Today was the day. It was late at night in Vytal, and at a large black building with a massive, ornate snowflake symbol plastered on the outside that towered over everything below it, a meeting was being held. Four high-ranking members of the SDC, relatives of Mr. Schnee, sat at a long, gray table. It was cold as ice and shined like snow as the light from the elliptical window nearby poured onto it. Adam Taurus, a crimson-haired bull faunus in a black, swallow-tailed tuxedo, almost shuddered as he put his hands upon the cold metal. He was present only because he was representing the FEO, or Faunus Equality Organization, the main civil rights group for faunus rights. He waited patiently for it to be his turn to speak, listening to the men and women talk of the company. Four guards stood at each corner of the room, their white uniforms adding a splash of light to the dark gray walls and floor. The meeting was held to discuss what opportunities were to be taken advantage of, what changes were to be made, and what standings the SDC had in the business world.
"Alright. Now that all the important issues have been addressed...let's get this over with," one of the men said lazily, clearly not going to pay any attention to what would be said next. He sat at the head of the table, ignoring the gaze Adam fixed him with.
"Treat your faunus employees, or should I say slaves, as equals. Give them equal pay, equal benefits, and equal working conditions to those of your human workers. Everyone at the table looked shocked at what the faunus said. He didn't negotiate terms, didn't beat around the bush, and didn't even being with an expression of a desire for equality. He just said what he wanted, and in the business world, that was never a good idea. After an awkward silence, everyone laughed.
"Yeah, right. I guess even you don't take this bullshit seriously anymore either."
"Equals? Why should we treat animals as equals?"
"Why'd you even bother to come if you weren't even going to try?"
"I think that's enough comedy for the night. Get out." Everyone spoke their mind; even the guards in the back snickered a little.
"If you're surprised by my words, I can't imagine what how you'll feel about my actions. Or would, should you have lived through tonight."
Adam didn't even give the people in the room time to process what he said. Before anyone could react or even think, he snapped the necks of everyone at the table and hurled a chair at one of the guards, splattering her head into bloody bits all over the wall. The other guards had been given time to recover and attacked, firing their guns wildly. Adam skirted around them, making his way to the closest guard. Snapping her neck, he made his way to the next one. He ducked under the guard's fire, and as he tried to bring his gun down to hit his target, Adam stepped to the side and his bullets met no flesh. Before he knew it, he met the same fate as those at the table. The last one met the same end, screaming for help before he was slain. It was no use. The guards inside were slumped against the wall, dead. Adam had injected them with a drug before entering the room at the meeting's start. Not even bothering to survey his handiwork, Adam pulled two objects from his pocket. One was a small phone, the other was a Scroll. He placed both on the windowsill, standing the Scroll up carefully and turning it on. Taking the phone, he dialed a number and spoke in an emotionless yet commanding voice.
"Broadcast it. I'm starting the video now." He quickly set up the video feed on the Scroll and began to speak, standing to the side of the camera so that he couldn't be seen.
"People and faunus of the world alike, look around you. Surely, you know those lying dead at the tables. The guards, you might not be so familiar with. Before we discuss them, let us discuss the reason for this broadcast. I was present at a SDC meeting concerning the future of the company. I was charged with presenting the case for the rights of faunus laborers. I asked these people for equality and I was shot down by them, like a Grimm by a gun. Now, you might be apt to blame my actions on the FEO. I wouldn't blame you. However, you'd be wrong. The FEO was internally dismantled yesterday. We decided that the organization was ineffectual and old-fashioned. The organization existed back in a time when, maybe, gaining equality between humans and faunus without bloodshed was a possibility. It carried that dream into today's world, a foolish move. Today, the faunus of the world are met with bloodshed constantly. We are abused and used and trodden upon like animals. And we have behaved like them...we have behaved like mere pets. But now, now is the time for change. We could have peacefully lived together as equals. We could have respected and loved each other, humans and faunus. But if equality is to be achieved, peace must be discarded. If humanity is so eager to label us as wild, savage animals, then so be it. We shall show them that vision. We shall show them and remind them that they have forced this upon us. They have forced our actions. They have, through their fear, hatred, and prejudice, created the White Fang. And tonight, the fang has left its first mark. To the humans, I say fear us. To the faunus, I say join us. Our voices shall be heard, our steel shall be felt, and our message shall be understood: there are multiple paths to equality. Humanity has blocked off all but one." Adam finished speaking and went to turn off the Scroll. Snatching it up and putting it into his pocket, he called the same number as before on his phone.
"I'll be coming out the window. Bring the car." As he hung up, he hurtled through the glass and fell from the massive building, his Aura flaring. The ground cracked as he landed, but he didn't feel a thing.
The little girl's eyes widened as she stared at the screen, the broadcast ending to go back to the regularly scheduled program. The screen blared, illuminating her monochromatic pajamas. She had on a dark, long-sleeved shirt and white pants. Her hair was jet black and her eyes were a very noticeable shadow of yellow. Hurriedly shutting the television off, she quietly went to leave the house, careful not to wake her sleeping parents. It was rare that they let her stay up by herself, much less watch cartoons, but tonight had been particularly taxing. Now, the little girl knew why. They'd been present at the day's FEO meeting. Apparently, tensions were high. They'd been busy trying to establish support for the organization, they told her. They said that a young man named Adam Taurus was encouraging violence, and they would have none of it. The girl wanted to do what they had tried to. She would help them, and she would prevent violence. Walking through the small, rickety house, careful not to step on any of the creaky floorboards, she went over to the kitchen, a dark room with very little space. A stove, oven, and microwave were all shoved next to each other in the corner of the room, a fridge was opposite them, and a counter and sink were next to them. Grabbing a stool from nearby, the girl climbed up onto it and snatched the glinting keys from the counter. Slowly moving her feet onto legs of the stool, she slid down it, clutching the legs with her small hands. Landing with a soft noise, she whirled around and checked to see if anyone was awake and had seen her. Satisfied that no one had, she opened the door, slipped on her shoes, and ran out of the house, making sure to lock the door after her.
She knew that there was going to be another meeting. She had been told by one of her friends, who loudly proclaimed that his father would be there. She hadn't relayed the information to her parents because she didn't believe the child, sure that her mother and father would have told her they would be going out this late and they hadn't. But now, pieces of an increasingly large puzzle began to click in her unnaturally sharp mind. Her parents supported peace; the child she'd been talking to had a father that supported the opposite. It was entirely possible that those who were for peace were left out of the meeting. The girl, sure that she could arrive and talk some sense into those present, was in a bigger hurry to get there than ever. She gave no thought to whether she would fail or whether it would be best to wake her parents. To her, the issue was urgent and there was no time to dawdle. Something had to be done immediately, and waking and convincing her parents of what she'd seen would be a hassle. Panting loudly, she sprinted as fast as her little legs could carry her to the large warehouse where the FEO usually held speeches. It wasn't far from her house, but she was small and wet; a light drizzle began to pour down. She would have a hard time getting there quickly, and began to wish that she brought her coat for warmth, but there was no time. She had to get there. Panting loudly and occasionally stumbling over her feet, she tried to pick up her pace. The girl's cat-like ears bobbed up and down, weighted down by the rain seeping into their fur. She attempted going even faster, but a pain in her stomach forced her to slow down. She doubled over, gasping, as she clutched the spot where the pain came from. She couldn't afford to waste time, but found it hard to move. Even so, she kept on looking ahead. If there was anything that she knew, it was that violence was bad, and that equality between humans and faunus could only be achieved mutually. Her parents had taught her that.
Adam sat in the back of the jet, flying towards the warehouse. He had ran across the city to find where his evacuation squad was. The cloudy sky acted as a cover for him and his pilot, preventing them from being seen and caught. It helped their stealthy getaway that he had ordered another jet to fly away from a different location and in a different direction. It was larger, and more likely to be seen and suspected of housing him. Currently, it had been half an hour since he made his speech and left the building, and now he was close to where he would make his second speech of the night. Tonight, he would rally the White Fang. It had been years in the making and had taken a lot of preparation and shady dealings, but he had amassed an army, as well as enough weaponry and facilities to be useful to it. He had also worked at demolishing the FEO and converting its supporters to the White Fang's cause. The thought made him happy, but he didn't smile. Instead, he looked at a mask in his hand. It was a silver mask decorated to look like the face armor of a Grimm.
"Do you have your mask?" He asked the driver harshly.
"I do."
"Good. Put it on; we should be there soon, right?" The driver nodded and did as he was told. Adam followed suit. His eyes couldn't be seen, but he could see everything in the ship. He saw the group of seats he was part of; ten in all with two rows. He saw the pilot in his seat, as well as the controls nearby. He could see the flickering engine through the dark glass window, and he could see the dark sheathe resting on the chair next to him. He picked it up and grinned slightly. Holding it, he felt a sensation of power.
The little girl had been waiting in the warehouse for quite some time, staying close to its light brown walls and avoiding the swinging ceiling lamps that hung overhead. Slipping through the crowds of people and trying to make herself unnoticeable, she could feel her fear mounting. She was scared of what this kind of talk could lead to, of how this would hurt the chances for peace and equality. There would be no respect in battle, where everyone was the enemy of someone else. She'd been told these words by her parents, and they were what raced through her mind constantly. She tried thinking them louder, even whispering them, in order to drown out her fear. She was still careful not to be noticed, though. Everyone had been waiting for around half an hour, talking about things like revolution and revenge and using big words that even she couldn't understand, for all of the things she'd read at her tender age. She also heard the name Adam Taurus quite often, and had come to associate it with a very bad feeling. She didn't feel welcome among these people, and didn't want them to take note of her presence. Luckily, the chances of that happening were growing slim. Everyone was focusing on the stage ahead. The dark brown floor seemed to be pulled towards it, everyone was moving so fast. The girl could hardly see their feet go forward. Making sure to weave between people and stay to the walls, she listened intently in order to gain any idea of what was going on.
"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, I have a message." She almost yelped; the powerful voice she heard seemed to be forcing itself into her ears in crawling in her brain. It was loud, deep and sinister. She couldn't explain how she felt about it. It had a roughness that repelled her and yet she couldn't ignore it. Waiting to see if the words it spoke sunk in, the voice then continued on.
"I, Adam Taurus, have murdered four very high-ranking members of the SDC tonight. I have slain their guards and ran from my crime. Yet, here I stand. I am not dead or injured or captured. I have succeeded. If one mere man could do such a thing, imagine what we, as a people, can do together." At this point, everyone cheered and the girl cringed.
"I already have an army. I have weapons, money, and places of operation. But what I seek is support. I seek the approval of who remains of the FEO. Because, with that support, I...no, we, can truly make the White Fang. From the ashes of failure can come victory, and I want each and every one of you to take part. I want to see you show the human race that the White Fang, and the faunus, are done being treated like scum!" More cheers erupted, each louder than the last. The girl cringed even more, backing up and almost hitting someone.
"The human race proclaims itself superior to us, the faunus. They are not. We all know this. The only thing they can claim to be our betters at is being afraid. Afraid of us, afraid of our potential. They keep us caged in so that we cannot fly, like birds in a cage. They wound our legs so that we cannot run, like bears in a trap. They put leashes on us like dogs and butcher us like pigs, and all this because they know how strong we are. They know our power, our intellect, our determination, and they fear not only our uprising, but the full exposure of out greatness." The girl was almost knocked over by the force of the cheers as the voice stopped. Waiting for a few seconds, it went on.
