Okay, here we are. Plenty of theories thrown around last chapter by people, some accurate, some less so. Let's see how the cookie crumbles.


Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 29


Jaune's heart beat heavily in his chest. His breath caught in his throat. His eyes remained locked on Roman's, even as the man gazed laconically back. All the warnings from Oobleck of what would happen if his cover was ever blown flashed through his mind and all came back to the same eventuality. He would die. His only hope was Ciel, his support, but she'd been driven back by Neo.

That should have been his first sign something was wrong. It should have alerted him to the possibility. He'd become complacent. He'd gotten used to things working out.

And then, just like that, they hadn't.

"No words?" Roman quipped, waving one hand with a flamboyant swagger. "No deft protests. No, `you must be wrong; my name is John`? Come now, Jaune, I'm disappointed."

His panic was mounting so fast he hadn't even thought to play dumb, if it would have made a difference at all. Roman sounded so sure of himself, and in the end, it wouldn't have mattered. Roman was the one in charge, which meant what was right or wrong didn't matter – only what he believed to be the truth. Jaune's eyes flickered about the small office, cataloguing the potential exits. There was a vent above, all but impossible to get into. The wall behind was thin plasterboard, possibly weak enough to destroy. The door was to his left, within reach, but not approachable while Roman had an eye on him.

"Searching for exits? There's one right there, but what's to say I haven't trapped it? You could take your chance. It's a question of speed, really. Or luck. You feeling lucky today, kid?"

"Sir, you're making a mistake…"

"Oh, now we're trying this, are we?" Roman slapped a hand against the table in mirth, smiling past the cigar clenched between his teeth. "Brilliant. Truly wonderful. I knew you were a quick kid, Jaune, but I didn't think you were an aspiring actor, too. It's why I like you; why I noticed you when you were the only one to properly manage that robbery on the dust store. You've been good to me, you really have. One of my best men."

"Then why, sir? Why do you think I betrayed you? What did I do wrong?"

"Geez, you're really milking this. Isn't it obvious? It's not that you did anything wrong..."

Roman grinned.

"It's that I knew from the start!"

No. It couldn't be. But... but that would mean all the times they'd been together, all the things he'd seen… it was all intentional. He hadn't infiltrated Roman's group at all. He'd never actually been undercover. A feeling of acute nausea ran through him when he realised the other implication. Everything he and Oobleck had learned had been planted by Roman. All the Intel they'd gained… it was worth nothing and might just as easily be a trap for the VSS.

They'd been played.

Another gunshot echoed from outside.

Roman's head twitched towards it.

Jaune moved.

He didn't think; didn't dare to. The second Roman's eyes shifted he was off the chair and dashing for the door, one hand outstretched for the handle. He caught it, twisted, but the sound of a chamber clearing from behind prevented him moving. There was an angry flare of bright light, and then nothing but pain. A shadow appeared over him, Roman's smug face filing his vision. Melodic Cudgel smoked and there was a huge mark of black soot on the wall behind him.

That could just as easily have been his head, and the mark on the wall his blood.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Roman teased, hooking the curved part of his cane around Jaune's neck and lugging him to his feet. He was dragged forward and slammed against the table, still dizzy from the blast that had knocked him down. Roman's hand buried itself in the back of his hair and pressed his cheek against the polished wood. "I didn't say our discussion was over yet, Jaune. You and I have some words to exchange, so…"

Roman pushed him back into his seat, then pushed the seat under the table so he couldn't easily escape.

"Sit down, shut up, and thank your lucky stars I'm not giving your eyes a one-time viewing of your brain matter."

The crook let go with a last shove, smacking Jaune's face against the table. He felt his aura flare, even if it didn't do anything for the pain or the dizziness it caused. He fell back, slumped in the chair and barely able to watch through one eye as Roman walked back over to his side of the table and sat down.

Melodic Cudgel, the cane and explosive dust launcher, came to rest on the table. In reach of Roman; out of reach of himself.

