"Geeze, talk about cliche!" Roman Torchwick spoke to his partner in crime Neo who was trailing behind enjoying a scoop of ice cream as the pair made their way into a dark and incredibly suspicious warehouse that was crawling with guards. "Seriously, could that bitch try any harder to be obviously evil? I mean look at this place Neo it looks like it came out of some stupid movie or a crappy dime-store crime novel, it's just embarrassing!"
Neo agreed with everything that Torchwick had to say about their current boss but she kept wondering why he insisted on continuing to work with that woman? If Cinder was as bad he constantly made her out to be then why haven't they ditched her yet? It wasn't like she actually cared one way or the other so long as at the end of the day she and Torchwick were in it together.
The interior of the warehouse was an absolute cliche, the dust, the crates, the bad electricity and everything else that someone whose only experience with warehouses was movies, might expect to see. "Look at this Neo! Just where are these animals getting their interior decorating advice from?"
She looked around and took notice of the poor electrical work and a rickety staircase that looked more akin to a death trap. This entire warehouse was something that should have been torn down years ago! Though maybe that's how the White Fang was able to get their hands on it, in fact, given the poor condition of the place she wouldn't be surprised if she found out that the original owners just gave the place away so it wouldn't be their responsibility anymore.
Soon the two sound the meeting spot, a solitary table with some chairs and a single dim light bulb illuminating the otherwise dark room. "Sweet Oum! I was just joking about cliches but this! This is boarding on plain offensive! In fact, I am feeling offended! I'm actually offended by this room! How is that even possible?"
Neo quickly checked her scroll just to make sure that they were actually in the right place and became upset when she found that yes, this shit hole was the actual location. However they were early, so she walked right to Roman, poked him in the side and shoved her scroll into his face. He then he bent down to see what she wanted, "Neo what's-!" He stared that the scroll's clock for only a moment before he figured out. "We're early! Though not by much… shit, we're going to have to find a place to hide if we want to be fashionably late. Let's go."
It was stupid and pointless but, it was also fun which made it important… at least in Neo's honest and completely unbiased and factually correct opinion. Also, it didn't help the fact that she utterly hated the people that they were going to meet: A cocky dickless amputee, a flaming bitch, another bitch that wanted the first bitch to go down on her and la creme of the crop a mass murder who constantly whined about "Muh revolution!" It was disgusting, so if Roman wanted to make these guys wait a bit then she was game, in fact, there was a nice spot off to the side that would make a great hidey-hole. Sure it would take some climbing but, they would also get a great view on everyone coming in, so with a hop and a skip she went or to Roman and pointed him in the right direction.
A few minutes later they spied with their little eyes a self-righteous terrorist entering the warehouse completely oblivious to how much of a walking cliche he looked dressed in black and red. "Just look at em Neo," Torchwick whispered to her, "That guy is walking around in a Dust infused custom-tailored suit while his men are armed with some bottom bin surplus from a war that ended a lifetime ago," she gave him an odd look. "I get what you're saying but, I'm not parading around pretending to be a savior, that guy… I get the feeling that he wasn't placed here in Vale because his boss liked him."
She quickly caught on to what he meant, Adam wanted to lead the entire White Fang. Sure getting the Vale branch seemed like a huge step in the right direction but that was only on the surface. Vale was one of the most progressive of the Kingdoms and Adam's methods were far too extreme to be ever justified here which in theory leaves him with nothing to do and therefore no way to earn that leadership spot he so coveted. That must have been what the flame Bitch offered him: A chance to earn that spot.
"Late just what I'd expect from humans, constantly making demands and utterly failing to give anything back. Just how pathetic can the human species be?" Adam spoke while pacing around the room, "If that damned woman wasn't so -"
"Well I'm happy to hear that you've been thinking of me, Adam." spoke the sickeningly sweet voice of Cinder Fall who emerged into the light followed by a cocky teenaged boy who seemed to have a bizarre obsession with the color grey and a teenage girl whose clothes suggested that she was going to be spending the night on the beach.
Adam gave an angry grunt before turning to face the trio "Don't flatter yourself, everyone with half a brain can see just how hard you try to play the seductress. It comes off as desperate."
The teenage girl looked like she was about to say something but was cut off by Cinder before she could say anything, "It's alright Emerald, everyone is entitled to their tastes, now is everyone here?"
"No, that expert thief of yours," Adam spoke with such venomous sarcasm that it made Torchwick want to come down and give that animal a piece of his mind, however that would have given himself away so the thief begrudgingly remained hidden. "That man still hasn't shown up or perhaps after his last job he has become arrogant enough to think that he doesn't need you."
"I assure you Mr. Tarus that Torchwick wouldn't dream of running away, I have a certain… understanding with the man," Cinder purred in a way that made Neo want to vomit.
The boy in grey had a vicious smirk on his face "Besides I don't think you're qualified to say anything about uderst- Oomph!" he was cut off when Emerald elbowed him.
"For Oum's sake, Mercury at least pretend to be a professional!" Emerald chastised him which only earned her gleeful smirk from the guy which instantly let her and everyone else know that he still wasn't really taking anything seriously, or maybe the problem was that he just didn't care. Either way, the distraction created by his immature display was convenient for Torchwick as it gave him the opportunity he was looking for.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," the gentleman thief spoke with a mocking bow as Neo mirrored all his movements. The pair then strode up to their fellow criminals and sat down in front of the table, "Well what are you waiting for? Let's begin!"
"Thank you for finally showing up Roman," Cinder glared at him for a moment before relaxing her face. "However next time could you please take care to keep better track of the time. We wouldn't want to find ourselves suddenly running short on time, do we?"
Roman paled for a moment before straightening himself up trying to proceed like everything was business as usual, "Very good point, Cinder. I will keep better track of time in the future."
"Are we done joking around? Or can we finally get to the point of this meeting?" Adam Taurus scowled at all the humans in the room but held back his anger, They're still useful, walking over to the table he also sat down and was promptly joined by the others, "I'll start, if you humans don't mind letting a Faunus take the lead."
"The floor is yours," Cinder spoke poison hiding underneath her friendly tone.
"Thanks to the efforts of my men we have managed to secure all the Dust necessary for the next step of the plan," Adam spoke with dull bored tone but he emphasized how it was his men who brought the dust. He then tilted his head to briefly look right at Torchwick who was trying his best to ignore how he had been purposely left out, with a smirk the Major kept going. "We also received the equipment that you promised and I can assure you that will be put to good use."
"And Mount Glenn?" Cinder asked.
"It a work in progress, we found the tunnels and were even able to salvage a train but some parts will need to be replaced, not to mention that the tracks will have to be cleared and repaired."
"And how long will that take?"
"A year at least."
Emerald practically leaped up and exclaimed, "That's far too slow! You know the deadlines we are working with! What cou-"
"That's enough Emerald, Cinder ordered. "Now calm down and behave or wait outside understood?"
"Yes Ma'am," she submissively answered while Mercury silently mocked her much to her irritation.
"However, my subordinate's concerns are valid. Adam, what is the problem?"
"Well had your underling been more disciplined I would have been able to explain that it is an issue of numbers, there's far too few of us split between too many locations. However, we have already begun a recruitment campaign."
"And how exactly will that work Mr. Terrorist?" Roman interrupted. "The Dust robberies, MY Dust robberies were as you said a success which means that a lot of people and animals are going without power and they are going to be pissed at you!"
"You're right, they have been successful so successful that we have enough Dust to spare for the needy. As long as they are Faunus," Adam answered with a cold hateful undertone to his voice.
"So let me get this straight, you the Sheriff of Nottingham is going to try and play Robin Hood to invite people into you Merry Band? Sure you'll lure in some suckers but not everyone is going to forget who took the Dust in the first place!"
