AN: Uh hello?

*crowd throws rotten fruits*

Ok damn it I know I'm really late of this one, October was just a bad month for me. So here we get to explore the wonder that is chemical weapons! Oh a side note, this marks the one year anniversary of me starting this fic. This started off as something to take my mind off my grandmother's decline and death and I didn't really think of turning this into something readable(which it still isn't really). And of course GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO! Damn does it feel good here in Chicago. Half the school is missing to go see the parade and shit so yeah. And that's all for now, I really had a hard time finding a spot to close this chapter, next week (hopefully) you kiddies will get the Lt.'s side of things. So of course tell me what I fucked up and any ideas you have for this.

Away from the usually noisy happenings of beacon a plan was being hatched. Gathered in a dorm room, the information that could change a world was being shared.

"So what did you find?"

The reply came from a man dressed in black and silver, with the fitting name of Mercury, sprawled out on the floor. "Well first off, let me tell you these guys are FUCKING TERRIFYING. I managed to sneak into their Barracks and they were making poison gas!"

(Yes I do know how to make chlorine and mustard gas along with napalm and other such things. Yes I can still take a plane.)

Poison gases are three things to Remnant ; Illegal, deadly, and despised. It was viewed with disdain due to its unique abilities to bypass Aura and directly affect a target. To make matters worse, it was practically useless against Grimm. And so almost days after the end of the Great War the use, position, and development was declared a serious crime. Capital even in some areas.

"And He is okay with this?" Asked Cinder. While nobody truly followed the rules in this little war of shadows, including Chemical weapons was far beyond what even the Queen was willing to do.

"I don't think he even knows, of course that's not all."

"What? What could possibly be worse?"

"Their Auras. Their diseased. They are ,grantedly, absurdly weak, but they feel like… there. It's just wrong."

Cinder frowned at the lack of explanation. "Care to say something useful Mercury?"

"They all carry a shroud of despair. It's incredibly hard to stay civil near them, it's like you just want to punch them in the face or cower in a corner. It's especially strong on their second in command."

"Emerald, what do you have to say?"

Her other minion started her report. "I agree fully with Mercury for once. Airborne is just insane, they talk in compleatly unknow tongues, claim to be a 'fireteam' , and willfully disregard any rules set down for them. apparently they aren't that discriminating because William nearly blew that Winchester boy's balls off when he was bullying some fannus." She sighed. "I also found out why they are prohibited from sparring with the other students."

"Really, What did they do to cause that?"

"In the Lieutenant's first match, he nearly killed a student with a three round burst from a pistol. Of course after this the entire team took an extended hike in the woods afterwards. I couldn't get any info on that. But it had half the school,in an uproar. Though they do seem to hold a bit of resentment towards each other. I got a recording of one of their sparring matches."

"So we know even less of their capabilities, and that they are willing to break any rule to accomplish their still unknown goals."

The two minions just kinda shrugged. "Figures. You two are to grab three rifles from their armory and get them back here. I will take care of the see-see-tee. (CCT) I will not tolerate failure."

The next five days passed in a flash to almost everyone at school. Krauss did most of the KP duty in a sort of half compromise with the still outraged Weiss so she could still plan the upcoming dance in exchange for helping him with the translations later. Airborne had finished the traps for the CCT's systems floor. Three S-Mines, seven canisters of thermite, a pair of sealed containers containing mustard gas were placed near vents were rigged to go off, and the crowning touch was a 50 pound aircraft bomb wired into one of the counsels. To put it simply stepping in there was a death sentence of painful proportions.

At three days to showtime, Ozpin instructed Krauss to chaperone the dance. To say it was an odd and infuriating request was putting it mildly. A dress uniform that he was "suggested" to wear, would not allow his COMA armor to fit underneath. Hell Krauss still showed up, he just sat in a chair watching. Of course this chair was secured on the outside of the railing running around the second floor.

"Uh Sergeant why are you here?" Krauss carefully turned and saw Jaune of all people behind him.

"You know it's usually the bride who wears the white dress right?"

The Arc chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in a nervous tic. He was indeed wearing a white dress. "Lost a bet, and an Arc never goes back on a promise. And you?"

Krauss smirked." Nice to see some integrity at your age Jaune. As for me, blame Ozpin. I should be running an op right now but instead I'm sitting here." He cracked his neck then suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah, uh don't go do something sexual down there or i'll use the straw." He pointed to the stack of straws he had made into a poking device stretching a good twenty feet long with a thumb tack at the tip. Next to it sat a small pile sticky notes reading "Get a room." and condoms. (Friend of mine works at a theater as an usher, did the same. Minus the sticky notes and condoms or course.)

