"I think something is bothering Daniel and Greeve," Ebon said to Yarrow the next afternoon.
"What makes you say that?" Yarrow asked. "I mean, you're right, but what are we referring to? How Daniel's been quiet ever since we told him about our illustrious leader, or how Greeve acted after Daniel blew his generator? Because I've still got issues over that last one."
"Both of them," Ebon said. "I think the two might be connected."
Yarrow's eyebrows raised into his blond hair. "This should be good."
Down the hall, a door opened. Ebon and Yarrow tried to act natural as an officer with stark white hair exited the room. Both Ebon and Yarrow snapped to attention and gave a salute as the officer approached, which she returned in kind. Yarrow waited until she disappeared past a turn before continuing. "Something spooked them real bad, Greeve especially," Ebon said. "I mean, have you ever seen Greeve like that?"
Yarrow shook his head. "Can't say I have. It was like he was trying to cover something up."
"Exactly. And then when we told Daniel about his brother. An hour later, Daniel's in the snow going all Grimm on us. You're telling me that's not a coincidence?"
Yarrow rubbed his chin stubble. "That's a bit of a reach there Ebon," he warned.
"But you see something's up, right?" Ebon pressed.
The hallway was deserted and had been since the officer passed, but Yarrow still glanced down both sides before answering. "Connected or not, whatever set Daniel off had to have been in Ironwood's office."
Now it was Ebon's turn to be surprised. "What makes you say that?" he asked.
"I've been going over the timing. It's the only thing I can think of. It shouldn't have taken Daniel that long to get my report on his desk. Something delayed him. Ironwood always has those towers of paper on his desk. What if Daniel saw something on one of them and that's what set it off?"
"If that's the case, then what set him off?"
"Hell if I know, Ironwood doesn't leave me in his office alone anymore. But I'm betting that's where it happened."
"Well, whatever it was, maybe he'll loosen up after tonight. Did you get the reservation?"
Yep," Yarrow said proudly. "Four seats at the finest steak restaurant in Atlas. Assuming of course we don't get the black haired one with all that angst, we should have a lovely dinner."
"Still think we should've invited them all instead of giving them that contest," Ebon said."
Yarrow shook his head. The two of them had already argued this point the night before. "You saw Daniel yesterday," he said. "He was as scared as a limp noodle, or however the metaphor goes. Too many old friends jumping him at once. No, we'll be having a calm and collected conversation over a fine dinner to see if we can figure out just what's going on. Also, I don't have the Lien for ten steak dinners," he admitted sheepishly.
"How much did it come up to?" Ebon asked.
Yarrow sucked in air through his teeth. "Don't ask questions I don't want to remember the answers to," he said.
"Fair enough. Until tonight, keep it cool. Don't do anything to upset Greeve or he'll keep us late tonight. Which means going back to the operations room like we were supposed to five minutes ago," Ebon said.
"Ugh, do we have to?" Yarrow complained as he pushed off the wall. "It's boring and they're finishing up anyways. They've got Greeve already, it's not like they need us too."
Greeve pushed off the wall and walked to a door labeled operations room. He slid an ID into a card reader and held the door open for Ebon. They threaded their way through the crowded and dusky rows of computers until they made it to the center. A large holographic table displayed a map of the terrain to the south of Atlas. An armada of transports were being tracked as they flew toward their destination.
At the other side of the table Greeve peered at the transports' location on the map. "What's the status of the transports?"
"Twenty minutes out," a technician answered. "The operation is maintaining the fifteen-minute delay."
"Not like you to let them be late Greeve," Yarrow commented. "Couldn't go egg them on yourself?"
Ebon shot Yarrow a look. They hadn't been in the room for a minute, and he was already trying to antagonize their team leader. Fortunately for them, Greeve seemed engrossed in his job and didn't pay Greeve any attention.
The door opened once more, casting a beam of light that lit up the room. Rojoe and Daniel entered carrying cardboard trays loaded with steaming cups.
"Sorry we're late!" Rojoe exclaimed. "The line was long."
"Ooooh gimmie," Yarrow said, extending his wiggling fingers towards the cups on Rojoe's tray. She walked past him and instead handed a cup to Greeve before taking a sip from the second cup.
"Here you go," Daniel said, placing a cup in Yarrow's hands. "Straight espresso shots. Coco for you Ebon."
Ebon accepted his cup and sniffed at its contents. "No muffin?" he asked.
"Sorry, they only had blueberry."
Ebon made a face and took a long sip, muttering his distaste for blueberries.
Yarrow removed the top of his cup and inhaled the caffeinated steam. He looked Daniel up and down, observing his teammate. Dark circles hung under his eyes and Yarrow noticed an almost imperceptive shake to the cardboard tray.
Daniel caught Yarrow staring at him and gave a smile that did not reach past the corners of his mouth. Yarrow glanced at Ebon and saw his teammate was judging Daniel with the same level of concern.
"Seems everyone's here except General Ironwood," Rojoe said. "Where'd he go?"
"Talking to Schnee," Greeve said. "He'll return shortly. Yarrow, what's the status of the teams?"
"Hm?" Yarrow asked.
