Arctic Wasteland

The lands north of Atlas are a harsh, unforgiving wasteland of snow and ice. A place where one wrong move could mark your frozen end. Life there was for the hardy few that could withstand the blistering cold, the extreme wildlife, and the deadly Grimm. For those that survive, this wasteland is their home.

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For Logan though, just another notch on his belt of places he's been.

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Logan sighed as he drove upon Anker in an old, beat-up snow-runner jeep. The town lay at the base of one of the many mountains, covered in snow and ice, just like everything else in this wasteland. Once inside the town, Logan parked at what appeared to be the town's pub if the sign out front was correct.

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As Logan opened the door of his snow-runner, he was met with the blistering cold of the region. So cold that his aura had trouble counteracting it and his flames flickered with the wind. Still, Logan pulled his heavy clothing tighter and got out of the warmth of his car. Logan let out a hiss as he trudged his way through the heavy snowfall to the pub's steps. His feet sank deeply into the snow as he moved. Logan had to use his flames at the door to clear a path for the door to open with the snow and ice being far too much.

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Logan shuttered as he felt a warm wind rush past him as he opened and then slammed the door shut behind him.

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???: "What are ya here for brat?" A gruff and stern voice barked at Logan from behind the bar counter.

Logan: "Expedition." Logan told the man as he stood by the fireplace, acting as if he was warming up. "One of Atlas' drones spotted a new Dust mine up in the mountains near here. I was sent out here to scout it out before any digging can be done."

Barman: "Must be a new model." The barman gruffed out. "Most drones of theirs can't stand the cold well enough to get anywhere close to those mountains."

Logan: "Good guess." Logan acted like he was shivering. "But those damn basta*ds chose the lowest bidder to go and explore it. Now I'm stuck out here with just the necessities and an old snow-runner. The damn thing has broken down on me three times just getting here."

Barman: "Shame." The barman huffed and Logan heard a bearly audible click. "That you never made it here."

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Before the man could shoot, Logan had whipped around and pulled his [Ace of Spades]. The two had a standoff, one with a revolver and the other with an old shotgun. Logan had beaten the man before he could point his gun at him, but Logan knew what a new dust mine meant to the people here. It was salvation and new life.

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Logan: "Look, I'm not from around here but I know what the mine means to this town." Logan said as he lowered his gun. "I'm not gonna report it being anything worthwhile."

Barman: "But?" He asked, lowering his gun as well.

Logan: "I'm looking for a Blackfinger." Logan told the man.

Barman: "Wrench." The barman sighed. "What has she done this time?"

Logan: "She may have ties to a radical group turned terrorists." Logan said. "All I want to do is to talk with her. Nothing more, nothing less."

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The barman just stared at Logan for a solid minute before gruffing and waving to follow him. Logan sighed but kept a hand on his gun as they walked outside, the man forgoing any form of a jacket. Once outside, the man lead Logan to one of the many entrances to the abandoned Dust mine and walked inside. Logan followed along while freezing his buttocks off all the while.

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Inside the Dust Mine was carved out to accommodate large machines so Logan could easily stand with several feet of overhead clearance space. Deeper inside, the mine looked as if it still was in use with everything one would need to mine Dust.

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Barman: "What you see was left here after Atlas found a mine closer to them." The barman explained Logan's unasked question. "Hell, we still pull enough Dust out of these walls to keep this town running."

Logan: "Then why do you hate outsiders?" Logan asked.

Barman: "You're after DedEnd." The barman stated. "They ain't a group of three."

Logan: "How did you know?" Logan demanded, his hand nearly drawing on the Barman.

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As soon as Logan asked the question, he could feel numerous eyes on him. And out of the shadows of the mine came the rest of the town, all armed with old guns and machetes or axes. Logan could tell this wasn't just about him or other outsiders either.

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Barman: "DedEnd isn't some terrorist group," The barman spoke, his voice low but it echoed off the walls of the mine. "They're the only hope for this town. It's thanks to them that we survived as long as we have already. They helped us when no one else would. They supplied us when we were desperate. They... saved us."

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Logan slowly turned in his spot as the barman spoke, doing his best to keep his head on a swivel to make sure none of the town's folk tried anything. Logan could tell these people really meant what the barman said. But the worst part Logan realized was what was said next.

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Barman: "That's why," The barman said while pulling a detonator out of his pocket, "We are willing to die for any one of them."

Logan: "... I see..." Logan said as he faced the barman. "Even if they bombed a Kingdom?"

Barman: "They would never do that." The man denied it.

Logan: "They have." Logan pushed. "That's why I was sent."

Barman: "Even if they did, they would gain nothing from it." The barman said with eyes full of determination.

Logan: "Then I'm gone." Logan said, raising his hands in surrender. "I was never here and so was DedEnd."

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Logan then slowly turned around and walked out, keeping his hands held high. Logan knew when to hold his cards and when to fold them. And right now was the time to fold them.

