Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia

Agent Origins

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Vale, VFD Headquarters

"Move! Move! Move!"

Vale's Fire Department was in a flurry of activity. Captain Ray was shouting orders as several firefighters are boarding the fire trucks. They are getting reports of several fires that broke out throughout the commercial and residential districts.

"Just another day on the job, huh?" Smokey said as he ran his fingers through his gray hair. He wore the standard fire fighter uniform without the jacket, which left his black t-shirt exposed.

"Probably one of the White Fang again," Sizz said.

Smokey was about to step into the driver's seat when he heard a small sound. His eyes widened as he glanced at his left arm. His watch is glowing orange around the rim. He knew what that meant.

He's been activated. The Division is activated.

"What's going on, Smokey?" Sizz asked. Smokey gave his friend an apologetic expression.

"Sorry Sizz."

It was all Smokey could say before he turned around and ran out the door to the garage. He barely gave the captain a passing glance.

"Smokey! Where are you going?"

Smokey ran up the stairs to the room he and his brothers in the fire department shared. He rushed to the closet and opened it. Inside is a go-bag, medical supplies, a black chest, knee pads, chest armor, an empty holster and an arm patch. The patch is a white phoenix rising from the flames. Smokey slung the go-bag over his shoulder and pressed an earpiece into his ear.

"This is Smokey, all up and running, all copy?" Smokey called into the comms as he donned his gear, first fastening the holster around his left leg. Through his Augmented Reality lenses, he sees a map of the city of Vale before him.

"Ivo here. Wish the call came a bit sooner."

"Steele here."

"Nix. Get to your caches and rally up on me."

"Copy!"

The feed went dead. Smokey finished putting a sawed-off shotgun into the holster and hefted his shotgun. He walked over to his bed and reached an arm underneath. HE grabbed a longer chest from underneath and pulled it out. Opening it, he assembled a K8-JetStream Flamethrower. Just as he loaded the tank of fire dust, he heard the alarm sound in his room, followed by an explosion.

"WARNING: HOSTILES HAVE INFILTRATED THE BUILDING."

Smokey cursed when the Intelligent System Analytic Computer, ISAC, spoke. He put his flamethrower away cocked his shotgun and held it in front him. Slowly, he exited the room and made his way to back to the garage. He accessed his watch and sent out a pulse. The pulse picked up seven hostiles in the building, concentrated towards the garage. He walked on the balls of his feet as he approached the door. Peeking over it, he saw the White Fang standing over a pile of burning corpses. He didn't need ISAC to know what the White Fang did to them.

"CIVILIAN STATUS: DECEASED."

"Hah!" One of them laughed. "Served them right!"

"Did we have to kill them?" another asked. "They're fire fighters after all."

"Some of these assholes left our brothers for dead. They had this coming!"

Smokey gritted his teeth. He knew that most humans in society are bigots, but none of the people her did anything to them

He reached into his grenade pouch and pulled out a cluster grenade. He pulled the pin and tossed it into the room. The grenade landed and launched several mini grenades from the where it landed. They scattered across the room just as the White Fang became surprised. It was there that Smokey pulled out his shield and mounted his flamethrower.

Then the explosions came in a symphony of booms and screams.

Through his lenses, he saw that only three managed to escape the blast. The rest are on the ground, dead. No matter.

He broke cover and pulled the trigger. A gout of flame shot out at the terrorists. The White Fang screamed in pain as the flames bathed over them. He felt his shield take a few bullets, but it held steady. Eventually the last of them fell. However, there was still one left breathing. Smokey put his flamethrower and shield away and pulled out the sawed-off shotgun.

"Never play with fire kid," Smokey said before firing a slug into him.

Then he turned to the burning pile of the dead in the garage. After a moment of hesitation, he lifted his flamethrower and fired another gout of flame. By the time he burned through the tank, there was nothing but ashes.