"As we all know, with fear comes hatred. Humanity has lit that flame, and we shall light ours brighter. We shall fight their fire with an inferno, and when there is nothing left, we will be unburdened by the shackles human society has put upon us, able to shape our own lives. If you join the White Fang, I swear...you will all be free." The girl crouched in pain, covering her ears. The yells of support and violence were now all she knew. Her thoughts were drowned out by them. The only other thing present in her mind was the terrifying voice. She wanted to leave. She wanted to get out, run to her parents and hug them tight, and never ever let go. She hated it here, and yet she couldn't leave. She couldn't go without doing something. She didn't know what she'd do, but she would try to make things right no matter what. Clueless yet determined, she waited for the screams to die down before speaking up in a high-pitched and shaky yet easily understood voice, her body growing cold.
"Um...violence isn't the answer!"
Every single person in the room turned to her. They looked surprised at first, and she stared at them defiantly, but that didn't last forever. Their looks grew from shocked to angry to downright murderous, and the crowd advanced on her.
"Who the hell are you to tell us what the answer is?!"
"You bitch, do you have any idea what's at stake here?!"
"How dare you defy the White Fang!" The girl felt smaller than ever, curling up against the wall and sobbing into her arms. She was going to die here, killed by people she considered her allies in the cause of equality. She hadn't been able to do anything.
"Everybody, shut up and back away from the girl! What are we, animals? We don't harm our own. She's a faunus, like us. She's suffered as we have, and she deserves to be heard for having the courage to speak her mind. I will personally cut down anyone stupid enough to lay a finger on her." The voice echoed through the jeers and hateful cries, causing the girl to look up. The crowd parted to reveal the man behind the voice. He had startlingly red hair, a dark suit, and a strange, silver mask. In his closed hand was a sleek sheathe that he held by his side. He looked as frightening as he sounded. The girl felt as if he was emanating shadow and fury, hiding himself from the world behind his mask and yet speaking with the most honest rage she'd ever heard. Even so, she also felt a little bit of hope when she beheld him. He had saved her, after all. She owed him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she could reason with him.
"T-Thank you..." she said quietly, wiping her tears away. The man nodded.
"You know my name. Now tell me yours, girl."
"I...I'm Blake."
"Blake..."
"Belladonna."
"Well then, Blake Belladonna. Present your case. Tell us why you stand against the White Fang." The girl, Blake, sighed and closed her eyes, preparing to speak. The people around her had backed up, but fixed her with glares that made her cat-like ears stand up and her body shiver. She ignored them and focused on Adam.
"My parents told me that violence would only lead to more violence. Forcing your problems to go away through war would only make them worse. You can't force anyone to do anything, they said. If you did, it wouldn't be real. I...I believe that both humans and faunus have to see that we deserve to be treated as equals. We have to meet them halfway. If we don't, equality will only be an ill...illu..."
"Illusion. Go on," Adam said. He was hiding it well, but he was amused. The small, frightened girl who stood before him was the only person in the room, a room full of adults, some trained Huntsmen and Huntresses, to challenge him. She was the only one who dare to stand out, who refused to be caught into the mob mentality. Tears were brimming at her eyes, and yet she seemed stronger than everyone present.
"Humans won't believe it and faunus won't believe it. Nothing will have changed. The only thing that we'll be equals in is violence and hatred. The only way to be treated as equals is to treat them the same way. We want people to like us, not be afraid of us! And, uh, that thing you said about fire...isn't it better to put out fires instead of starting more?" She said, finishing her speech. She pressed herself against the wall as the people around her inched closer.
"Stand back!" Adam shouted, and they obeyed.
"Well, Blake...that's quite an interesting perspective. The only problem is, the world doesn't work like that. Maybe, once, we could have achieved your dream. But now, that possibility is gone. Now, it's too late to work with the system. Instead, we must fight it. I know that you're young. I don't blame you for thinking the way you do. But the truth is that you don't know the world like I do...like we all do. Can you deny that you have had less worldly experience?" He asked. Blake shook her head, and people cheered at her reaction to his words.