The threat was very, very real. He'd been in this spot once before with Blake, and the terror that wracked his body had been the same then, maybe even more pronounced. He'd known in that moment that Blake had been pushed too far and that she'd do it, she'd pull the trigger and end his life. Here, there was none of that.

Roman wouldn't hesitate at the best of times. This was the worst. He'd betrayed the VSS once to save his skin. Was he really about to do it again? He had no idea. Then again, Roman already knew, which raised the question of why he was alive in the first place and why Roman had ever allowed the charade to last.

It also reminded him that he didn't have anything to offer for his life. Blake wanted answers. Roman already had them. Jaune swallowed and tried to loom brave, even if his heart hammered in his chest. I don't want to die here. I don't want to die at all. He remembered Vanguard, not just for the man's sacrifice but also his bravery. What was going through him now made a mockery of that, and that pissed him off. If he couldn't be brave, then the least he could do was act it.

"You're not getting anything from me, Torchwick."

"Ooh, a tough guy. I like that. Tell me, kid. You ever been tortured before?"

Oh God. Oh gods. His vision practically swam with fear. He couldn't do anything. If Roman wanted to break all his fingers one by one he could, he would. He tried to fight past the terror and focus on the little training he'd received. There had to be an out. One that didn't involve killing himself on Roman's weapon to avoid the threat of pain.

Ciel, please. If there's any time for you to prove yourself better than me, not is that time!

"Your face says it all," Roman said. "You've not been, though I see you've got the imagination for it. I hate torture myself but there's no denying its effectiveness. Believe me, Oobleck isn't innocent in that regard either. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He's always been like that."

"W-Who is O-Oobleck?"

Roman moved like lightning. It was honestly too fast to track but one second he'd been sat down and the next he was leaning over the table. The metal cracked down, striking Jaune on the back of his right hand and crushing it against the table. He screamed reflexively, pain lancing up his arm. He cradled the damaged hand to his chest, fighting past the tears that prickled in his eyes. It was just one hit but he hadn't been ready and his aura hadn't prevented it. It moved now to help heal the damage, but the pain... it hurt so much...

"I warned you," the thief snapped, suddenly angry. "I warned you what would happen and you tested me. You've no one to blame for that but yourself."

"Y-You b-bastard," Jaune spluttered.

"Bastard, whore, son of a bitch, I've heard it all and a thousand times over but I'm the one standing and my enemies are dead." He slammed a hand on the table for emphasis. "I'm being nice here, John. Jaune, whatever the hell you want to call yourself. I'm talking to you instead of throwing you in the harbour with weights wrapped around your legs. Least you can do is return the Grimm-damned courtesy." He stalked around the table and gripped Jaune's chin in one hand, squashing his lips together and glaring into his eyes.

"I know who you are," he hissed. "I know who the VSS is. I know who Oobleck is, and I damn well knew who you were the moment I saw you. Or does the name `Vermillion` not ring a bell?"

The name. The contact. "T-That was you?"

"Ha, you wish." Roman released him by pushing his face aside. "I'm not VSS, so don't you dare get your hopes up. Let's just say ol' Bartholomew isn't as infallible as he likes to think he is. Vermillion was never on your payroll; she was on mine. And colour me intrigued when she let me know a certain organisation wanted to fast-track someone into a list of candidates to work for me. Very interesting, indeed."

Roman laughed and went on, all too happy to gloat of his success. "Of course, I couldn't say no to an opportunity like that. I just asked her to single you out on the night; just to walk up and talk to you, making it clear to me who my little bird was. Though I guess I'd have worked it out easily enough without her help." Roman placed both his hands on Jaune's shoulders, leaning down from behind to whisper into his ear. "You were too good, kid. Talent like you doesn't come along every day, and people like me don't believe in lucky breaks."

They'd been betrayed. He wasn't sure why he'd never considered it, but it seemed so obvious now. Hadn't Oobleck said contacts were just people not trustworthy enough to be Agents? That had proven prophetic.

