Another late chapter due to this work event, though only late in the sense of time. I try to be fairly regular with when exactly I upload, but this event has taken a lot of my time. I can't wait for it to be over, lol. Anyway, here we go with the next chapter.

Cover Art: Thatrandom

Chapter 12

Yang kept her head low and tried not to draw attention to herself. It wasn't difficult given that the two men guarding the hostages were more focused on the police outside than they were their charges, but she stayed still regardless. Two men, both with guns, and a whole lot of unarmed civilians, none of which likely had their auras unlocked. While she knew she could take the two of them out without any difficulty she wasn't sure that would be before they fired off some shots – and that wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

Funny how things were always easier in Beacon, she thought grimly. Even when they'd faced the White Fang or Roman, there hadn't ever been an abundance of civilians involved. Not until the festival anyway, but Atlas had seen to evacuating and protecting those, saving them the job. It wasn't a pleasant feeling knowing you were good enough to stop the bad guys but knowing you couldn't for risk of getting others hurt.

It wasn't a good feeling at all…

The men wore balaclavas and thick padded jackets but weren't people she recognised, which didn't say much since the only thing she would have recognised was a white mask. Either way they weren't White Fang and those terrorists probably wouldn't have seen much point in robbing a bank anyway. These were just regular crooks, though no less dangerous for it. In any other situation she'd have preferred to keep herself out of it, but this was her job now. Besides, something like this would look good for the VSPR.

As long as the news agencies don't gloss over us being the ones responsible for helping like last time, she grumbled. What was the point of them working their asses off if they didn't get recognised for it? They'd found the Fang Virus, stopped it, and then let the Council warn everyone. It pissed her off that the politicians were claiming themselves as the victors.

One of the men before her pulled a walkie-talkie up to his mouth. "Check in. Hostages clear."

There was a faint buzz as it activated.

"Vault clear."

"Foyer clear."

"VIP clear."

The man nodded and lowered the device and started talking to his companion. Yang took the chance available to shimmy over and nudge a nearby man, a bank worker judging by his uniform, with her arm.

"What are they talking about?" she asked.

The young man looked nervous as all hell and she wasn't sure he would answer for a moment. He shot their guards some frightened looks but when no punishment came he hesitantly replied. "T-They have more people in the bank. There's a team watching the foyer and main entrance, one in the vault, and then another which took some of the more hostages to a different set of offices."

"Other hostages?"

"Managers and Directors," he whispered, "as well as a wealthy client. They're the VIP hostages."

Damn it. That wasn't good. They'd split the hostages in two which meant if Grey and Roman struck as planned, they'd only be able to rescue this lot – potentially putting the others at risk. The check-in with the guards was probably to make sure they knew everyone was still in one piece, and it would probably be done every few minutes, meaning that if they wanted to save both sets they'd have to strike all but simultaneously.

"Where are they being kept?" she asked.

The teller looked like he wasn't sure why she was asking. She couldn't tell him she was police in case he panicked and alerted the guards. Even if he was just an innocent hostage there was a chance he would try and secure his own freedom at the expense of hers.

"They're on the upper floor," he said, "behind and above the main foyer in the managerial offices. I don't know where exactly. Why?"

"No reason." She pushed away from him, knowing he wouldn't dare follow for fear of alerting himself to their captors. As she did she thumbed the miniature microphone hidden on her collar, turning it off. She'd have to hope Grey caught the conversation and could think up a plan. Since the thing only went one-way, she'd have to wing it. With that in mind, Yang did the possibly stupidest thing she could.

She stood up.

The two men responded instantly, spinning on the spot to point their weapons at her. One made to shout but she beat him to it, throwing her hand down as she yelled at him.

"Why are you doing this to us!?"

"Get down!" he snarled.

"No!" She stomped a foot. "What did we ever do to you?"

"Stupid brat. Get down or I'll shoot you."

The walkie-talkie buzzed. "Check – we heard a disturbance. What's going on?"

The first man growled and took out the device, nodding for the second to keep his gun pointed directly at Yang's chest. "Checking in, all clear. Just got some stupid little chit whining about being a hostage." He glowered at her and smiled cruelly. "Don't suppose we need to make an example of someone, do we? I think I've found us a volunteer."

"Don't kill anyone. We need the hostages alive."

They did? Why would they need hostages if they hadn't made any demands of the police? Bargaining chips were only useful so long as you tried to bargain.