"I told you to shut up earlier. Do as I ordered," he snarled at the crowd. They reluctantly obeyed him.
"We have to destroy this society, the society that has constantly enforced discrimination against our kind, and build a new one. It's as if someone were to burn down a house, for example. If it is reduced to ash, then you can't fix it. You have to build a new one, a better one that's less likely to catch fire. To build a new society, we must stoke the flame, not extinguish it. Blake, do you know how to start a fire?"
"Um...uh...what kind of fire?" She asked nervously, hoping not to be ridiculed.
"A fire in the forest. Say you have to survive and you need a fire," Adam replied, almost smiling at the question.
"First, you'd need sticks-" He interrupted Blake as she spoke, and she immediately fell silent, afraid that she'd done something wrong and was going to be attacked.
"Exactly. Sticks...kindling. Fires don't just spontaneously occur. They are started by something, by a foundation, a foundation that can be found everywhere. Sticks are everywhere in the forest, correct? Think of it like that. Even if you extinguish your fire, you can start another with more kindling. And some fires are too large to be extinguished. But, eventually, the fire will die down. We need to make it so incredibly powerful that it will spread and eliminate every bit of kindling so that more fires can't be started, and then the fire will naturally fade. We can eliminate the cause of the problem and continue onward." Blake thought for a few seconds, looking at the ground as she narrowed her eyes and put her hand on her chin. Suddenly, looking up, she spoke excitedly.
"But then you'd burn down the whole forest, and that would be bad!" Adam, this time, couldn't hold back a small, almost imperceptible smile.
"Not necessarily. Forest fires can have benefit. They eliminate decaying plants that could have potentially started fires that would be much worse, and expose the plants shaded from the sun to sunlight so that new life can grow." At this, Blake began to think even harder. After almost a minute, in which everyone stood in silence and Adam tried to control his smile, she responded.
"But...but even though you did kind of win that argument..."
"Yes?"
"I still think violence would be the wrong way to go about this! You have to listen to me!" At this, the crowd wouldn't be silenced no matter how hard Adam yelled.
"We don't have to listen to some stupid little girl!"
"Like hell we do!"
"This isn't something you'd understand, kid!" The crowd began to inch closer to her and she closed her eyes, trying not to cry, but it was then that she felt a hand wrap around her and pick her up. Opening her eyes to see who it was, she saw nothing except blackness.
"I thought I told you to stay back and keep your mouths shut. I understand that tensions are running high, but we will not harm one of our own. She isn't our enemy. Our enemy is our there, plotting to end our revolution. Our enemy doesn't stand amongst us, but lurks in the shadows waiting for us. They are cowards, while this girl is very, very brave. Our enemy is not her!" Adam shouted, and she knew who was holding her. His voice seemed close now, almost comforting, but the same rough sound grated on her ears and told her that he wasn't someone she should trust. She struggled against him to no avail, and he put her down after ensuring that the crowd had heard him.
"To be honest, I'm glad I'm standing down here amongst you all. It means that, instead of imposing my will upon you as the humans have done, I can be considered your equal in this fight!" The crowd looked uneasy, but cheered a little.
"Forget the girl, and remember the cause. Remember who we are. We are the White Fang!" At this, the crowd broke out into applause and shouting. Blake shuffled quickly behind Adam, making sure not to touch him.
"After the rally, tell me where you live. I'd like to talk to you privately." He said quietly to her. Even in a less loud tone, he still sounded threatening.
"Okay." Blake internally screamed at herself for her stupidity, but she couldn't help it. She spoke before she even knew what she was doing.