"Rest in peace," Smokey said as he replaced the tank and put his flamethrower onto his go-bag. He hefted his shotgun and ran out of the precinct to rally with the rest of his fellow agents.

Vale, Commercial District

It was closing time at Needles and Thread.

The owner, Ivo, is taking inventory. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants. Her platinum blonde hair is shoulder length. Sticking through her hair are similar colored ears. She was just getting this year's order of clothing for her shop when the door opened.

"Hurry up and close it! They are coming!"

Ivo looked up to see two girls locking the door to her shop. Then they proceeded to grab anything they can carry to barricade the door. She recognized them as her regular customers, Daisy and Cherry.

"Hold it ladies!" Ivo shouted as she jumped over the counter and walked towards them. "What's going on here?"

"You didn't hear?" Cherry asked. "After the incident at Amity Colosseum, the Grimm are swarming over here!"

"You have to barricade the door," Daisy cried. "They could be coming—"

"Everyone, calm down!" Ivo shouted. Daisy and Cherry stopped talking. "Remember, these things are attracted to negativity. Freaking out is just a death wish."

"So, what do we do?" Cherry asked.

"We calm down and think," Ivo said. "The last thing we need is something making the situation worse."

As if fate wanted to screw with them, something happened. Despite the barricade, the door is kicked down. The three of them turned to see three men barge in. By their attire, they are members of the White Fang.

"Look at what we have here boys," The one in the middle said, grinning. He is armed with an assault rifle while the other two have pistols. "Three human bitches for the picking!"

Daisy and Cherry held each other, their terror spiking high.

To their surprise, Ivo walked towards them. She didn't seem fazed by the guns.

"Hey! What are you doing? I said—"

Ivo then smashed a fist into his face. She then grabbed the handgun and twisted it out of his hand. As he fell to the ground, Ivo raised it and squeezed the trigger. A shot rang, and the thug stopped moving.

Everyone stared silently at what she had done. The other two White Fang grunts got over their shock and became enraged.

"You BITCH!" The leader roared as he and his brother raised their guns and fired. Ivo dove to and took cover behind an upturned shelf. They kept firing until their guns clicked empty. As soon as they stopped to reload, Ivo popped out of cover and fired two shots at them. The leader was able to escape, but his companion wasn't so lucky. He took a bullet to the head like his brother and fell to the ground.

"You are so dead!" The leader roared. Ivo charged out of cover and straight towards him. Before he could fire, Ivo dropped down and slid underneath him. While sliding, she grabbed his feet pulled them, causing him to fall to the ground. By the time he flipped his body on his back, Ivo was aiming the handgun at his head.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

Ivo fired a round into the leader. A few seconds, she inhaled a deep breath. She looked to where Daisy and Cherry stood. The poor girls stared at her in shock. She couldn't blame them. Seeing a shopkeeper kick ass and kill a couple of grunts wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Well now," Ivo holstered the gun. "This was unexpected."

A small sound caught her attention. She held up her right arm and unrolled a sleeve to reveal a watch. The ring is glowing orange. Reaching into her pocket, she took out an earpiece and puts it into her ear as communications came online.

"This is Smokey, all up and running, all copy?"

"Ivo here," She said, ignoring the confused looks of the two girls. Through her lenses, she saw a map of Vale displayed before her. "Wish the call came a bit sooner."

"Steele here."

"Nix. Get to your caches and rally up on me."

"Copy," Ivo said before ending the comms. She walked to the back of the counter and grabbed a go-bag with an ISAC brick on a strap. She slung it over her shoulders and proceeded to walk to the door. Before leaving, she turned to the astonished huntresses.

"There's a panic room upstairs," Ivo said. "Supplies will last until help comes. Feel free to hole yourselves up in there. Also try not to wreck the place while I'm gone, yeah?"

Vale, Industrial District

Steele held a soldering iron and a string of lead. He wore a blue factory worker uniform and a black watch on his wrist. His blue hair is neatly trimmed.