"You sure I can't rough her up a bit?"

"I'm sure. Control yourself."

Yang grinned at the message. It was what she'd waited to hear. She took a step forward and stared down the man pointing his gun at her. She tried for the whiniest voice she could. "Let me go! I don't want to be here!"

"Sit the fuck down!"

"NO!"

"Check in!"

"All clear, damn it. It's the same bloody issue."

"Ugh, fine. Take her to the upper levels. More guards there and someone can shut her up. If not, I'm sure one less hostage won't be that big a deal."

The man chuckled darkly. "Got it." he stuffed the device away and stormed forward, terrified hostages pushing out of the way as he reached for her. "You've done it now, bitch. Should have just kept quiet."

Yang cried out as he gripped her by the stump of her arm and pulled her aside. As she did, and as her hair fell across her face, she activated the microphone once more. "Where are you taking me? What's going on!?"

"Quit your whining. You want to act like a princess you can sit with the others." He gave her a cuff about the face. It felt like a tap and would have normally earned a roll of the eyes, but since she was supposed to be the weak little girl in front of the nasty-nasty criminal, she threw her head to the side and gasped.

It was enough to fool him, anyway.

"Keep watch over this lot while I take her upstairs," the criminal said.

The other balked. "On my own?"

"What, you afraid they're going to swarm you or something? You're the one with the gun. Man up." He tugged Yang along behind him and pushed the door open. "I'll be gone two minutes tops. Just hold the fort until then."

"But the police-"

"Won't do a damn thing. Not while we've got the hostages upstairs."

"The police will save us," Yang yelled – making sure to be as loud as possible. "And they'll save those upstairs too. I bet they're ready to do that even now! I bet they'll be ready at the drop of a hat!"

"Ha. Fat chance."

The man dragged her out of the room and made sure to tug hardly on her severed limb, earning an honest gasp for once as she almost stumbled. He laughed at her displeasure and hauled her into the foyer, from which she could see the large glass doors looking out onto a street filled not only with police but also news crews and members of the public, all watching from a safe distance.

The foyer itself was a large and open one with two marble pillars offset from the centre and several aisles leading up to wooden teller's desks, all of which were empty. Behind that was a large vault, the steel door half-open. Handbags and other stuff littered the floor, dropped by hostages when they'd been taken. There were two staircases leading up to the second floor and he dragged her over to one, pulling her up the steps. At the top she saw four people with guns watching from a balcony over the main entrance. They had no hostages but a commanding view of any officer who tried to approach the entrance.

There wasn't much time to see more as Yang was taken behind and down a corridor that led through some back offices and private rooms.

Eventually they reached a corridor which was occupied, two criminals in matching balaclavas outside a room with a glass door. They saw her captor approaching and shook their heads, lowering their weapons.

"Is this the girl?" the first asked, and she recognised the voice as the one from the walkie-talkie.

"No, I just dragged a random girl here," her captor said, pushing her forward and releasing her. "Of course it is. Found her trying to escape through the vents then has the lack of sense to stand up and try to challenge us. Figured that since I can't just kill her and you don't want me to knock her out, you'd know better what to do."

"Sure." The man took hold of her by her good arm, somewhat more gently than the first, and tugged her up to him. "You're a pretty thing, I suppose," he said, without any real interest.

"What do you want from us? My father is rich," she lied. "He can pay whatever you want for a ransom."

The three men laughed. "If it were money we wanted we'd have more than enough with our other hostage," he said. "No, my dear. We aren't in this for something as petty as lien."

Then why were they robbing a bank?

Yang didn't have the time to ask, for the man pushed her through the door and into the room. There were less people there, only four or so, and most of those were tied up and laid on the floor, the only one of which who wasn't sat on her knees with two rifles aimed at either side of her head. Yang saw what they'd meant about money instantly, especially considering whom it was they'd captured.

Weiss stared back at her, mouth agape.

"Yang!?"

Everyone froze. It was a moment of shock – and not just from her. Thoughts of how they'd caught Weiss of all people warred with the realisation that this wasn't a simple robbery, not at all. That same moment was one in which the men with her suddenly froze.

"The Schnee knows-?" The man beside her stared at Yang, the eyes behind the balaclava widening. "It's a Huntre-oof!" The grip he'd had on her wrist reversed and she slammed his own fist into his stomach, breaking it at the same time and snapping out of his grip, even as the other crook gasped and tried to bring his weapon to bear.

