The ride back to the base was quiet. It was quiet when they entered the Drop ship, and it was quiet when they were in the air. Walker entered co-pilot's seat and waited until the pilot turned his head before throwing the balaclava off his face and putting his helmet on. He breathed in relief and rotated his head a few times before grabbing a Boltok and loading it slowly, spinning the chamber a few times before putting it near him. The others watched him do this in silence before they did their own thing. The ride was quiet as they flew through the air, a tense atmosphere overtook them. Not a single word was said for the next few hours.

When the vehicle landed and the bay doors opened, everyone walked out. Walker was the last one out, making sure he had his gun ready. He waited until everyone was spread out a little before he took aim and fired two shots at the back of Sun's knees. Everyone jumped at the sudden noise and turned around to see him with the weapon aimed and the barrel smoking slightly. Sun's screams echoed through the air as he clutched his leg tightly, blood spurting out of the wound.

"Walker! Are you insane-" Sage stood up and glared at him.

"Shut up!" He shouted, loud enough for everyone to clamp their mouths shut. They watched as he shoved past them, ignoring some of their attempt to stop him.

"What the fuck?!" Sun shouted in agony.

"One thing! I said one thing, Wukong! I told you all to check your shots! So why the fuck did you shoot that woman?!" Walker shouted.

"She looked like she was going for a gun!" Sun shouted back. He coughed suddenly when Walker slammed his foot into his stomach. Sun struggled and fought back but he couldn't do anything when Walker shot his foot, throwing him off guard.

"You knew there were infants in that crib! There wasn't a gun in there, or in the room! I gave you a picture because she was a non-combatant! I know that you're not that stupid to forget what that means!" Walker shouted as he continued to kick Sun. His teammates tried to help him, but Jaune, Cardin, and Russel were quick to stop them. They could tell that there was nothing that could be done. Everyone watched as he continued to beat Sun mercilessly. He stopped kicking and proceeded to beat him with his fists, breaking his aura and some bones, causing trauma in places that wouldn't kill him, and even shattering his pride. They could only watch as Sun was beaten to the point where he was barely conscious. No one saw their leader, their friend, they saw a man that had gotten lost in his anger and was punishing someone who fucked up.

Sun reached up weakly through his swollen face before his body went limp when Walker slammed his fist against his face a final time.

"Walker..." Ruby said weakly. He breathed harshly as he got off Sun and looked at his bloody hands, flicking them to get rid of some of the blood.

"Penny. Tend to him. Fucker isn't a Gear anymore." Walker said heatedly. Everyone suddenly felt their hearts sink. She nodded shakily then began to tend to the faunus.

"Why?! He messed up, I get it! But that's not a reason to take him off the Gears!" Neptune shouted.

"I gave him a chance back in Menagerie! He hasn't improved. I'm not about to waste anymore time with him if he's not going to change. I told you all something, check your goddamn shots. He shot a woman in front of her kids. What if one of those rounds hit them? Then what, hmm?" Walker hummed as he stepped up to Neptune. He watched as the other boy went silent.

"We'd deal with the repercussions." He said after a minute of silence.

"Oh, we'd deal with the repercussions. We. Hear that everyone? He said we'd deal with the repercussions!" Walker exclaimed out loud. They all watched as he threw his arms out and rotated around. The others saw that other Gears were crowded around.

"You feel better?" Neptune asked. He suddenly spit up when Walker slammed his fist into his diaphragm. His aura held but the pain was excruciating, it felt like a truck had slammed into him.

"You and that fucking smart mouth. You didn't think I didn't notice you start to disobey orders either? That you've been giving Jaune and Cardin a hard time, when the truth is... they have more authority than you. That you literally disregard all the rules because you think you're too good for everyone?" Walker asked as he bent down to the blue-haired boy's level.

"What... the... fuck... is... your... goddamn problem?" Neptune wheezed.

"The problem is that I wasted months whipping you into shape, and you continue to think you're the top dog. I could give less than two shits if you did that on your down time, but numerous times I've caught you doing what Sun has been doing. Slacking off, disobeying orders, letting threats live, getting people killed, and talking shit about everyone. You really didn't think I wouldn't notice?" Walker asked. Everyone watched as he stood up and looked at all of them.

"We've had slip ups." Neptune wheezed.

"One too many. I'm done with you, Neptune. You want to get people killed? Then you have no place on the Gears. You and Sun are off." Walker said as he began to walk off. Gears moved out of his way when he walked past them and the others just stared at him before walking past him. Sun was rushed off a while ago to keep him from dying. It was this moment that everyone realized what had happened, Walker literally just kicked out two of their longest serving Gears in a heartbeat, which meant he wasn't picky. A deep rooted fear seemed to rise from their bodies at this realization. He wasn't kidding when he said that he'd kick them out if they messed up.

Sage and Scarlet, while they'd go to hell and back for their teammates, they did see that they were slipping up. No matter how many times they tried to coax the other two to shape up, they didn't listen. While they were pissed off at Walker, they understood the importance of their missions. They knew that Walker was patient but it started to wear thin as time passed. It's why they started to listen to him more than their teammates. They'd rather place their trust in someone who clearly knew what he was doing and experienced, than someone who messes around when lives are on the line. In the past recent months, they've seen Sun and Neptune go from proud Gears and fighters to mess ups. Sage and Scarlet always put civilians over their lives and considered them as a factor, the other two didn't.

They still didn't tell them how Sun left Rachel's grandmother to die. They'd probably be punished for withholding information, but they'd rather deal with that then what they had witnessed. Soon after the whole ordeal, everyone had dispersed from the area and there was nothing left but splatters of blood on the ground.