Greeve frowned. "The teams, Yarrow," he said. "How are they doing?"
"Uh, just one second," Yarrow said. He chugged down his espresso in two gulps and dropped the empty cup into a trash can. He then tapped his scroll on the edge of the table and expanded it to view the area of engagement. "Still working through their sectors, no one's in any need of assistance."
"Aura levels?"
"Low, but not like we'd be in any better shape in their shoes. Should last until the transports pick them up,"
One of the technicians raised their hand. "The transports have entered the zone sir. Awaiting your command."
Greeve nodded and pressed a button on the table. "Control to all ships. Break for sectors. Repeat, break for sectors. Await your teams request for extraction."
Lewis let out a whoop of excitement as he battered the Beowolf across the face with his guitar. The beast retreated a step and he hit it with a concussive chord. It crashed through a tree and lay still; defeated by the power of rock and roll. "Add another one man!" he called out.
"Give it up Lewis!" Schatten shouted back as he pulled Blast Shard from a Grimm's gut. "That steak dinner is good as mine!" He blasted off toward another creature only to have Royal Pain bisect it before his very eyes. The spinning chakram turned and sailed into Tiberius' hands.
"The rest of you wouldn't know what to do with an Atlesian steak if it struck you in the face," Tiberius said. "I believe that makes thirty-six Grimm to your thirty."
"Have it sent back and demand a complimentary red Chateau Merriweather," Lewis answered.
The response surprised Tiberius and he turned to ask Lewis where and how he learned that when a low rumble came through the forest. The seven students tensed in anticipation, expecting another wave of Grimm. To their relief, a flight of transports roared overhead instead. The time had come for the operation to end.
"Is that it?" Ryler asked. "Man, times flies when you're killing Grimm."
"We should regroup at the landing zone," Lunare said. "Scrapmetal can return us to the clearing."
Before anyone could voice their agreement, a mature Ursa burst from the a cluster of trees. It roared in anger and stood on its back two feet. Dakota charged it from the side and leapt onto its back. He had Reaper's Reach in its extended chain form and whipped it around the Grimm's neck. The Ursa swiped at Dakota, but he ducked out of the way and pulled even harder. The rest of team LSTRDLN rushed to help him but the beast collapsed to the ground before they could reach him. Another Grimm charged the group and Dakota changed Reaper's Reach into a baton, pivoted, and brained the Grimm. He raised his weapon and let out a ferocious yell. "Anyone else?" he called into the forest. "Anyone want a go at Dakota Harding?"
As if to answer Dakota's challenge, glowing red eyes began to burn in the depths of the forest.
"I will inform our pilot we need additional time," Lunare said. "It seems we will be delayed in returning to our landing zone."
"Yeah, you do that," Dakota grinned. "I'm on a roll."
"Your Aura is running low Dakota," Nick warned. "You might want to take a back seat to this one."
"Hell no," Dakota said as he reached into his dust pouch. "I'm good, I'm pumped. I'm ready to kill every damn Grimm left in this forest!"
Dakota's knees buckled as the Dust coursed up his arm. He shook his head and stood up, splitting Reaper's Reach in two. Flames licked over the links as he spun them up, creating a whirring noise.
Nick sighed but raised his pistol and ran to help his friend. Any Grimm that got past Dakota and the flaming Reaper's Reach, Nick took down with rapid fire shots. Soon the only Grimm remaining held back, reluctant to charge the team.
"What's, your count?" Dakota panted.
"I reckon no more than forty," Nick said while reloading the cylinder.
Dakota grinned and wiped sweat from his brow. "You were close, Nick. But that last, Beowolf, was number forty-two." He lowered his head and shook it from side to side. "Maybe you were right. That took a lot out of me."
"Take a step back then," Nick instructed. "Lunare, let's get out of here."
Lunare didn't answer. Nick turned to repeat himself, only to see none of the team were paying attention. They were all staring up at the airship meant to take them back. Or at least, what was left of it.
Smoke and fire billowed from the starboard engine. It rolled and yawed as one of the pilots fought to maintain control. The other was morbidly still, shifting in his seat only as the craft rocked through the air. It passed over team LSTRDLN and sprayed them with oil before disappearing over the trees. A moment later the ground shook and a filthy fireball rolled into the sky.
"Oh my gods," Lewis breathed. "What, what happened to them?"
"Nevermore attack," Lunare announced. "The pilot called as he went down."
"Well, we have to go help them," Tiberius said as he tried to wipe the greasy oil off of his suit. "We can't just leave them—"
The forest growled, silencing the seven. Howls were heard in the distance. Deep thuds echoed in the deep. And all around them, glowing red eyes shone their harsh light.
"Help them?" Dakota asked. "Ty, I'm not sure we can help ourselves on this one."
Five Minutes Earlier
It was deceptively easy to get ahold of an airship, Oskar remarked. The right information entered into the system, the right personality, and no one would think twice about Lucius Filmy, recent transfer from the ninety-ninth squadron. Getting assigned the right team to ferry had been a challenge, but friends in high places had won out and he'd gotten the job of carrying the heavy load. Now the only problem remaining was the copilot sitting next to him.