"Drop the hat!" Yang screamed.

An explosion shook the building. The floor rocking the floor and causing dust to fall from the ceiling. Shouts came from below, followed by loud bangs and flashes of light, and then sudden gunfire. Yang twisted and ducked, sweeping one foot low and kicking the man's legs out from under him.

"Kill her!" one next to Weiss yelled, and lifted his gun to take aim at Yang.

That left the heiress free, however. Even with her hands bound behind her back, the white-haired huntress threw herself back and kicked up and behind her, bringing both heels up into the groin of the man still holding a gun to her, but who had taken his eyes away to stare at the one-armed huntress among them. He gasped and crumpled, his finger squeezing the trigger and firing instinctively. Weiss cried out in pain, even if the shot didn't penetrate skin or draw blood. There was a vicious bruise on her leg.

The scream was enough to turn Yang's eyes red. She stabbed her fist into the other man's stomach, crumpling him over, and then used the stump of her arm to adjust the aim of his weapon as he pulled the trigger – spraying bullets through the glass window behind her and sending the man who'd brought her upstairs diving for cover.

Her knee came up once, twice, and a third time into her target's chest, and on the third strike he crumpled, arms falling slack at his side. She quickly looked for the one Weiss had knocked down but found the heiress on top of him, hands still tied but using one knee to choke the air from him until he fell unconscious.

She turned to Yang once that was done. "There are other hostages!" she gasped. "We need to-"

"I know. The police are on them." She ignored Weiss' relief and dashed back into the hall. The bastard who'd dragged her around by her stump fired two shots in her direction and she ducked one and batted the other away with her hand, aura flaring and her skin bruising. The pain gave her the strength she needed to close the distance and grip him by his collar.

"Damn bit-" He cut off with a cry as she slammed her forehead into his nose, breaking it in one go.

"That's sir to you," she snapped. She pushed him into a wall to stun him, then reeled back and broke his jaw with one solid punch. He slumped to the ground and didn't move. Just for good measure, she spat on him. "No one touches the stump, bastard."

Weiss was waiting inside when she returned. She was on her side, trying to get the plastic bands off her wrists. She paused when Yang appeared, then sighed in relief when the ex-huntress reached down and snapped the bands in two.

"I'm glad you're here," Weiss panted. "I had no idea what I was going to do…"

"You're glad I'm here? What are you even doing here?" Yang scowled. "Don't tell me you're pulling a Blake, Weiss. I'd expect Ruby to jump in and try to stop a robbery mid-progress, not you. I thought you were meant to be the smart one."

"W-What!?" Weiss gasped. "I wasn't here on purpose, you idiot. I was trying to check my bank statement!"

Yang paused and felt herself deflate. "Oh…"

"Oh, indeed, you… you… argh!" Weiss staggered to her feet and rubbed her sore wrists. "Like I'd be up here held hostage if I had a choice in the matter. Those guys burst in and started firing. I wanted to take them out, but they took some people hostage and threatened to kill them if I didn't surrender. There was nothing I could do."

"And they dragged you up here?"

"They wanted me away from the other hostages so I wouldn't try anything," she confirmed. "They knew if I tried to break free I could, but that I wouldn't dare if I knew all those people downstairs would be killed." Weiss' frown faded, and she bit her lip. "You're sure they're okay?"

"They're fine, Weiss. The room was being watched by snipers and there were only two guards. I kept one busy bringing me here and signalled the raid to start." The sniper would have dealt with the guard, and could probably keep the room locked down until Grey and his units got to the hostages. From there it would be a simple clean-up of the opposition that was left. "It's pretty much over now. These crooks are done for."

Weiss disagreed. "You don't understand – they're not just criminals, Yang!" She pushed forward and towards the first man on the ground and tore off his balaclava.

A bone white mask faced them.

"Why would someone wear a mask under a balaclava?"

"I don't know how these people think!" Weiss snapped. "But this isn't a robbery and if the White Fang wanted to make a statement they'd have tried to kill me. I am a Schnee, after all. If they're not here for that and they're not here for me, then what are they here for? Why rob a bank if not for money?"