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Once outside the mine, Logan made his way to his snow-runner and got in it. After a few cranks, the jeep started and Logan backed out. Taking one last look through the rearview mirror, Logan drove off. The Barman stood outside the cave and watched as Logan left.

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The barman sighed as he put away the false detonator once Logan's jeep disappeared into the distance. He understood that Logan was someone who could easily take them down even under the threat of suicide by blowing the mine, starting with him. A wry smile appeared on the barman's lips as he made his way back to his bar while the homeowners went home.

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As the Barman entered his bar, he could already tell someone was inside, sitting in the shadows.

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???: "Good job, driving away another one." The person spoke.

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{RWBY: Fireborn}

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Logan sighed deeply as he slowly dragged himself across the snow-covered ground as he sneaked into Anker. After his first attempt to get to Wrench was a failure, he was forced to do things a different way. Now he was decked out in snow-camouflaged gear and slowly dragging himself into Anker in the dead of night.

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As Logan continued to drag and crawl his way into Anker, he kept a lookout for any sentries standing guard. Seeing nothing, Logan moved forward with as much haste as he could without alerting the town. Deeper and deeper as Logan crawled into Anker, nothing stood out and nothing pinged off of his [Presence Detection] either. But Logan paid it no mind as his target was the mines.

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Nearly an hour of crawling later, Logan was at the entrance to the mines. Peaking inside, Logan saw it was just as he last saw it. Strewn tools and miscellaneous machines haphazardly parked here and there. Logan slowly came to a crouch and moved into the mine with a silenced sidearm at the ready. The deeper Logan moved into the mine, the darker and darker it got til the point Logan couldn't see farther than a few feet in front of himself.

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Sighing, Logan turned back. Knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere without a map, Logan left to search the town. Logan then made his way back through the mine, taking extra care to make sure not to leave any tracks behind.

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But at the entrance, Logan found the entire town making their way inside the mine. With little to no option, Logan dove into the shadows and blended his clothing with his ash to camouflage himself the best he can. He waited as the town slowly past, one by one, down deep into the mine. Logan let out a breath he was unaware he was holding as the last one past his hiding spot. Taking the chance that was given him, Logan followed the town as they made their way through the mine.

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Soon, Logan followed the town to a very large chamber hidden deep inside the mine where numerous mantacraft ships were set down. From where Logan lay at the entrance to the chamber, he watched as the mantacraft were retrofitted into bombers. Logan watched all this while a woman with a mechanical arm give out orders.

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Logan: 'That must be Wrench.' Logan thought as he surveyed the chamber. 'She must be the supplier of the bombers, but where do the crafts come from? Only one way to find out.'

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Once Logan finished surveying the chamber, he spotted an alcove with a tarp covering it. Logan was uncertain of what lay beyond the tarp as it obscured any possible sight line, but he knew that there could be answers behind it. It was a gamble. One that Logan had no choice but to take if he wanted answers.

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Activating his [Aura Pulse] (1min Invis), Logan dashed towards the alcove as fast and as quietly as he could. Getting to the alcove just as his [Aura Pulse] wore off, Logan sighed in relief and was stunned to find... a nursery?

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Logan: 'Why would a nursery be here?' Logan thought as he looked around. 'This doesn't make any sense. Why would this be here and how does it belong to?'

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As Logan walked around, he found an empty crib except for a teddy bear and an old photo. The bear was threadbare and heavily worn by time and the photo was old and brittle. The photo showed the Wrench, with both her arms, arms around the shoulders of two men. One smiled while holding a child in his arms and the other had a scowl on his face. Logan couldn't make out much more than that.

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Wrench: "You here to kill me?" A voice spoke up behind Logan, causing him to whip around to see Wrech standing there.

Logan: "I'm here to take you in." Logan said evenly, dropping the photo he had picked up.

Wrench: "Well, that's going to be a problem." Wrench said as she scratched her head with her real arm. "You see, I ain't the type to get taken anywhere."

Logan: "You and the rest of DedEnd are wanted for the bombing of a Kingdom." Logan told her while drawing his [Ace of Spades]. "If you come quietly, I can assure you no harm will come to you."

Wrench: "Bombing a Kingdom?" Wrench snorted. "Really? That's the best you motherf*ckers could come up with? Try a better lie next time." She said as she turn to walk away. "I got better things to do than play with some liar."

Logan: "Why would I lie about something like that?" Logan asked as he kept his aim center on her. "DedEnd was tracked down as the one responsible for Menagerie's terrorist attack."

Wrench: "Please, DedEnd is not a terrorist group." Wrench sighed, turning around to face Logan once again. "We're just a group that makes deals. That's all we are. There's no proof we're the ones behind the attack."

Logan: "Either way, you're coming with me for questioning." Logan told her, tossing a pair of handcuffs at her feet.

Wrench: "I don't mind." Wrench said as she picked them up and put them on. "I got nothing to hide." She had a smile on her face, unnerving Logan ever so slightly.