A few days had passed by and Blake was sitting at a table in the recreation area. Her head was in her hands and the book that sat next to her lied still, it hadn't been touched in hours. Her mind was somewhere else, thoughts on how she committed her first non-locust or Grimm kill. It was a sickening feeling that chewed at her insides and made her want to vomit. She dealt with that for the next hour or so before her mind wandered to the White Fang, about what she saw. There was no lying about that. It was cold, hard evidence that they were beyond redeeming. People who originally fought for equality were about as bad as the Grimm, spreading terror wherever they could. At first, she was going to go to Walker and talk to him but she rarely saw him over the last few days.

Sun was gone, shipped back out to base with shattered legs and broken pride. Nobody knew why he was going back to base but they didn't want to fathom what Walker had in store for him. They all knew that the faunus was treading on thin ice but he didn't seem to care. The more time they spent around Walker, the more they realized that he was patient but had a certain level of it. Nobody wanted to ask him about it. Neptune was gone also, as of yesterday he was no longer a Gear. Walker made sure he couldn't get a job anywhere; no academy would employ him, the council didn't want him, and he had been blacklisted in New Hope. He literally made sure Neptune suffered for the rest of his life.

A feeling welled up deep inside her. If she pissed him off even more then she knew she'd suffer the same. As much as she wanted to deny it, she did need to grow up. They couldn't afford to act like kids anymore, especially her. While he may not be always right in some regards, he did have more experience. He wasn't the perfect man, he was far from perfect but he learned from his mistakes. She was just so... she just thought that if they showed people that the Locust were the main threat then they'd see. A sigh escaped her lips soon after, as much as she wanted to live in denial, the truth was there. She wanted to live in a world where ignorance was bliss, but it was time for her to be released from that lie and face the bitter truth. The White Fang changed when they started to become violent. They changed five years before she enrolled into Beacon. Their peaceful protests that turned to acts of terror was just the tip of the iceberg.

She was just too ignorant to see it. It was at this moment that she stopped caring about the White Fang. There was nothing that could be done for them now, the one that she knew died when her father left to become Chieftain on Menagerie. It was time for her to grow up. A sigh escaped her lips at the feeling of uneasiness that festered within her gut. That feeling was pushed down after a few minutes. There was no denying it, no running anymore, it was time for her to stop being a coward and face the fucking truth. She then came to the conclusion that Adam needed to go. He became nothing short of a rabid dog that was doing nothing but snap its fangs at people.

"Finally seeing the truth?" She heard Walker asked from behind. She looked behind and saw him standing there with some food on his tray, there was another one in his other hand.

"...Yeah. How'd you know?" She asked quietly.

"Had a feeling after we came back from the raid." He said as he placed the tray of food in front of her then sat down. They ate in silence, her rear was starting to ache from the amount of time she sat there, but she ignored it.

"I still didn't like the feeling." She said.

"Not supposed to. Even I don't like the feeling sometimes, but we do what we have to." He replied.

"... Was it like this for your first time?" She looked at him.

"Yeah. Unless you're a deranged individual who enjoys killing another person for the first time, nobody is going to like it." He said. She wanted to retort but kept her mouth shut. It wasn't right to judge him, she could at times but it wasn't right to judge him overall. That would make her hypocritical. She was just tired of all of this. So much fighting that could've ended differently. When she was younger, she always dreamed of a world where people would do nothing but get along, that was just a lie she convinced herself existed. Even Ruby, the youngest of everyone, saw that when she made her first Locust kill.

"Taurus needs to go." He said after a while.

"He does." She nodded. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow before rubbing her back.

"Think you're up to the task if you encounter him?" He asked.

"I am. He's... he didn't used to act like this when we were younger but I guess that was a lie. He started to get violent as we got older, nothing but years of anger and resentment towards humans. I saw that, saw it and didn't do anything about it. Guess he was always like that." She sighed.

"Keep going." He gestured.

"At this point, there is no redeeming him. I know this isn't you influencing me into doing this, but he does need to go. If not me then I hope someone else does. The last straw was when we found out he tried to have my parents killed." She bit. Her cat ears flicked around in anger before she calmed down. He looked at her face and saw that she was tired, tired of living in such a lie. It was at this moment did he see that she was done with the White Fang, her opinion of them had changed drastically. She saw the truth in all of its rotten glory, but chose to face it like an adult.

"We'll deal with him in time." He said.

"I'm sorry, and before you say anything, I just want you to listen. Okay?" She asked.

"Alright." He shrugged.

"I'm actually sorry for this. For causing you so much... trouble, pissing you off, and other things." She said. The look on her face was of pure regret, like she had done something terrible.

"..." He didn't say anything, all he did was stay silent as she continued.

"I've been thinking these last few days. About how little I'm contributing. How I've been acting like a child when it came to some things. I think I'm done living a lie, it's a little tiring to be honest." She said.

"So you're finally seeing the bigger picture?" He asked.

"Yeah. I mean, there is really no hope in getting rid of racism. It's always going to be there, so I might as well learn to live around it. That's really the only thing I can do at this point." She shrugged while looking to the side.

"That's the part I wanted to see, Blake. I wanted to see the light bulb in your head to finally turn on. The world is different from the one we were used to. Well, yours is. It's no longer Grimm. It's Grimm and Locust that we have to deal with, sometimes people but we have to make use of that. Somewhere beyond all that mess we call a world, there's us." He said.

"What are we?" She asked.

"Depends. It really depends on the situation. Just know, there's a fine line between right and wrong. Somewhere along those lines, is us. By the end of the day, someone has to make the enemy scared of the dark." He said. There was nothing that was said, this was how things were now. As much as she wanted to deny what he was saying, she was a Gear. The ones who battled the Locust and saved who they could. She finally figured out that she was part of the group that made the enemy scared of the dark. In the span of a few days, Blake Belladonna had finally grown up. She had finally looked the truth in the eye and embraced it.

It was time for her to start acting like an adult.

The Council requested him. He ignored them this time. When he asked why he was needed, they answered that they needed him to get more people to join the war effort. That wasn't his job remotely. He didn't force people to join the Gears, if they didn't want to then they didn't have to. If people didn't want to become Gears because they felt like they were throwing their lives away then that was their choice. He was done with them, at this point in the war, he didn't really need the Council anymore. He was generating a very decent amount of revenue now. If he were to cut the Council off then he'd be fine. While money was important, living his life free was more important. Plus, getting people's favor was more beneficial. At this point, he valued an individual based on what they could do rather than money. It seems Atlas forgot this aspect when he started doing favors for the Council. They seemed to have him mistaken for someone from Remnant. Vacuo also.

The Gears had been in Mistral for about three months now and were doing their best to combat the Locust. It was so damn hard though, they were beginning to get more and more brutal as time passed. He could tell that they were desperate to win this war, the Grimm were barely a problem now but there were reports of some odd ones. Some that seemed to glow a vicious yellow color then explode when killed. That, along with this whole shadow war bullshit, presented several problems for him. In all honesty though, the shadow war wasn't his business and he didn't care.

It seemed that the military had seen that he wasn't handing the Gears over. While they were slightly agitated, they did see that they were beginning to cross the line with him and test him. They saw that he would leave them if they toyed with him further and decided to put aside their differences with him. He did assist them in that house raid so it and had been doing his best to combat the Locust whenever he received word of them. It was only fair that they provided him with intelligence regarding everything that pertained to the Locust. Most of the higher military individuals saw that he was nearly obsessed with eliminating Locust, it was a borderline fixation in their eyes.

Recently, he had proposed an idea to the council. It was to strike the Locust in their underground network of tunnels after performing a scan in several locations of the world. It would be difficult but the idea itself wasn't bad. He did something that no one actually anticipated. He called them all to a council meeting, wanting them to be there physically rather than on video.

"Mr. Ronin... so basically what you're saying is that we go underground, in their home nonetheless, and drop off beacons to perform a scan?" The Atlas council questioned.

"I've said it numerous times. If I have to say it one more time then I'm going to be pissed." Walker retorted.

"That could take some time, not to mention resources that we cannot spend." They said.

"Oh right, because you all are so safe up there in your floating city. Don't bullshit me when Councilman, I know you all have resources because I've seen what you have to offer. If you all can make an army of droids then you can make a beacon to scan the planet." Walker scoffed. There were murmurs around the room about his attitude and he ignored this. As he looked around, he saw the Beacon staff present near the Vale branch then turned his head away from them. He then saw Ironwood near the Atlas council standing stiff as a sentinel.

"If we were to succeed in this whole scanning ordeal, what would the results be?" Ironwood asked.

"A map of their network of tunnels. From then on, we can start planning future operations." Walker answered.

"We have been discussing among ourselves and we have to decline. We simply cannot fund the necessary resources for this beacon of yours." The Atlas council said.

"That's fine. You're free to leave then. Don't expect me to answer when another Locust invasion happens in Atlas, because I'm not going to bother to listen." Walker waved. Everything went silent after he said that. All he did was swing his right arm then rotate his shoulders before looking at everyone.

"We seem to have misheard you." One of the councilmen narrowed their eyes.

"Then allow me to reiterate for you. I said, don't expect me to assist you when another Locust invasion happens. You already try to take advantage of me, and I've been nothing short of polite, but you all are starting to piss me off." Walker said evenly.

"We provide you with funding, Mr. Ronin. Without us, you're nothing." They said.

"That's where you're wrong. I haven't used your funding in about a year. Most of it just goes to somewhere else. I stopped needing you a while ago. Without your fancy floating city, gadgets, and funding, what are you all?" Walker asked. It was silent as he just stared at them. He had been too nice with them, it had gotten to the point where he let them push him around. No more. If it meant abandoning them to get them to see, then he'd gladly let them fall.

"Walker, I think that's enough." Ironwood said.

"It's commander to you, General." Walker said without looking at the man. He kept his eyes on the council. "I asked you all a question, I expect an answer. Instead of relying so much on the Gears, why don't you get off your damn pedestals and do something." He continued.

"I think we've had enough of you. Fine, we'll just expose your operations to the public and turn them-" The Atlas council began.

"Sit down and shut the fuck up!" Walker shouted suddenly. He watched as they sat down immediately. Everyone one did, and the ones who going to leave suddenly found their rears rooted to the seats underneath them. The gravity in the room suddenly felt heavy it weighed everyone down. There was a sudden suffocating feeling that made several people choke on air. He ignored it and stared at all of them. Several individuals seemed to have beads of sweat run down their foreheads and on their palms. No one said anything and frankly, they were scared to.

"I've seen how you all operate, it's garbage. You all place so many rules on the military that it's getting people killed! Seven thousand people in the last year, dead because Mistral is too worried about what other people think. Fifteen thousand in the last thirteen months in Vacuo because you all leave countless people to the desert and Locust rather than actually save them! Six thousand in Vale because you actually listened and got your shit together. Don't let me get started on you..." Walker glared at the Atlas council.

"..." They didn't say anything and he took this as a sign to continue.

"I have had enough of all of you. You really think I would keep my mouth shut about all the shit you tried to pull? The attempted assassinations, the bribes, the fact that you let Jacques Schnee dictate half of you because he has money?! You really thought I would keep my mouth shut? Get real. Only reason I helped you all with several situations is because I thought that you would change, obviously I'm wrong. Thirty thousand people died in the last two years and you all think you're at the top of the world. If you want to expose me then I'll do the same." He said.