Because they wanted something else – and nothing related to what exactly was in the bank. That didn't make sense though. If they wanted to take over somewhere like they had with Middivale then why make it one of the most well-known banks in the middle of Vale? They couldn't have drawn more attention to themselves and every police officer in the sector was bearing down on the location right now.

Every single one of them…

Yang's eyes widened. "Shit."

"What-?"

"Look after these hostages," Yang snapped, pushing a gun into Weiss' hand. "Don't let anyone but the police in." She didn't stay to hear Weiss' response but instead dashed out back down the halls. There was something going on here and they already had all the hostages safe – but those weren't even the terrorist's main objective. If it wasn't that and it wasn't money... then why had they forced the vault in the main foyer open? Why did they have a team in the vault?

Yang broke out onto the main balcony in time to see black-suited officers down below shooting up at the White Fang on the higher ground. A grenade flew and exploded, bathing the area in white light and causing spots to dance in her vision. She ducked low and charged forward, however, recalling roughly where they'd been. By the time her vision cleared she was already upon them.

One fell before he could realise the danger – her knee striking the back of his head and cracking his face against the marble column he'd been hiding behind. The second turned to face her – cried out a warning – but fell when an explosive round hit the wall behind him, detonating and spraying shrapnel into his body. Aura flared but he wasn't as trained as they and couldn't maintain it. He fell gripping his side and groaning in agony.

The third held up his hands as police stormed up the stairs, Grey in the lead with a submachine gun in hand. "Down! Down! Down!" he yelled. When the terrorist wasn't fast enough to comply he surged forward and drove him down with one foot. Two others rushed up to handcuff him. The officer's eyes met hers. "We got the message," he said. "Hostages secured. Tell me you got yours."

"I got them," she said. "There's a huntress back there standing guard. Call that you're police before you enter or your boys will regret it."

Grey nodded and motioned silently with one hand. Four officers surged down the corridor he indicated, checking rooms with their guns and kicking open doors as they went. As a unit they were disciplined and confident, and down below she could make out more fanning out to take cover and watch over the vault. Some were escorting terrified hostages out, pushing the civilian's heads down and covering them with their bodies as they rushed them outside and into the waiting hands of police and ambulances.

"More of the bastards in the vault but we've got them pinned down. Once the hostages are out we'll breach and finish this off." He sent her a grudging nod. "Good job sneaking in. You're not half bad at this."

Yang shook her head. "We don't have time to stand around celebrating. They're White Fang."

His face hardened. "You're sure?"

"Masks and everything," she said, "and they're doing something in the vault, something we need to stop now."

Grey cursed and turned away to shout out orders to his teams, but there was a voice that cut him off, Roman staggering up the staircase while holding his bowler hat to his head. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by what might actually have been panic.

"We have a problem!" he yelled. "A real big problem."

"White Fang?" Yang asked. "Yeah, we know."

"Yeah well, that's one thing, Captain. The other is this." Roman brought out a strange object, something that was black in colour and bulky. It looked like a mixture of leather, glass, and metal. "Each of those idiots we just took down had one of these and I doubt they're for decoration." He held it out and stretched it, so they could see better.

It was a full-face gas mask.

"MASKS ON!" Grey screamed. "Masks, masks, masks!" He pulled his down over his head, hiding his face and with his eyes visible only through the round plexiglass frames. "Shit, the hostages are still too close. Robbs, Marcus, get them out now! This isn't a robbery – it's a terrorist attack." He grabbed his collar and stepped away, shouting orders into his collar for the people outside to move further away.

Roman tossed the mask to Yang before she could say anything. "I picked up another," he said, slipping his own on. "Can't say the gimp look suits me, but hey, what can you do?" He brought a cigar up to the breather, scowled when he realised he couldn't smoke it, and flicked it away.

Yang pulled her own on with a little difficulty. It wasn't easy with one arm, but she managed it after a little fiddling. It was hot and sweaty inside and the tight-fitting leather didn't exactly do much to accommodate her bushy hair.

"We're storming the vault," Grey said, returning. "Right now, in fact. You two are going in first."

"Straight into the hail of fire," Roman snarked. "Thanks."

"This is White Fang, not criminals. I'm told that's your jurisdiction. We'll back you up, but I know full well you guys can take a bullet or two where some of mine can't. The entrance is always the most dangerous part and you'll make it easy." He paused. "Or at least I hope so."

"We're not waiting for the hostages to get further away?" Yang asked.

