Resurgence: A RWBY Fic
By Kraven Ergeist
Chapter 25
In an abandoned hotel building in the outskirts of Mistral, the White Fang plotted their next move.
The White Fang had adapted to the communications blackout much more quickly than the rest of the world. They had rarely ever relied on the CCTS to carry their information, and already had alternate channels in place. Some of these owed to the longstanding Faunus sense of community; most resident Faunus in a given kingdom, town or village would willingly pass messages along to other Faunus without any real need for explanation. These methods of communication had become underutilized as Faunus evolved but had never completely disappeared. Other methods relied on Faunus' natural abilities, such as their heightened senses and vocal range, scent markers, and a host of other traits.
These two methods were bolstered by a robust network of agents established by the White Fang over the course of many years and nestled out in the field, amongst human communities, and at numerous way stations between centralized locations, as well as swift couriers to ferry information to and from the various agents. Combined with a complex system of code words, pass phrases, and the ability to sniff out non-Faunus, the White Fang had been back to full operational readiness within days of the attack on Vale. Of course, having a heads-up had certainly helped, but even without one, they would not have been down for the count by a long shot.
Adam Taurus stared up at the large and detailed map of Remnant that had taken up most of the hotel room's wall. The White Fang was no stranger to digital equipment, but it always served to keep a paper backup in case the worst should occur, he believed. The curtains had been drawn closed, and all the furniture that would have otherwise distinguished the room as a hotel bedroom had been shoved into adjacent bedrooms to make room for data servers, observational equipment and monitors of all sorts. Now, for all intents and purposes, this was a war room.
Looking at all that they had accomplished, Adam sometimes fancied himself a general in an army, or a warlord out for blood. It was far too easy to romanticize what they were doing here. They were witnessing history in the making, a revolution that would change the world. All that he had dreamed was finally coming to pass. And loathe as he was to be working with that human woman, even he had to admit that they were making greater strides than they ever would have on their own.
The positions of each of the White Fang's operatives were tacked onto the paper map with sigils indicating their insignia, in addition to the known and suspected positions of the forces of Mistral, Vacuo and Atlas, their three symbols also prominently displayed where applicable. And positioned over Vale was the crest of Cinder Fall. That's where this had all began, he reflected.
The question remained, however, what would happen once she had gotten what she wanted? Would she write them off as expendable, or would she honor their agreement and provide all Faunus with a place in her new world order? History had taught him not to trust humans, particular those who held power over him. And he never entered into an agreement without some kind of contingency plan.
His ears pricked up as he heard the sound of one of his men outside the door, and he turned to see his first lieutenant enter the room, his chainsaw-sword slung over his back, and broad tattooed arms ending in clenched fists at his side.
"Sir," he said by way of greeting, his voice a low sonorous thrum behind his mask. "The Schnee girl has been spotted."
The corner of Adam's mouth rose just a little. "Ah…so that's who came all this way in an Atlas shuttle. Gutsy move, I'll give her that. How many guards does she have?"
"No guards," he said, a hint of disgust in his voice. "Just another student Huntress from Vale. The blonde one."
Adam's eyebrows rose visibly from behind his mask. "Really? That is interesting…"
Adam considered this new development. He had already baited his trap for Blake as well as he could given the circumstances. But this opened up all new possibilities.
"They're both being held at the Port Authority building," the lieutenant held up a clenched fist in eagerness. "Give me the word, and I'll end them both. There'll be no witnesses."
Adam let out a breath.
"Much as I'd like to, we don't have the luxury of pursuing your personal vendettas right now," he held up his hand. "The Schnee girl is too high profile. The CCTS might be down, but word might still reach Atlas of her disappearance, and that wouldn't be beneficial."
"Beneficial for us?" the lieutenant questioned in a critical tone. "Or beneficial for the one holding your leash?"
"Watch it…" Adam warned, his voice taking on an even harsher tone. "You're valuable, but not irreplaceable."
"So are we all, to that woman," the lieutenant replied. "You know it to be true. Why do you continue to follow her?"
"The relationship is mutually beneficial…for now…" Adam said simply, tension easing from his voice. "We are simply biding our time until it is no longer so."
"And once this…relationship…dissolves…?" the lieutenant asked, disdainfully. "What then?"
Adam smiled. "Then…we see how our little friend likes the taste of her own medicine…"
The lieutenant grunted noncommittally, but seemed to accept the explanation.
"Until then, we wait for her signal to move," Adam sighed in resignation. "We don't want to tip our hand until then."
Adam exhaled as he heard the door to the hotel room open once again as another entered the room. He could smell the human before he even heard his obnoxious voice.
"Hey guys," the silver haired assassin waved nonchalantly as he casually strolled into the war room. "What's up?"
The lieutenant flatly ignored the human. The human woman had assigned the rotten scum to work with the White Fang, but the lieutenant was under no obligation to interact with him unless ordered to.
Adam simply crossed his arms, his nostrils flaring. "What do you want?"
Mercury shrugged. "Straight to business then? Alright…"
He pulled out his scroll with a flourish, flipping it open and scrolling through surveillance footage.
"You'll never guess…" he said in a smug voice that made Adam want to punch him. "…Who just showed up in Mistral this afternoon…"
As he held out his scroll for Adam and the lieutenant to peer into its glass screen, the room became eerily silent. Then, all the sudden, Adam snatched the scroll out of Mercury's hands.
"Hey!" Mercury flinched, withdrawing his hand. "Easy, easy…"
Adam ignored the human's bickering as he stared intently at the scroll. On the screen was a girl on a yellow motorcycle. The shot was taken at a distance from behind, so her face was not clearly visible. But the girl was wearing black and white, and had a very distinctive bow in her hair.
Finally, Adam spoke.
"Where and when was this taken?" he demanded curtly, holding up the scroll.
"Less than an hour ago," Mercury shrugged. "Just within the eastern gate of Mistral. She's in the city somewhere."
"You didn't track her movements?" Adam demanded in irritation.
"These legs were built for combat, not distance running," Mercury waved a hand. "That bike she's on is pretty fast. But I can think of a few things that might draw her out."
"So can I…" Adam closed the scroll shut and threw it back to Mercury. "Lieutenant? We're moving out."
The lieutenant seemed amused by this. "What happened to not having time for personal vendettas?"
"Are you complaining?" Adam snorted.
The lieutenant laughed as he turned and marched out the door. "Not at all…"
Adam turned to Mercury and nodded his head towards the door.
"You've done what you came here for," Adam grunted. "Now get out."
Mercury threw up his hands as he walked out. "No appreciation at all…"
When he finally had the room to himself once again, Adam stepped over to a small combination safe, punched in four digits, and opened it to reveal two small items.
One was a White Fang mask, cat-like in its design, feminine in shape. The other was a small ovoid hand mirror with an ornate carving along its wooden edges. The mirror had been something that Cinder had given to him a short time ago. How it worked, Adam had no idea. But he wasn't one to question things unless it benefited him.
He lifted the mirror to his face and stared at his reflection.
"It's me," he said brusquely. "We need to talk."
A moment passed, and then the mirror began to cloud. Before long, Cinder's face appeared, as if catching her reflection as she stood just behind him in the room with him.
"Adam," she smiled a pearly white grin, her voice and visage coming to him through the mirror. "What an unexpected surprise. I'm assuming this isn't a social call."
Adam's expression did not change. "I'm just informing you that the White Fang is moving ahead with the plan."
Cinder's face darkened. "That wasn't what we discussed, Adam. You were supposed to wait for my signal."
"The plan's changed," Adam bit back. "My men were growing restless, and we've got one too many high profile targets in the city now. We can't pass up an opportunity like this. We're moving ahead, with or without you."
"If I were you," Cinder said in a deadly voice. "I would recall your men right now."
"It's already done," Adam said defiantly. "I was just giving you a head's up."
Cinder's dour look did not fade. "Most disappointing Adam. I was expecting more from you."
"Spare me the lecture," Adam snapped. "You can grill me when we're done here. Now are you gonna send in the Grimm or not?"
Cinder pursed her lips and drew in a breath. It was a gamble that Adam knew he would win. The White Fang would suffer heavy losses without the Grimm. They would no longer be effective allies for Cinder's later plans, and she could not afford to lose them just yet. She would have to send her reinforcements, or her pawns would be sacrificed for nothing.
"Very well," she conceded. "You'll have the support of the Grimm. But in light of this folly, you should know that your next assignment after this shall be Vacuo."
Adam narrowed his brow. "I thought we were going after Atlas first."
"That was the plan," Cinder admitted. "We were waiting for Atlas to send its ships to Mistral so that the bulk of the Atlesian fleet would go down with the kingdom in this attack. But since you decided to jump the gun, the Atlesian fleet remains at large, and now they're too strong for a direct assault. Therefore, we now go to Vacuo and try something else there."
"The White Fang has no quarrel with the people of Vacuo!" Adam growled. "But my men and I have a score to settle with Atlas! You can't keep us from giving them their just retribution!"
"And you should have known better than to alter the plan without seeking my permission first," Cinder said in a honeyed voice. "This folly is of your own making, Adam. Months of planning are currently washing down the drain. I hope it was worth it."
Adam ground his teeth together, as he began to hear the faint sounds of air raid sirens off in the distance. He absolutely despised this woman.
"We will be speaking about this later," Cinder said dismissively, her image fading from sight. "Enjoy your little revolution."
As Cinder disappeared, Adam threw the handheld mirror across the room, expecting it to shatter. Apparently it was made of something hardier than glass, because all he got for his furious outburst was a single, sonorous thud as it bounced off the wall and onto the floor, leaving a sizeable dent.
He grunted and ignored the infernal device, and grabbed his sword from where it was leaning against the wall.
"No matter…" he muttered to himself as he made for the door. "It's time for you to come home…my darling…"