"If you do that then we'll take those kids-" The Atlas council began.

"Leave." Walker gestured.

"We're sorry?" They blinked.

"I said leave. Leave before I drag your limp bodies out of the room. You all want to act high and mighty, then fine, I'm done with you all. Deal with the Locust on your own terms. Go off and die, see if I care." Walker said calmly. He had been working on keeping his anger in check, and so far the exercises were working. Just like how some of the others had been improving upon themselves, he decided to take his own advice and do so. He needed to be better, both physically and mentally.

"Fine, we will. Have fun with your lack of resources." They said.

"Have fun with those Brumaks." Walker retorted as he watched them leave. Once they left, he turned to the others. Nobody wanted to say anything, all they did was watch him bring out his scroll and give an order or two before putting it in his pocket. At this point, they saw that he was serious in leaving Atlas to hang dry. The only reason Atlas did as well as it did was mostly due to the Gears and their assistance.

"Walker-" Ozpin reached out.

"It's Commander, Headmaster. You all lost the liberty to call me by my name. I told you all, stop relying on us so much and do something. I give Atlas a few days to a week before those Brumaks reach their destination. If you all won't make those scanners, then I will. It'll be difficult due to not many people working on it, but I'm sure we'll manage. Get your shit together, or Remnant is going to perish. Won't matter to me, I'll probably be dead by the time the war is over." Walker shrugged before leaving the room. Nobody said anything, nobody could. He had basically just left with the warning for everyone to step up their game or risk being left behind. This time, they knew he was serious when he said he'd leave everyone.

The Gears had enough resources at their disposal to start building their own power. Every time Walker had lien to spare, he expanded the base more. More platforms to be used at his disposal, to which he started building houses. Some Gears didn't have homes to go back to so the base practically was their home until they could find some. If he was willing enough, he'd maybe let some families start living there, so long as they did something. Probably not. Things like this took a lot of time and management in order to make it work. That's what New Hope was for, it was practically a second city under his rule.

Footsteps were heard from behind and he turned to see Glynda walking towards him. He rolled his eyes and began to walk faster, much to her slight irritation, but she understood why. There was so much on his plate and they had practically thrown another pile of problems onto it, thinking he would handle it for them.

"You're probably needed in that room." He commented.

"Ozpin is currently talking with them, I'm not needed right now." She said.

"I'll cut to the chase, what do you want?" He asked.

"To talk." She answered.

"About?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Your well being. I know we dropped a metaphorical bomb on you-" She said.

"A bomb is undermining it." He commented.

"But we had no intention of roping you in." She finished after wincing at his comment.

"Sure, yeah. You know Ruby and them keep asking about that? You all don't seem to realize how much willpower it took for me not to shout at them anymore? They were so eager to help you all defeat this woman that it almost cost us a battle. I don't care about this war with this woman nor the history, what I care about is what if the Locust get their hands on this artifact." He said.

"..." She couldn't say anything, she didn't know what to say.

"Aside from that, things are going well considering we feel like we're losing battles." He shrugged.

"Why?" She asked as she walked next to him. The two of them walked for a few minutes before finding a bench to sit on and discuss some things.

"People dying, Locust are getting more ferocious, and other topics. The works." He waved dismissively. She frowned at his attitude but chose to bite her tongue from commenting anything. The most she did was ease her way into a comfortable conversation with him. It seemed that she was the only one from Beacon who got to call him by his name without him correcting her into a more formal title. She truly was regretful that he had been roped into this conflict with Salem, but Ozpin always did have a knack for roping people into his conflicts, intentional or not. The only difference between Walker and everyone else; Walker didn't care about this woman. He truly didn't. If he were to meet the witch then he'd probably flip her off then leave her to her devices against Ozpin, he had more important matters to attend to.

The next few things were of him wanting to go back to the base, back to the kids there and relax after his tour. She had never really seen the base of the Gears, neither had Ironwood nor Ozpin. From what Ghira Belladonna described, the entire area was massive and secure. Countless anti-aircraft guns scanned the sky for Locust or enemy vehicles, each Gear always had a weapon on them, and the place was always up and running. Only select individuals were allowed, anybody else wasn't. The place was practically a fortress, couldn't be dug underneath due to the limestone and was high enough from the water to keep it from being flooded. She'd like to see it one day but knew that the chances of that being slim.

"Walker? Are you finally done?" A voice rung out from down the hall. He looked to his left and saw Weiss walking down. She was wearing a black ceremonial uniform with a skirt instead of slacks. There was a medal hanging on her left side with several ribbons on her left side as well. She wore stockings and her black shoes clicked against the marble ground below. Her hair was different now. It was shorter and had a bun in the back. A Locust had grabbed her hair and almost killed her, prompting her to cut it shorter to avoid another incident like that, plus was extremely warm weather which didn't suit her very well.

"Yeah, I'm done." He said as he stood up and dusted his pants off.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Ms. Goodwitch." Weiss said politely.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Schnee. I enjoy your hair style." Glynda complimented.

"Thank you, it took a while to decide a look." Weiss said.

"Too long if you ask me." Walker commented, making Weiss throw him a look.

"Well it suites you." Glynda said.

"Thank you." Weiss nodded.

"Alright, as much as I'd like to continue this. We gotta go. C'mon." Walker said. Weiss said one final goodbye her old teacher before following Walker.