"Can't. Not when we've got no idea what we're dealing with. Could be a bomb fit to kill an entire block and no time will be enough for us to evacuate the district. Speaking of, they'd have to be deaf to not have heard our entrance. If it's gas like this suggests then they've gotten exactly what they want – a good portion of the city's emergency services, all within range. Come on, let's go. Time to show you new bloods how the VCPD handles things."

Yang and Roman shared a look and a shrug before they followed. As they descended the steps she saw plenty of black-suited and gas-mask wearing offices watching ever conceivable door, many more with guns aimed at the open vault. None of them spoke, at least not in words, but many made hand gestures and signals that were clearly some form of sign language. She had to admit, it was pretty impressive.

And we always called the police useless, she thought, recalling Team RWBY's discussions. We never really respected how hard they work, and sure, they weren't always able to stop the White Fang, but they probably had thousands of other crimes to deal with as well. They'd just been obsessed with Torchwick and the Fang, which she knew well enough now weren't easy to track through normal means.

"Team Alpha watch the foyer, Team Beta and Charlie stack up on me. Enter and clear after VSPR breach."

"You know how to breach?" Roman asked.

"Nope. You?"

"No idea."

She shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

/-/

Against all odds, it was easier than they'd expected…

Grey gave them a flashbang to breach with and a brief explanation on how to use it, and Roman tossed it in and waited for the bang – before the two of them rushed in, auras up and weapons prepared for the gunfight of their lives.

A gunfight they didn't receive. The entry point was utterly deserted.

"It's clear," Yang called.

There was a pause before the response came. "Already?"

Grey sounded like he didn't believe them.

"There's no one here." Her eyes scanned the vault interior, which was comprised of a long tunnel leading down underground and another vault door further down, as open as the first. There was nowhere anyone inside could have hidden and no rooms leading off it. "We'll go deeper just in case. Come on, Roman."

"I don't like the look of this, boss."

"What, the mysterious tunnel leading down into the vault where we know some terrorists and a potential bomb are? Gee, Roman. I wonder what's making you feel so anxious. Maybe it's the tooth fairy!"

Rather than flip her the bird, Roman chuckled. "Ladies first, then."

"Such a gentleman."

There was no time to argue and Yang stepped forward, Ember Celica activated and ready to blast at the first sign of trouble. The moment they passed away from the vault door and into the tunnel proper, their cover became nullified, and so did the chances of an ambush grow all the more. She could understand why Grey had been so reluctant to storm the vault. If it weren't for the risk of some kind of gas bomb, they could just starve the suspects out. No such luck.

They were about halfway down when they struck.

A White Fang terrorist, replete with gas mask, stepped out and opened fire with a roar of righteous anger. He managed five, maybe six shots, before one of Roman's exploded off his chest. He was thrown back against the metal door with a sickening thud.

"Now," Yang snapped, breaking into a sprint. "Get in before they can pin us down. There's no telling when they'll set off the gas!"

The moment the White Fang were in danger, probably, which would be now by all accounts. Yang pushed her legs harder, willing herself to move just that little bit faster. Releasing gas in the middle of the city. This was somehow so much worse than what Cinder had done. It was cruel, pointless, indiscriminate. Yang gritted her teeth and activated Ember Celica.

She and Roman rounded the corner and pushed into the vault at the same time.

"Don't move!" the man inside howled. He held a woman in one arm and had a gun to the side of her head. "Try it and I'll splatter the lovely Miss Lavender's brains out across the floor. We'll see if that makes the Vale News."

Yang took in the scene in an instant. There was one man – one terrorist – but he had a hostage, Lisa Lavender, who had tear tracks down her face and who was gripping onto the faunus' arm around her neck. She looked terrified, as she ought to. Beside them both, on a raised platform set for money and other valuables, was a strange and intricate object with a number of glass tubes running into it. Didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.

"Put her down," Yang said, "and no one has to get hurt."

"You think I'll believe that?" He pulled her back and the woman gasped as they got closer to the device. Yang's fingers twitched. "It doesn't matter anyway – our work is done. This city will soon learn what happens to those who oppose the will of the White Fang!"

"This is going to hurt a lot of your guys too," Roman pointed out. "I saw some faunus cops out there, not to mention hostages."

"Sometimes it's required that sacrifices be made for the greater good."

"Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep easier at night?"

