Everyday

The weekend. A sacred time of sleep ins, late nights and fun. All these things were very important to Markus. The ability to sleep in until 11am on a Saturday was something he cherished. Which was why he felt so miserable as he sat in the cable car winding it's way down the face of the plateau at 10am, his eyes staring out at the city below. The Walled City sure lives up to it's name, he thought as his mind drifted to what he knew of the Walls.

Towering above all but the tallest of buildings, The Old Walls per-dated much of human history. Rising 150 feet into the air, The Old Walls were an ancient wonder, an enduring relic from ages long past. As such, they were also a popular tourist site, with respectable numbers of travelers climbing to their peaks every year. Among these tourists were historians, scientists and conspiracy theorists, all seeking the answer to the same questions; Who built the Walls? And why?

The New Walls were much less impressive, in terms of both history and size, but never-the-less were still an achievement. Standing 75 feet tall, the New Walls were shorter, but were still incredibly complex and costly to build. Pouring much of his city's wealth into the project, Duke Priam Troy ordered their construction 70 years ago in response to the continued growth of Sanstrum. Though he did not live to see their completion 15 years later, his legacy lives on in the Walls, which stretch for miles around the city.

"Impressive, ain't it?" said a voice, pulling Markus from his contemplation. Turning his gaze to the other occupants of the cable car, he looked at his team mates, and one other person. Alicia was dressed in her own rather formal, and expensive, style; A knee length purple dress that looked like it cost more then Markus' precious Romulus, a small pendant of her family crest, cast from silver and engraved with gold and bronze, a shoulder bag resting on her lap and, somewhat out of place with the rest of her clothing, the rugged combat boots that seemed to be a constant part of her outfit. Beside her sat Gavin, chewing on a candy stick. Dressed in casual clothing compared to Alicia, his outfit suited the hot weather: A light brown shirt, matching canvas pants and boots. His cowboy hat sat atop his head as he too stared out at the city. Nikita, seated to Markus' left, wore her usual casual clothing: Sleeveless blue hoodie, with a tank top on underneath, navy blue shorts and a pair of trainers that had seen better days. Markus' own outfit was simple; grey shirt, jeans and his hiking boots.

"You know, ignoring a teacher is bad form." Markus then regarded the fifth occupant of the cable-car: Professor Gwen Marian. Having been at the cable-car station when Team MGNA had arrived there, the scarred professor had elected to join them.

"Sorry ma'am," Markus said hastily. Gwen snorted softly, her dark green eyes sparkling with cheer.

"So formal. Serryvolk, it's just Gwen out here. Of course, I still want that answer," she said, her lips twitching upwards in an attempt to form a smile. Must be hard to make any expression with those scars.

"Well, Gwen, Sanstrum is... Impressive," Markus replied. The cable-car was nearing the base of the plateau, and the sheer size and scale of the Old Walls was becoming very clear to him. Gwen chuckled softly, before rubbing her scarred cheek gently.

"Ah... It hurts to laugh, sometimes. But that's the price you pay for being stupid," she said. Markus' ears twitched in interest, and as the cable-car slipped into the shadow of the Old Walls, he decided to ask the obvious.

"Gwen, may I ask how you were injured?" Gwen turned to Markus, before rubbing her nose gently.

"I was young, cocky and stupid. I chased a lone Beowolf, without my partner. Kids, here's one lesson I learned the hard way: There's always more then one Beowolf," Gwen said. Nodding, Markus looked at the massive stone walls for a moment, before they were hidden from view as the cable-car dipped below the rooftops.

The dune buggy bounced wildly as it landed, sand kicking up into the covered faces of it's occupants.

"Fucking hell, could you be driving any harder?" the passenger shouted, his hands grabbing for the vehicle's rollcage bars as it snaked it's way through the desert. The buggy was simply built; A engine, roll cage, seats and controls. And armor plates, bolted directly onto the rollcage, to protect from Grimm. In the desert wastes, nothing lived but Grimm, and the hardy soldiers of Sanstrum's Wasteland Patrol. Tasked with warning the Walled City of any incoming Grimm onslaughts, the Patrol was nearly as hardy as the equipment they used.

"Oh I'm sorry, Mr 'We need to go check on Sigma Post'. Wasn't this your idea?" the driver replied, his glare visible through the face cover and goggles that he wore. He swore under his breath as they crested another dune, sending them crashing to the ground a moment later.

