde shrugged as they approached their next classroom.
"Okay, you guys and girls are already scary," Jaune quipped, garnering the laughter of the other Remnant natives.
"Chill, Vomit Boy," Yang laughed, "I'm sure they'll teach us if we ask nice."
Jaune rolled his eyes, "Ha ha. Thanks, Yang..."
"What?" Sam asked, finally noticing the look on John's face.
"Nothing..." John replied, crossing his arms to his chest, "Surprised you're getting friendly with the civilians is all," He then whispered to Sam.
The man nudged John with his elbow, then said "It's fine. Just... You've been feeling a bit weird too, haven't you?"
"Your thyroid implant failing too?" John asked, followed by almost all Spartan-IIs who'd heard this nodding in unison. Damn, so it wasn't only a him problem. Eh, they'd figure something out. The day passed as they finished their next series of classes and the team departed. This time, however, Daisy and Cal had volunteered for the job of recovering the next string of new arrivals at the Emerald Forest RV Point.
It'd taken them an hour to get prepared. Clad in their armor sets, the two girls descended upon the platform where Echo Four-Nineteen sat, with Foe Hammer and her co-pilot already waiting at Chief's orders. They were linked directly to Cortana, who was giving them direct updates on the situation of the two new arrivals at the RV Point. Boarding the craft, the two girls immediately loaded up on whatever Ammo they could find in the back and sat themselves down.
"Been a while since we actually went on a proper mission together," Daisy smirked behind her helmet visor.
Cal nodded, "Yeah."
"Cortana," Daisy called over Radio, "Any idea who we're gonna be running into?"
"Unknown for now, honestly, though I'd add a third contact that just joined," The AI responded, "You girls ready to meet some newcomers? Cuz, from what I can see, it's a bit of a massive hellscape down there. Lots of gunfire and grenades... I may've just... Hijacked a little cam from a nearby Atlas drone to get a view, but nobody tell general Ironwood, alright?"
"Hehe, roger that, ma'am." she spoke, still wearing a grin on her face as she looked over the ammo counter on her weapon. She liked Cortana, "We're ready for recovery op, weapons cleared and hot!" and she felt the bird swinging in for the approach. They watched cityscape turn to forest and felt the Pelican decelerating. Static filtered into the bird as the intercepted Radio transmissions played over com. Then, the radio cleared out into a proper voice. A female voice they recognized.
"This is Beta Red Actual to any UNSC asset in the vicinity! Red Beta is under attack! We're being overrun by some kind of alien creatures down here! Send backup any time y'all feel like it!" The woman's accent was a thick, southern state one, probably Texan. In the background, the muffled report of handguns being discharged echoed as the bird swung by. Cal and Daisy looked to one-another and both smiled behind their helmets.
"Bring us in above! We'll drop in and secure an LZ for ya, Foe Hammer!" Daisy stood to her feet, ready to raise hell for their old compatriot. Cal followed, standing up and drawing her sniper rifle.
"Roger that, ladies! We're comin' in hot!" Carol answered, "Sounds like a southerner down there!"
"Definitely is," Daisy chuckled as the back hatch opened, the roar of jet-wash filling the hold. The two girls surged forward, jumping out of the vehicle, to be met by the sound of gunfire and the sight of a horde of those same things they've killed before, charging the trio of Beta Red, one of which was wounded. They watched a woman clad in a deep teal armor pirouette around the first enemy, before planting the heel of her armored boot into the top of its head and snapping its neck. She then aimed her twin Magnum pistols into the crowd, rapid-firing each of the two.
She heard the slam of boots hitting hardened dirt and turned to see Cal and Daisy dropping in feet-first. The woman spoke, a jovial tone to her voice, "Didn't think you two turned into ODSTs!" as she soon saw their ID Tags. Daisy chuckled, firing her assault rifle into the mass of Grimm, with Cal sniping at the bigger bastards with impunity. Red Fifteen joined up next, his Battle Rifle burping three-round bursts of accurate fire into anything smaller than a Beowolf, while...
"Kurt..." Daisy looked back to the AR-toting man that NOBLE Team had been trained by. The tall man nodded to the girls, hoisting high his assault carbine. The blonde smirked, then asked "What in the Hell are you wearing, man?" as she noticed his armor, which was vanishing in and out of existence. Kurt's visor depolarized, revealing his own de-aged face. He was smiling.