Jaune blushed but nodded before he walked away.

Krauss did have another agenda running, spotting the trio of evil. So far, to his fear, he could not find any of them. As he was scanning the sea of teens below him he saw the student's reactions to Jaune showing up in a dress. The muffled laughter did nothing to faze him as he walked up to Phyrra. Krauss had to hand it to the kid, Jaune really knew how to dance along with his team. After a pretty good performance from the teens, the dance was rudely interrupted by a burst of light before a massive shock wave shook the building. Predictively the students below started to panick. Krauss pulled his radio out to hear Adam address the rest of the fire team. "Actual to All signals, Battersnatch, I repeat Battersnatch. You have green light."

Krauss reported back. "Charlie squad complies."

Sighing he dropped down from his perch and landed with a thud on the floor below. Dodging the panicking students, He walked over to a wall and wiped his hand on a panel that, to the surprise of those who noticed, slide open to show a FG-42, a gas mask, a harness for six magazines, and a pair of potato masher grenades.

"Krauss! Whats going on, the see-see-tee(CCT) just exploded!" yelled Yang as she marched up to the sergeant with Blake right behind her.

"It means the traps been sprung, I need to get there" Krauss was unable to finish his sentence due to the distinctive wail of an air raid siren sounding "oh what the fuck."

Yang shoved the now armed man against the wall. "What the hell is going on!"

Krauss gently pushed the enraged blond away and grabbed his radio. "Actual, what happened!"

"Someone's raiding our armory! The three of us will take care of it! You get to the see-see-tee and kill that bitch now."

"Wilco." Krauss turned to the two girls "You two need to get everyone away from the see-see-tee and get Ozpin over here." He pulled the harness on and stuck the pair of grenades in his belt. Removing his garrison cap and placing the mask on top of his head, he gestured for the two girls to hurry. Yang charged off to complete the task he had given her, but Blake stayed behind and pulled out her scroll. Krauss had run ahead now rifle up and hunting. He heard the telltale scream of a rocket. Thinking it was an RPG he hit the deck and assumed the "incoming" pose. Relaxed, ears covered, mouth open, down low.(Relaxed muscles lets the shock travel through easier, protect ears, keep teeth from shattering from pressure, shrapnel.) To his surprise when he didn't hear an explosion he looked up to see Blake pulling Gamble Shroud out of her locker. He quickly stood up and asked in shock. "What are you doing! You have to get out of here."

She smirked . "Making sure you don't die and getting a foot into whatever the hell you're doing."

Krauss resisted the urge to shoot himself. "Can Arua protect against poison gas?"

"No. wait what?"

"That room is going to be filled with mustard gas and burning thermite, it will end your career as a huntress if it gets to you."

"I don't care."

"Fine don't slow down."

The two resumed their run. Krauss constantly checking shadows, the flashlight taped to the muzzle revealed nothing thankfully.

"Sergeant look." Blake pointed ahead. Following her line of sight he saw a opened rocket locker. They both sprinted to it there was a box of ammo sitting in the bottom. Krauss picked one up and looked over its features. Probably remnant fifty cal, rimmed, and silver and black in color. "Is this who's I think it is?" Instead of confirming his analize , Blake called Krauss over. "Sergeant, I think he's dead." Krauss walked over to the bush Blake was standing over. Behind it was a guard splayed out on his back. His yellow/white armor signifying his standing with Atlas. Krauss gently lifted him and felt his neck pivot. It was far to loose. "Yeah, He's gone." Krauss laid him back down and took his helmet, and placed it on his head. he stood up, ran up to the main entrance to the tower and called a halt. He fully seated the gas mask on his face now. Someone was going to eat twenty rounds of 8mm very soon.

Cinder was trying to collect her bearings. The insistent ringing him her her ears was not helping. That bomb should have killed her outright. Thankfully the blast had pushed her out of the way of the blizzard of shrapnel from those jumping mines. As she pushed herself to her knees, a second bang sounded and the Air seemed to ignite in a fury of burning thermite. Cowering from the burning metal shavings under a ruined terminal, she waited for the fire to subside. It took three minutes for the last of the incendiaries to burn out. The dun smoke filled the room making speech and vision hard

"Neo! Neo! Are you still alive?" Hissed Cinder. Her next sentence came out in a series of hacking cough as she sucked a lung full of smoke and trace amounts of mustard gas.

