Chapter 13
The Perfect Crime
"So would you mind enlightening me as to how you found me? Fond little Neo of mine."
The first sensation Cobalt felt was a large stinging on his face around his cheek. Recoiling back he rubbed his check then turned to face her. "I say! That was completely uncalled for!" He watched her take out her scroll and began typing. Once done she shoved it right into his face causing him to recoil again. "Hey you do realize it's night right? I don't need to be staring at a screen that can outshine the sun." She withdrew her scroll for a moment to turn down the brightness and quickly type a few words.
[You know that I hate it when you call me little. And sorry not sorry.]
"Don't you know that's why I do it. Besides that point may I ask as to why you're here and how did you find me?"
[I've known you for years. Just because you're shipped off to some school doesn't mean I don't keep tabs on you.]
"That's a bit unnerving."
[I prefer to see it that I'm caring. Besides you need someone to save your sorry ass whenever you bite off more than you can chew.]
"Alright can you tell me why you're here?"
[I'm here because Cinder told me to.]
"Damn it what does she want now?"
[I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first.]
"Whatever I answer to that will not change what you say first."
With a smirk Neo typed a message but when handing it over to him she also handed him one of his favorite brands of cigars as well as his lighter. [We need you back Roman.]
Taking the cigar in hand and lighting it he breathed in deeply and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Neo I need to thank you. It's been a week since I was last able to have a smoke and I really needed one now of all times." Taking another breath he said "So what's the bad news for me?"
[You're not done with Beacon. After this next heist you will go back to attending school. Plus you'll be called on for duties of both being undercover as well as running a string of other operations coming up.]
"Damn it! Ugh, just when I thought I was free from this prison. Now I have to keep running my organization and be undercover for a reason that I am still unaware of. I'm sick and tired of this 'Cobalt' character as well as everyone at this school. It's driving me mad."
[It didn't seem like you were sick and tired of Red a moment ago.]
"You Peeping Tom! How long were you following me?"
[Long enough. Care to explain why I saw you kiss that thorn in your side that you spent weeks complaining about?]
Turning away awkwardly Cobalt said "If I could I would. Trust me I'm trying to figure that out too."
[Were you drunk?]
"No I was not drunk. Why do you always ask that when I do something stupid?"
[Why do you insist upon drinking every time you think of Ruth?]
"Because it's damn well effective at making me forget."
[Yes but every time you do so you create another memory you want to forget.]
"Neo we are not here to discuss my drinking. We're here so that you can tell me where I need to be and when."
[I will. Under one condition.]
"Let me guess. A pint of neapolitan ice cream?"
[Alright two conditions.]
"What else could you possibly desire?" Asked Cobalt raising an eyebrow in mock confusion.
He saw her begin typing furiously as he saw her getting more and more agitated. [You have to answer a question of mine. No loopholes. No clever ways of sneaking out of it. No bullshit.]
Turning towards a more serious tone Cobalt said "Alright you have my attention. Ask away."
[Just what happened here Roman?! What the hell?! You kissed the person that has caused you to have a failing streak!]
"Alright, alright! Just stop shouting." After a moment he realized what he had just said. "Er… um… I mean just calm down. There's nothing between us."
[Sure sounds like a lot of nothing spewing from your mouth. Come on Roman be honest with me.] Grabbing Cobalt by the wrist, she looked at him with eyes of concern while she typed [We've know each other long enough that I know when something's wrong. Just tell me.]
"Fine. Look I had a nightmare the day I first got into Beacon. A nightmare where I killed Mercury, Emerald and Cinder. Of course one might call it a happy dream. But afterwards I saw that I did it all to save Red. In the dream I was the only one able to help her and I did. What scares me most was how real it felt. I thought I was actually there, that the dream was reality, and I risked my life to save hers. I had felt… Look I just don't understand it."
[How does that turn into you kissing her?]
"That's just it. By a purely random event I had met her and became acquainted with her. Within the first half hour of being with her she saw me."
[What do you mean she saw you?]
"She wasn't able to tell that I'm Torchwick but practically everything else she saw. She saw me just like how you did when we first met. She didn't know about Ruth but she could tell that something was bothering me. Throughout the week she spent every second that we were in the presence of each other trying to 'make me feel better'. I should have just shrugged it off but I couldn't." Cobalt suddenly felt very dizzy as if he may faint. He collapsed to one knee and covered his face to try to ease the migraine. He felt as if his head was cracking. He knew that it was his body fighting against himself to punish him for kissing Ruby. This always happened whenever he did something that broke his moral code however small it was. Through his fingers he could see Neo go to his side. She felt her put a hand on his shoulder and kneel down next to him. He could hear her typing and saw her place the scroll in front of his eyes. Through the narrow cracks of his fingers he could tell what she said from the fragments he could see.