"The last thing I wore before I went out... Good to see you Daisy, Cal," He stated.
"We found his ass wondering around, but not the rest of Beta Red," Actual told them, shifting her place to let Kurt join the firing line. The man thumbed the safety of his short-barreled carbine with a carry handle and let loose.
"We gotta clear an LZ for Foe Hammer! Form a perimeter!" Cal ordered. The four other Spartans gave her a nod, quickly moving into a wedge formation and pushing on forward, to stave the Grimm off. They expended several magazines each as the aircraft swing in, the wash of jet engines rustling leaves and grass. A high-caliber machine-gun roared from the back of the vehicle and the team looked to see the co-pilot of the craft manning the rear-mounted, drop-down fifty-cal. He waved them aboard as the aircraft hovered half a meter above the ground.
The five rushed in, rifles chattering and thundering as more Grimm ran in. Last one in was Actual, who was firing shot after shot from her high-caliber Magnum pistols, the M6Gs, before jumping onto the bird. Holstering her weapons, she ordered the take-off with one quick motion of her hand and the aircraft's engines roared as the back hatch closed and the co-pilot ran back to the front.
Sitting herself down, Beta Actual took her helmet off her head, to reveal a woman with jet-black hair, which was long on one side and shaved almost to the skin on the other. Deep brown eyes met Daisy and Cal's own and she wore a proud smirk. A scar below her left eye was covered by a tattoo of seven, small tears descending all the way down to the left of her jaw.
Daisy had taken her own helmet off, smiling at the woman and stating, "You know... I've never been more glad to see that damn tat, Colleen."
"Hehe," The woman smirked, then nodded, turning to Beta Fifteen and to Kurt, both of whom had removed their helmets. While Kurt was the familiar, overly-friendly, young, somehow tan and handsome faced bastard that they all remembered fondly, Beta Fifteen had once been a mystery to Daisy and Cal. He was a young man, with cropped black hair and dark eyes. They'd never spoken much, but they knew his name too.
Chief Petty Officer First Class Colleen-124, Beta Red Actual, and Petty Officer Jack-016.
"Long time, all three of you," Cal remarked, taking her helmet off too.
"It's been, yeah," Kurt returned, running a gloved hand over his shaved head and with eyes wide.
"... Christ, Cal, what are you wearing?!" Colleen seemed surprised. Cal's eyes shifted upward, she felt her ears twitch and she yelped, sliding her helmet back onto her head. Colleen looked to Daisy, who was stifling a chuckle, then asked "I ain't the only one who saw that, am I? The damn things twitched! What did you do to yourself, Cal? What kinda secondary modifications did they give ya before you went out?"
"Actually, they're very new," Daisy remarked, "Fresh revival on this world and she woke up with'em..." then she chuckled, "Heh. Should see Kelly, though."
"Aw, hell! Don't tell me she has that stuff too!" The woman, despite her angry tone, seemed to smirk. Daisy nodded, waving it off, then looking to Kurt and giving him a once-over. The armor he was wearing had been undergoing trials, according to some folks in ONI she had managed to 'persuade' into a 'mutually beneficial friendship', both words with the necessary air quotation, as a light addition to the MJOLNIR set before the project died. The SPI, Semi-Powered Infiltration set.
Daisy hummed, remembering that Kelly had mentioned she remembered meeting Kurt on the planet Onyx, where much of NOBLE Team had been trained with other Spartan-IIIs. She smirked, then asked Kurt, "Was that used on your own bunch of Spartans there, Lieutenant-Commander Ambrose, sir?" to which, after a brief pause to gather his thoughts, he nodded, shifting uneasily in his seat.
"Take it Kelly told you..." He stated.
"Her and NOBLE Team," Daisy smirked, "Another Hyper-Lethal, eh?"
Kurt smiled, "So, B312 is alive, too."
"She sure is. Bet she'll be happy to see her old trainer," Daisy chuckled. She looked to Jack and to Colleen and said, "We'll all explain everything to you, including why we're literally seventeen years old right now, when we get back home and meet the Chief, BLUE and the rest of the gang... Otherwise, long story short, welcome to Remnant. We're all teens, I'm pretty sure every Spartan that's ever lived and went MIA is coming here, alive and we're probably in for the wildest ride yet... And probs our weirdest mission to date."
All four Spartans aboard took a moment. Then, they nodded in understanding.
It was gonna be very weird...