"That's rich coming from you!" the terrorist snapped.

"He has a point, Roman."

The reformed, if not redeemed, crook shrugged. "Eh, I sleep easy. I just didn't care who or how many I hurt. Benefits of being an asshole, I guess. But you… wasn't it change your lot wanted?"

"Change is one thing. Justice is another."

"Funny idea of justice…"

"This isn't justice," Yang said, catching Roman's plan and stalling for time. If they could talk him down, then they could get out of this in one piece. "One of my friends wants equality for the faunus too, but she realised trying to force that on people wouldn't work. You need to change hearts and minds."

"That's what we're doing!"

"No, it's not. You're trying to impose your will on people."

He snarled and pulled Lisa Lavender back. "No better than what your kind did to us!"

"Then rise above it. If you think what the humans did was so disgusting then you don't want to do the same thing, right?"

"This isn't the same at all! We're fighting for justice, for freedom-"

"But you're still fighting," Yang pointed out. "People are still being killed. It's kind of the same thing, bucko." She was cut off as a bullet ricocheted past his ear. Yang didn't flinch, even if the hostage whimpered and shook.

"Shut up!" the White Fang member hissed, weapon extended towards her. "Shut the hell up! You don't understand a thing, human. Our means might be similar, but our motives couldn't be more different. True change isn't something that can be achieved with words. It has to be taken – at the end of a sword or the barrel of a gun!"

Yang winced. This wasn't going as she'd hoped it might.

"What's going on in here?" Grey asked, sauntering in.

"Drop the weapon!" the terrorist screamed, now aiming at him. "Drop it!"

"Whoah, whoa," Grey put the submachine gun down on the table and took a step forward, empty hands raised before him. "I've put it down, see. I did what you wanted."

"Don't move!"

"I'm unarmed, see?"

He took another step forward, smiling the whole time.

"Stand still!"

"What's the fuss? I'm doing what you want."

Another step.

The terrorist snapped. He gasped and brought his weapon up, and Yang tensed, even if she knew there wouldn't be the time to cross the distance and push the officer out of the way. "I'll kill you!" the faunus yelled. "I'll- OW!"

He dropped his hostage, who had blood around her mouth from where she'd bitten the man's wrist. Lisa Lavender ducked low.

Yang made to lunge.

A crack echoed through the room.

Roman sighed.

The terrorist stood still for a second, almost looking perplexed with his weapon held in one hand and his other reaching up towards his face. It didn't make it all the way before he tumbled back, a hole in the centre of his forehead. Behind him, marking the steel walls, an explosion of blood.

"Fanatics," Grey sighed, lowering a handgun he'd somehow concealed. "You can't reason with them."

"You just… shot him…" Yang whispered.

"What did you expect? There's no telling if he'd have a detonator on him and he had a hostage. Not much that could be done." He strode forward and knelt by Lisa Lavender. "Ma'am, are you okay? That was courageous of you; you've been very brave. You're safe now."

Yang swallowed past her immediate revulsion, and the desire to look away from the body. She'd killed before… even if she'd never thought about it. Those White Fang she'd kicked off the train in Mountain Glenn hadn't gotten back up, not when they'd been thrown back into an army of rampaging Grimm. They would have been torn to shreds and because of her.

But still, that had been so easy to forget. They'd died out of sight, out of mind, and she hadn't been forced to see it happen, let alone to watch the evidence bleed out on the ground before her.

Did that really make a difference, though?

See it or not, it was still a dead member of the White Fang. She couldn't fault the Lieutenant for dealing with it the only way he could. I could really use a drink… and probably a talk with Uncle Qrow. Damn it. This is so messed up.

"At least we're good on the bomb," Roman said. He tugged off his mask and nodded to the thing. "What are we going to do about that?"

"Leave it for now. I'll have a bomb and chemical squad come and disarm it."

"And what about him?" Yang had to ask.

"A body bag..." Grey sighed and helped the shaking woman to her feet. "I heard you trying to talk him down before I came in, even gave you a little time to see if it would work. Believe me I've tried it enough times myself, both with White Fang on the job and those behind bars. Funny thing is they'll never accept that what they're doing is wrong. A part of me thinks it's a defence mechanism… that they can somehow accept it was all worthwhile if only they stick to the story."

"The truth doesn't matter," Roman said. "Only that they believe it."

"That's…"

"Messed-up? Twisted?"

