RWBY is property of Roosterteeth, I only own my characters.
Chapter 27
Roman Torchwick sat on a meager cot, staring blankly at the ceiling of his cell. After the breach in Vale, the Atlas military had captured him and locked him in an empty high-security section of the local prison. Roman sighed and leaned against the wall. The soldiers had taken his scroll, his cane, and even his hat. But worst of all, they'd taken his cigars. Now, he was stuck twiddling his thumbs just like the four men standing guard outside his cell. He idly looked at a clock on the wall. Two in the morning...
"Anyone got a pack of cards or something?" The criminal asked hopefully.
"Shut up, Torchwick."
That'd be a 'no'. Roman slumped back onto the wall. Suddenly, the lights in the building cut out, plunging the five occupants into darkness. Roman shot up and pressed his face to the glass wall of his cell, trying to see what was happening. Had Cinder come to get him out?
"Where the hell are the backup generators?" Roman could hear the guards shouting to each other.
"I don't- wait, did you hear that?"
"No."
"Listen! There it is again." Roman strained his ears to try and pick sound out from the blackness surrounding him. Then he heard it, the sound of sharp metal being dragged across the floor.
"Something's in here!"
"Keep your eyes open! There are four of-AAHH!" Roman watched a ball of flame spring to life in the darkness, briefly illuminating the figures of a guard and a large male in pitch-black armor. The guard was struck with the flaming sphere, which Roman assumed was part of the man's weapon. Roman watched the flame flicker out of existence, returning the room to blackness.
"Regroup!"
"Contact! My posi-" The flame flared to life again, long enough for Roman to see another guard's body crumple to the floor. The flame died and reappeared to strike the third guard, leaving only one. There was the sound of a brief struggle, a single gunshot, and then silence. Roman stared into the darkness, unable to make out anything beyond a few feet outside the cell. He ducked as a fast moving object came hurtling through the glass of his cell.
Roman cautiously stood, casting a wary glance at the body of the final guard, which had been thrown with enough force to break the reinforced glass that had kept him imprisoned.
"So...who do I have to thank for my rescue? You work for Cinder?" The sound of heavy footsteps approached him. A figure in dark armor, wielding a mace stepped into his field of vision. Definitely not Cinder.
"No. I am Solaris. You have been freed on the whim of my Lord." The black-armored man explained.
"Oh, well-"
"There is no further time to waste with talk." Roman felt a bundle of objects roughly shoved into his hands. "I have gathered your belongings. Now follow me." Roman decided it probably wasn't a wise idea to argue with his rescuer. He followed Solaris through the dark halls of the prison. The building was suddenly filled with a red light as the backup generators finally switched on.
As they walked past the lower-security cells, many prisoners called out to them.
"Yo, Roman! Let us out of here!"
"Torchwick! Take us with you!"
Roman tapped Solaris, "Actually, I had a thought. I'm a bit short on manpower at the moment, so I could use some of these guys. If nothing else, they'll serve as a distraction as we make our getaway." He turned to the cells and yelled. "That sound good to all of you?" There was an uproar of affirmation.
"...This had better be worth it." Solaris moved to a control panel and flipped a switch marked "release". The cell doors swung open, unleashing countless prisoners. Some ran out of the cell block immediately, but most crowded in front of the pair that had freed them.
"Alright, boys. Now that you work for me, let me give you your first job. Grab as much gear as you can, then snatch a vehicle and use it to escape. Once you're clear, I will contact you and give you a location to rendezvous at. You all got that?" The crowd nodded. "Great, then let's be off, shall we?" The prisoners roared in approval and flooded out of the building.
"..You certainly know how to rile up a crowd." Solaris commented.
"It's a talent."
Roman had been roughly guided into a waiting transport, which had taken off along with an additional several dozen vehicles piloted by the escaped convicts. The sounds of fighting and chaos echoed as their aircraft disappeared into the night.
"Well, that went smoothly."
"..Do you ever stop talking?" Solaris grumbled. Torchwick was beginning to wear on his patience.
"Just trying to make casual conversation." Roman shrugged.
"Just enjoy the ride and stay quiet." The thief leaned back calmly in a seat, and lit one of his cigars.
"This way." Solaris nudged the criminal with his foot. Roman followed the man in black armor off the transport and through a series of dimly lit hallways, coming to a stop in front of a door. "He's waiting."
Roman pushed his way through the door, greeted with the sight of another man in black armor, though this one was less bulky and carried himself with a significant amount of confidence.
"You are Roman Torchwick, yes?" The man did not turn to face Roman, he only stared at a display in front of him.
"Yes, that would be me."
"I am Vortex, Lord of the Order. I require someone of your...expertise to supply my forces with necessities.
"Forces? Are you guys with the White Fang? Because I think that contract fell apart."
"We are not as weak as the meager rebels you refer to."
"That doesn't really- never mind. What is it you need?"
"We require food, water, and a new location to run our operations." Roman scratched his head at the list.
"That's a steep order. How do you expect to pay for-" The thief clutched at his throat as the air around him suddenly became thin. He gasped for breath. Vortex turned to the criminal.
"I assume your life and the promise of riches will suffice." Roman nodded, and the Lord allowed the air to return to its normal state.
"Yeah...okay...I'll get my new guys right on it...As for a place to set up shop, there's...an old safehouse of mine...out in the wilds. The area's got a lot of Grimm, but that's what made it safe for my..uses."
"Excellent. That will do nicely." Vortex smiled underneath his helmet. "One last matter remains then."
"And that is...?"
"Can you provide us with the location of any White Fang bases?"
"The White Fang? Why do you want to know where they're hiding out?"
"While they pose no threat, they might prove to be an annoyance. One I would rather not deal with." Vortex explained. "And I'm sure you'd enjoy a little revenge on your former employers for leaving you to rot in a prison cell."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Roman smirked and took out a notepad from his belongings, then hastily scribbled some coordinates on it. He placed the paper on the table between himself and the Lord. "Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Just make sure you kill those back-stabbing animals slowly."
The escaped convicts awaited Roman outside the building, their stolen vehicles and supplies arrayed behind them.
"Well, boys. I've already got us a contract. Our new employer wants basic things: food, water, and so on. The best part is, we don't even have to do any fighting. The Boss has provided us with these fine gentlemen and women.." Roman gestured to a handful of Order soldiers behind him, including Solaris. "..to clear areas out for us. We just have to pack up any supplies he wants and bring them back. And we're free to sell and use anything he doesn't want." There were nods of approval from the convicts. One man raised a hand.
"Where are we goin' to get all this?"
"I'm glad you asked. You see, our employer seems to be a fan of the saying 'two birds with one stone'. Our friends here will be raiding a White Fang compound, killing the miscreants inside, and leaving us to safely do the heavy lifting. Minimal risk, high payout. Sound good?" More cries of affirmation. "Great. Then get some rest, boys, we leave early tomorrow."
A/N: Another really short chapter. Sorry bout that.
Review Replies:
Stevealio: No Dimitri for a little bit, sorry. It's buildup time.
Dimas15: If you remember from Volume 2 of RWBY, and as I believe I mentioned in an earlier chapter, Cinder and her team slip into Beacon in the guise of students from Haven, one of the visiting schools. As for combat, now that the Order and White Fang will be at each others' throats, there will be less of them "on-screen" for a bit. I'm also planning on not covering the fighting in the tournament, since yes, people would probably get bored of chapters of RWBY and JNPR fighting non-stop. Long reply, I'm sorry.
Skaana: You called it. Also, I figured that people wouldn't review every single chapter. Though, I thank you for taking the time to do so.