Glynda just watched them go, she saw how Weiss would smile at him and laugh whenever he said something. She saw that he would visibly relax whenever he was around her and his shoulders would bounce a bit whenever she said something. A ghost of a smile adorned her face, she knew they'd be alright in the end.

Walker and Weiss stopped at a nearby restaurant, it wasn't anything special, just something to eat on the way back to the small base. The two of them just talked for a minute before getting their orders taken, it had been a while since it was just him and her. The other three always took up his free time and left Weiss in the dust, this was a way for her to be reassured he didn't forget about her. It was nice, little moments like these made all the fighting worth it in the end. He got a lot, as usual, while she just opted for something smaller. There were times when she'd roll her eyes whenever he made a comment or two, but it wasn't one of disdain. She noticed how much he actually eats, three plates of food while she had a measly one. It was to be expected, his workout schedule usually called for his diet to be big and hardy. That's what he was; a lovable big and hardy guy.

"I'm serious, you took way too long with deciding a hair cut." He pointed out with his fork.

"I had a lot of hair, plus this is still new to me." She said, touching her head.

"Meh, still looks nice overall." He commented.

"Thanks, a lot better than what Neptune would say." She scoffed at the mention of the man.

"What'd he say?" Walker asked, irritation slightly building in his system. It was one that vanished as soon as it built up, it had been months since he took the idiot off the Gears.

"Usually about my appearance, body for the most part. Tried to touch me one time before I dislocated his hand." She shrugged.

"I see..." He said quietly. Just another thing to hate about the guy. She noticed this and set her hand on his, he visibly relaxed shortly after.

"It's alright, he's gone now so there's that. Last I heard he was in Vale looking for work." She said.

"Where'd you hear that?" He asked.

"Oh please, you're not the only one with connections. I pulled some strings to make sure he barely got the scraps." She mused. A chuckle was heard from him and he shook his head. They just ate in comfortable silence, occasionally striking up a brief conversation. It was nice, just to unwind after the battles. His schedule was rather busy at this point in the war. He didn't like sitting in a chair while his troops fought for their lives, it just wasn't right to him. There were enough high-ranking individuals within the Gears to take his spot should he perish, but no one really wanted that spot. Being the commander of the Gears was a big responsibility and it wasn't handed to just anyone. If anything, he'd probably have Jaune or Cardin take the spot. Both men proved to be responsible enough and were passionate about being Gears.

Whenever he wasn't on the field, they were the ones to take charge and lead valiantly. He'd have them by his side any day than troops from Atlas. Cardin was content with it just being him and Russel, they were their own force to be reckoned with whenever the situation called for it. They trusted him and he trusted them, this in turn made their bonds grow to brotherhood. It was odd at times, almost five years ago, he couldn't stand Cardin and his team. It seemed they had grown up over time. Not just them, but him also.

A buzzing on his scroll made him reach into his right pocket and pull it out, seeing a text from Roman. It seems the criminal had gotten some good intelligence regarding a certain woman, as well as another crate of weapons for the Gears. He smirked a bit before sending a good job text then putting his scroll back in his pocket.

"Who was that?" Weiss asked.

"Simple text from Roman. He got us some good stuff." He answered.

"I still don't see why you associate with him." She rolled her eyes.

"So far he's proven to be useful. Not to mention he's doing his job right and is respectful. He may not see it, but he's far more willing to get me shit as long as I reward him for his efforts." He shrugged.

"Somehow, only you can get an international criminal on our side." She sighed.

"It's part of my charm." He said.

"I doubt it's charm." She retorted.

"Whatever you say. Come on, we got to get back and I'd rather not wake up late." He said as he brought out some lien. She watched as he paid for the both of them, leaving a generous tip, and walked out the door. The only thing she could do was shake her head and follow him out, smiling whenever he said something funny or stupid. It was nice for it to be just the two of them. She knew that one day he wouldn't always be there to put a smile on her face.

Nightmares were as common as his normal dreams. They came and went like the wind, but sometimes they would stick to his mind like a disgusting substance. There were times when he contemplated on talking to someone about it, but he didn't exactly feel comfortable with anyone. Really the only people who understood him was his team and family, but unless he had a way to get back to Sera, he was on his own. He could talk to the girls but the most they would do is pamper him, shower him in nothing but positive encouragement and say it would be alright. He didn't need that, what he needed was someone to actually relate to.

Some work needed to be done and it was earlier than he intended to wake up, so what was the harm? Sleepless nights were more common with him. He'd probably give the kids a call, but he remembered they were in different time zones and were probably asleep. It had been a while since he's talked to them. He heard footsteps down the hall and went up to the door and opened it, seeing a familiar head of black hair. Shaking his head, he followed her out to the courtyard until she was sitting on a bench, staring at the moon.

"You know, the very least you could do is be quiet while others are sleeping." He commented, watching her jump.

"Stop sneaking up on me." Blake sighed.

"Pay attention then." He retorted as he sat down next to her.

"Why are you out here?" She asked.

"Same reason as you. Nightmare." He answered while leaning back.

"How'd you know?" She asked.

"Seen it happen a lot. Plus, you're talking to a guy that deals with it often. Wanna talk about it?" He asked.

"Not really." She shook her head.

"Alright." He nodded then leaned his head back. If she wasn't comfortable, then he wouldn't push. There was no reason for him to force her to talk, especially when she looked rather distressed. The only thing the two of them did was bask in the night air and enjoy the silence for what it was worth. She looked at him and was about to ask the same but realized it wouldn't be fair; it wouldn't be fair to ask him about his nightmare when she wasn't willing to share hers. Recently, she finally saw how childish and greedy she had been when it came to him. It finally started to click in her head that she was being a nag about his problems, even though Jaune had told her to back off, she didn't listen. If there was a time machine that was created, she'd slap her past self and tell her to wake up.

