Breakout: Burned by The Flame
After successfully provoking the ability to command the sword's magic from Ace, Cinder demanded further and continuous training from him through the remainder of the day, and by training she of course meant fighting with her. In that time, he was able to pick up a few more arcane techniques with minor guidance from Cinder. The two combatants stood across from each other, breathing heavily from the latest skirmish.
"You've learned much in such a short amount of time. I'm almost impressed." Cinder stated.
"It's amazing what happens when someone has at least a basic understanding of what they're doing." Ace shot back.
"You learned regardless, even without the coddling your teachers provided. If it were left to them, you wouldn't have picked it up as quickly as you did." Cinder countered.
"And if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have needed to learn it at all. Not that it matters. All of this will be left behind when I leave this Hell hole." Ace said.
"That is true. By our agreement, you will abandon your training to become a Huntsman. A considerable waste considering the time I've invested in you, but still an alternative may be available."
"And that would be?" Ace asked.
"You fight for me and only me." Cinder answered. "Think about it. You could have power, wealth, anything you desire."
"At what cost? My soul, the betrayal of my friends and family? Never. I would rather keep our agreement than fight for your cause." Ace said adamantly. "I have what I want. You can't buy me like you have with your cohorts."
Cinder sighed. "I had a feeling you'd say that. Now then, let's go find your partner so we can discuss the plans for tomorrow."
Neo wasn't hard to find, the petite girl overseeing the White Fang as they moved large shipping crates around the warehouse.
"Neo," Cinder called getting her attention. "It's time to go over the plan."
Neo nodded, following Cinder and Ace to a small corner of the hideout. Ace sat against one of the walls while the other two chose to remain standing.
"As you both should be aware, Roman Torchwick was taken into custody by the Atlesian Military by none other than General Ironwood. He's being held in the General's flagship, Blue Two. The mission is to board the vessel and get him out of there." Cinder said.
Neo nodded eagerly in response.
"Question. How exactly do you propose we get onto the ship in the first place? I'm no military expert but I highly doubt they'd let just any airship near their airspace." Ace reasoned.
"We've been monitoring the military's Bullhead flight schedules and usual stops. They've deployed their smaller crafts to routinely distribute and acquire munition supplies to and from various locations throughout the city. Find a way to get aboard one and they'll take you straight there." Cinder answered.
"Right, because they won't be suspicious when they see us trying to board them." Ace said sarcastically.
"Do you have any better ideas?" Cinder asked.
"… If I may, where exactly is the ship we'll be trying to board?" Ace asked.
"It stops in the center of Vale. There's no air pad but that doesn't stop them from setting down in any available space they find. Why?"
"If you were to allow me to, once we get close to the landing zone, I can cloak the both of us just long enough to get aboard. I'm sure we could use the cargo to hide ourselves for the duration of the trip. Then it's just a matter of slipping out once we land."
"Very well then, but do know there will be consequences if you are caught using your Semblance. Once on board, proceed through the ship without drawing attention. I've given you all the tools you should need to slip under their surveillance. I will give specific directions to you as you near the holding area but other than that you will be on your own in terms of how you execute the infiltration."
Neo nodded once more in acknowledgment.
"Alright, so provided everything goes smoothly, how do we get off the ship once Torchwick is with us?" Ace asked.
"Both he and Neo can operate Bullheads, so all you have to do is steal one and escape. Chances are they will be on to you once Roman is set free so you will most likely need to find a way to evade any pursuit long enough to slip out of their radar. Once you have, you will return here." Cinder responded. "Any other questions?"
"Nope. Sounds pretty straight forward." Ace replied.
"Good. Now go rest. Tomorrow is a big day and I need you both at your best." Cinder chuckled dismissing them.
Ace got up and walked back to his holding area. Looking through the sky light he could see the inky blackness of the night sky. It was late and he was admittedly very tired from the non-stop training session.
There was no proper place to sleep, so the concrete floor would have to do. It beat hanging from those infernal shackles.
Placing a hand on the front of the collar around his neck he sighed.
'Won't be long now…' He thought to himself. He was in no way ready for what tomorrow had in store, but it was his only chance to escape this prison and go home. 'I wonder what the others would think of me if they knew what I'm about to do…'
Folding up his jacket into a makeshift pillow, he laid his head down on it and slowly drifted off to sleep.
After a semi-proper night of rest Ace felt a bit better than he had since he got captured. When he awoke, he realized that it was the middle of the day, a discovery he found odd. Surly Cinder didn't forget or even cancel the mission. No, that would be very hopeful thinking. Curious, Ace put his jacket back on and decided to explore the warehouse for answers.
The first of his observations was the White Fang loading up crates into the backs of semi-trucks. The warehouse was beginning to look bare as they removed their stock of stolen Dust and weaponry.
The second thing he noticed amongst the commotion were a few specially marked crates that the White Fang refused to even go near. Why they were doing so was a mystery if their goal was to move all their resources out.
A thought about that came to Ace's head. Why were they moving all the supplies in the first place? Were they abandoning this hideout? Something just didn't add up but there was nothing Ace could do about it.
Walking through the crowds of White Fang he looked for the only people that could give him any answers. He spotted Mercury talking to a group of White Fang, most likely giving orders. As much as he despised talking to him, he didn't have much choice.
Mercury turned as heard Ace approach. "Well look who we have here. Good Ole Wolfblade." He greeted.
"Good afternoon to you too I suppose." Ace replied. "I have something to ask you."
"Wondering what's going on around here, aren't you?" Mercury asked.
"I'm curious yes but it's not my main concern at this moment. Where's your boss?" Ace asked.
"Somewhere around here I think. Why?"
"I just found it odd that the day is already half over and no one has fetched me for the mission." Ace said.
"Oh, well actually, you're right on time for that. Cinder wanted the mission to begin an hour before the military touched down at their scheduled stop." He answered.
"I see. That's all I needed to know. I'll let you get back to… Whatever this is."
Mercury gave a confused look. "What? You're not even going to ask about this?" Mercury asked gesturing to the work taking place around them.
"What's the point? After the mission, everything I've learned, everything I've worked towards… It will all mean nothing." Ace answered.
"So, that's it huh? You're really going to quit after this."
"I'm a man of my word, even if that word is to the enemy." Ace replied sauntering off to locate Cinder and Neo.
After a bit of wandering, he found both of them waiting by the front of the facility. Neo had a small satchel attached to her left side, the contents unknown to Ace but he assumed they had something to do with the mission.
"Ah, there you are. Just in time for us to begin." Cinder said as she spied Ace approaching. "You two will be escorted to the designated location via one of our vehicles, as to maintain a low profile. Once you are dropped off, you will follow the plane we discussed yesterday."
"Let's just get this over with." Ace grumbled.
The back of one of the semi-trailers was opened by two White Fang grunts, allowing Ace and Neo entrance. To Ace's surprise, the truck was filled with various crates of supplies as well, leaving enough space for the two to ride in the back as well. Ace and Neo climbed in finding places to sit while the doors were closed behind them.
On the outside, two White Fang climbed into the front of the truck, the two Faunus ditching their usual attire for more inconspicuous shipping uniforms. With a start of the engine the warehouse doors opened and their journey began.
Ace and Neo sat in silence as they felt the truck move through the city streets. Ace really had no desire to start a conversation, and as he had learned during his stay, she wasn't capable of speak anyway. The reason behind that was never stated but whatever the case she was indeed mute.
What was astonishing was what she could convey to her little faction just by looking at them. A mere facial expression mixed with a simple bodily gesture was all she needed to give them the message.
Time passed and eventually they felt the truck slow to a halt, signaling they had reached their destination. The back doors opened, the sudden reintroduction of light making Ace and Neo wince. They each stepped out and found they were positioned towards an alley way.
Moving quick they moved to the cover of the shady path as the grunts shut the back doors and drove off. They found cover between a dumpster and an extended section of the building it sat by.
Ace activated his mask's voice distortion to get that out of the way. All they could do now was wait.
A few minutes later and Cinder's voice played through Ace's mask. "I can see you've both made it to the location. Excellent." She said.
"YES, WE'RE HERE. STILL NO SIGN OF THE TRANSPORT." Ace said.
"It will be there. Just be patient." Cinder ordered.
True to her word, the Bullhead could soon be heard over-head, touching down in a vacant parking lot next to a large storage facility. A couple of soldiers disembarked and began going to work, loading up supplies onto the ship.
"Wait until they begin finishing up with their business here, then slip onto the ship." Cinder ordered.
Ace and Neo watched as the military continued their work until they began slowing down.
"Alright, just a few more and we're done here." One of the soldiers announced.
"HERE WE GO…" Ace said, turning to face Neo. "I'M GOING TO USE MY SEMBLANCE TO CLOAK US. GRAB MY HAND AND WE CAN GET GOING." He instructed. Neo looked hesitantly between him and his outstretched hand. "OH, COME ON. IT'S EASIER IF I CAN MAKE CONTACT WITH WHAT I WANT TO CLOAK. JUST TOUCH MY SHOULDER OR SOMETHING."
Neo let out a heavy breath and grabbed hold of his wrist. Ace activated his Semblance and the two vanished. Keeping a steady pace, the two ghosts moved across the lot and towards the Bullhead unnoticed.
Neo grew nervous as they walked silently across one of the soldier's field of vision but relaxed as Ace's camouflage kept them from alerting him. Walking up the ramp they tucked themselves behind some crates at the back of the ship.
Looking around for any security cameras, Ace discovered none and disabled his Semblance. Neo looked at her hands as they grew visible again in awe.
"Good work. Now remain hidden." Cinder said.
"Alright, we got everything we came for. Let's load up and head back to base." One of the soldiers said.
"Right." The second one said entering the ship and sitting at the co-pilot's seat.
The first boarded and closed the side of the Bullhead before taking his place at the front.
The propellers whirred to life and the ship lifted off, the pilots unaware of the two stowaways on-board. The Bullhead made its way back to the flagship in a few minutes, landing in the docking bay.
As soon as the side door opened, Ace and Neo darted from their hiding spot and out of the Bullhead, before any of the pilots could spot them. The docking bay was full of military aircraft as well as a few fueling stations and cargo areas.
"Now that you're on the flagship, be extra mindful of the security systems and patrols. It's a military aircraft so their guard should be lower than you'd expect it to be." Cinder said.
"MAKES SENSE. THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY EXPECT ANYONE TO BE STUPID ENOUGH TO BOARD IN THE FIRST PLACE." Ace said in a hushed voice, as he and Neo hid behind some cargo boxes. From what they could see, there were only a few small groups of soldiers walking around the deck.
"Precisely. Now, before you move on to the holding area, I want you to plant some of those explosives I gave you on the other aircraft. Sabotaging them will cripple any attempts to pursue you after you make your way back here. Leave one for yourselves so you can extract, and don't detonate until you are back in a ship." Cinder ordered.
"WHAT DID YOU THINK I WAS GOING TO DO? LET THEM KNOW WE'RE HERE BY BLOWING UP HALF THEIR FLEET?" Ace huffed, handing Neo a stack of the mines before moving to a ship and placing an explosive on one of the rotors.
"No, you're not nearly that clueless, but on the off chance…" Cinder hummed, watching Ace's progress on her scroll. "The rotors… Good, you're at least thinking strategically about your placement." Cinder commented.
"YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE HARD FOR YOU TO BELIEVE, BUT I DO HAVE SOME UNDERSTANDING OF MECHANICS. IF ONE ROTOR GOES, THE WHOLE SHIP WILL BE USELESS. NOT TO MENTION ON OF THESE IS STRONG ENOUGH FOR THE BLAST TO HIT ANY NEIGHBORING SHIP." Ace said, looking around before moving to the next ship and setting another charge.
Ace moved to the next ship but saw a soldier walking in a path towards him. Quickly ducking around the ship, Ace rolled under it to conceal himself. The soldier didn't notice him as he continued his walk of the deck, passing by Ace's location.
Ace sighed a breath of relief and turned his head to look for other guards. He spotted Neo making her way around her own half of the fleet, dodging the guards and planting bombs on every other ship. Making sure the coast was clear, Ace rolled out from under the ship and hid behind a stack of crates.
There were still dozens of ships, but if they could cause enough chaos, they would be long gone before the military could even reach the remaining Bullheads. Targeting a few more, Ace stealthily moved around, placing bombs on the last targets.
With that done, he made his way back to where he started, meeting Neo who was already there.
"WE KEEP THE SHIP CLOSEST TO THE DOOR FOR OUR ESCAPE TRANSPORT. THE LESS TIME WE TAKE GETTING TO IT THE MORE OF A HEAD START WE GET." Ace told Neo.
Neo nodded in affirmation and the unlikely duo moved to the docking gate. They found it was locked up and required a clearance code to open. Ace took the scroll Cinder gave him and placed it in front of the scanner, opening a simple hacking program to override it. The gate clicked in response and opened.
The two ran inside and checked for any surveillance, the gate closing behind them. Spying a camera system, Ace once again used the scroll, hacking it and rendering it temporarily useless. The duo looked around realizing they were in a narrow hallway with rooms on each side. Spying a map, they checked the layout of the ship.
Neo pointed at a section located towards the front of the ship that was labeled as Detention Center, navigating her finger from it down a few decks and straight to their current location.
"RIGHT. LET'S GET MOVING THEN." Ace said.
Moving down the corridor, the two made sure not to trip any alarms and avoid any troops moving around the grandiose ship. They heard a pair of soldiers rounding a corner up ahead and ducked into a nearby room filed with supplies. They listened for the patrol to pass. Once the sounds of footsteps faded, they opened the door, poking their heads out and looking around, they exited the room and moved on.
They continued to proceed with caution, hiding and evading from any threat. As far as the mission standards were concerned, they were doing well. That was until they heard a door they had passed open, a soldier steeping out and spotting them.
"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" The soldier shouted causing them to tense.
Neo reacted first, drawing a blade from her umbrella and swinging it at the soldier on pure instinct. Ace drew his blade and blocked her before she could harm him.
"NO!" Ace said in a raised voice, moving to the guard and slamming the pommel of his sword into his gut. He put his hand over the soldier's mouth keeping him from alerting anyone before turning to Neo. "NO UNNECESSARY BLOODSHED." Ace growled.
Neo paused before returning her blade back to its resting place and nodding.
Ace positioned his blade to where the tip was at the man's neck. "MOVE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE TODAY." He told the soldier, who nodded in reply.
Ace lead him back to the room he sprang from while Neo kept an eye out for any other surprises. Ace found a metal pillar in the dimly lit room they were in and walked the guard over to it. Ripping off the soldier's helmet, Ace tossed the armor across the room. As they walked, Ace snatched some rope laying on top of a crate.
Once at the pillar Ace pushed the soldier against it and began to fasten him to it, binding his hands first behind his back and around the pillar.
"SORRY ABOUT THIS, BUT IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD." Ace told the soldier as he continued to tie him up.
"Why are you doing this?" The soldier asked.
"BECAUSE I'D PREFER NOT TO KILL AND YOU'D PREFER TO LIVE." Ace answered.
"That's awfully considerate, but that's not what I meant. You're obviously up to no good. What do you want out of this?" He asked. Ace remained silent as he worked. "Can't say. I got it…" After a brief moment, the soldier spoke again. What he said surprised Ace. "Thank you."
Ace paused. "I'M TYING YOU UP IN A DARK ROOM, AND YOU'RE THANKING ME?"
"Your partner over there could have killed me. You spared my life. I like this option a whole lot more."
"THE FEELING'S MUTUAL." Ace replied as he bound the soldier's legs.
"I don't know why, but you don't seem like the type to be doing something like this. You're too… Nice."
"YOU'RE NOT WRONG. IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I WOULDN'T BE HERE RIGHT NOW. THEN AGAIN, YOU MIGHT NOT BE EITHER IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT." Ace said.
"Then why are you here?" The soldier asked.
"…NECESSITY." Ace answered simply.
"What could you possibly need that would make you resort to something you don't want to do?" The soldier asked.
"YOU ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS." Ace said finishing his work. "THAT SHOULD DO. TRUST ME, YOU'LL BE MUCH SAFER IN HERE FOR THE TIME BEING." The man nodded. "WELL, THIS IS WHERE WE PART WAYS PRIVATE."
"It's Sergeant actually. Sergeant Davis Glas. I'd ask for your name but…"
"MY NAME DOESN'T MATTER." Ace said.
"You at least have a moniker to match that getup, right?"
"NO."
"Wow. You make for the worst criminal ever."
"GLAD TO HEAR IT." Ace said turning to walk away but stopping as he realized something. Turning back to Glas, he sighed. "THERE'S ONE LAST THING. SORRY." He said before decking the soldier across the face, knocking him out.
"Are you quite finished?" Cinder asked.
"WE'RE STILL UNDETECTED AND NO ONE HAD TO DIE. I SAID I WOULD DO THE MISSION, BUT I NEVER AGREED TO BE A MURDERER." Ace said leaving the room with Neo.
"As long as you complete your task, I won't scrutinize on how it's done." Cinder said.
Ace and Neo moved further towards their destination, making sure they didn't have a repeat of the first hiccup.
"SHOULDN'T BE MUCH FARTHER NOW." Ace said.
"How much longer to you estimate it will take to get to the brig?" Cinder asked.
"FROM HERE, PROBABLY TEN MINUTES PROVIDED EVERYTHING GOES WELL."
"Before you move on, set some timed charges in various rooms. Put a timer for twenty-five minutes." Cinder ordered.
"WE'LL BE LONG GONE BEFORE THEN I WOULD HOPE."
"You're going to take a slight detour before heading to the brig. The control center." Cinder said.
"THAT WILL BE THE MOST HEAVILY GUARDED AREA. WHY DO WE NEED TO GO THERE?" Ace asked.
"All part of the plan." Cinder answered.
"YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS, WATCHING ME DO ALL OF THIS." Ace growled.
"It's very entertaining, and you're doing so well. Are you sure you've never done something like this before?" Cinder laughed.
Ace handed Neo a few explosives and went to work. The first room he checked was filled with munitions and highly flammable containers. Ace realized why Cinder had picked this spot. Setting a charge on one of the barrels, Ace set the timer for the requested time. He proceeded to do so for each room until they ran out of areas.
Once done they moved on and up a few decks. The brig would be to their left, but first they had to continue to the control center. As they neared their impromptu detour, they caught sight of Ironwood and Penny leaving the control room.
'Great, Penny is here too.' Ace thought. He saw Neo prepare to draw her sword and grabbed her shoulder. "DO NOT ENGAGE. TAKE COVER IN THAT ROOM." Ace instructed, leading the small girl to an adjacent room to hide in.
As soon as they passed, Ace and Neo snuck out of their hiding place and resumed moving to the control center. They spotted two guards on either side of the door and moved to hiding around a corner.
"This should be interesting. How will you make it in there?" Cinder chuckled.
Ace thought for a moment and turned to Neo. "GET THEIR ATTENTION. ONCE YOU DO, MOVE STRAIGHT ACROSS FROM HERE. I'LL WATCH YOUR BACK." Ace assured her.
Neo nodded and walked directly into the guards' view. She took the pose of an innocent young girl twirling her parasol between her fingers.
"Hey kid, how'd you get here?" One of the guards asked. Neo pretended to laugh into her hand and skipped across the hall. "Hey come back!" The shouted in more concern than aggression.
The two moved from their post, rounding the corner to find her waiting for them. What they didn't expect was her ally standing behind them. Ace fired his wire shot, wrapping it around one of the soldiers. He called back the wire, reeling the soldier to him before subduing her with a quick blow to the neck.
"What the-?" The second soldier exclaimed as he watched his partner get yanked back and knocked out by a second intruder. Looking back to Neo, he saw her wearing a mischievous grin as she ran forward, back flipping and kicking him in the jaw. He fell to the ground, unconscious from the blow.
"WHAT WAS WITH THE CUTESY ACT?" Ace asked Neo, who tried to look stern while blushing. "WELL IT DID WORK." Ace conceded, dragging his soldier into a room and shutting her in. Neo did the same with hers.
Ace and Neo moved to the door, the former using his scroll to bypass the security. Inside the control center were two high ranking officials sitting at their desks. In silence, they moved behind them and chocked them out of consciousness.
"Place that scroll on the central terminal. It will disable their artillery systems so you don't get blown out of the sky." Cinder instructed.
Ace placed the scroll on the terminal and the image of a black queen piece flashed over the monitors.
"Good, now when you leave the room, lock the door and make sure they can't get in anytime soon."
Ace and Neo left, forcing the door to lock up after they were out. Drawing his sword, Ace used its magic to coat the tip in orangish-black flame before stabbing it into the terminal, the system burning and short circuiting.
"ANY MORE EXTRA EXCURSIONS OR CAN WE GET THIS FINISHED?" Ace asked.
"That will do. Get a move on now. You have fifteen minutes before the time bombs go off." Cinder answered.
Ace and Neo quickly made their way back, turning right and heading into the detention center. They split up, walking down either side to check each cell. Ace peered into one of the last down his row, spying their target resting against the wall. Knocking on the cell door, he roused the criminal.
"Look General, I know you like to chat, but I've got nothing to tell…" Roman stopped, looking through the small cell window at the figure before him. "You're not the General." He said curiously. Neo ran over to beside Ace and jumped with joy. "Neo!? You're here too? That must mean you're my break out crew." Neo nodded enthusiastically. "About time. The service here sucks."
"Stop right there!" They heard Ironwood shout. He and Penny had just entered the room. "Step away from the cell immediately!" He said drawing his pistol.
Neo drew her parasol as he fired, opening it and deflecting the shot. While she defended, Ace got to work opening the cell. The lock clicked and the doors swung open. Roman stepped out and stretched.
"Penny! Stop them!" Ironwood ordered as he raised the ship's alarm.
"Understood! I am combat ready!" She declared, her many swords deploying from her back.
"Neo, did you bring me gifts?" Roman asked. The mute nodded, taking Roman's cane off her back and throwing it back to him. She then pulled his hat from her side satchel and tossed that back to him as well.
Roman caught his cane first, then used his can to hook his hat out of the air, dusting it off before putting his signature bowler hat upon his head.
"Much better." He said laughing manically as he fired his cane at the General.
Ironwood dodged with a combat roll before firing again at the master criminal. Penny meanwhile approached Ace, who in turn approached her.
"Cease and desist your action, or I will be forced to stop you myself." Penny commanded.
"SORRY, BUT I CANNOT COMPLY WITH YOUR REQUEST." Ace said readying his blade.
Penny created a spinning saw with her swords, hurling it towards her enemy. Ace blocked the multitude of swords with his own, bracing against the force each small blade delivered. Penny recalled her swords and sent three of them straight forward to impale Ace. Quickly, Ace waved his sword in a small arc over his head, creating three small orbs of fire that shot out, intercepting the blades and detonating. Penny's swords were blasted backwards, but she still had several more already on their way for a secondary strike. Ace rolled out of the way, the blades shooting just past his side and embedding themselves into the metal floor.
Ironwood was being equally unsuccessful, all of his shots being deflected by Neo's parasol while Roman returned fire from behind her guard. More soldiers suddenly swarmed the area, raising their guns at the three invaders.
Ace ran at Penny for a powerful swing of his sword. He had debated holding back, but realized he would need to make an actual effort to fend of the powerful android in disguise. Penny moved around to Ace's side and tossed him like he was nothing more than a small child, making a critical mistake in the process.
Ace landed behind Ironwood and thought fast. As much as he hated to, there was no for him to beat Penny in a fair fight at the moment, so he played dirty. As quick as he got up he grabbed Ironwood by the back of his coat and stuck his blade against his neck.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE, OR I KILL YOUR BELOVED GENERAL." Ace threatened, hoping they would buy his bluff.
Penny came to a complete halt and the soldiers looked around at each other before looking at their superior.
Ironwood looked to see Torchwick aiming his cane at him. He was in a very disadvantageous position. He looked to his soldiers.
"Stand down…" Ironwood ordered. "You may have gained the upper hand by some miracle, but mark my words, you three will not make it off this ship."
"We'll see about that." Cinder said. "Five… Four… Three... Two…" Ace realized what she was doing and prepared himself.
The sound of heavy explosions rang out, shaking the ship and giving him the opportunity he needed. The soldiers all cried out in panic as the floor rocked beneath them. Kicking Ironwood forward, Ace grabbed a cluster of smoke bombs from his pack and flung them around the room, making a full-scale haze.
"MOVE!" Ace ordered, powering his blade's magic and sending a wave of fire through the guards, making a visible path for Roman and Neo to follow.
"After them!" Ironwood commanded, pushing through his disoriented army and giving chase. He fired his pistol at Ace, who turned in time to deflect the bullet while Roman and Neo pressed on. Ace created a second wave of wire that engulfed the corridor and blocking his path.
Ironwood glared at him through the fire, and for a moment Ace stared back, the look of guilt hidden behind his mask. Ace turned and fled, moving to catch up with the other two. Ahead he could see soldiers moving to intercept them, Roman firing his cane to blast them out of the way and Neo slipping around them or beating them with her weapon.
Ace crossed a hallway intersection just before soldiers began pouring in from either side behind him. Ace dropped more smoke bombs to slow them down, not wanting to be shot in the back. Reuniting with Roman and Neo, he saw the section they had rigged with bombs blown into a raging inferno.
"Can't go that way…" Roman said as they neared it.
"SCARED OF A LITTLE FIRE TORCHWICK?" Ace inquired.
"That isn't just a little fire… Uh… Who are you exactly?" Torchwick asked.
"SOMEONE WHO WOULD RATHER HAVE LEFT YOU TO ROT IN THAT CELL. NOW GET MOVING!" Ace shouted. "WE'LL DOUBLE BACK AND TAKE THE FIRST TURN, THEN WRAP BACK AROUND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS." Ace said leading them in that exact path.
Once clear of the flames, the group moved down to the lower deck. Unsurprisingly the whole military was now at arms and chasing after them. Ace could see the gate to the docking bay in sight. Holstering his sword on his back, he grabbed a mine in each hand, throwing them to either side of the hallway and detonating them, blocking a large amount of armed forces.
The trio opened the gate and entered the air garage, Ace and Neo leading Roman to the chosen Bullhead. Roman quickly jumped into the cockpit and started it up. Ace watched out the side of the transport as soldiers that had made it past the fire moved into the bay area. As they took off, Ace activated the last round of explosives.
The cargo bay burst into a bright flash of fire as the majority of the air fleet was successfully sabotaged.
Ironwood during this time had managed to reopen the control center, with the help of Penny. The two soldiers that had been knocked out were quickly checked on by the General as he woke them.
"Fire all anti-aircraft at that Bullhead!" He ordered.
"Sir, that's one of our own ships." One of them stated.
"It is no longer one of ours. Open fire!"
The soldiers began trying to operate the weapons systems, but found that they were unable to do anything thanks to the previous hacking.
"Sir… All weapons are offline. We can't engage." One announced.
Ironwood slammed his mechanical fist into the control station angrily, leaving a sizable dent. He could only watch as the ship that held his prisoner flew off into the dimming sky.
Roman landed the Bullhead back at the warehouse, setting it down at the front. The three entered the warehouse and found Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald waiting for them just inside.
"Welcome back." Cinder greeted. "I see you all made it out in one piece."
"YES, WE DID." Ace said, taking off his mask.
"Hey, I know you. You're that kid that always hangs out with Red." Torchwick said, somewhat shocked to finally see the identity of one of his saviors.
Ace glared at him before returning his attention to Cinder.
"I did your job. Now let me go." Ace demanded.
Cinder smirked. "No, I don't think that's going to happen." She said.
"What!?" Ace exclaimed, hoping he had misheard her. "We had a deal." He reminded her.
"Stupid little boy. Did you honestly think I would honor that agreement? Truthfully, I did consider it, but that was before, not now. Watching you perform in that mission showed me just how valuable an asset you are to me. Not only that but you provide a surprising amount of entertainment." She explained.
Emerald smirked at this, while Mercury surprisingly didn't seem to care.
Cinder had deceived him, and he fell for it. She never had any intention of actually letting him go free. Ace grew furious, drawing his sword and coating it in fire. He charged at her.
"YOU BITCH!" Ace roared, surprising even himself at the profanity that escaped him.
Cinder activated his collar, shocking him with a dangerous amount of electricity. Ace screamed as he fell to the ground in pain. The flames on his blade quickly dissipated as he was shocked.
Torchwick stopped mid drag of his freshly lit cigar, gawking at the spectacle. He knew Cinder was cruel, but even to him, a man that cared only for his own well-being, he found it too much. Even he had the decency to honor an agreement.
Neo felt similarly, and caught herself once again pitying the boy.
Cinder turned off the voltage, walking closer to the downed teen. As he struggled to move his head up, she moved to his side, stepping down forcibly on the back of his head, her glass heels digging into the exposed section of his neck. She twisted her foot back and forth, putting extra emphasis at her heel.
Ace grunted in pain as she continued, Cinder chuckling at his discomfort.
"You're mine now. You'll be my toy until the day that you die." She declared.
Ace didn't try to move, even after she removed her foot and walked away casually. He no longer saw the point. His chance of freedom, the one thing that had given him any reason to continue, was gone.
"Lock him back in his cell, where he belongs." Cinder ordered.
Two White Fang obeyed, picking Ace off the floor and dragging him away. Ace didn't even fight them as they fastened the shackles around his limbs.
His head hung low, his sapphire eyes were dull and vacant, as he was lost to his misery. His expression remained unchanged, even as silent streams of tears rolled down his face.
Cinder watched from a distance with a mirthful grin. There was no more fight within the boy. Not even a spark.
Ace Wolfblade, had been broken.
A/N: Spring Break baby! Perfect time to chill and get some serious writing done. Another chapter in about half a month's time. Honestly I just want to be done with this arc. I was excited when I though of it, but I'm ready to move on to the next one because it's going to be way more fun and light-hearted than this one.
On a side note, I will be up front with you all and say, I screwed up. If you read chapter 32 before today, I said that everyone was looking for Ace for three days. It was supposed to be four, lining up with the events in this chapter. I'm not going to make any excuses for that. Instead I'm letting you know that a slightly revised version of the chapter has been released alongside this chapter and I humbly beg for your forgiveness. I'm going to make sure this hopefully never happens again. That said the changes to the other chapter are minimal, replacing the couple of instances where I incorrectly labeled the time-span with the corrected information. No events were added or changed in any other way. I'm so freaking embarrassed...
How's Ace going to get out of this one guys and gals? Does he even get out of this? I know, and the answers will be revealed, but only if you keep reading. I'm curious to the sort of feedback I get from this doozy of a chapter. Let me know what you think with a Review or even a PM.
Until next time, keep on keeping on my awesome readers.