News traveled fast, especially when it was related to the Schnee Dust Company. On Atlas, in a thin, tall, and very cold room within a massive mansion, a man watched the recorded broadcast of the White Fang's introduction to the world. He was none other than Mr. Schnee, the current head of the SDC. The room he was in was uncomfortable, but suited to his personal taste and, coincidentally, his current mood as he listened to the speech. High on the ceiling, a massive, white chandelier hung. Its light shined down on the man, illuminating his white tuxedo, black tie, and combed gray hair. His eyes were very deep blue, and they seemed to bore holes into the screen he watched on. He sat at a desk with a smooth, brown, and wooden chair that was thin yet tall, like the room itself. He had a sleek computer that played the broadcast. It stood on a wooden desk with a small snowflake symbol on the front, exactly like the one on the building in Vytal. Aside from the computer, it was covered with very orderly stacked papers with small print taking up almost every inch of space on them. They were sorted into four labelled bins. The walls and floor of the room symmetrical in every way, made of smooth stone with a diamond pattern that didn't deviate once. The edges of the walls and floor had none; instead, they were where the pattern ended, leaving just plain stone. The only padding on the floor was under the desk and chair; a white, fluffy rug was placed there. The door to the room, next to the desk, was made of the same material as the chair and desk, and was next to a single window, the only window in the room, through which snow could be seen.
"Shit...shit shit shit!" The man snarled, slamming his clenched fists on the desk. His eyes were narrow and full of rage. His knuckles could be seen growing white, which was impressive considering his pale skin. A light blue Aura flashed around him, and he quickly turned off the computer. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a phone and dialed a number. His words, while fierce and loud, were not heard by the little girls who had been standing outside the door. They hurried off down the black hallway, careful not to make noise. They both had long white hair, although the taller one had hair less white than the other. They both wore light blue nightgowns with the snowflake symbol, and their skin was as pale as their father's. The taller one spoke as they ran.
"You see, Weiss? The faunus are just as awful as I said."
"You don't know them," the girl named Weiss replied.
"I don't even know why you want to defend them. You know how much mommy and daddy don't like their kind," the other girl shot back in a coy tone of voice.
"I...it...it just doesn't feel right to be so mean." Weiss' words elicited a small laugh from her sister.
"You're such a wimp. Wimpy wimp wimp," she said.
"Winter, please don't say that!"
"Are you going to stop me?" The girl named Winter asked. Weiss sighed.
"...No," she said. The two girls kept running down the hall, and when they eventually got to a tall gray door, they pushed it open.
"We were lucky he didn't see us. He seemed mad," Winter sighed. Weiss nodded and crawled into bed, followed by her sister.
"Good night, Winter."
"Good night, Weiss."
Hello again! I recently had this idea for a story after Help (I'd rather only do two stories at a time, but I really enjoy writing, so it's a compromise), spurred by the lack of stories which do anything with Adam. I find that he's usually one of three things in RWBY fanfiction: a villain, in a cameo role, or has died before the story takes place. I myself have shamefully used the third one. But now, I'm taking a stand! A stand for Adam Taurus! Huzzah! Seriously, though, I'm really interested in exploring his character. We know little about him and it's probably smart to wait until then to write stories with him, but I'm not very patient. I'm taking what I know (or what I think I know) about Adam so far and trying to work with that to make him an interesting character. I hope I'll do a good job!
While I started out focusing on Adam, the idea quickly turned into an exploration of the past of my two favorite characters, Weiss and Blake (I ship Monochrome so hard!). The exploration of their lives and how they became who they are today is what I anticipate most from volume 3. They won't meet or anything, but I want to show how the events going on in Remnant surrounding the SDC and the White Fang will affect the two. This is basically my take on their pasts and how they were shaped by them. Of course, everyone's favorite bull faunus will have a very important role, being Blake's mentor and a very high-ranking member of the White Fang as well (plus, he's totally awesome). I plan to do things in time-skips, transitioning from Weiss to Blake at various points in their lives. Also, I can finally write a story with Winter in it! I know even less about her than I do about Adam, but whatever! I have my own ideas as to what her relationship with Weiss could be.