"What's on the agenda tomorrow?" She asked.

"You mean today?" He quipped.

"Ha ha, very funny." She laughed sarcastically, "I'm being serious though. What are we doing?" She asked.

"Depends, for the most part, relaxing. We've been on countless assignments recently and it'd be good to let everyone unwind. Plus, I need to relax myself. Finally taking your guys' advice and taking the day off." He said.

"Wow, the day Walker Ronin took someone else's advice... that'll go into the headlines." She said.

"Wow, the moment Blake Belladonna gained a sense of humor... what a magnificent discovery." He retorted.

"I've been around you and the others too much." She shook her head.

"It's fine. I like this side of you more. Granted, I still like the bibliophile side of you, but I do enjoy this more sarcastic side of you." He said.

"Good. Just means you get to enjoy all of this greatness." She flipped her hair dramatically. He stared at her for a second before chuckling a bit, then erupted into a fit of laughter. This lasted for a few minutes and eventually she joined in too. Just two people enjoying each other's company.

"Goddammit, that was pretty good. I'm not gonna lie." He lifted his helmet and wiped away a tear.

"How'd the council meeting go?" She asked.

"Same fucking deal. Everyone thinks they can push me around till I said I would leave them to hang. Seems Atlas thought I was kidding." He shrugged. In all honesty, he wasn't even mad anymore since it was to be expected.

"I take it you did?" She asked, of course she already knew the answer.

"You bet your ass I did." He pointed.

"To be honest, I shouldn't even be surprised anymore." She sighed.

"You've known me for almost five years, it ain't exactly a shocker I'd do something like this." He said. All she did was just shake her head and lean it up towards the sky. It was a nice night outside and the sky was clear, the only illumination was the moon. There were times when her appearance really was at its peak, mostly times like these. He went quiet and let his thoughts mull over for a bit. Despite her pissing him off at times, she never really went against him. The only time when they were back at Menagerie, but that was when he merely killed White Fang for being White Fang. All it took was one conversation and she started to actually shape up. The process of her growing up took a while, longer than most, but it seemed she started to act like an adult now. It wasn't that she didn't care about him, it was more along the lines of she cared about him too much at times.

To be honest, he was confused about his emotions. He had never really been someone that people were interested in due to his mental instability, but the girls were willing to look past that. They were willing to look past all his mistakes and misdoings and work with him, that was more than what most were willing to do for him. He knew she liked him, he wasn't stupid in noticing that. He noticed it with some of the others. It was just... that he didn't know if he could return the feelings at the moment. He didn't want to build up with a relationship with them then go off and die. He didn't want to be the reason as to why they were stuck in an emotional heartbreak because he decided to throw his life away so foolishly.

It was why he wanted to keep his distance. He was so emotionally and mentally unstable that it wasn't healthy, but he had been working on it. It may have been a slow work in progress, but it was still better than before. Granted, he was still insane beyond healthy levels, but he wasn't to the point of snapping and putting the ones he loved in danger. While he was still reckless to certain people, he had decided to use his head more. Creating the Gears was a steady learning point for him, it had its ups and downs, but it had built up a better side of him. He had people that relied on him; those kids, his Gears, countless other people. Although he was one man, he was finally willing to take some of the weight off his shoulders and let people help.

Maybe one day, he'd show his face to everyone. His helmet hid all his fears, emotional and mental turmoils, stress, and other toxic emotions underneath. If he were to get the chance, he'd finally let people help him to get better. It was a nice thought... to get help. Maybe it was what his team had been trying for so many years but couldn't get through due to his stubbornness. A series of thoughts had assaulted his mind; how greedy he had been when he considered taking his life and leaving Ajay and his granddad all alone, how his death would affect the remainder of his team, how it would affect everyone.

A hand was placed on his and he looked down to see her hand resting on his left one. She flashed him a worried look and he looked down to see him clutching Nash's COG tags along with his dad's. The only time he really did this was when he was stressed and didn't know how to cope with it.

"Have I ever told you about Nash?" He asked.

"I don't think so." She shook her head.

"He was a great man. Was a Gear through and through. Never let anything come in between his team or the mission." He started.

"Go on." She gestured.

"Always kept his head cool and basically taught me everything other than my parents. If he were here now, he'd know what the next step was and probably kick my ass with how poorly I'm doing things." He laughed. It was more along the lines of a bitter, sad one that held no humor.

"..." She just let him continue.

"Although he was an asshole at times, he did want to make sure everyone was alright. Like me, he was a guy that made a lot of mistakes, more than he could count... but he always made up for it. He cared about people, treated everyone he knew and actually gave a rat's ass about like family. Wonder what he would be doing if he was actually alive..." He wondered.

"I think he'd say you're doing a good job. That's not just me being supportive, but I feel that he would really be happy you're doing alright. You've managed to help a lot of people since you've been here, more than most do in their lives. Sure we make mistakes, but we all do, life is a learning experience." She explained.

"... Thanks." He smiled. She truly had grown up a bit in these recent months.

"Well, I'm going back to bed." She stood up and dusted her pants off.

"You sure you don't want to talk?" He asked.

"Yeah. If I'm feeling weird I'll just come find you. You being here was enough." She said.

"Guess I'll do the same. I'll probably send an email saying we can relax a bit, maybe I'll catch up on some sleep." He said as he stood up also.

"Alright... goodnight, Walker." She said.

"Night, Blake." He nodded and watched her walk away. The atmosphere went silent for a while and he chuckled a bit before shaking his head. Although they didn't really discuss their problems, just being around one another was enough to quell the stress from the nightmares for the night. That was all that was needed for the two. It wasn't a cure all, but he would take what he could get for the time being. Maybe this was a sign that he needed to get help and there were people willing to do so.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the signal coming from his helmet.

