Destiny No More

Chapter 82

General Ironwood looked down at the datapad in his hand in silence, and Pyrrha couldn't decide whether that meant she was supposed to be intimidated but in truth she didn't feel much of anything at the moment. The mission had been a disaster, and she had been rushed into a meeting with the General immediately upon his return to Beacon. It couldn't have been more than a few hours, and Pyrrha hadn't had the time to even change her clothes yet.

"One wounded, five KIA, including the VIP." The General recounted the specifics as if they hadn't happened less than two hours ago. "What happened, Sergeant?"

"The White Fang managed to infiltrate the Compound sir." The fact that Sergeant Fairfire was beside her for this debrief was greatly appreciated, Pyrrha wasn't sure she would have been able to meet the General's eyes as she recounted the story again. "Lieutenant Meadows led Alpha team down into the bunker to escort the VIP while Bravo landed and secured our exit. We were outside of radio contact until our way back up, by then the base was already compromised."

"What is the standard response when an escort team goes dark, Sergeant?" The General asked.

"Reinforcements are to be sent to the location, sir." Sergeant Fairfire kept her eyes locked above the General's head, her body rigid and her hands pressed tightly into the small of her back, even as she responded.

"Lieutenant Meadows was aware of this, yes?"

"Yes sir." Sergeant Fiarfire nodded. "But the mission parameters were that the VIP was to be extracted as soon as possible... at any cost."

Pyrrha twitched, and she thought she might have detected a similar response from Winter stood behind the General as she was, but as for the man himself, his face was as stoic as ever; features carved from granite as he let no emotion show through.

"And was the mission successful?"

"The VIP was terminated by Adam Taurus, sir." Sergeant Fairfire responded. There was no way that hadn't already been relayed to the General yet, so the fact he asked it at all felt cruel. "The VIP did insist that his companion knew the location of whatever it was that he offered in exchange for asylum in Atlas, Sir."

"That's classified, Sergeant." The General replied instantly. "I expect you to forget you ever heard about whatever he mentioned."

"Yes Sir."

Classified? Since when were they keeping secrets from Winter's own men? They had been a part of the assault on Fort Malik, they had fought against the White Fang in Vale, and Pyrrha could admit to just how close Winter seemed to be to them. It wasn't quite the same kind of bond she shared with Qrow or even Pyrrha, but the seasoned Specialist seemed to trust them. She'd even told them about Cinder, a fair bit more than what had been included in the mission briefing before their assault on the Fortress.

Pyrrha wanted to object, but in truth she didn't have the energy.

"You are dismissed, Sergeant." Winter said as the General turned his attention back to the datapad in his hand.

"Sir!" Sergeant Fairfire moved her arms to her side as she stood rigidly in front of him, drawing a hand up to her chest in salute. The General didn't return it, and after a short pause, the Sergeant lowered her arms and spun around on her heel; leaving in silence.

Pyrrha made to follow, only to be stopped by the General.

"Not you, Specialist."

She took a deep breath, but turned to face him once more. His face was still as painfully stiff as it had been before, but this time he had his eyes solely focused on her. The datapad in his hand, the one he had been reading through the entire meeting, was now placed down on his desk. Winter had stepped out from behind him, moving to stand near the corner of his desk.