Cinder just watched as Adam and Tourchwick continued to argue and insult each other but, she wasn't ignoring them. On the contrary, she was paying very close attention to every single point and counterpoint the two men were making against each other, it was interesting. Adam was far better prepared than I first anticipated though it's probably a case of him already having plans and ideas but lacking the means to do so. As for Torchwick, his experience is showing both in this little… debate and in his results and The Docks especially were impressive… maybe a little collaboration is called for.
"Enough you two!" she ordered while noticeably increasing the temperature of the room to get their attention. "Right now we are just reporting on our progress, while there will be a discussion on the best ways to move forward but we need to first understand where we are so, Torchwick please calm down and allow Adam to continue," it wasn't a request, it was an order and there would be no room allowed for argument.
"To ensure that everything could be done without arousing any suspicion, my lieutenants and I have decided to revise the policy on retired members of our brotherhood."
"Tukson Book Trade, Every book under the Sun!" Tukson proudly repeated his store's catchphrase as a brand new customer entered the store.
"Every book under the sun? That's quite a promise to make… brother, or perhaps it's not as impressive has it sounds." The man speaking was huge and spoke with an oddly soft voice that almost sounded familiar to him though he couldn't remember where he had heard it If only he didn't have his back turned to me.
"Brother? That's an odd thing to call someone you've just met, is it customary where you are from?" he asked genuinely curious about both the answer to the question and the identity of the man.
"Ah but that's just the thing we have met each other plenty of times, in fact, we used to work together," The stranger answered.
"I'm sorry but I don't remember you, maybe you have me mistaken for… what are you doing?" Tukson couldn't see what the stranger's hands were doing but he did notice that the lights were dimming and the blinds were being closed but much more importantly he noticed a shiver that was running up his spine as certain memories began to resurface, Could it… no, there's no way.
The stranger instead of answering turned around revealing a face that Tukson didn't recognize which was a relief to him, Okay it was just my imagination, thank Oum. The stranger started to approach him and it was only then that he was able to look behind the behemoth of a man and see that the "Open" sign on his door had been switched to "Close," and even more disturbing was that the door had been locked. Great, I'm being robbed!
"You see Tukson, the reason you don't recognize me is because back then we wore masks," The stranger finally spoke again.
At that moment it all clicked, His size, voice and the way he talks its Banesaw! "Lieutenant! What are you doing here Sir? Is there something wrong?" Shit! Do they know!?
"Yes, sadly there is something extremely wrong Tukson my old friend. You see some things have come to our attention, things which bring your promises and dedication to the cause into question and now I have come to give you a choice on how this will work. Your first choice and the one I hope you take is to quietly come back with me and accept a long term mission that will not only clear you of any suspicion but I can personally guarantee that we the White Fang will never bother you again. Or you can just leave through the back door."
"What's the catch?"
"There is a kill squad in the back that will shoot you dead, then we will frame a local Faunus Hate group of the crime. Either option will have you furthering our cause one way or another. So, please think it over but be aware that there exists a much less pleasant third option."
Tukson despite what his love for literature would imply to some was a fighter. It's what attracted him to the White Fang in the first place, the fact that they were taking a stand and fighting back. But, Banesaw… it was a nickname that the lieutenant earned and it was one that the man did live up to, Then again I don't have to beat him. If I can get past him then break through the window I'll be out on the open street. They would never try chasing me in broad daylight! I have to get past hi-!
Suddenly there was a brief but sharp from the back of his neck. He spun around to and beheld a masked face belonging to a feminine body that was smaller than either of the two men, How long was she here? He took a step forward and the world began to spin around him as up and down lost all meaning and then, nothing.
"Very good, now take him back to base," The lieutenant instructed the masked stranger who quickly began to shoulder the unconscious man. He then pulled out his scroll and used its radio function to contact the other men waiting in the back, "Vandalize the store."
'"The deserter is currently secured at a different location, as for the group we've framed I will be sending some men to take care of them later thus proving that the White Fang will not turn a blind eye to the blight of my people unlike the authorities thus bringing ever more to the fold," Adam finished his report with a self-satisfied smile.
"Shit," Roman whispered low enough that no one except Neo heard him. The thief always knew that Cinder and was bad news and when he found out that the White Fang was getting involved, he seriously considered bolting, That might have been me or even Neo! He looked over to where the bitch was sitting with her brats and briefly studied their faces, She likes it! That psychotic monster actually likes what Adam did, the Street Rat doesn't care but then again she'd eat shit if she thought Cinder would like it and Dickless just doesn't care.
People were going to die, he knew this from the moment that bitch showed up, but this was going to be on a scale that he wasn't prepared to handle and then there was the matter of the retaliation. Armies would be after them, Huntsmen would be looking to murder them at every turn and Cinder? She'd ditch him and Neo the moment their job was done and leave them at the mercy of avengers… unless… I made myself irreplaceable. "That's a nice Adam, real cute." Torchwick got up from his seat and began to walk around the room as everyone and especially Neo stared at him confused.
"Torchwick, what are you doing?" Cinder demanded.
"What I'm doing is offering to expedite the process for our little raging bull over here," he points at Adam who angrily rose to say something but was cut off by Cinder.
"And how do you plan on helping?"
"Simple, I'll handle the recruitment! That he can focus entirely on preparing the train for our little stroll through the town!" Torchwick explained.
"Ha! Do you honestly think that the Faunus will listen to you? Don't make me laugh human."
"Any con man worth his tongue can talk people into doing anything and I'm the king of con men, trust me. Put me on stage and let me talk to them, let me show off everything that I have already given you guys and I guarantee that you will have people lining up to join en masse!"
"And what was wrong with my plan?"
"Oh, there was nothing wrong with it per se, just that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar and I'm the sweetest guy here!"
"I have already been pushed to the edge of what I was willing to tolerate when I agreed to let you lead some robberies, I will be damned! Before I let a Fucking Hairless Ape in a suit sully my cause with his filthy fingers!" Adam was standing now and had his hand his sword as the rest of the White Fang seemed to be unsure of what to do.
"Then why did you agree?" Cinder calmly asked unaffected by the tension in the room and ignoring how both Emerald and Mercury were preparing themselves for a fight.
"What?"
"Adam, why did you ultimately agree to let Roman borrow some of your men? You could have just let them handle the robberies themselves, all you would have to do was assign the task to an officer or even do it yourself. But, instead, you allowed a human to take the lead. Why?"
The terrorist leader stopped for a moment to ponder his response, "Because his expertise made him… annoyingly invaluable for the task while at the same time allowing me to accomplish far more important tasks… fine, I see your point. However, I want him on the train when the comes." he's hand left the hilt of his sword and then the situation slowly diffused.
"Done."
"What Why! Why would you do that!" Torchwick all but screamed as Neo silently laughed.
"Because you getting caught is part of the plan! Or have you forgotten it?" Cinder bluntly asked.
"But can't I just surrender? Or how about I just let myself get caught by someone? Hell, I'll even let Red or that Schnee chick bring in me instead!"
"Because you need to be seen as someone important, they already know that you're working with the White Fang but they have no idea just how deep that partnership actually goes. You get captured at the head of the train and everything single theory they may have will be tossed out the door, leaving them vulnerable and making it easier for you to succeed at the next part of your job." Cinder couldn't help but smile a little as she looked at the gentleman thief who was now trapped thanks to his own words and actions, You may be a useful pawn but that is all that you are and will ever be. A pawn to be used and sacrificed by your betters.
Neo had been angry at people before, there were even times when Roman wasn't exactly her favorite person in the world. But what she felt right now was different from mere dislike, right now she hated Cinder. Right now she wanted to do nothing more than cut that cunt's throat open, grab Roman and run. Right now she hated how she could do anything other than have faith that her precious Candle Light knew what he was doing, because if something happened to him. She had no idea what she would do.
Cinder's sultry voice continued to fill the air drown all attention onto herself, "Now that we've decided who is going where, let get to the point of this meeting, Emerald." The young lady reached behind herself and pulled out a case and looked to her boss for second before placing the case on the table and opening it, reveal vials filled with a dark red substance.
"Adam, I promised you weapons and an unprecedented opportunity. I've delivered the weapons and your moment is coming, this on the other hand," She plucked one of the vials out of the case and placed it on the table, "Is a promise of victory."
"What is this?" Hazel asked.
"A necessary step," Watts answered.
The two men were standing in a viewing room looking through a one-way mirror at a medical procedure that was happening. A first glance it was just a nurse drawing blood from a patient, nothing unusual. However, all it would take would be anything longer than a glance to realize that there was something very wrong going on. The nurse was far too nervous, the door leading out was not only locked but was also made heavy metal, the room itself had reinforced walls and floor and even the ceiling was built to withstand a beating. But it was nothing compared to the patient.
Sedated and chained down to a hospital bed that was bolted to the floor lay the subject, her skin which was already naturally dark had overtime become several shades darker furthermore white scab like spots were beginning to appear in various places. Her hair was beginning to lose its color and her antlers were becoming larger, more twisted and were slowly becoming as white as a bleached bone. And then were her coppered colored eyes whose irises were growing larger and beginning to bleed into the sclera. The eyes weren't originally that color, in the past, they would become copper as her body reacted to stimuli but it was always temporary or at least it used to be. One day the irises didn't shift back, after that the rest of the body started to change resulting in her current appearance.
Dr. Watts didn't understand what was happening but he wanted to. He wanted to learn so badly, he wanted to boil the process down to its bare components, to analyze every element and most importantly to replicate the process. But, all he had to work with was that single solitary subject.
"The problem I've been facing Hazel is a lack of research material, however, I believe we have a way to circumvent that," he watched as the nurse pulled out a syringe and carefully stab into the veins of the subject and draw blood.
"Please tell me you are not injecting her blood into random people," Hazel spoke never taking his eyes off of the process.
"Please, Hazel spare a little faith for me. No, what I have done is create a drug that instead mimics some of the changes which occur when the subject undergoes Grimification."
"Stop that."
"Pardon?"
"Stop calling her subject. This is a woman with a name and you at the very least owe her the dignity of being referred to by that name," Hazel turned away from the form the one-way mirror to look right at Dr. Watts who seemed to be mulling over something.
"With some embarrassment, I must confess that I do not know her name."
"Then figure it out."
"Fine, but remember that I found her in some backwater Valen Settlement. So, it might take some time. Now take a look at this." Dr. Watts reached into his coat pulled out a case containing three differently marked vials each containing a red-colored liquid."
"Blood?"
Watts pulled out one vial and handed to Hazel and pulled out a different vial and kept it in his hands while leaving the third vial in the case." what you are holding is the blood from the sub- I'm sorry, I meant to say her blood."
Hazel took the time to examine it even channeling his aura into his eyes to enhance his vision. The blood was wrong, the color was too dark and the way it moved when he gave the vial a shake seemed a little too slow it felt sticky, This can't be fresh but there is no reason for him to show me old blood. The changes in her body must be deeper than we first thought.
"This second one is the blood of Mr. Arc," he then handed the vial to Hazel who returned the first sample which went back in the case as Watts removed the last vail.
"Arc? Do you mean that boy who started all of this? I thought he was attending Beacon, how in Remnant did you get your hands on this?"
"Simple I have an agent working in the within the school," Watts answered quite smug.
"I can't help but notice how you said that You had an agent rather than saying that Salem has an agent."
"You have always been an observant one, Hazel, unlike that manchild Cinder or Tyrian the nutcase. My agent isn't a part of Ozpin's inner circle so any knowledge about Salem or anything else is not something they have nor is she interested in it. They don't even know why I've asked for samples of Jaune's blood."
Satisfied Hazel then examined the vial containing Jaune's blood, it was unusually dark but not quite on the same level rather it was a few shades lighter and moved far more naturally. "I suppose this supports your theory that what you gave the boy was an earlier version of what she had," Hazel spoke while looking back at the still half-conscious subject.
"Now that a look at this," Watts took the vial from Hazel and handed him the third and final vial.
"So whose blood is- wait a moment," hazel took a closer look. The color was all wrong, it was a little too bright a little too red and the way it moved around was far too fluid and every one now and then a black speck would appear and then dissolve only to reform somewhere else. "What is this?"
"I needed extra subjects, so I found a way to make some."
Heat, that what he felt right now. There was a heat slithering its way through his veins and slowly permeating throughout the entirety of his body awaken it almost as though he had been asleep until now. He raised the now empty syringe to eye level and examined it in the dim lights of the room. Even with the lack of decent lighting, he could make out details about the misused medical tool. The dull thumping music of the club became a little clearer despite the soundproofing in the room. He took in a deep breath and the scent of smoke, liquor, sex, and even blood hit his nostrils and his skin, his was starting to feel the texture of everything his skin came into contact with.
"Woah this… what is this," he looked to the dim light bulb and just began to stare. There was nothing particularly interesting about the bulb but the light itself was strange, it was getting brighter. The more he stared at it the brighter the light became, the louder the music, deeper all smells and now his fingertips could make out every little nook, cranny and even all the little bumps of the table his hands were resting on.
"Ugh, why is it so bright? And the music, ugh! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He reached out and grabbed the light bulb crushing it in his hands the hot filament feeling like a hot brand pressed against his skin and glass shards stabbing into his palm each shard digging deep into his flesh resulting in a sensory overload sending him into shock and then unconsciousness.
The door to the room burst up as two men dressed in black suits with red ties and sunglasses entered, "Sir, are you okay?" one of the men ask and upon seeing the state of the druggie he turned to his co-worker "Shit, get the Doc!"
An hour later the police would be called to the club, it would take them another 30 minutes for the squad car to arrive, the first body would be found 10 minutes later with the second being found just around the corner a mere 20 feet away. The owner of the club Hei "Junior" Xiong would identify the two men as employees of his. An autopsy would reveal that the first victim was killed by blunt force trauma to the back of the head and a broken wooden chair with bloodstains would be identified as the murder weapon. Crime Scene Investigation would find that the second victim was able to reach his pistol and get off five shots before he was stabbed to death, splinters were found within the wound and were soon matched with the wood from the broken chair.
Leading away from the second victim was a trail of blood heading to the end of the hallway where a large broken window was found, on the other side of that window the trail of blood continued. Police pursuers would follow that lead until they found its end just over a mile away from the club. There was no body, instead, they found a large puddle of blood suggesting that the assailant passed out due to blood loss. Due to how much blood was lost it is believed that the assailant is dead however until a body is found there will be no way to know for sure.
Lab tests involving the blood discovered shockingly little, with the only information being obtained was that the blood was contaminated beyond use. A list of possible IDs for the assailant was created through the use of interviews with employees and club-goers many of which mentioned that the man had been speaking with someone else who entered a private room with the assailant. That same unidentified individual was later seen leaving the room exactly 45 minutes before the incident. The authorities believe that the mystery person was a drug dealer of some sort and testimony from witness support this idea. The room where the incident took place was searched from top to bottom for any evidence of the theoretical drugs. Nothing was found.
A week later the police were called to investigate another similar incident.
Author's Notes: I gave my characters a chance to sort their feelings and I let them have some fun. Now its time for this story to go back to being a horror fic.