[Roman are you alright?!]
"Yes." Said Cobalt painfully. As frustrating as it was he knew that he had to finish telling her what happened. Migraine or no migraine she was not going to stop until she knew everything. "Every second I spent with her, every time I thought of her, I remembered the dream. But with each moment that passed a part of me wanted it to be real. And she made it so easy to. Damn. Of all people why did I have to begin falling for her?"
[How much have you told her?]
"What do you mean?" Said Cobalt lying. He knew what she meant he just did not want to talk about it for as long as he could.
[You're fully aware of what I'm talking about.]
"Fine. Look I told her what happened to Ruth okay."
[Are you an idiot?! Why the hell did you do that?!]
"She was finally able to open me up and we were about to go to a movie. We walked into the wrong theater and it was a horror film. I had a bit of a panic attack from it and in my shattered state I didn't think twice about telling her."
[Are you an idiot?]
"Most likely yes."
[Roman look at me.] Turning to face her he saw her with caring, comfortable eyes. [Roman I want you to be happy. You've gone through more hell in your life than most have thought possible. However you achieve happiness is up to you. If you think that it involves Red then so be it. But keep in mind that you two are supposed to be enemies. Until you can bring her to our side or we join hers there will always be conflict. You may experience more pain than you have in a while. I want you to keep this in mind though. Whether this works out or not I'll be there supporting you all the way.]
"Thank you. It's always nice to have a friend like you."
[Likewise.]
"Anyway when did you say I needed to do that one heist?"
[Tomorrow night.]
"Tomorrow night! That's not enough time to plan an efficient strategy!"
[Well you're skipping class tomorrow so I hope that should be just enough time.]
"It depends on the job. What is it?"
[I'll tell you when we get to your apartment.]
"Wait a minute I left my personal scroll in my room. I need it for hacking purposes." Neo responded by pulling out a scroll from her back pocket. "How did you get your hands on my scroll?"
[I learned from the best.]
"Thank you. As you had said let's discuss the details in a less public location." They then walked to his apartment to discuss their dastardly plans while Cobalt spent the way there catching up with Neo and her week.
The next morning Roman woke up and he felt at home again. No alarms, no school, just him being able to sleep in and let the sun wake him up. Yawning, he got out of bed and looked around. Fortune have it be that the closest apartment was his favorite of his seven scattered throughout Vale. The walls were a clean white with a brown, polished wooden flooring. To his left hung a large walk out window that led to a small enclosed terrace that gave him total privacy from the outside world while still able to enjoy mornings with coffee. There were no other buildings in the view except Beacon quite a ways away. As such he never quite got tired of the view of nature especially from this height with it being fifteen stories high. To his right was his restroom that was probably oversized but it needed to be with how many hygiene products he used. Walking forward he opened the door to his living room which held floor to wall windows on one side. The windows curved around a corner which allowed him to look one way and see the woodlands and the other a gorgeous view of the city. He made himself a cup of coffee and sat down on his large leather couch in the center to enjoy the view of the morning. He made sure to add a swig of his flask to his coffee. It was going to be a long day of planning.
At 8 pm Roman left his luxury suite in his private elevator that ran from his floor to the basement to meet Neo. He was already exhausted from memorizing every single possible variation of plans. Straightening his scarf the doors opened to the basement where he saw Neo leaning up against the wall. "Good evening Neo. How about you and I see how much mischief we can cause?" Said Roman as they walked out the secret exit from the basement. They were heading into the forest where a bullhead awaited them to drop them off at their destination.
[I can see your mood has improved.]
"All thanks to a good night's sleep and a few swigs of whiskey."
[You know how I feel about you drinking.]
"That's precisely why I drink. In fact I think I'll have some now." Said Roman as he pulled out his flask and took a small drink while looking into Neo's dismissive eyes.
Neo responded with [How's the wig fairing you?]
"May my bangs rest in peace. As much as I love being back to the old me I'm afraid the wig might take some getting used to. I had to cut off a lot of hair when I left for Beacon and I can't have them be putting two and two together because of the hair." He pulled out his cane and held it towards the light to examine it. "Melodic Cudgel needed some fine tuning but is now in top shape. I also added a few new rounds in it that I'm excited to try out."
[What are they?]
"I don't have the slightest idea." Said Roman with a grin. "They can range from ice to lightning to fire but I have absolutely no idea. It'll be a giant game of roulette! Won't that be fun?!"
[Just hope that you won't have to use them. Anyway do you have the plan?]
"Of course I have the plan. You know I always do." They finally made it to the bullhead hidden in an outcrop in the forest by his apartment. By walking through several alleys and a hidden trail one could make it there without being seen by anyone but the occasional drunk that may be sleeping, passed out or dead for all he knew. Fortunately the path was wide enough that none of the grime had to touch his exceptionally white and clean suit.
[Good. I thought that with your head in the clouds that maybe you forgot.]
"Trust me it's all under control. Besides I'd appreciate you not mentioning anything about what happened yesterday to anybody."
[Don't worry. I won't.]
He trusted her with his life so he knew she would not let it slip. The fact that she was physically incapable of doing so helped as well. But he saw this as a grand opportunity to mess with her. Turning his face to hers to give her the most evil grin he could muster he said "Good. Let's keep it that way unless you want it to go around that you had a peculiar dream about a certain blond you fought." Seeing her face blush almost to the same color of Ruby's coat he knew he drove the nail in. He loved making fun of her for that. He knew that for as long as they knew each other he would never let that incident go.
Looking away in both dismissal and annoyance while trying to hide some remaining blush, she held out her scroll which said [Fine. But you didn't have to bring that up you know.]
"Oh I did." Replied Roman nonchalantly. "I absolutely had no choice but to bring it up again."
At that moment he could feel themselves begin their descent to the ground. The doors opened up and the two of them strolled out to see the situation. The view ahead of them was the rooftop of a rather tall building. It was flat with a floor of concrete with a three foot tall lining around the edges. To the left was a door and vents covered the area. From this position they could see all of Vale and the lights that lit it. He could hear the cars and people below in the bustling city. Roman walked towards the edge of the roof and looked beyond. In every direction he could see the lights of human achievement. He was repulsed. How could so many people live happily as their civilization was based upon the suffering of others? The people claim to care for everyone but that was nothing but a lie. They have never had to survive. They have never had to wonder when their next meal would be or if they would be alive in the morning. They do what all do: they pretend nothing happens. They turn a blind eye to the blight and pain of others so they can keep living their happy go lucky lives. Roman closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and ground his teeth as he held himself back. He could hear the clicking of heels behind him as his accomplice walked towards him. He felt a poking on his arm. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and looked at the woman to the left of him. Neo was leaning back against the ledge facing him. She pulled out her scroll and typed [I know what you're thinking Roman. They're not worth the effort. They still have wool over their eyes. Let's go take that away.]
Pulling out a cigar and lighting it Roman took a few puffs before he responded. "You're right. They're not worth it. Let's go." He walked over to the door and checked the lock. It was a key pad with what appeared to be a nine digit code. Pulling out his personal scroll he held it against the panel while numbers rapidly flashed on his scroll. A few seconds later the numbers turned green and with a click the door opened and led the way to the chaos they were about to unleash. He being the gentleman he was he motioned for Neo to go take the lead. Neo responded with a sarcastic look and typed [You're just scared to go first aren't you?]
"How dare you? Men of my caliber are never scared. I was just trying be a gentleman. That was all."
Sighing Neo went first but just before she took her first step down she looked back and stuck out her tongue [You big baby.]
As soon as she turned away Roman proceeded to silently mock her. Just before he went down he took one last look at the city that had always repulsed him. The glowing lights shone out and illuminated the darkness. But this time he saw some beauty in it. He could not help but to remember how the lights looked while in the slipstream of Ruby's semblance. Maybe, he thought, just maybe the lights meant something more. He chuckled softly to himself as he shook his head. He needed to focus on the job ahead of him. He'll have more time later to ponder about lighting systems. Roman turned away from the light and descended into the darkness below.
The two of them descended down the stairwell until they reached the first door they saw. The label read "Contemporary Art". Roman tried the door and earned a confused glare from his partner in crime.
[What are you doing? We're not after anything on this floor.]
"You may not be but I am. I'd like to add a few pieces to my personal collection."
[Really? I didn't know you had a thing for art?]
"Oh I don't. I just like viewing the price tags back at my apartment and laughing at how many people I've screwed over because of it. It's a real spirit lifter."
Raising an eyebrow Neo typed [Really?]
"Yes really. Now do you want to help me or not?"
[No.]
"Well that's rude. Why not?"
[Because we-I take that back-you have a mission and you're just going to stand around staring at wall. I don't have to be here. I just know you well enough that I can't trust you to be serious about this.]
"Correction. I will not be staring at the wall. I will be taking things off it."
[Sometimes you're such a child.]
"That sure means a lot coming from little Miss 'four foot nine with heels'." Seeing her face he realized he went a bit far with that comment. She walked right up to him and kneed him in the crotch as hard as she could. Collapsing from the pain he fell to the ground in a fetal position as he tried to hide any sound of pain.
[You can be a real jackass sometimes.]
Through stifled moans of pain Roman said "You know I try."
Neo put her hands in the air as she walked away done with his attitude. [You know what I'll go search for the painting. Join up with me when you're ready to do your job. Message if any problems I need to be made aware of come up.]
"Don't worry about me I'll be here for a while." He called out to her as she descended down the stairs again.
After taking a few minutes to feel as if he could walk again he tried the door another time. The door wouldn't budge but a scroll and some more flashing numbers later he was in. The room was completely dark with the only light coming from the moonlight shining in through the windows. His footsteps echoed as he stepped inside. Roman could see sculptures and paintings galore but that was not why he was here. There was the piece his employer was looking for but he knew he would not find it on this floor. He was ahead of schedule so he took the liberty of viewing a few pieces. He had never quite understood art but he could tell when someone put effort into something and he respected that. Also he enjoyed pretty much any painting that its primary colors were orange, red, white and black. He began strolling through the exhibit whistling while resting his cane on his shoulder. He saw one or two that he would be interested in and left mental reminders to come check them out later. Near the end of the exhibit he saw a final hallway. At the very end illuminated by a single window was a painting. Roman did not know who painted it or why but he knew that he could not leave without it. The three foot by two foot painting held strokes that looked angry but yet precise as reds, oranges, and greys spread throughout a white canvas. He walked quickly over to it and began examining it inches away from his face. He also saw the price tag of a whopping 15 million lien. "Yes." He muttered. "This will do just perfectly." Before he took the painting off the wall he went through all the necessary precautions from checking for beams to disabling alarms hooked to the back of the painting. Finally certain that he could take it off he picked it up with care. He could see just where he would put this in his room when he felt something off.
He set the painting down slowly and carefully against the wall and looked behind him. To his right held a large sculpture of many wax figures of assorted human and faunus women of all varying heights. He was stuck at the end of a hallway with only one way out and doing so he would have to pass the sculpture. He knew from experience that if he felt this way he would not stop to check the entire floor for an intruder. But first came the sculpture. That held the highest threat at the moment. Cane in his right hand and his hidden hunting knife in his left, he walked over to examine the beings of wax. The lack of any moonlight did make things difficult but he would check every mannequin for a sign of life. He could tell instantly that the first two rows were fine as he had originally stood there still for five minutes and if anyone had hidden in that area they would not have been able to hold their breath for that long. He progressed to the third row where he would stare into the eyes of each figurine before flicking it on the nose and running a small cut on its throat to make sure. Third row was fine and he moved on to the fourth. His heart began to race as he began planning what he would do once he found the intruder if they were hidden here or elsewhere. Even though he had no evidence his instincts still told him that he was not alone. Fourth row was clear with no signs of life. All that was left was a few more beings of wax for the fifth row.
He proceeded to cut the throat of every figure until he landed upon the fifth and final mannequin of the row. Bending down he stared into the eyes of this one to discover them closed. Yes some of the others eyes were also closed but this one seemed off. Seemed too lifelike. In the dark he could not tell how but the shape looked awfully familiar. He flicked it on the nose to no reaction but a small wobble which all of them did. Taking the knife he held it against its throat very carefully. Unlike the others that cut cleanly with wax, the skin of the neck was pushed back slightly with the tiny pressure of the knife that was not enough to cut. In a red flash the figure disappeared leaving Roman baffled as to the direction the person went. He had been smart enough to hook the handle of his cane on the hood of the "figure" and could see the wire spinning out of where the it used to be. Hitting his retract button he felt a sudden jerk and then could feel it dragging the intruder with it. He walked over to a large piece of floor illuminated with moonlight and looked down at the being that had been dragged across the floor. Roman stared directly into large and utterly terrified silver eyes glistening in the moonlight.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Of all the places I'd expect to see you this is not one of them. Besides…" Jested Roman. He knelt down and leaned in till he was inches away from his intruder's face. "...Isn't it past your bedtime Red?"