"Just a little more," Steel muttered between his teeth, which held a small flashlight. Then the solder is done. "There we go."

He stood up and stretched. One of the electrical wiring had went down in a factory and Steele had been sent to fix it. The wiring was a faulty than a tractor, so this caused him to work overtime. Therefore, he couldn't watch the final matches of the Vytal festival.

"Now for the moment of truth," Steele said. He reached for a switch and flipped it. The lights came back on.

"Back up and running," Steele whistled. "Now to collect my pay and get back to the Vytal festival."

Steele exited the power room and walked down the halls. As he made his way to the office, he noticed that no one seems to be around. Which was odd, he was sure that there were still people when he got here.

"Hello?" Steele called. "Anybody here?"

Then he heard something. Instinct took over and he crouched on the balls of his feet. Slowly, he stepped towards what he knew is the manager's office. His ears are picking up the sound of movement inside. He gently pushed the door open and peered inside.

The office is a mess. The culprit is wearing a black hoodie and pants. The hood is pulled over the head which is covered in a black balaclava. The intruder is busy rummaging the desk that they didn't notice Steele creeping up from behind. With a start, Steele tackled them to the ground. They struggled for a moment before Steele pinned him to the ground with an arm at the throat.

"Who are you?" Steele demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Then, he felt something hit him in the head. He was knocked of the perpetrator and onto the floor. Up above, he saw the thief's partner help them up. They wore the same clothing as the other. His ears picked up their discussion on what they should do with him.

"What do we do?"

"Leave him, we got what we wanted. And don't even suggest killing him."

They picked up their bags and left. Steele groaned as he picked himself up. If it weren't for his aura, he would've been knocked unconscious.

Recovering from the blow he received, he took off in pursuit of the thieves. He only been here for four hours, but it was plenty of time to memorize the layout of the building. There was only one way out and he knew a short cut.

Steele ran down all the way down the hallway to where he knew the window is. He opened it and put a foot on the edge. Then he peered down below.

Sure enough, the door to the factory opened. Just as he caught the first sight of black clothing, he pushed off and landed on the two. Not giving them a chance to recover he grabbed the nearest object, an abandoned crowbar, and prepared to knock him unconscious."

"Don't!"

Steele looked up. The owner of the voice is a girl that looked to be ten years old. She is dressed in a school uniform. Her brown hair is tied in a ponytail, but what got his attention is the wolf ears. She looked close to tears.

"Please…"

Slowly, Steele looked down at the two thieves and removed their hoods and masks. One is a male human and the other is a female wolf Faunus. When he saw the kid, he thought they were some kind of White Fang grunts. But that thought was crossed out when he remembered they didn't wear the standard uniform. So why…

His eyes found the bags they are using to carry their loot. He reached out and opened one of them. Inside is food, not loot. That didn't make sense, why would the manager have food?

Wait…didn't one of the employees say that he keeps a stash of snacks to keep him occupied.

That would explain the weight.

"Please," The man whimpered. "We just want to get out of town."

"The White Fang are taking things too far," His wife said. "I don't want any part of it. Nor do I want my family to be as well."

Steele regarded them for a moment then back at the girl. With a sigh, he got off them and picked up the supplies. He held out a hand to them.

"Just ask next time," Steele said as he helped them up. "Before you rob someone alright?"

Just as he reached out his hand to hand them the supplies, his watched beeped and glowed orange. He stood as still as a statue and stared at it. He knew what this meant.

"Thank you," The husband snapped him back into reality. He and his wife are picking up the bags. "You won't regret this."

"Just take the next ship out of town," Steele said. "It's a lot safer that way."

With that, he ran towards a blue van with an electrician symbol on it. He opened the back and reached for a black trunk. Inputting the code, he opened it and took out a go-bag to sling it on his shoulders. Steele took an earpiece out of it and placed it in his ear just as the comms came to life.