"That's Captain to you, smartass." Turning his gaze towards the horizon, Captain Turner's mind was full of worry. Sigma Post missed their check in. Might be a relay fault. They might be all dead. Either way, need to check it out. Looking at the buggy's locator, he raised his voice over the whine of the engine and the howl of the wind.

"Drive harder, Sergeant. We're a click out."

Markus stared at the sight before him. The view from the cable-car hadn't quite done the Old Walls justice. Now, standing at one of their gates, Markus truly understood how massive the Walls were.

"Never seen them up close?" Gwen asked, her hands shoved into her pockets as she walked up beside him. Nodding dumbly, Markus blinked a few times, his mind trying to process how humans built something so massive.

"They are..." Markus struggled to find a word to express how he felt.

"Speechless, is an acceptable answer. Don't worry. I had the same reaction." Patting the taller Faunus on his shoulder, Gwen walked past Markus and through the gate into the city proper.

"I dunno though." Markus turned at the sound of Alicia's voice behind him. The blind girl walked up beside Markus, a small smile on her face.

"I swear if you finish that sentence..." Gavin muttered in an exasperated tone. Alicia's smile morphed into a smirk.

"I mean, I just don't see what's so awe-inspiring about them," Alicia continued, her smirk creeping into her voice. Gavin groaned, Markus a small chuckled, and Nikita doubled over, suddenly finding it rather difficult to breath.

"I don't know what's funnier. The pun itself or your reaction to it, Gavin," Markus said. Groaning once more, Gavin punched the taller male on the arm, before walking past him.

"Come on. Get your student cards out as well. We need them to get through the gates," he said, pulling his out and waving it. Alicia followed him, apologising to him as she walked. Walking up to him, Nikita gave him a small smile.

"You alright there, pup?" she asked softly. Markus nodded, returning the smile.

"Indescribable. That's the word I was looking for." Pulling his wallet out of his pocket, Markus walked through the gate, Nikita walking beside him.

The buggy howled as it crested the last dune. Fighting the steering wheel as it landed, Sergeant Quinn slammed her foot onto the brake pedal, bringing the vehicle to a halt. A moment later, she killed the engine, and sighed in relief.

"Holy shit." The Captain's shocked whisper sent a surge of panic through Quinn's system, and she looked out at Sigma Outpost.

Or rather, what was left.

Markus walked down the city street, a smile on his face. The city bustled with life, people making their way through the various market stalls that currently lined the street. Taking a deep breath, Markus smelt spices, sweets, meat, vegetables, even a hint of Dust.

"You like markets?" Gavin asked, looking at his leader. Nodding, Markus looked at the stalls they passed.

"I like the smell, and the sound. It smells good. It sounds alive," he said, before pausing in front of a small food stall that was selling kebabs. His ears flicking back and forth, Markus sniffed the air, before looking up at the man running the stall.

"How much?" he asked.

"Two Lien each," was the reply. Markus immediately pulled his wallet out.

"I'll have five."

A few moments later, Team MGNA was walking down the street once more, their leader happily biting a piece of cooked, spiced meat off it's stick.

"So where are we meeting your dad?" Nikita asked, looking at Gavin. Looking at Markus as the Faunus gave a happy hum, Gavin replied.

"The Wolf's Cry. It's a bar in the Middle City." Nikita nodded. The Middle City was the section of Sanstrum that sat between the Old and New Walls. The area enclosed by the Old Walls was called the Old City, and was mostly government, military and corporate owned. Blinking as she heard a snapping sound, she looked at Markus, who was now attacking his second kebab.

"I guess he likes them," Gavin said. Nodding, Nikita smiled, before a smell drifted past her nose and caught her notice. Looking around, she spotted a stall selling...

"Oh god, is that smoked fish?" Walking over to the stall, Nikita looked at the fish, wiping a piece of droll that was sneaking it's way out of her mouth.

"Five Lien a piece, little lady." And then Nikita's heart sank. But I only have 70, and I need it for... Her train of thought was interrupted by a Ten Lien note entering her vision.

"She'll have two," Markus said through a mouthful of meat.

"What the fuck happened here, Captain?" Quinn asked, pulling herself out of the buggy and extracting a rifle from the weapons rack.

"A fucking massacre, that's what," Turner replied, pulling his goggles off his eyes and surveying the carnage. Sigma Outpost was littered with bodies, of both men and Grimm, and blood from both soaked the sand. The main building of the outpost was in ruins, half of it smashed and strewn across the sand. And not a living soul was to be seen. Looking around, Turner spotted the communications relay tower, half buried in a sand dune nearly 300 metres away. What the fuck?... Dragging himself from the buggy, Turner grabbed a shotgun and chambered a round.

"What the fuck could have done this?" Quinn continued, the pair moving forward into the outpost.

"That, is a very interesting question," Turner replied. The pair then spun as they heard a howl, and both guns thundered as they shot the Beowolf dead, it's corpse thumping to the ground.

"Scavenger? Straggler?" Quinn asked, walking over to inspect a Faunus' corpse. Sighing, the Sergeant closed the man's eyes, before pulling the dog tags from his neck.

"Possibly," Turner replied, kneeling before a corpse of his own. This one, however, had caught his notice for a different reason. His lower body is crushed. And there's a depression in the ground. But what... "Oh my fucking god."

"What?" Quinn turned to see Turner scrambling to stand up, before stepping backwards from the corpse. "What? What the fuck is it?"

"Look at this guy's corpse. Look, he got crushed in that dip in the ground, right?" Turner said. Nodding, Quinn looked at the body, before the depression in the ground. Her eyes followed the edge of it for a moment, before her mind did the math. Staring at Turner with a shocked expression, she said what both were thinking.

"He was stepped on."

Then, the ground shuddered as a thunderous roar sounded beyond the sand dunes.

Markus stared at the sight before him. It was like he had stepped into a time machine and visited Gavin thirty years in the future. The older version of Gavin had stood as the team had entered the bar, before walking forward and trapping Alicia in a hug.

"Spirits, Alicia, you look great. Your father was worried about you, but this... I'm taking a photo, before you leave," the man said. Blushing, Alicia hid her face behind her purple hair for a moment, before Gavin stepped forward and introduced them.

"Father, this is Markus." "Hello." "and Nikita." "Yo." "Markus, Nikita, this is Jeremy Brownson. My father," Gavin said with pride. Smiling as he stroked his goatee, Jeremy inspected the two members of Team MGNA that he hadn't had a hand in raising.

"Well, son, I would say that if you weren't head over heels for Alicia here, I would say tap that," he said after a moment, pointing a Nikita. She went bright red as Markus buckled over in laughter, while Alicia chuckled along with him and Gavin punched his father in the arm.

"Dirty old bastard," he said, although his smile betrayed his own amusement. Rubbing his arm, Jeremy then pointed at a table nearby.

"Park yourselves there. I wanna get to know the people my son is stuck with for four years."

"Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." Quinn's quiet chant grew in volume as the roar faded, before she felt a hand clamp over her mouth.

"Shut the fuck up." Turner then scanned the area, listening and looking for anything. He then felt the ground shudder, before he threw himself and Quinn to the ground as a sand dune nearby exploded. Dragging his goggles over his eyes, he tried to see through the massive cloud of sand and dust, but it was like trying to see through mud. Tightening his face wraps, Turner dragged Quinn to her feet.

"The buggy! Go!" Pushing the Sergeant forward, Turner scrambled through the artificial sandstorm.

Throwing himself against the buggy, he pulled Quinn towards it and pushed her towards the passenger side.

"Get it! I'll drive!" Scrambling around the vehicle, Turner pulled himself in and mashed the engine start button. It took three tries before the engine started, then Turner slammed the gearstick into reverse and stomped the accelerator as hard as he could. The buggy shot backwards and up the dune they had come over originally, before cresting the top and shooting into the air. Time slowed for Turner as he looked forward and saw something towering over the dunes. Something massive.

Something Grimm.

Markus concluded that Jeremy Brownson was the reason Alicia Von Violettila loved puns. As the elder Brownson took another sip from his beer, Markus thought about the amount of rapid fire puns the man had thrown out, and shuddered violently. I hope Alicia never reaches that level.

"Something wrong kid?" Blinking, Markus saw that Jeremy was staring at him. Looking around, he noticed that Gavin, Nikita and Alicia had disappeared.

"Gavin was getting hungry, Nikita wanted a drink and Alicia needed to visit the ladies room." Sighing softly, Markus looked at Jeremy, and saw that the man wore a serious expression.

"You're a good kid, Markus. A good man, I should say. A good leader, too, from what Gavin says. You have any siblings?" Markus blinked at the question.

"Yeah. An older brother. James," Markus replied. Nodding, Jeremy met Markus' gaze, and Markus saw something in Jeremy's eyes. Is that lose... Regret?