Sleeping in wasn't something he did often, it was almost foreign for him to actually do it. Imagine the surprise of the rest of the Gears when they found out he had decided to actually sleep in and take it easy for once. Granted, he was still going to work out, seeing how it was part of his daily schedule, but he wanted to actually catch up on some lost sleep time for once. It was nice to be honest, just to relax for the day after pushing everyone to the limit. It seemed that they had a little bit more time to themselves ever since he called the council out on their errors. While the Gears still did a majority of the heavy lifting and often went on missions, it seemed that the military decided to step up its game and assist with the Locust more.

The only problem he had with the current base location was that it was hot and humid as hell, which was an absolute atrocious combination. He had to take off his shirt and sleep in shorts for the night, which did help a little. By the time it hit eleven forty, he decided to finally get up and do something. While it would be considered to be still early, this was possibly the latest he's ever gotten up. It was a good thing that the gym was indoors, because he'd probably sweat to death in this heat. He had forgotten that it was supposed to be like this today.

A knock on his door made him sigh and put on his helmet, letting everything boot up. He had just recently fixed a few bugs in it so everything was okay now. The knocking continued and he stood up from the bed and walked to the door, opened it to see Nebula. It went silent for a few seconds before heat started to rise to her face and she let out embarrassed squeaks. He sighed before closing the door for a few minutes before coming out with some pants and a shirt on. She was still there and he poked her forehead a few times to get her attention.

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out.

"It's fine. I take it you need something?" He asked.

"Well, everyone got worried that you were still asleep so we went to come see if you were alright." She answered.

"I'm alright, just getting some needed sleep. Plus, I'm trying to take it easy for once." He answered.

"What?" She blinked.

"Don't believe I stuttered. I said I'm taking it easy for once." He shrugged.

"..." She just stared at him as he grabbed his keys and scroll.

"What?" He asked as he closed his door.

"Nothing... just didn't think you would actually relax for once." She said.

"Figured I'd try it. Just trying to relax a bit before we go on missions." He said.

"Well, I'm glad." She smiled. It was quiet for a bit as the two of them just walked around. As more time passed, she had a look on her face that was noticed by him. He acted oblivious for a reason at times, on a few occasions he actually was oblivious, but for his age he was extremely perceptive. She gave off a few indicators that something was on her mind; twiddling of her fingers, her constant glances, the fact that she was slightly closer to him than usual. She wanted to ask him something, but for some reason didn't go through with it.

"What's on your mind?" He asked.

"Nothing." She turned away.

"I know you're lying. Something's on your mind, most likely you wanted to ask something." He said.

"Do... you want to hang out sometime?" She asked quietly.

"I don't care. The girls are busy doing their own thing anyways, I'm not doing anything other than going to the gym, so I'm free." He said.

"What are they doing?" She asked.

"Ruby's probably maintaining her weapons and she's in the zone, Weiss is probably doing something with her sister, Blake's most likely asleep or reading alone seeing how I said we could relax, and Yang is probably sparring with Arslan. Where's the rest of your team?" He asked.

"In town, they said they wanted to get some fresh air for a bit." She answered.

"Why didn't you go with them?" He asked.

"Didn't feel like it." She said.

"Hmm." He hummed before nodding his head. The two of them just went to the gym like he said. She never really spent any time with him, so doing this felt nice, plus he said they could do whatever she wanted afterwards. She never really seen how intense his workout schedule was, so much that it actually made several others sweatdrop at the sight of it. To him, it was normal. He worked out longer than most could actually do, only stopping when it was required before he stopped for the day. It was a stress reliever for him, only several people could actually keep up with him. To be honest, it was actually very impressive in her eyes. He had no aura to rejuvenate himself, yet he still managed to keep going.

It was when he started to bench press five plates, which to her was basically amazing. Granted, she could bench press three plates, but that was with aura. She didn't know whether to be amazed or terrified that he was able to do this without an aura, and it was clear he was getting stronger since he added some smaller plates. Only on his last rep did he struggle a bit, but she had helped him rack it back before handing him a towel. He wiped the sweat off of himself before wiping it off of the bench then disinfected it. His muscles were sore but he ignored it and walked out with her.

Both of them just wandered around base before they spotted Nora dragging Ren around, the boy looked extremely winded. He almost didn't want to ask what happened but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"I'm helping Ren with his cardio! We just ran six miles and now we're gonna lift some weights!" Nora beamed.

"Help me..." Ren mouthed quietly. Walker looked at him before deciding to throw him a bone, he knew how excessive Nora could be sometimes.

"I'd wait on those weights, you have some assignments coming up." Walker said.

"Is it demolitions?! Or is it one of those boring ones you assign sometimes?" She asked.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. Besides, don't worry about it. Just know I'd rather have him in top shape when it all boils down to a situation." He said.

"Fine... we'll just improvise!" She said.

"That's not any better." He deadpanned.

"Nonsense! I'll give him the rest of the day off, though. You had better thank big bro, Ren. He just saved your hide." She said as she dragged the boy off.

"..." Walker just stood there in silence. He hadn't been called that in years, so to hear someone call him that made him feel odd. It reminded him of when Ajay would run up to him saying those two words with such joy; happy that his big brother was back safe and sound. Was he like that with Nora? Did she view him as a big brother figure that much to where she would start calling him that from now on? He didn't notice the tears start to flow down the sides of his eyes slowly, he only noticed them when they had reached the bottom of his helmet and rested at the rim. His fingers wiped them away while Nebula just stared at him worriedly. It had been so long since he's let tears fall...