"This is Smokey, all up and running, all copy?"

"Ivo here. Wish the call came a bit sooner."

"Steele here," Steele spoke into his comms.

"Nix. Get to your caches and rally up on me."

"Copy," Steele said. He ended comms and finished putting on his gear. He picked up a rifle and closed the trunk. Steele closed the van and turned to find the family looking at him. He took out a set of keys and tossed it over to them.

"Take my van. It'll be faster."

Vale, Residential District

"Do we have everything?"

"Just adding the water."

Nix and Perry are packing their bags, only of what they need. Ever since they got an alert about a force of Grimm coming towards the city, they have been packing their bags. Their daughter, Fleur, is sitting on the couch.

"You have the directions?" Perry asked. He was referring to the evacuation site that the Vale council had sent to them on their scrolls.

"Yes," Nix said. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved sweat jacket and pants. Her black hair is tied into a ponytail. She hefted a bag over her shoulder. "You ready?"

"I am," Perry said. "Let me get Fleur."

Perry is the first one out the door. Nix was about to follow when she heard a small sound that made her freeze. Slowly, she lifted her arm to eye level. Around her wrist is a watch. The ring is glowing orange.

She's been activated.

Nix glanced at the door to where her family is. She didn't want to leave them, but…

When we get the call, we are bound to answer.

As much as she hated it, she knew that this was their home. She made an oath and she is bound to keep it.

Dropping the bag, she walked to the bed she shared with her husband and lifted the mattress off. Underneath is a black chest with a white phoenix symbol. Stepping over the frame, she knelt down and held her watch over the lock. The lock recognized her watch and unlocked. Inside is combat gear, weapons, and a go-bag. She began donning the gear. First the chest armor, the gloves, the kneepads, the go-bag and the holster. She was just taking out her handgun when she heard a voice behind her.

"Nix?"

Nix looked towards the door to see Perry staring at her. His eyes were on the gear she was wearing and the gun in his hand.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Why do you have a gun?"

Nix sighed. "Perry, I'm going to be gone for a while."

"What?"

"You and Fleur are going to have to go without me," Nix said as she stood up. "Something came up and I have to be somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?" He asked. "What do you mean?"

Nix sighed and walked close enough look at him in the eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Perry, I need you to listen to me," Nix said, calmly as she could. "There are a few things I haven't told you about. There is a division that is activated only in a catastrophic emergency. A safety switch, when everything else fails. I am part of that division. Our objective is simple, restore law and order."

She watched as he digested everything, she told him. Then she walked around him and through the door.

"When I get the call, I'm bound to answer," She finished. "Please get to safety."

Without waiting for a response, she walked away. Just as she was about to exit the apartment building, she saw her daughter Fleur. She was sitting near the door with a backpack over her shoulders. Her eyes gaze up at her mother, confusion at her attire.

"Mommy…?"

Nix knelt down and caressed her daughter's cheek.

"I'm going to be away for a while," Nix cooed. "It won't be long. Make sure to listen to your father, okay?"

"Yes mommy," Fleur said, nodding.

Nix allowed herself a smile before standing up and walking out the door. As she walked down the hall, her earpiece came to life.

"This is Smokey, all up and running, all copy."

"Ivo here. Wish the call came a bit sooner."

"Steele here."

"Nix," She spoke as she viewed the map of Vale. "Get to your caches and rally up on me."

"Copy."

The feed went dead. Nix looked behind her at the direction of her family one last time. Then, she continued her trek out of the building and straight to the rally point.

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Another chapter done and the prologue is complete. The agents have been activated and it's only four of them. Where is the rest of the First Wave, find out as you read along? The story starts for real in the next chapter.

Like I said, this is to all fans of the Division. Plus, please don't let me be the only one making the Fics. I would love to see more of the Division on fanfiction.

Thank you all for reading! Keep the faith that we will make it out of this pandemic.

Extremis Malis Extremia Remedia.