"Treat Gavin like you would a brother, and Alicia and Nikita sisters. Cause that's what they are now. They are your family. They trust you, to lead them. To protect them. Now, I know that neither need protection but... Keep them safe, will you? I don't want to bury my son, or the girl that I call daughter." Sipping at his beer, Jeremy watched Markus as the Faunus replied.

"Of course. That's why I want to be a Hunter. To protect others," he said. Jeremy nodded.

"From the Grimm, or from each other?" Markus froze as Jeremy's question dragged forth memories of choking gas and screaming and signs that he didn't understand. A hand thumping down in front of him snapped him out of it.

"Here's your change," Nikita said softly, before seating herself next to Markus, a glass of soda in her hands. Nodding, Markus muttered a thanks and collected the coins. He shoved the coins into his pocket, before feeling Nikita lean against him slightly.

"This is nice. Today, I mean. The market, meeting Gavin's father..." Markus' ears twitched as her voice trailed off. Was that jealousy?

"And what about your family, Nikita?" Jeremy asked politely. Markus felt Nikita tense beside him, and mentally filed the subject away under Do not bring up in public.

"I'm... An orphan. My ma died when I was 5 and my dad... My dad drank himself into a stupor, then set our home on fire with him still inside. He couldn't stand to live without her," Nikita said softly, her eyes hidden behind her hair as she spoke. Markus and Jeremy looked at each other momentarily, both realizing the same thing. She's lying.

"That's... Sad to hear. My greatest fear was I would leave Gavin an orphan one day. I'm glad I didn't," he said, looking away from Nikita and Markus. Following his gaze, Markus saw Alicia and Gavin approaching, happy smiles on their faces.

"If I did, I wouldn't see this." Markus nodded. He then felt pressure on his wrist, and looked down to see Nikita's hand gripping his wrist. Sighing softly, Markus shifted his hand, causing Nikita to release his wrist. Before she could tug her hand back, Markus grabbed it with his, before lacing his fingers through hers.

"Better?" he asked softly. Nikita nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks," she replied. Smiling, Markus looked back up and saw that Jeremy had gone to tease his son and would-be daughter as they waited for Gavin's food. That man is a lot sharper then he looks.

"What the fuck." Time sped back up and the buggy succumb to gravity and slammed back to the sands. Gunning the engine once more, Turner spun the buggy around and shoved the gear stick into drive, before gunning it across the sands.

"Captain, what the fuck was that?" Glancing over at his passenger, Turner saw the fear in Quinn's eyes through her goggles and knew that same fear was reflected in his.

"I don't know. Well, I think I know, but I really wish I didn't." One hand leaving the steering wheel, Turner grabbed the radio microphone from it's cradle and clicked it on.

"Baseplate, this is Theta Patrol, Captain Turner and Sergeant Quinn. Do you read?" A brief moment of static, before a reply.

"Theta Patrol, this is Baseplate, we copy. News on Sigma?" Turner gave Quinn a quick glance, before speaking.

"Sigma is lost, Baseplate. Entire outpost is KIA."

"Shit. Any idea what happened?"

"Yes. Baseplate, I saw what killed Sigma."

"What was it, Theta Patrol?" Fighting down a spike of panic, Turner held down transmission once more.

"It's a Class SS Grimm, Baseplate. It's a Kaiju."

Team MGNA, and Jeremy Brownson, sat in the bar, chatting to each other happily. Under the table and hidden from view, Nikita's hand still remained in Markus', neither truly willing to break the contact. As Alicia chuckled at Jeremy's latest pun and Gavin rolled his eyes and ate one of his fries, Markus' ears twitched as a faint sound entered them. A moment later, Jeremy held up a hand and Gavin went silent immediately.

"You hear that, Markus?" Jeremy asked. Markus nodded as the sound grew louder; a deep, droning sound that echoed throughout the Walled City.

"It's the Grimm siren," Markus replied. Niktia looked between the two, before gasping in shock.

"Doesn't that mean-" She was cut off by the siren playing through the bar's television for several moments, before being replaced by the symbol of Sanstrum.

Across Sanstrum, the siren sounded, reaching every corner and back alley. After a full minute, the siren faded, before a commanding, deep voice spoke.

"All citizens are to evacuate to within the Walls. The gates will be sealed in ten minutes. I repeat, all citizens are to evacuate to within the Walls. This is not a drill. To not attempt to find your loved ones. Do not return to your homes. I repeat, this is not a drill..."

A/N: TOTALLY HAVEN'T WATCHED ATTACK ON TITAN OR PACIFIC RIM RECENTLY. AT ALL. HONEST.