RWBY: Just A COG In The Machine

Bad Thoughts

Velvet awoke early in the morning to the sounds of heavy breathing.
She looked over and saw that Isaac was sweating and gripping the Lancer to the point his knuckles turned white.
He then bolted up, Velvet quickly closing her eyes and pretending to still be asleep, and tore the bandanna off of his face and lifted the rifle up with one hand and the other gripping the revolver from his side.
It took him a second before he took a breath and get himself oriented to where he now was. He looked around and didn't notice Velvet pretending to sleep.
He carefully laid down his rifle and moved to the bathroom with his revolver and shut the door with the distinct click of the door lock.
Velvet carefully got up and moved to the bathroom and what she heard next horrified her.
What she heard was sobbing.
Uncontrollable. Broken. Quiet. Sobbing.
She heard a distinct click and Velvet went wide eyed and quickly knocked on the door.
"Isaac. Are you ok? Please answer me."
He then was completely silent.
"I'm here."
Isaac said through the door in a soft tone.
"Can you please open the door. I want to help but I can't do that until you open the door. Please. I just want to help."
There was a pause before the door gave its signature click and Velvet carefully opened the door and what she found made herself almost break down in tears.
Isaac was on the ground next to the tub at the far side of the bathroom with his revolver in his hand that slipped out and fell to the tiled floor with a clunk.
"I can't get the memories out."
He looked at his shaking hands as Velvet carefully walked up and sat next to him.
"Every time I close my eyes I see my friends, family, and all the other Gears in my life that I fought with and died next to me. I can still hear their screams. The blood. Fucking hell there was so much blood."
All Velvet could do was look and listen to the young COG soldier who sounded like it had been a long time since he had let anything loose.
"I keep thinking to myself why me? Why am I the one that lived while everyone else died. I should have died not my friends, not my family. Maybe I should have died back on Sera maybe then-"
"No!"
Velvet leaped and wrapped her arms around Isaac.
"Don't say that. Don't ever say that."
Velvet said with her face buried in Isaac's shirt.
"Your friends might not be here but they gave their lives so you could live for them. They wanted you to live for them. So don't throw away the chance they gave you. Honor it by living!"
Velvet said.
Isaac laid silently for a moment and contemplated what she said and thought about why was he spilling his guts for this girl he just met before he just nodded and accepted the help that was offered.
"Ok. Thank you."
He finally said in a soft tone while nodding and trying to rub the tears out of his eyes.
"Mind doing me a favor?"
Isaac asked quietly.
"Anything."
"Can you keep this quiet. I don't like people worrying about me. I don't want this to spread around."
Velvet thought for a moment.
In one hand she had a mentally crippled soldier who lives with the regret of his fellow soldiers dying while he survived against an enemy she had yet to witness and needs some type of professional help but on the other that might loose trust in her and locking himself up.
Velvet was quiet for a moment before she made her decision.
"Ok. I'll keep it to myself. But please. If you ever need someone to talk to. I'm always here."
Velvet said with a friendly smile.
Isaac nodded.
They sat there in each other's arms for awhile until Velvet released her grip.
"Come on. Let's get you back to sleep."
Velvet said as she got up and helped get Isaac up.
"Actually Velvet I'm going to explore this place a bit. If I'm going to be living here I might as well get the lay of the land."
"Are you sure? It's so early."
"I'm sure. I don't think I'm going to be able to get any sleep anyway."
Velvet nodded.
"Ok. Just be careful ok?"
"Sure."
Isaac collected his armor and weapons plus Amy's bandolier with Philips' Boltok on his hip and finally, with his helmet on, he was about to leave until he turned toward Velvet for a moment.
"Sweet dreams Vel. See you in a few hours."
Isaac said softly with a tired smile beneath his trusted helmet.
He left Velvet with a blush on her cheeks before she got back into her bed and slowly drifted off to sleep with the Gear in her thoughts.
She sighed and thought about what could Isaac had fought to make him like this.
With the Gear himself he had wondered the halls with his Lancer and Collins' Gnasher and the COG tags of his former team kept in his pocket.
He wandered the halls, enjoying the light the shattered moon of this world shining through the windows.
Sera never had peaceful nights like this.
It was either waiting for the pale Locust or glowing Lambent to come and tear you apart or it was the nightmare producing Krill that ate a man so fast and so brutally that there usually was barely, if anything, left to identify who the body once was after they had their meal.
They used to give Isaac and many others nightmares as a child but now it was just one in a sea of bad dreams.
Even without all those factors the planet still wanted to kill as many Seran humans as possible so the weather could easily do just that with its wind flares and razor hail. No wonder humans were so good at killing when the very planet wanted them dead it seemed.
"Bad dreams Sergeant?"
Ozpin asked as Issac past by a doorway which the headmaster was leaning against.
"More than you know sir. How much did you get through?"
"Just watching the videos that have been bookmarked so far and now beginning Operation Hollow Storm. Your Chairman certainly knows how to rile up a crowd. You were quite enthusiastic as well."
Ozpin said with a sad, sympathetic, smile as he walked next to Isaac and joined him on his walk down the halls of the dark academy.
"It was a time when we thought it was going to be the end of the war. Sadly we were...very mistaken."
Isaac said as he rubbed his upper leg, an old scar from the invasion.
"Have you told your friends in CVFY yet? They seem to see you in a good light."
"No. To be honest I was going to put it off as long as I could. Plus I don't even know them that well."
Isaac turned his helmeted head toward the grey haired Headmaster.
"Why do you want me to get closer to CVFY anyway?"
Ozpin took a moment before speaking again.
"Because I know you are lonely. You kept loosing friends back on Sera and were constantly fighting and were not able to form connections outside of war. I feel you need people around more than you know."
Isaac took a breath.
"And What makes you think that?"
"Humans are social creatures by nature. Alone we feel cut off and feel the need to find someone to be with one way or another. I'm also going to be straight with you and say I'm hoping this will at least relieve you of some of the pain you are experiencing."
Ozpin said as he looked at Isaac's helmeted head.
"I appreciate the gesture sir and I will consider it but I truly don't think they are ready to see the war. They don't know what real warfare is."
"Sadly it is a lesson that will have to be taught sometime in their life. I never told you what we teach here at Beacon did I?"
Isaac shook his head.
"We teach warriors. We teach them so they may help in the elimination of the Grimm, the creatures you faced outside when you first arrived.
Many expect to be the heroes stories have built huntsmen up to be but they all, as cruel as it may seem, learn sooner or later that this job isn't all as glorious as it's built up to be."
Ozpin said with his head down.
"That's the messed up part about being a Gear too. Guess no matter where you go the ones who take the brunt of it are always seen as heroes and always have the messy parts hidden behind that heroism."
"Indeed. Just please think about what I've said. If not now then later. I would prefer you speak to someone you trust here about your experiences on Sera."
Isaac sighed.
"Ok sir. I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask of you."
Ozpin said with a satisfied nod.
"Now can you please tell me about the Pendulum Wars? I hear about it quite a bit but I never get much aside from the quick glance at a poster or plaque dedicated the event."
Ozpin asked.
"Sure. During the wars it was the UIR, Union of Independent Republics, against us. My grandpa fought when it started and retired midway through then my parents met there. Guess you can say being a Gear is a family tradition."
Isaac said with a proud smile behind his helmet.
"During those years of constant warfare it tore our world apart and a lot of war crimes were committed. Nobody was innocent those days. It just kept going with lands trading hands one way or another till we finally got the Hammer of Dawn up. I'm sure you've seen it sometimes in the videos."
"Yes the laser from the sky. A satellite array that fires a concentrated beam of energy correct?"
"Pretty much. Our weaponry was different back then too."
"How so?"
"The Lancer I have, with the chainsaw, it's the Mk2 variant. The previous version from the Pendulum Wars had a regular blade, I have one back in CVFY's room. Due to Locust skin being tough as hell the blades would barely do enough damage to kill em, unless of course you get a running start and skewer the bastard or get a clean slice in one of the more fleshy bits. Philips always did like using that blade, despite how obsolete it was at the time."
"Interesting. Also I recommend sitting in on a few classes. Give yourself some knowledge and interact with the students."
Isaac thought for a moment.
"I'll...stop by from time to time."
"Excellent. I'll inform the professors that you might "stop by". Also there is the matter of the initiation. Students take it before they officially become members of Beacon. I would like you to take the test at noon. Just to prove yourself and to others you may be working with in the future."
"Sounds interesting. What do I need to do?"
"Go into the forest and retrieve an artifact while fighting your way through any Grimm you encounter. But normally students would be, quite literally, launched into the forest but in your case you will just be dropped in on a transport, similar to how you went into battle on those helicopters you had."
"King Ravens. But yea I see where your going with this. Guess I can't just drop in and expect the others to work with me if they don't know what I can do. I'll be seeing you at in a few hours then."
"Good. See me at the cliffs. Your map can help you with directions or you can ask someone from CVFY. Choice is yours."
Ozpin then looked out one of the large windows nearby.
"Would you look at the time. The sun is beginning to rise. You better get going. After all, I hear there's some pancakes and bacon for breakfast."
Ozpin said smiling as Isaac's eyes went wide eyed at the mention of the rare, delicious, food.
"Where?"
"Down the hall out out the double doors to the large building with windows."
Isaac nodded before running off.
"Thank you sir! See you in a few hours!"
Ozpin chuckled before frowning.
"I hope you live your life better than what you were given back on Sera."