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine." He reassured as he flicked the tears away. In truth, he didn't know what to feel.

"If you say so." She nodded.

"Come on, I did say we'd hang out. So let's go." He gestured. She nodded and smiled before they just went to the cafeteria, they'd do this and probably watch a movie before departing for the day. When they entered the cafeteria, most of the other Gears just gave him a friendly wave and he nodded in return. Lunch wasn't anything special to be honest, just them talking about current events, their interests, and some other topics. To be honest, this day was turning out to be rather relaxing for the most part, nothing short of the ordinary.

It took a while for them to actually decide on a movie, he wasn't into romance like she was. Eventually, they had a disagreement on what type of movie they should watch. She wanted either a romantic comedy or pure romance, while preferred something that didn't have to do with anything romantic. After a while of searching, they had found a horror movie. It was more comedic than anything seeing how cheesy it was at times, but neither were particularly scared of it. There were times when she accidentally clutched his sleeve when something sprung out, but he just shrugged. The movie finished and he looked at the time to see it was dipping late into the evening. It was time for him to go back to his room and do some things before retiring for the night.

"This was nice." She said as they walked the halls.

"It was." He nodded.

"You know, you could always hang out on girl's night with us." She said.

"And watch romantic movies all night, I'm going to have to give that a hard pass." He shook his head.

"Come on, there are some good movies out there." She shook her arms.

"Negative. Jesus, you're as bad as Weiss with romantic movies." He chuckled.

"Well, her and I share the same love in that genre. Blake too." She nodded.

"Well aren't you girls three peas in a pod." He commented.

"One of these days, if I'm not the one to get you to watch those, then they will." She said.

"I'm sure you all will. I'd say this was a productive day." He said.

"By productive, you mean finally taking it easy for once?" She quipped.

"Same thing. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd like to do this more." He sighed.

"Hang out with people or relax?" She asked.

"Both." He answered.

"Agreed. I guess I'll go now, might as well get ready for what you have in store for us." She said as she started to walk away. A few steps were taken before she stopped and clenched her fists tightly.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Just... promise that you'll look after yourself, and take it easy sometimes. Promise us that you'll start to rely on us more and not shoulder the weight of the world on yourself. You have people who care about you, you know? We just want to make sure you're okay." She turned to look at him.

"I won't keep any promises, but I'll try." He nodded.

"That's all we're asking. Goodnight, Walker." She waved.

"Night, Nebula." He waved back and watched her go down the hall. His hand slowly went down and he had to look at it. It was odd to have so many people care about him, a part of him was scared to be honest. He was more confused and scared about people helping him, mainly due to the fact that he considered himself a bother to them. As much as he wanted to, he knew he was beyond help. By the end of the war, he'd probably either be dead or back at Sera. He was more scared to let people in than death itself. So much death, betrayal, and other misfortunes that have been thrown onto him made him scared to let others in.

Locust, he held nothing but unbridled rage and hatred towards them. The White Fang, bandits, and other unsavory individuals, he held nothing but moderate hate towards them. The people he cared about? The fear of letting them in and getting hurt when something happened to them was what scared them. He was so used to helping others and guaranteeing the survival against the Locust, that he often forgot he needed help himself. Those toxic thoughts of his always reminded him that a monster like him couldn't be saved, was doomed to be thrown into oblivion. He could handle countless threats that wanted him mutilated, shot, and other horrendous ways of dying.

Letting people in and helping him was what scared him. Whenever people wanted to help, he often cut himself off and claimed he was fine; it was his defense mechanism to avoid dealing with his problems. He was so lost right now, it frustrated him and scared him at the same time. Emotions were always hard to deal with. He wouldn't break down and cry his heart out in front of the others, but he would shut himself off. His mind would literally shut itself off to avoid dealing with his personal demons and letting others help him. Although... maybe that's what he needed. Maybe he needed to talk to someone he could relate to.

He was so confused right now. Though, that was okay at the moment. Sometimes confusing times would be presented with the best solution as time passed.

Hello, long time no see everyone. What an absolute shit year this is turning out to be, but let's take a break from reality for once. I don't have much to say other than this chapter took a depressing turn and let's address the reviews like always.

Josephi: Campaign's good, multiplayer has its moments, spec ops is garbage in my opinion, and warzone is alright. I'm glad you caught the reference though.

Disabled-doctor: Here's another chapter, missed you too.

Spartan13047: Indeed.

Another S.T.A.L.K.E.R: I see, thanks for pointing that out. Hope I at least improved upon it a bit, if I didn't... oh well. I'll try to improve upon it as the story progresses.

R3WY: The first one is up for debate, and the second one is a strong possibility. Also, Ajay wasn't taken by the Locust and he isn't in the story.

Blaze1992: Possibly.

Jkdelta38: Indeed for the entire review. As for Blake, yeah. I want to actually develop her character a bit, nothing too major other than the fact that she's finally growing up.

Dead344156: Here is some more.

blackdog420: That might be a possibility.

Atryx10: I'm sorry you feel that way, as for it being not your cup of tea, I apologize about that too. If you do not wish to read it further, then you are welcome to leave, I will not stop you. My stories aren't for everyone, it's not that big of a deal.

Guest: You know what, I'm not even going to question how you found out about that. Okay... I guess?

kolbecroft: It's alright, the story is just not for them. Thanks for reviewing.

Well, here we are in the author's note... for once I don't have that much to say. The story is progressing, little by little so that's at least a good thing. I'm not dead so that's another plus. I wanted to actually develop Blake's character and I think I want to expand upon the others some more, just something to make the story more interesting. Anyways, take it easy everyone.

Goodbye.