"I was going to say sad," she said. "If they have to hide in some fantasy world to escape life, then I'm not sure if that makes them pitiable or not."

"Yeah well, save your pity for the ones who don't try and kill us. Us and everyone else here."

True. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. There were plenty of other faunus who hated the way things were, but they didn't become violent extremists trying to kill anyone without a faunus trait. This guy wasn't like Blake wanting a fresh start or an escape. He'd been fully committed to his task and prepared to kill them at a moment's notice.

"I guess this is why they wanted the hostages kept alive but didn't negotiate with us," Grey said. "They wanted to cause a scene – make us come in and then make it look like our mistake set off the gas and killed everyone inside."

"Y-Yes," Lisa Lavender said. "That's why they brought me in here. They wanted me to video it…" She held up her scroll weakly.

"Evidence," Grey said, reaching for it.

Beep

The four of them froze.

Click

The device behind them shifted. One of the tubes descended into it with a whirr, and before Yang could even think to gasp, the other bulged outward – glass cracking as the gas inside suddenly expanded in a violent chemical reaction.

"Masks on!" she yelled.

Roman tugged his on with a curse, turning away even as the glass shattered. Through the visor of her own Yang saw Grey tackle the hostage to the floor then, to her horror, remove his own mask and push it down over her face with one hand. Lisa Lavender struggled but couldn't get him off her, and as the green gas spread out and billowed out of the vault, she lost sight of them entirely.

"S-Shit," Roman gasped. "Boss, boss? Yang!? You okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she replied. She took a tentative breath but found herself able to breathe easily. The smoke fogged past her visor, too thick to see through, and it had begun to roll and flow up and out of the vault into the main lobby and beyond. She thought of shouting out a warning, but they'd have seen it by now and acted accordingly. At least she hoped so. "Lieutenant Grey!" she shouted instead. "Grey, are you okay? Answer me!"

There was nothing. Yang's heart leapt into her throat, but she pushed through the smog to where she'd last seen him throw away his only protection for another. Her hand wafted before her face in a futile effort to dispel the smoke.

"Lieutenant Grey!?"

A voice reached Yang's ears. It was soft, choked, and feminine. "H-ack-H-Help…"

"Lisa?" Yang pushed forward towards the voice.

She found the newsreader a second later – and Grey. Yang breathed a sigh of relief and moved towards them, but that soon faded when Lisa looked her way. Even through the mask Yang could see the terror on her face, and she threw out a hand in a desperate gesture for aid. That was when she noticed it.

Grey's hands were around Lisa Lavender's throat.

"Get off her!" Yang yelled. There was no time to question him, so she drove a boot into his shoulder and knocked him aside, dislodging his grip and allowing the woman underneath him to roll over and gasp for breath, one hand still holding the gasmask to her face. Yang caught Grey by the collar and hauled him up. "What the hell got into you…?"

His face was blood red. His eyes were wide and wild, and saliva dripped from his mouth as he swung a fist towards her face. Gone was the stern discipline, quiet confidence and calm voice. In its place was a monster of a man.

"Fang," Yang realised, dropping the officer – and then dropping him a second later with a fist to the jaw. Yang's eyes drifted to the vault entrance. "They've set up a Fang bomb."

"Worse," Roman said, "they've managed to make it airborne… and look where they just released it."

Right in the middle of Central Vale – in a building surrounded by the very people the city would rely on to quell and treat the disaster. Surrounded by a whole load of civilians who had come to see what was going on, and fully armed police officers who had no idea of what was about to happen.

"This is going to go to shit," Roman sighed.

Yes…

That was probably a good way of putting it.

I'm sorry again about the lateness, and the fact it's a little rushed. Once this event is over life can go back to normal for me, and it's one of those work things I really shouldn't have been asked to step in on, since it's an event that's been known about since July last year, but which the team working on has achieved nothing – an actual ZERO – guests in all that time. It's now two weeks away and I've dragged the numbers from 0 to 75 or so, but I need more. So yeah, it's just that this crap was thrown on my plate last second and I'm bending over backwards to try and make sure it doesn't explode in our face. Yay for hard-working employees.

On this chapter, Weiss makes an appearance and the bank robbery is more than it seems – and far more dangerous than any realised. What's this, competent villains in the RWBY-verse? Now you know this is AU.

Next Chapter: 6th February

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur