With armor held strong, your body charged forward through the bitting winds and cold.
Your thrusters burned brightly as you hovered through the snow covered ground with ease. Leaving trails of steam and left over snow that wasn't immediately melted.
Tank: so, what now?...we found your old home, so...
You hummed in cluelessness before halting...you...well...you had a bad idea, but...it would probably be better for you to do this...
Y/N: well...do you think the lad is still there?-
You felt Tank physically recoil within your mind before hearing him speak.
Tank: kid...stop right there...
Y/N: I-I mean..., it's probably abandoned at this point, you know? I'm mean, all the research and staff for that building were killed in the crash, remember?...
Tank: well...your not wrong, but...I'm worried about you...
You sighed aloud before speaking.
Y/N: well... we're here aren't we?...I think it would be better to just get it over with now...
You didn't receive a response, but you could feel a hint of agreement from Tank.
Tank: just keep going forward then...
You slightly smiled as you began to pick your hovering momentum going forward.
On the way there however, you began to get a sense of caution as you continued your violent hover across the area.
And unbeknownst to you. All of your weapons opened and got into a firing position...
did your suit sense something you didn't...?
Or was it sensing what you were feeling...?
Either way you calmed yourself down as each weapon slowly returned into their respective retiring positions.
In all honesty...you were dreading this...
But ever since you had left the lad, you've known from the very beginning that you would end up back there...
So yes...you wanted to get it over with already...
As you traversed the snow, you eventually caught sight of the complex.
A large complex that lined the side of a snow covered mountain...
You felt as if you were holding your breath...but you managed a heavy sigh...
Tank: a-and here it is...
Tank sighed along with you...probably sensing what you were feeling right about now...
But at the same time-
Y/N: h-hey, uh...Tank
Tank: kid?...what's up?
You managed a slight smile...yes...you were definitely afraid...but...you weren't being threatened here...this was simply for closure...
Y/N: y'know...if my shattered memories remember anything from here...and from the few times I was put out here for training...did this place get smaller?
.
.
.
There was a small pause between you two...
.
.
.
Tank: eh...well...we were both kinda young...and pretty short to boot. But I love what they done with the place!
Tank spoke in a cheery tone...one that you had both laughed too as you began to walk forward.
Y/N: let's see...we are almost...what-?...0.3 miles away now?
Tank: wait...you think the defenses are still-
Immediately and abruptly, a row of 9 auto cannons sprouted up before slowly turning their main guns towards you.
Tank: oh crap!!!- Y/N, Shields!
Without a second thought, you had both shields swing outward before covering your body. You stance quickly changing to take on the force...but...
Nothing happened?
Tank: uh...
You peeked around your shields to see the turrets making the barrel motion of firing...but nothing was coming out...just puffs of snow...
Y/N: huh...
Tank: well then...i-...I guess they would be pretty jammed up and not firing...
You hummed in agreement before pressing on...really the only scary thing was the fact that some of the auto cannons were still trying to track you. Their guns creaking against rusted metal as they destroyed themselves from the inside.
Upon reaching the stone and metal meshed walls, you looked for a familiar spot...a memory of your transfer onto the plane that had crashed from before...
Y/N: hmm...let's see...Ah!- here it is!
Tank: wait a minute...I remember this door too!...this is the one they took you through before putting you on the plane...right?
You smiled before raising a fist...
Y/N: yup!
You slammed your fist into the door as the metal frame bent and crasck before flying inwards into a hallway.
Tank: wow...y'know, for a place that held us here for so long. I thought it would be in better shape...
Y/N: oh, and I'm not!
You and Tank laughed together...but the moment quickly passed as you began walking through...
The walls were torn and filled with growing mold...to which you were glad that you had an air filter inside your helmet. The lights were aimed and weak, signaling that not much power was actually left in the facility...and lastly the rooms...
Were completely empty...seeing as every you entered a hallway, opened a door, or traveled further through...all you were greeted with...was dust and moldy air...
Not to mention the the facility had been completely skeletalized as well...jut a few worthless documents of scedual shift times from several years ago...
But in the process, you managed to find your way to your old grounds...
The training room...
The semblance testing room...
The augmentation room...
The surgery room...
And lasting...
Your old cell...
Tank: ok, now that's just petty!- they took your bloodied mattress?!
You couldn't help but burst out laughing. Tank himself joined in...but once more...the moment was short lived...
Y/N: we uh...spent alot of time here in this room, eh?
A small pause of words, but tank responded in turn.
Tank: well seeing how you were here till your teens, and I came jnto the picture when you were around ten...yeah...I guess we were...
Another pause...as silence filled your ears...your mind however heard your past cries...unbeknownst to you however...your hands became clenched fists...
Tank: hey...you alright?
You shook yourself out of your own head before speaking.
Y/N: y-...yeah...just a little angry...
Your grip and hammered fist slowly opened back up.
Tank: well its all in the past now...
Y/N: n-no no...not about this...this lab...I'm over it, really...I'm angry about what's been kept from us...
You couldn't see Tank...seeing as he was still speaking from your mind... but you knew he had a confused glance...
Tank: uh...mind giving me an explanation?
Y/N: I mean...not every experience has been happy but...neither were the experiences here...in fact, if anything...I feel like we were just...isolated...this room...this facility...this was our world...closed and secluded from anything else...
Tank: and now we get to explore and experience so much more now...right?
You smiled to yourself.
Y/N: it's like your in my head or somthing...
You and Tank shared another laugh...but this time...it was genuine.
Not a laugh that hid true emotions like substituting fear for banter...this was...relief...
.
.
.
Tank: so!...wanna head on out while causing as much damage as humanly possible?!
A smile grew on your face as your shoulder mounted cannons flipped up before resting over your shoulders. Both arm mounted galling guns protruded out of their armored shells as rounds quickly racked in.
Y/N: oh, you have no idea!!!
With a joyus heart, you leaned in as both cannons aimed inwards into your once prison cell.
Both dust infused cannon let loose a massive wave on funneled energy as the impact, which initially landed onto the bed frame, cracked before burning...before blowing up in front of you!
A wave of fire spewed out from the room as flames washed over your armor...but you didn't even feel the heat.
You watched as a linked chain of incendiary rounds racked into your right arm mounted machine gun before letting loose a maelstrom of heated flaming rounds.
Simply going back the way you came from, each room you passed by was either met and greeted by another massive blast from the shoulder mounted cannons, or peppered in fire dust infused bullets...and you couldn't be happier!
This is somthing you had wanted for quite some time...a chance to not only let loose what you were given...but to finally strike back...
And although the scientists, doctors and guards that kept you here died in the crash that brought you to Salem...your heart felt full as you knew that this place would let be able to allow such things to happen again...
You continued and pushed through towards the exit while continuing your seemingly endless and bottom less firing gallery streak until feeling the shock of an explosion behind you.
You looked back only to see the hallways you were walking out of being torched as a massive plume of fire smacked against your armor.
But without much reaction, you simply funneled your aura into your armor while standing tall...the visor quickly glowing red from the shine of your face markings as your armor gained a darkened glow...
But...unknowingly...your armor had begun to change slightly...
Perhaps it was from the dark spoke flicking against your armor...or maybe it was the dust and ash covering you...
But your armor had began to turn black as smoke, and a bone white ash lick color covering the secondary parts.
You looked...like an armored panda!...or...you were an armored panda!!!
But non the less, the waves of smoke, fire, and ash began to die down as you looked inwards of the facility...it was done...crippled...and uninhabitable...just as it should be...
Tank: alright...let's go buddy...
You smiled to yourself one last tome before walking out the doors you had bashed into...and out into the snowy covered land once more...
Hopping down the mountain side whole looking up, you watched as flames poured out and upwards through the bashed and broken windows of the facility...and you giggled...
Tank: well that was easy...no wha- whoa!
Confused you looked around before checking yourself...and your reaction wa-
Y/N: WHOA!!!!
Respectable...
Tank: hah!- kid you look like a panda!
You giggled again
Y/N: Hey, I am a panda!
You and Tank laughed gleefully as you inspected your new look...and...in all honesty...you couldne be any happier!
The armor was "you"...and now the colors were "you"...no longer were you the result of experiments, and tests...
You were just...Y/N!
Tank: ah...alrighty!-...heh...what say we go on ahead and actually visit the city of Atlas then, eh?...n-not to blow it up though!
You pondered for a moment before nodding with a smile.
Y/N: Yeah!- I wanna meet the different Grimm around that area too!
Tank seemed to agree as you began walking away...
Y/N: oh!- one last thing!
You quickly turned back before pulling up your father's massive club like blade...and taking up your mother's dust infused pendant...
Tank: Y/N?
You stabbed the blade down into the ground and snow before letting the pendant hang from the hilt...
Y/N: ah...there we go...
Tank: heh...not bad kid...let's go...
You nodded before leaning forward...your thrusters catching you in a hover as you practically skatted across the frozen waste lands...
But...as you turned your back away from your past...
Unknowing to you...your father's blade shifted...
It's clunky outer layer sheded to reveal what looked to be a well crafted and sharpened blade...where as the hardened shell looked to be armor of some sort as is sprawled and laid along the snow...still glowing...as...somehow...
You felt as if your real parents were watching over you somehow...as the smile on your face only grew wider.
6 hours later...
3rd pov
Winter: how much further!
Winter shouted through to the pilot as the engines continued to roar.
Atlas pilot: we should be getting a visual soon!
Winter nodded to herself in acknowledgement before turning to her forces...including...
Winter: alright, listene up!- we are here to retrieve anything left of value!- documents, tech, you name it!- you grab it!
Winter held onto a safety bar as to not fall out of the craft.
Winter: I want two groups!- one digging through the debris, and the others...!
She paused while looking at the Ace team that had joined her ranks...
Winter: to track down...Subject TNK...
One of them chimed in...the one known as
Harriet: Ma'am, what are the rules of engagement!?...and if so!...are we allowed the use of deadly force!?
Winter looked towards Harriet with a glare of regret before speaking...
Winter: lethal force is authorized!...by orders of General Ironwood...but if there is a chance for you to take him in "alive"...then I expect maximum effort!...is that clear!
The entire Ace team shouted "yes ma'am" in unison...as Winter went back to looking ahead of the craft...
Through the puffy white clouds was a strained of black smoke...and as the craft approached...the view of a massive abandoned facility burned to the ground was all that was truly left...
A smoldering pile of ash and bristled infrastructure...
A glare now appeared on Winter...if this is what the boy was now capable of...what else could he do?
Pilot: Ma'am!!! You need to see this!
Winter looked back at the pilot before making her way towards the cockpit pit...she immediately caught sight of it...
Tracks...
And horror began to fill her eyes...as their headed was clear...the tracks aimed in the direction of Atlas...