"Coming up on the landing site," the man, Oskar hadn't bothered learning his name, announced. "You want me to call the team?"
"I'll get it," Oskar said. "You have control of the craft."
"I have control," the copilot responded. Oskar waited until he saw the man had the stick before turning his attention the radio. "Flight ninety-four-thirteen to team Lustered Lion, what's your status, over?"
"Lustered Lion here. We request another quarter of an hour to finish our sector. Grimm activity has been heavy, over."
Oskar smirked. When they'd learned the already larger team had brought their monster of a vehicle, they'd feared the already larger team would finish ahead of schedule and leave him with hardly any time. Fortunately the heavily Grimm infested region had kept them busier than the other teams, even with the extra firepower. "Fifteen minutes it is Lustered Lion. Don't spend too long down there, I don't want to get speared by a Nevermore, over."
"Understood flight. Until then, over."
"Nevermores?" the copilot asked, "Those are rare in Mantle. Where'd you say the ninety ninth was based out of?"
"I didn't," Oskar said as he turned the microphone volumes on the radio down to zero. "But I needed an excuse and they were first on my mind."
"Excuse for what?"
"For why this bird is about to crash," Oskar said.
The copilot started to say something, but Oskar stomped on the control pedals and turned the troop carrier into the sun. He reached over and plucked a bolt of light from the air. A quick jab with the razor-sharp shard and the copilot stopped talking.
"Sorry about that," Oskar told the dead man, "but I can't have anyone knowing what really transpired up here. Dead men tell no tales and all that."
With nothing else to occupy his mind for the time, Oskar took a moment to observe the ground beneath the airship. It wasn't difficult to see where the students had fought the Grimm. The snow was churned up and scorched from Dust and combat. He could see the occasional Grimm corpse that had yet to dissipate. Sloppy handiwork and a poor reflection on Atlas Academy in his opinion. He hadn't been the best during his academy days, but he'd certainly had better handiwork thanks to-
Oskar caught himself, surprised by the thought. It'd been a while since he thought of his time at Beacon. It had been enjoyable while it lasted, but he was glad he left when he did. Oskar would accomplish much more than he ever would as a Huntsman.
Speaking of which, he needed to get their plan in motion. He made an adjustment to the troop carrier's heading so the sun was almost directly on his port side. He then put the aircraft into autopilot and closed his eyes in concentration. His Semblance worked best when he created his light constructs in his hand. He could conjure them from a distance, but they required a larger amount of Aura. If he used too much now he wouldn't have enough for the next bit.
The tips of Oskar's fingers tingled as the shard materialized. His Aura pool took a large dip, but Oskar kept his focus and threw the shard into the port engine. An explosion rocked the craft and Oskar felt the heat wash over his side. Alarms blared, and the dashboard lit up with almost every warning light available. Oskar turned the autopilot off and took ahold of the stick as the troop carrier dipped and threatened to crash. He fought with the craft and forced it into level flight. "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday," he called over the radio, false panic in his voice. "Flight ninety-four-thirteen has taken damage in the port engine. Nevermore attack I repeat, Nevermore attack."
Oskar put the carrier into a steep right bank back toward the students. The radio crackled and fizzled as someone tried to raise him, but Oskar ignored it. The receiver had been damaged by the explosion, he doubted he understand them if he even wanted to. The landing zone came into view and Oskar pulled the lever that dumped the Dust still in his tanks. It was standard operating procedure for a pilot about to crash to empty out their tanks and Oskar wanted the crash to seem as by the book as possible. Not to mention one of the tanks didn't contain any Dust at all.
It had taken a lot of their resources and more than one friend devoured by Grimm, but they'd finally developed a pheromone that would attract those monsters. Apply liberally to any surface, and the Grimm would pour in as if the area was brimming with sadness. With the Dust and debris shedding from the doomed troop carrier, no one would notice the fine mist spewing from one of the tanks. But the Grimm would. And until it washed off they would follow the scent until they were destroyed.
Oskar kept the struggling craft in the air for as long as he could. He needed to get out of sight of the students so that his miraculous escape went unnoticed. The troop carrier just wasn't built to remain aloft on one engine; a horrible design flaw on Schnee Dust's part. A crash was inevitable, it was only up to Oskar to decide when and where it happened.
When the bottom of the fuselage scraped against the tallest of trees Oskar decided the time was nigh. He unbuckled from his seat and shoved the copilot's stick underneath his harness. He then crawled into the back area of the troop carrier and leapt from the open bay. The opposite side that the pheromone was falling from of course. He solidified a beam of sunlight underneath himself and dumped as much of his Aura into it as he dared. It kept him aloft until he landed safely on the frozen ground. In the distance, he heard the troop carrier crash through the trees and explode in a fiery inferno. It seemed the tanks hadn't quite emptied before the craft had landed. The poor pilots didn't have a chance. Burned to a crisp, leaving hardly a trace. At least, that was what the official report would say.
Oskar calmly brushed bits of snow off his flight jacket and set off in a southernly direction. There was a village a dozen kilometers or so away and if he kept a good pace, he should reach it before the day was over.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