The telltale pink and brown hair of Torchwick assassin popped up near the door. She was terrified. The killer's eyes were wide and looking all over the place. She was bleeding from a wound to the arm, probably from one of those jumping mines. They jumped up quite a bit further then Cinder remembered, exploding almost at chest or head height for her and Neo respectively. A burning sensation pricked at her exposed skin and eyes. She could see slight blister forming on her skin. THE GAS! Those bastards had placed the gas with the rest of the traps here! "NEO we need run NOW! The ice cream assassin looked up and shakily stumbled over to the false maiden. Cinder grasped the choking women's arm and flared her semblance.(Really not sure if what she's been using are "Maiden Powers" or semblance so just roll with it.) with a flash of flame the two found themselves on the outside of the CCT. 14 floors in the air. The clear air had never tasted so good to either woman. The two were quickly blinked back to the side of the massive antenna. Where they clung like a hound dog on a porkchop.

With a hefty kick Krauss bashed the door open to his surprise he found Ruby, scythe drawn, in the middle of the lobby.

"Ruby?" His voice was muffled by the gas mask but clear enough for Ruby to understand. "What in the Emperor's name are you doing here?"

"I saw the tower explode and I thought someone might be hurt then I saw the men outside."

"Stay with Blake, the two of you are not to move up till I tell you. This shit will be a beyond painful death." Krauss checked the little green stick near the bayonet lug. In the presence of Mustard, or other toxic gases, it would turn a dark red telling you the put that mask on. It was a clean pale green, no red. Rifle up he moved to the stairs. "Check your corners, i'm a glass cannon here, we can't afford any surprises."

"Krauss why are taking the stairs? Wouldn't the elevator be faster?" asked Ruby

"Two reasons." Krauss trained his muzzle on a door marked 3 as the group passed it. "It's too noisy, and it no longer functions."

He now switched to the door marked 4 on the floor above them. Blake Narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean 'it no longer functions' you didn't destroy all the elevators did you?"

"Nope." came the quick reply.

"Thank oum, if"

"Just the breaks."

The two students stopped and looked to gun wielding man. "So if i wear to say use one of these."

Krauss shrugged. "You'd fall to your death, or maybe get cut in half by the roof smashing into you. What? We were through. That bit"The sergeant caught himself before he fully voiced his error." who ever tried this is not escaping." He checked the marker again. Still clean and he had ten floors to go. The three continued their clearing pattern. Floors flew by, 5, 6, 7. At the tenth floor Krauss checked the tester again. It looked green still and they had four more floors, but he didn't want to risk it. "I'm calling it here. You two are to wait for me, if you hear anything make sure get out of here as fast as possible."

Ruby went to forge on anyways but was immediately stopped by Krauss.

"Krauss I want to."

"NO. Both of you will wait at the ground floor. I will not be responsible for your deaths. Blake make sure she does not follow me. I'm trained to deal with poisonous gases, you are not." Krauss started his run again the floors flashed by 11, 12, now specks of red showed on the tester. 13, the stick was mostly red and he could feel it burning his exposed skin now. He really hoped the medicals knew how to fix chemical burns.

The door to the 14th floor stood before him, he pulled a grenade from his belt and took a deep breath as he pulled the pin. He whispered "Eins, zwei, drei."

With as much force as possible, he through his foot forward in the hardest kick of his life and kicked the door clean off its hinges and a good three feet away.

"sterben"

The grenade left his hand and flew into the center of the room as Krauss duck back around the door. Three seconds later it exploded sending a blizzard of shrapnel everywhere. Krauss flipped back into the room rifle raised and hunting. Spotting something man shaped through the smoke and gas he opened fire. After performing a flawless mag dump he ducked into cover and reloaded. Popping up again he scanned the room, no targets and no return fire. Approaching his target, he began to see that it was a server bank and not a He toggled his radio and called in. "Actual-three, the see-see-tee is a bust. I'll start the fans up now." As it is well known, poison gas is kinda hard to get rid of. Krauss's idea was to simply push the poison out and let it disperse high up hopefully leaving everything below unharmed. As he started the fans he realized he had not received an acknowledgment from anyone. He quickly grabbed his radio.

"Actual-three come in." Krauss got nothing back "son of a bitch…"

he bolted through the ruined door frame and down the tower. As he half ran half fell down the stairs he tried to contact Ozpin. "Ozpin! Ozpin! We have a serious problem."