"Oobleck and I go back a long way," Roman continued. "We were teammates together, back when we were both just stupid brats wanting to be huntsmen."

Roman had been a huntsman at Beacon? He wanted to ask when, or how, but the pain in his hand reminded him of what interrupting might entail. He cradled the limb against his chest.

"Thing is, I never realised one of my own teammates was working for someone else, let alone the Kingdom. Not until we were sent on Vale's last mistake, the colonisation of Mountain Glenn. You heard of that, kid?"

"N-No…"

"A great cock up that was and no mistake. Too much population pushed the people outside the walls, so the higher-ups came up with the plan to make a new city, a new Vale. Since you've never heard of it, I'm sure you can guess what happened."

"It was destroyed."

"Give the kid a prize. Damn right it was, and yours truly was sent along with other huntsmen into the tunnels to try and hold back the Grimm and help the civilians evacuate. We were to be the rear-guard, the protectors, the kind of nonsense we'd grown up wanting to be. But Vale… Vale had different ideas." He snarled and spat to the side. "Imagine my surprise when the tunnels start to collapse on our very heads, when walls fell in and people were being buried alive. Turned out the city didn't want to risk letting Grimm run wild in their streets, and if all those refugees came back then it would be the first problem all over again. Why not take care of both at once, eh? Call it a two-for-one deal, a bloody bargain."

"I-I don't understand…"

"The tunnels collapsed, dumping tonnes of rock down to lock the Grimm back in Mountain Glenn, along with the thousands of innocent civilians and a whole heap of huntsmen and huntresses sent along with them. Do you know what that was like, kid?"

"B-Bad, I'd imagine," Jaune whispered. "I-It sounds like a tragedy…"

"Tragedy? A Tragedy?" Roman threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, that's rich. That's so fucking rich. Yeah, a tragedy. That's what I thought, too. Up until I caught my own teammate, my own partner, with a detonator in hand."

Jaune's heart almost stopped. His mouth fell open. "No…"

Roman leaned forward and sneered. "Yes! I saw Bartholomew Oobleck with the very detonator that set the whole thing off! Vale didn't want us to rescue the civilians; they just wanted us to keep the Grimm at bay while they set up explosives to close the tunnels. They even had the balls to try and play it off as an accident, a tragic weakness, maybe some Grimm knocking out the supports. That way the city would be able to stay sparkly clean while they brushed thousands of lives under the rug. And my partner was at the centre of it all!"

"You're lying!" Jaune accused. "He wouldn't do that!"

"Ha. Shows how little you know him. That man would do whatever was necessary for the betterment of Vale, with not a care for the people who live in it. After all, he sent you to infiltrate my forces despite knowing I wasn't oblivious to him or the VSS. Face it, kid. He sent you into the meatgrinder on the off-chance I'd be as blind as a bat. Your life is worth pitifully little to him."

"That's… not true…"

He'd seen the look on Oobleck's face when Cardin died. He'd felt the man's anger when Cardin's father washed it away as expected. Those weren't the kinds of things that a man who didn't care would do.

Unless he was trying to make me believe…

No. He wasn't falling for it. If one person here was going to lie, it would be Torchwick – not Oobleck. One was a renowned criminal, the other a part of Vale's Secret Service. "At least Oobleck isn't working with terrorists and monsters," he snapped. "You say this all went wrong because Vale killed innocent people, but that just makes you a hypocrite. You've done just as much bad!"

"Have I? Have I killed almost one-hundred thousand men, women and children? That seems a little much for a simple thief like me. But whatever. I'm not here to change your mind, kid." Roman leaned forward over the table and smiled viciously. "I'm here because I want something. And you, little lamb, are going to do your old friend a favour."

/-/

The tip of a sword whistled past Ciel's mask. She twisted to the side and slapped a palm into it, pushing it further aside. She slid down the blade to the wielder, striking out with one hand for the girl's throat – only to growl as the deceptively fast girl back-flipped away.

Name; Neopolitan. Affiliation; Torchwick. Status; Alive. She ran through everything she knew, the limited information available and mostly bolstered by the VSS. Thanks to that she knew the girl's real strength, her Semblance. Illusions. A most dangerous power and one that had already rendered an Agent out of action.

And she would have done the same to me had she caught me by surprise.

Luckily, someone had intervened.

Another gunshot echoed through the night, impacting the floor where the girl had stood. Neo flipped back again and spared an angry glare for a building several rooftops away. Ciel could make out the barest shape of a person in one of the windows, before another flash of muzzle fire preceded a third shot, again at Neo.

"I've no idea who you are, but thanks, I guess," Ciel whispered. The person had pretty much saved her life, alerting her to the threat behind before Neo could run her through.

She'd have to find the one responsible and thank them. It had to be one of the Director's sent to assist. But first of all…

Ciel reached down to her thigh, thumbed the pad there, and released an armoured segment with an angry hiss. It jutted out two inches or less, enough space for to grasp the hilt within, drawing out a sword, long and thin with a thrusting point. It came up before her face, held vertically, and past the silvery edge she watched her opponent.

Neo hesitated, suddenly wary as she inspected the stance of the suddenly armed agent. Her mismatched eyes scanned Ciel from head to toe, and the cocky smile she'd worn a moment earlier faded away, replaced with grim resolution. She did not speak. Records didn't indicate whether she could or not.

Instead, she flickered, and vanished.

"Thermal!" Ciel snapped, twisting aside as the world was bathed in hues of blue, pink, and red. From the position of the hand she judged the blade, flicking out with her own to parry – the sparks themselves igniting crimson through her visor. She slashed at them again, driving the attack further aside. One step inward placed a foot between Neo's. She shifted to shoulder-charge, but the lithe girl fell back.

Ciel chased after, preventing her from creating distance. She hacked and slashed in a wild flurry, focusing more on strength and unpredictable movements than skill. Neo had no trouble blocking each, but on the fifth strike she fell for the feint, moving to parry another hasty strike before Ciel let go of her sword entirely, leaving it hanging in the air as she swept low and spun, slamming her heel into the back of Neo's knee. The moment the girl fell she was on her, struggling to break the sword out of her grip.

Neo flipped the lower half of her body back, driving her knees into Ciel's back. The armour protected her a little, even if she felt the impacts. She slammed Neo's wrist against the rooftop until her fingers opened reflexively, dropping the weapon.

"Surrender," she demanded, activating her speakers so the girl could hear. "Give up now and I shall ensure your safety. You will be taken in for interro-" Ciel cut off as a leg wrapped around her neck from behind, Neo somehow bending almost double to manage it. She was dragged off when the girl straightened, putting incredible pressure on her throat. She fell back, hitting the tarmac, but caught Neo by the ankle when she tried to run.

What followed was a frantic contest of strength between the two, Neo kicking down with her heeled boots and Ciel doing her best to ride through the pain, wincing whenever a heel caught her mask. The impacts alone were enough to make it crack in places, though the reinforced material thankfully held.

It would have been real convenient if her mysterious ally joined at this point. Damn it. Why hadn't the Director briefed her on this, or at least ordered the Agent to intervene in a more tactile manner? It looked like she was on her own.

Hopefully Jaune was okay.

"Alright, then," Ciel growled, pushing herself up and reaching for her discarded weapon. Neo did the same, a bruise on one cheek and a sneer on her lips. "Let's see how you do without your pretty little Semblance."

/-/

"You want us to do a job… for you?"

"Did I stutter? I don't think I did. The way I see it you lot owe me for playing along with your little games. The least you can do is pay up."

"How we do we owe you anything?"

"Well, you owe me for not killing you," Roman pointed out. "But on the whole, you owe me for pushing you in the right direction. After all, you wouldn't be where you are now if it wasn't for me willingly accepting a spy into my midst."

Where they were?

Jaune gasped. "Cinder!"

"Got it in one."

"You want us to get rid of Cinder for you?"

"That come as such a big surprise? I was the biggest deal in Vale before she showed up. I had the criminal underworld eating out of the palm of my hand, terrified to betray me for fear of what I might do to them. Now, I have to answer to her, not to mention I have faunus upstarts running around causing a mess. And worst of all," he hissed, "Neo and I have to play ball with whatever she wants. Well guess what, I want out."

"You want a plea deal?"

Roman snorted. "Not a chance. I'm not giving myself up. I'm making you a deal. You morons came after me because you thought I was the brains behind this. I, in turn, was kind enough to point you in the direction of the real problem. Now that you've seen it, and what she's capable of, I figure you might be wise enough to cut a deal."

Jaune's head was spinning. There was just too much to take in. Roman knew, had always known, but against all odds wanted to work with them to try and stop Cinder. In fact, the whole reason he'd been taken on was so that Roman could reveal Cinder to the VSS and get himself out of trouble.

And they'd never realised. Some intelligence agency…

Or was that just me, he wondered. Did I miss the signs a more experienced Agent would have noticed? How many mistakes did I make?

"What say you, kid? You prepared to make a deal?"

"I… I don't know. I don't have the authority for this kind of thing. I'll have to talk with Oobleck. He might-"

"See, that's the problem." Roman leaned forward, eyes glinting. "I'm making this deal with you, Jaune. Not Bart."

"What!?"

"You think I'd trust that man after everything he did? Would you in my shoes?" Roman spat his cigar into one hand and crushed it. The ashes fell onto the table. He shifted his chair so that it was half-facing away, looking toward the wall. "I'm not making a deal with someone I know will stab me in the back. He's too greedy, always wanting everything. He'd work with me as long as it took him to stab me in the back, then he'd catch both me and Cinder. I'm no idiot, kid. I'll make a deal, but it's not going to be with him and he's not going to know a damn thing about it."

"You're asking me to betray the VSS," Jaune said. "You say you're not stupid, but you expect me to be? I'd be committing treason. Oobleck would kill me!"

"You'd be doing no worse than what others do. You think the Council hasn't helped me escape trouble once or twice, or turned a blind eye when I do them a favour? Hell, if the VSS really wanted me out of the picture they could have killed me years ago. You know why they haven't? Because I keep crime down. I don't like competition, and I hate waste. Hence why you never hear about shopkeepers murdered by Torchwick's thugs. I'm an asset, whether those uptight morons will admit it or not. Besides, for what I have in mind your boss wouldn't even need to know. You'd come out squeaky clean, and you'd stop Cinder."

He leaned forward and flashed a bright smile. "Isn't that a prize worth taking a few risks for?"

It was. Maybe... he just didn't know enough about her plans to be sure.

"What is it she's doing?" he asked. "What's her end game?"

"I don't know."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

Roman shrugged. "Believe it or not; it's the truth. She doesn't trust me to keep my mouth shut, hence why she took you off my hands. I made sure to complain a little in her hearing about how you were independent and wilful, not listening to me and being ambitious. She took that and saw potential in you, ambition and greed and whatnot. You're more trusted by her than I am right now, though that can change if you don't agree to my terms."

"You're blackmailing me now?"

"I'm looking out for number one. If I can't have you on my side then I'll have no option but to throw my lot in with her, and a good way to start would be rooting out the spy in her ranks. Of course, if that spy was on my side then I might be inclined to keep my mouth shut."

"How am I supposed to trust that?"

"Actions speak louder than words, kid. I've already helped you get this far. I wouldn't do that for funsies, trust me. Besides, I've helped deflect the suspicion onto those stupid animals, so I've already been looking out for you."

That was true. He'd taken it for nothing more than Roman's typical antagonism at the time, but between the two of them they'd been able to divert Cinder's attention onto the White Fang, freeing him from suspicion. To think that had been intentional on Roman's part… It really put into perspective how close to death he'd been. A single whim or change of heart from the man in front of him and he'd have been incinerated on the spot.

Curse him for being a thousand different kinds of a fool but he believed Roman. He really did. If he'd wanted to turn on him he'd have done it already. Hell, he wouldn't have put himself in danger by hiring John White in the first place. The safer thing to do would have been to simply pretend he hadn't passed muster, or that he didn't need any more men. The VSS would have never known Roman was onto them.

Instead, he'd been allowed in. He'd been trusted. And then, when the first chance arose, he'd been pushed onto Cinder.

That's why he took me on the robbery at the docks! Cinder specifically told him to only take faunus, but he took me along with him despite that. It was the first definitive proof that Roman had betrayed Cinder's orders, and all to help him, and the VSS, discover the mastermind behind the operation.

"Let's say I trust you," Jaune said slowly, still more than a little panicked. "What's to say you won't betray me later down the line, when Cinder is dealt with?"

"Nothing. In fact, I'll absolutely betray you."

Jaune stared at the man. He hadn't quite expected that level of blunt honesty.

"I'll betray you the same way you will me if you get the chance," Roman went on. "I know your sort; goodie-goodies who want to be the hero. If there was a chance for you to get both Cinder and me, you'd take it. So yeah, I'll betray you, but not until she's out of the way. Until that happens, you can trust me."

"But only until then?" Jaune asked.

"Not a second longer. For what it's worth, I won't kill you. Someone willing to make a deal with me for mutual benefit is someone I'd rather keep alive, especially if they're in a high position. I'd betray you to get away, nothing more. Even if you can't trust me as a person, you can at least trust me to do what's best for myself." Roman snorted. "People are predictable like that, myself included. So, how about it, kid. You help me, and I'll help you. We both get to benefit."

"It sounds good," Jaune said, subtly reaching for his lapel. Roman noticed.

"Trying to get Bart's opinion? Won't work, I'm afraid. I didn't pick this place for its looks." Roman gestured to the room around them. "This whole meeting room is protected from any kind of radio communication, within or without. This place accommodates the kinds of clients that get a lot of scrutiny, who may well be saying things that aren't exactly legal. It's the perfect place for a chat like ours."

"You thought of everything," Jaune admitted, lowering his hand.

"I don't like to take chances. I can't stop you listening to me here and telling Oobleck, but what I will say is this. Vermillion isn't the only person I have who answers to me. If you tell him, and I find out, then I'll rat you out to Cinder when you're on a mission with her." Roman made a throat-slitting gesture with one finger. "And you know what she'll do to you."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

He was on his own. There was no way of reaching Oobleck or Ciel and no way of stalling for time. He had a feeling this was a now or never kind of deal, and that if he walked out that door he'd find his cover blown. That was if Roman didn't just blow a hole in the back of his head if he said no. Delivering the spy's dead body to Cinder would be a good way to get into her good books.

This was his decision, then. His call. Roman would turn on them when he had the chance – he'd admitted it – and there was also the possibility that this was a trap, though if so he had no idea in what way, since it was a ridiculously contrived way of going about it. Would Cinder really out herself and Emerald when they'd been effectively unknown before? He doubted it.

Though that wasn't to say Roman wasn't lying and telling the truth at the same time. Maybe he did want to betray Cinder, but also wanted to get rid of the VSS and planned to pit both against one another, killing them whoever survived.

In the end, he couldn't trust anyone. It was just a question of who he trusted less.

Cinder…

Or Roman…

The answer was obvious; he trusted neither. But if he had to pick between the two?

"What would be the terms of our little deal?"

"Good to see you've got a head on your shoulders."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"Yet," he taunted. "We both know you will, otherwise you wouldn't have asked. The terms are simple. I'll keep your cover with myself and Cinder, and even feed you what information I can to take back to Barty. In turn, you'll focus on taking down the big boss woman."

"That's it? You almost make it sound too easy…"

"Well, I already said I intend to stab you in the back last minute, so demanding you let me go is hardly an issue. I also don't need anything from you. You can try and close down me and my boys, but you'll find that harder than you'd expect. There's a reason I've been around so long. Dealing with her majesty is what I'm after. Do that and we're even."

It was the VSS' goal already. Roman wasn't asking for anything he wasn't already giving. The only difference now would be that both parties were aware of the deal. "Why go open with this?" Jaune asked. "Surely it would have been better for you to have us think we'd tricked you. Then you could feed us misinformation and escape before we realised it. What's the point in going loud with this?"

"Heh, you're no idiot – I guess that's why I always liked you. Yeah, there is something I get from this; something that forced my hand. She has a plan for me coming up. One I don't like the looks of. It has expendable written all over it and I've got a feeling the whole thing is a one-way trip."

Roman sighed and lit another cigar. There was a certain frustration in the way he did it that hadn't been there before. Perhaps he was just being more honest, or maybe it was that Jaune knew to look for it now. Either way, it was clear the thief wasn't as cocksure as he normally was.

"I tried to think of a way to spell it out to you, but no matter how I tried I couldn't find a route that worked out the way I wanted it. I can't betray her, and that means I have to do it. But if you lot mysteriously showed up and ruined it…"

"Then that wouldn't be your fault," Jaune finished. "You tried your best, but it just wasn't doable."

Roman made a pistol motion with two fingers. "Bingo. It's part of what I'm offering." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a scroll. He flicked it with two fingers and it sailed across the table. "That thing's encrypted. It'll take a while for Bart to break through it but break through he will. Tell him your little pal outside set me off, and that we had to run. Tell him one of my boys got knocked out in the confusion and you – enterprising little spy that you are – thought to steal his scroll."

Jaune took it, half-expecting it to blow up in his hand. It didn't. "What's in it?"

"Some finely crafted messages from me that hint at our next job. Nothing obvious but I've got a feeling the old coot will figure it out. Knowing him, you'll be sent to either infiltrate or take us down. I need you to stop me but fail to capture me. You'll have me at your mercy."

"Really? That's a lot of trust you're putting in me…"

"I'm trusting in you to not be an idiot. If you capture me then you won't get anything. You already know Cinder keeps me out of the loop. I'm worth more to the VSS, and more to you, out here and on your side. Make your choice come the moment, but I've a feeling you'll pick the right one."

Damn it. More veiled words and riddles. He had a feeling he'd be stuck dwelling on that all night. He already felt exhausted, mostly thanks to the adrenaline slowly seeping out of his system now that he knew he wasn't about to die. Now he just felt confused and tired.

"But remember, you tell Bart, and all of this goes away." Roman made a little `poof` gesture. "The moment you do, you'll not know if I've thrown you to the wolves or not. Maybe I'll pretend I haven't and lead you on, then hand you over to Cinder myself when the time is right."

And maybe Roman wouldn't realise at all, or didn't even have a spy in the VSS, and Oobleck could help him make a kick-ass plan to take charge of this and solve everything. Sad thing was, he couldn't take that risk. All they'd gain from Oobleck knowing was a chance to catch Roman, too. What they'd potentially lose was so much more.

Cinder was the big picture. Her, and the White Fang.

Roman was a crook, but he was a good crook – which meant there'd be some more dust robberies, but no murder, death, kill like the White Fang were like to pull off. No Paladins taken through the streets, Bullheads on fire, or strange ginger girls coming back from the dead. It almost sounded idyllic.

And all he had to do was betray the VSS.

Again.

"Fine." Jaune snapped up the scroll and stored it away. It physically hurt to take the leap of faith, especially when his stomach flipped. "But I want you to know I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for the VSS. I'm doing it for Vale."

"Like a good little slave, yes. I wonder if there'll be a time when you throw away ten thousand lives for the greater good, as well."

"I'm not that kind of person. I don't think Oobleck is, either."

"Heh. Find out for yourself. Maybe it'll be a way for you to see I'm trustworthy. Much of what I've told you is a matter of official record… if you know where to look."

He made a note of that, even if he made sure he didn't give it away. His heart still trusted Oobleck. The man had been totally honest to him and helped him into Beacon. There was just this niggling voice in the back of his head, one that sounded awfully like Roman, which pointed out that all of that might just have been so Oobleck could use him. The only reason he was in Beacon was because it benefitted the VSS, and by extension the people of Vale. Nothing more.

"Then we work together," Jaune said. "For now…"

"For now," Roman agreed. "Good to have you on board, John. I'm sure this is the start of a beautiful relationship."

/-/

Jaune ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth as he stood in the alleyway, waiting for Ciel to return. His breath came out in cold wisps of air and his hands were jammed into his pockets. Second thoughts didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling. His mind was running at a thousand thoughts per minute.

Something hit the floor behind him. "You alright?" Ciel asked through mask that was cracked in two places.

"I'm fine. You're the one who looks like she lost a fight with a brick wall."

Ciel snorted. "That's one way to put it. I was rumbled. They knew I'd be here." She eyed him curiously. "I thought you might be in trouble. Did the other Agent get you out?"

Other Agent?

"Not at all." Jaune sighed and closed his eyes. "Torchwick figured someone had just followed me, but he didn't actually suspect I was behind it."

"Really? I guess he's not as intelligent as he's made out to be. I fail to see why Vale has struggled with him for so long."

The irony was thick. Jaune was just annoyed he was the only one who could appreciate it. At least his lie had gotten passed her, though that was probably thanks to her being exhausted. "What was that about another agent?" he asked.

"Someone saved me up there," Ciel admitted, somewhat grudgingly. "That Neo girl nearly got the drop on me thanks to her illusions, but someone pushed her back with small arms fire. I thought I was being shot at, but the warning gave me the time I needed to defend myself. I'll have to thank the agent later."

Oobleck doesn't have enough agents to be sending out. That's why we're being forced to work together. Don't tell me…

He had a feeling he knew who was responsible for this one.

"I'm sure you'll get your chance," he lied. "We need to get back to Beacon."

"You have Intel for the Director?"

"Possible." He opened his jacket. "Torchwick decided we should cut out meeting short when the gunfire started. I managed to snatch someone's scroll when we did. Hopefully it'll have something the Director can use."

Ciel nodded, and even though he couldn't see her face the silence suggested she was almost impressed with him. That only made it worse, somehow. Roman's word had better be good, otherwise he might be delivering some kind of trap to Oobleck. He'd have to trust the man wouldn't fall for such a thing; he was far too paranoid for that.

Still, he was on his own now. Ciel couldn't know and neither could Oobleck, and with Vanguard gone there was no one else he could trust, and certainly no one he could turn to for help.

Or was there…?

Roman had said he'd find out if the VSS learned of this, and Oobleck would obviously be pissed if he learned about the deal he'd just made. Ciel had her own agendas, and the last thing he wanted was Atlas adding their own blackmail onto him.

But there was someone else who was outside of all of that.

If everyone was going to try and take advantage of him, then maybe it was time he started to think the same way. Roman and Oobleck weren't the only ones who could make shady deals. They weren't the only ones who could have contacts, agents, and allies in hidden places.

And he had a feeling Blake would be only too happy to help.


Ah, the tangled webs we weave. I think it's always been obvious Roman wouldn't want to work for Cinder, and he made that clear enough in the show, but I did feel a little disappointed it never went anywhere. I feel like a lot more could have been made of the Beacon arcs, especially since Roman was such an interesting character, had a really interesting speech at the end, and then just got a pointlessly lame death. It wasn't even Ruby beating him, just a silly Deus ex Machina.

Anyway, what's a spy story without issues of loyalty, huh? I'm sure there are plenty of people who will be furious that Jaune yet again went behind the VSS' back, but I tried to make it clear the options were limited. If he said no, Roman would kill him then and there. He can go on to tell Oobleck, but Roman's threat is still there. That'll be a choice for Jaune next chapter.

And, well, the bigger question, too. Just how far is Oobleck using Jaune?

Is it as bad as Roman said? Or was he just trying to get into Jaune's head?


Next Chapter: 25th February

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur