Amity Stadium – Observation Box
If anyone thought the fights would calm down or lose some of their intensity once they switched over to doubles, they would be sorely disappointed. Whereas the full team mashups in the previous fights had been pure chaos with eight combatants fighting it out, the doubles were no less intense though it was obvious there was a great deal more strategy involved. With only two people per team allowed to fight each had to carefully choose who they were going to send in. It not only came down to a matter of who worked well in tandem with whom but also who would be the best choice to send into the finals should they prove victorious here. As such Jaune watched the fights with great interest as they progressed with the current bout being a matchup of team CRDL and Penny's.
Well, to say they had his attention would have been stretching the truth. The reality was that his mind was anywhere but on the fights, let alone the stadium. Well into the night and even into this morning his mind had been playing and replaying the conversation and the subsequent kiss that had concluded the evening's events. Truth was he'd expected something far different to have played out between himself and Weiss. Harsh words, intense glares, maybe even a slap to face were all things he'd somewhat expected and had even prepared himself for. However, her somewhat understanding attitude followed by the rushed, though intense, kiss towards the end had fried his brain in a way that left him unable to sleep as he tried and failed to make sense of what had happened.
It just didn't make sense. Granted, all of his experience prior to being kissed by Weiss had come from comics, movies, anime, and even cartoons, none of which were viable reference material. Even his first kiss with her had been under the guise of Phoenix and thus revolved around feelings based mostly on a lie. The finer details of whether the feelings either of them held for one another despite his identity being fake was a debate he didn't desire to get into but, needless to say, he hadn't expected his relationship with her to take such a sudden turn. In all honesty, he'd expected his actions to ensure any chances of them having a romantic relationship of any kind becoming a distant dream and had prepared himself to maintain a safe distance within the friend zone. Now, however, he wasn't quite sure what to think. Was this her way of saying she still held feelings for him despite his reveal or was it simply a way of showing her gratitude? While the latter seemed rather implausible, he didn't want to take it off the table just yet.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of heels clicking rhythmically against the concrete roof. With how measured each step was and knowing that Weiss was currently sitting in the stands alongside her team, he knew instantly that it had to be Ironwood's watchdog. Rather than turn to acknowledge her, he instead kept his eyes glued to the scene down below. The contact lens' he was currently wearing had a small receptor imbedded into each, allowing for video surveillance that would be sent to an undisclosed location (or rather his current residence) where it would be recorded for future examination either by him of Lazarus. It wasn't something he did for every fight, rather one that was exclusive to Penny's team and one other team that had come under suspicion curtsey of Lazarus. He waited until her footsteps ceased, expecting to feel her eyes boring into the side of his skull but was surprised when he sensed nothing. Taking a quick glance over he noted that her gaze was on the fight below, one that would soon be ending given Penny's unusual skill set.
"An unusual spot to meet," she commented.
"Not really. Few people would expect to see anyone up here, let alone take the time to look," he pointed out.
"I disagree. You're out in the open, completely exposed. All it would take is for someone to glance up towards the commentator's box and notice us standing here."
"You know how often a person looks up?" he asked, knowing the answer himself. "Aside from you and I, who have advanced training that dictates we take note of everything within our field of vision, people seldom if ever take the opportunity to glace anywhere higher than 45 degrees. Add to that the fact that this whole stadium is filled with people who came just to watch a handful of teens with Huntsman training beat each other's faces in and you're almost guaranteed to go unnoticed up here for the duration of the fights."
"Almost?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yes, almost. You will have the occasional person, usually a child, who glances up here. Even then their parents will simply ignore it and even others would simply assume we're stadium workers or security, the latter of which not being too far off the mark."
"For one of us, perhaps," she said, eyeing him. "It's my understanding that you and I will be patrolling together for the duration of the festival. While I will defer to your judgment on where we go and whom we cross swords with, I'd like to make it clear that I won't allow you to do anything that might jeopardize the safety of the civilians here nor anything that would go against protocol."
"Noted," he replied with little interest as he tore his eyes away from the fight just as Penny brought the boulder her opponent's we using for cover down onto the ground. "I'll ask the same of you while we're working together. I'll make sure to keep our time together limited to Amity Stadium so things should be fairly quiet."
"You do patrol more than just the stadium, don't you? Why limit yourself when there's obviously a great deal of ground to cover down in Vale?"
"For one thing you're too conspicuous," he replied and when she gave him yet another raised eyebrow he elaborated. "You stand out too much and I don't mean just because of your hair color. Your whole attitude screams military."
"I'm more than capable of blending into the greater populace," she replied.
"That's not even mentioning you manner of speech," he continued. "I can understand you wearing an outfit to disguise yourself but the moment you open your mouth you'd give yourself away."
"I can assure you I'm more than capable of maintaining my composure."
"Alright then. Curse."
"Excuse me?" she asked, taken aback by the sudden request.
"Curse. Use any profanity you know right now."
"Why would you ask such a thing?"
Jaune cocked an eyebrow, giving her a disbelieving look that she could no doubt see even beneath his face mask.
"If we're going to patrolling out in Vale, you'll need to be able to speak like someone who's lived there or at the very least like a tourist given your accent. That means you'll need to be able to speak in a casual manner as well as use slang and curse words. That proper manner of speaking they beat into you while living in Atlas is going to stick out."
"My father did not beat me, I was simply taut the proper way to speak," she growled.
"It was a figure of speech Princess," he replied, ignoring her glare. "All I'm saying is that it would be better for us to stick to the stadium. Anywhere else and we'll stick out worse than a Beowulf in church. At least here we're somewhat expected."
"Very well, I'll follow your lead then," she said.
"Try to keep up," he joked, earning yet another glare from the woman.
So much for keeping his promise to Weiss.
/-/
Atlas Battleship – Cargo bay
High above the cityscape of Vale General Ironwood's flagship, along with three smaller vessels, hovered precariously over the city. While the General believed the sight would be one of comfort and safety to the citizens down below, he would be surprised to find it was the exact opposite. Unlike their allies in Atlas, Vale put a greater emphasis on Huntsman, most notably Beacon itself, and its local police force. With strong walls and natural barriers that protected the city on all sides, the need for an active military force had been something that was often overlooked and even considered unnecessary, especially since they were living in a time of peace. The only time they'd considered the need for one would be in a time of war and, considering the last one they'd participated in was over eighty years ago, everyone's mind was on the ever growing need for Huntsman and Huntresses to help push back the constant tide of Grimm.
As such, the four battleships that hovered high above the city were considered an eye sore to most and even a looming threat to others. While Roman Torchwick was safety being held in custody onboard Ironwood's own ship, most would have preferred him to be behind bars rather than in a brig. Even worse was the sight of the large cannons that jutted out from the gigantic vehicles like large thorns. All it would take was for one of them to be pointed down and all hope of escape would vanish. Still, Atlas were allies and the thought of them turning on Vale was preposterous. Ironwood valued their diplomatic ties far too much to ever consider jeopardizing them.
As these thoughts passed through the minds of people several small cargo airships began making their way towards the three outlying behemoths. No doubt carrying supplies of food and Dust, they flew at a leisurely pace in no rush to reach their destinations. As one of the airships drew close the cargo bay doors opened to admit their entry, flashing lights along the floor indicating the route they would take before setting down.
The pilot maneuvered his way in expertly, setting down with hardly any effort at all. With his face covered beneath the helmet and large glasses, it would be difficult for anyone to determine if the person inside was Human or Faunus, not that this small detail mattered. As soon as he'd turned off the engines, a pair of armed guards approached flanking another uniformed man holding a clipboard with a handgun strapped to the side of his thigh. The pilot stepped out, keeping his helmet on as he waited for the men to approach.
"State your business."
"Dropping off a shipment of food and Dust. Got the request this morning," the pilot replied.
The man with the clipboard narrowed his eyes, checking his manifest in a meticulous manner that ensured nothing would go unnoticed.
"I'm not showing any supply runs scheduled for today. In fact, my schedule doesn't have any other supplies being flown in for another couple of weeks. Who did you say sent you again?"
"I work for a local contactor company. Received the order this morning and was asked by my boss to deliver it as soon as possible. I'm just following orders."
"So you say," the clerk replied.
"Look, could you just do me a favor and recheck your manifest? Maybe hit the refresh button and see if they forgot to slip it in there by mistake."
"I highly doubt that. We run a very tight ship here. Mistakes like that don't happen. Ever."
"I'm just asking for this small favor. If I'm wrong, then I'll fly this bird out of here and have you on the horn with my supervisor within the hour. Deal?"
The man eyed him for a moment, sensing the guards next to him subtly reaching for their guns and disguising the motion as they relaxed their arms and allowed them to hand loosely by their sides. Giving a tired sigh he hit the refresh button on his tablet, expecting to see the same manifest that he'd memorized this morning while eating breakfast. It then came as a surprise when the screen flashed and revealed a supply shipment wedged into the morning schedule. He tapped on the new addition, looking over the information and comparing it to the vehicle. Reluctantly, he admitted defeat. Everything checked out.
"Seems you were right. Someone must have forgotten to mention that to me during this morning's briefing," he said, silently making a mental note to find out who and make sure they were adequately disciplined.
"Excellent. Let me just unlock the cargo hold and you boys can start unloading."
Just as those words left his mouth a loud thud could be heard from inside the shuttle. The guards exchanged looks, retrieving their side arms from their holsters and flicking the safeties off.
"Whoa, hold your horses boys, no need for that," the pilot said, holding his hands up in surrender before taking a cautionary step back.
"What did you say you were transporting?"
"Just food and Dust. Some of the containers must have shifted during the flight and fallen over. Happens sometimes."
"We'll need to verify that. Unlock the cargo hold. You, stay with him and make sure he doesn't go anywhere," the clerk said, waiting for the guard to nod before making his way to the back with the other in tow.
The door to the cargo hold began to lower, light from inside spilling in and illuminating the dark interior. Sure enough a large container had fallen over on its side, sitting in the middle of the shuttle. While most people would have taken that as proof and moved on, he was not just anyone. With the guard taking point they made their way into the shuttle, keeping their eyes peeled for anyone or anything that didn't belong. The moment they reached the container the guard placed one hand on the lock while his other kept a firm grip on his handgun. Standing a good space away, he nodded his consent and watched as the lock was released and the guard jumped back, ready to open fire.
Several packets of food rations spilled onto the floor, spilling in every direction they could. The two men breathed, having held their breath in anticipation of something far worse. Still, one last sweep through the interior revealed much of the same with more containers holding rations and others that were strapped down securely, as per regulations, containing Dust and raw Dust crystals.
"Everything checks out. We'll begin unloading and have you on your way in ten minutes. Until them please stay with the aircraft."
"Understood. Thanks for your help."
The man nodded walking away while several automated robots began unloading the cargo before depositing it elsewhere. Once he was inside and the clerk along with his guards were a good distance away he opened a secure line back to headquarters.
"Alpha wolf this is beta."
"Alpha wolf here. You're reporting in later than anticipated. Run into some trouble?"
"Nothing to worry about. One of the humans has a stick up his butt and wanted to check the cargo hold himself. Apparently one of the Gheist knocked over a container when they dispelled. They didn't notice anything so I'm in the clear. Should be heading back in a few once they're done unloading."
"Excellent. Adam will be pleased to hear everything is progressing smoothly. Gama and Sigma are nearly done as well. Once your finished report back for your next assignment."
"Roger that."
Flicking off the transceiver, he checked the mirrors to see how much the Atlas scrapheaps had left to unload. It didn't look like much which was good. The sooner he could leave the better. He wanted to put as much space between himself and this ship as possible. It was one thing to ask him to fly a shuttle onto an Atlas military vessel. Given their reputation for how they treated the Faunus out in Atlas the opportunity to strike back at them in any way possible was too good an opportunity to pass up. What had him hesitant in the beginning was what he would be transporting.
Troops and explosives were one thing. He could trust them to do their jobs and follow instructions. Being told to transport Grimm and three of them at that was pushing the limits of what was reasonable. He didn't care what people told him, simply flying a shuttle with Grimm on it made him nervous. Hell, he was surprised none of the Atlas personnel had noticed. Just went to show what a bunch of lazy, stuck up pricks they were.
The plan was simple enough. Thanks to an ally of theirs situated in Beacon, a virus had been implanted into the CCT network that enabled them to hack certain systems and modify things. While its range of uses wasn't great, what devices they could control were utilized to their greatest extent hence why he'd asked the guy to hit the refresh button on his tablet. A simple change was all it took to throw off suspicion. The worst part was trusting the Grimm didn't go berserk as soon as they set down or when the doors opened. While he'd never encountered a Grimm himself, he'd heard enough about them to know they were bad news. Gheist more than anything were some of the worst. Capable of possessing most organic and inorganic objects, they were tricky and versatile, becoming even more troublesome the longer they'd survived.
The three he had to transport in particular had him on edge. They were nothing like he'd expect. Where Grimm were known for having white bone masks and blood red veins and eyes, these creatures had instead green veins and eyes, giving them an altogether creeper appearance if such a thing was possible. What's worse was how they'd obeyed the human with the bionic eye's commands without question. They'd acted more like pets, eager to please their master as they slipped into the shuttles and remained quiet the entire trip. It was disturbing to say the least and knowing what their purpose here was he couldn't help but feel a small swell of sympathy for the bastards. Well, sympathy for the Faunus soldiers. The humans could all fuck themselves. This was a revolution, after all, and no revolution could avoid having a few martyrs on their march towards victory.
/-/
Weiss sat in the infirmary bed, an IV stuck into her arm as she flicked through the channels on the television. She wasn't looking for anything in particular and probably wouldn't find anything that didn't somehow pertain to the Vytal festival itself. A few news shows were showing reruns of the fight she and Yang had just won. One or two were showing the desperate attempt she'd made to try and take Flint Coal out of the fight, managing to only drop his aura and eliminate herself as a result. The rest had been up to Yang who had managed to utilize her semblance, knocking both competitors out before coming to her aid.
Despite her injuries, which were superficial at best, the doctors had insisted that she at least be looked at given that she had tumbled into a fire pit, breaking her aura and breathing in a good deal of smoke in the process. Thankfully they'd backed off when Tsune entered, quickly ascertaining that she was merely dehydrated and just needed some fluids, and shoved the other doctors out of the room before they'd had a chance to argue with her or before she resorted to threatening them with some of her sharper toys. While she was well aware of the woman's reputation, she was nonetheless grateful for her aid in preventing them from making her injuries out to be something worse. No doubt she'd have received an urgent call from her Father soon after to inquire as to what had happened and probably insist she be sent home to recover.
The only problem now was the fact that she was completely and utterly bored. It would be some time before the IV was empty and she would be cleared to go. Her team had obviously come by to check up on her but their visit had been short lived as Tsune pushed them out of the room so as not to disturb her rest. In their absence Weiss found herself wishing she had something to occupy her time. The television was a bust as there was nothing at all entertaining on and everything on social media was about the festival making that a bust as well. She wasn't even tired which made sleeping null and void. All she could do was hope that someone or something would walk through the door to give her a distraction.
"Weiss, you have a visitor," Tsune said, interrupting her thoughts.
Confused by how nonchalant Tsune had been about that, especially given how insistent she'd been with shooing everyone else out, she started to wonder who might have garnered the respect or interest needed to allow them an extended stay. Her first thought was her sister. Winter could be quite forceful and imposing when she wanted and would have undoubtedly refused to be barred from seeing her sister no matter what threats Tsune shot her way. However, her sister was currently on duty and had told her she would be preoccupied with matters pertaining to Atlas and the reclaiming of the other missing Atlas Paladins. She was therefore surprised when a familiar crop of brown hair and blue eyes popped into view.
"Jau- Phoenix, hello," she said, quickly catching herself before she spoke his real name.
"I'll leave you two alone. Try not to cause too much noise," Tsune said with a wink, causing Weiss to shudder as she realized why.
"You know, even though I'm no longer a student here, that woman still makes me nervous," he said once he was certain she was out of earshot.
"And we always wondered why the older years always advised we avoid trying to fake being sick."
"It only takes you one time to learn your lesson," he finished, chuckling along with her. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit lethargic. Honestly, the media is making it out to be worse than it is," she said, only noticing then that he had his right arm hidden behind his back, having mistaken it for being gone as he typically didn't wear his prosthetic in public. "What are you hiding behind your back?"
"Just thought you might want something to brighten up the room," he said, pulling out a bouquet of flowers. "I didn't know your favorite so I just bought an assortment," he said, glancing around to notice a few other vases with white roses on the nearby tables from fans, "though I'm starting to think it might be roses."
"It's not," she said quickly, taking the flowers and breathing in their wonderful scent. "Honestly, I find them much too cliché, especially with just how many I would be sent during my singing career. These are a beautiful contrast, thank you," she said, taking some pride in the fact her complement had elicited a goofy smile and blush from the young man. "I take it you came to ask me about my match?" she asked.
"We saw it. That is to say, your sister and I caught it during our patrol," he added after she gave him a curious look. "While I understand she is your older sister and you no doubt have a great deal of respect for her, I can't help but find it odd that all her comments would be focused on the flaws she found in your strategy."
"She means well," Weiss replied. "No doubt she'll mention them to me later but add how proud she is of us coming out on top. Speaking of, how well have you and she been getting along?"
"Well, she hasn't tried to kill me yet or inflict bodily harm so I'll take that as a plus," he said jokingly. "In all honesty though I can tell she doesn't like me at all. It may simply be the business manner in which she speaks to me but I can tell she looks down on me for my career choice."
"Well, you are a vigilante. That technically makes you a criminal," Weiss pointed out.
"I'm aware," he said, rolling his eyes. "However, the fact that I've been officially recognized not only by the Council but by Ozpin himself should at least give me some leeway."
"It'll take more than that to earn her acknowledgement," she replied, cocking an eyebrow in response.
"So I've noticed," he replied.
"So, did you just come here to visit me or was there something else on your mind?" she asked.
The moment she asked, Jaune found himself propelled back to the events of the previous night, reliving their conversation and the sudden, though not unappreciated, kiss she'd forced on him before fleeing into the night. Already he could feel the heat creeping up his neck as he focused on the sensation he'd felt the moment her lips met his. It must have shown on his face as Weiss was giving him a curious look.
"So, yea, there is something I've been wondering," he said, scratching the back of his neck in that old nervous tick of his that had been reborn with Weiss. "Last night, before you left, you, um, you kissed me."
"O-oh, yes, I do believe I did" she replied, her own face beginning to heat up.
"I was just wondering, um, what it was all about," he said, venturing a look over to her.
"I'm honestly not sure myself," she replied.
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. "I'm not trying to read into anything. I know that our relationship is on shaky ground as is so I don't want to assume anything and make things worse as a result. I was just curious as to why, especially with everything that's been going on."
Weiss was silent for a long time. It wasn't that she didn't have an answer for him or that she didn't want to answer. It was simply that she didn't know how to explain what had happened. She knew what she'd said and was intent on sticking by her word. Things between them were strained but she appreciated the fact that he was acting in a manner that respected her wishes and wanted to help improve things between them. So why had she kissed him?
The easy answer would have been that she'd allowed her emotions to overcome her. Given everything that had happened, the constant life and death situations coupled with Jaune's reveal that he was indeed alive and what's more he was Phoenix, the man she'd come to respect, admire, and even love. The best explanation she could come up with was that those feelings, despite being tied to an alter ego, were still tied to Jaune in some way and that, despite knowing he'd been lying to her for months, he'd at least had the good conscious to admit everything and face the consequences of his actions. It had been a confusing time for her and she wasn't even sure herself of why she had kissed him. What she did know was how much it reminded her of their first kiss at the dance. It had been the same sensation, intoxicating, but when she finally realized what she'd done she'd felt the sudden urge to leave, only realizing later just how confused she must have left him in her wake.
"I wish I had a better explanation but I honestly don't know myself," she said, choosing to instead spare him the long and confusing explanation she'd just gone over in her head.
"Alright," he replied, not at all looking convinced but deciding to drop the matter, something she appreciated.
"So, if I'm allowed to ask, what will you be up to later?" she asked, the insinuation that she was speaking about Archangel apparent in her tone.
"I'll be returning to Amity to upload a program into the stadium's database."
"Isn't that dangerous? Atlas security is no joke, Jaune, and even if you've been recognized by the Council I doubt General Ironwood will appreciate you uploading an unknown program on their computers without their knowledge."
"I'm aware of that which is why I won't be going as Archangel. Lazarus has already forged a fake identity for me and uploaded it into the roster. To anyone I meet I'll seem like one of the night shift workers so no one will bat an eye. From there it's a quick and simple upload, then I leave. Half an hour tops, no fighting involved."
"I hope your right," she said warily. "What does the program do, if I can ask?"
"Nothing much. Given what happened to Ruby at the dance we suspect something was upload onto the CCT servers. This program is designed to isolate that program once it's activated, piggyback off of it, and locate its source. In other words it'll allow to know who controlling it and from where."
"That's actually quite impressive," she said, genuinely surprised. "Given that we don't know what was uploaded this could give us an edge should something happen."
"Exactly," Jaune confirmed. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that and we manage to stop whomever has been behind the attacks but this will at least give us something to fall back on."
"All the same be careful. We don't how powerful these people are or how far their influence reaches. You could be walking into a trap."
"I'll be careful Weiss. I'm not walking blindly into danger," he said with a smirk.
"You'd better not. I won't forgive you if you get yourself hurt," she replied.
Jaune smiled, both humored and flattered by Weiss' concern. For a moment there was silence between them with neither knowing if nor what they should say, instead choosing to gaze at one another. As time slipped by Weiss began to wonder if Jaune was going to lean over and kiss her and a small part of her hoped he would. She quickly disregarded that feeling, forcefully reminding herself of her desire to keep their relationship friendly until she felt things had sufficient time to heal. When he did begin to lean forward she felt her heart skip a beat and panic rose within her as she floundered for what she should do. It was only after he'd risen out of his seat that she realized he had been pushing himself up and, as a result, had leaned closer to her. She found herself surprised to be disappointed at this revelation, giving him a quiet goodbye as she watched him exit the infirmary.
Had her semblance allowed her to read minds she might have realized that Jaune really had intended to kiss her, catching himself at the last moment and masking it as if he was rising from his chair. He had to leave. The more time that passed the harder it became for him to control himself. He had to show Weiss he could be trusted to respect her wishes, even if it was extremely difficult for him to do so.
/-/
Beacon – Cinder's room
"Are you all clear on your roles tomorrow?" Cinder asked, sitting with on her bed with one leg crossed over the other while Emerald sat opposite from her ramrod straight in a chair and Mercury performed crunches on the floor.
"Yep, I'll be fighting blonde from team RWBY tomorrow. I'll make a good show before Emerald tags her with her semblance and causes her to break my leg. I'll make a show for the cameras before you and Neo come into the ring disguised as paramedics before taking me out of the ring. Blonde will be left to take the fall and give everyone watching something to mull over," he said with a chuckle.
"Excellent," Cinder confirmed with a smile. "From there we'll focus our efforts on Pyrrha Nikos, ensuring her opponent is Penny Paladina. It'll be a matchup for the ages, one that's sure to cause quite a stir after its conclusion."
"Um, Ma'am," Emerald said tentatively.
"Yes Emerald," Cinder said, her eyes focusing on her disciple in a manner that promised swift retribution should her question be something even remotely unintelligent.
"I understand the importance of what we're doing tomorrow and how each fight is meant to build the tension and negativity in the air but will it be enough?"
"Of course it will. Come on, I'm about to break a leg out there, literally, and the invincible girl is going to murder a fellow student. How do you not see those working?" Mercury asked.
"I'm asking because our last operation, which was supposed to be the foundation for all of this, was thwarted before it had a chance to cause an impact," Emerald argued.
"Oh, come one," Mercury complained.
"No, she's correct," Cinder interjected, eyeing her in a manner that showed she was pleased with how well she'd thought her question through. "Please, continue."
"Thank you ma'am. The operation was a failure, with both the Atlas military and Beacon responding to the incident at the exact point where it was supposed to breach the city and cause massive damage, not to mention cause Grimm to swarm into the city. Instead it fizzled out with the White Fang defeated and the Grimm slaughtered. Even Roman was captured."
"He was supposed to be captured. It was planned."
"Yes, but that was under the assumption that the breach would be a success. Now we've had to change our plans to accommodate this unfortunate setback. For all we know Torchwick's capture could prove to be more of a hindrance than a help. I simply want to know if tomorrow's events will prove enough to make up for our previous setback."
"What about that Merlot guy? Adam already confirmed that his Gheist are on board the Atlas cruisers. Once they're set loose they'll cause a good deal of havoc and we even have Adam making preparations in the city itself. All things considered, the festival is going out in a bang."
"Yes but can they be trusted?" Emerald asked. "Adam is a loose cannon acting in his own self interests. The only reason he's helping us is because he believes our actions here will further the White Fang's goals. Even Merlot is an unknown variable. He's not loyal to Salem like we are. He's working alongside us for his own goals. Who's to say he won't turn on us when things don't work out the way he'd planned?"
"An excellent point, to be sure," Cinder concluded, noticing the pleased smile that came across Emerald's face from the praise. "In spite of recent setbacks, tomorrow's events will act as the prelude to what we have in store for Vale. Once the matches have finished we'll activate the virus, giving us complete control over the stadium as well as Atlas' little toy soldiers. From there Adam will do his part with Merlot backing him up. I've even given Neo new orders to pass along to Roman once she's aboard Ironwood's flagship. He'll be hitting new targets once he's gained control."
"Any place we should avoid?" Mercury asked.
"Let's just say we won't be spending any time at the stadium," Cinder replied with a devious smile. "That, in of itself, should prove enough of a distraction to allow us to slip into Beacon and reclaim what is mine. With the chaos that will ensue everyone will be too busy trying to calm the crowds and figure out who is truly responsible to notice any of us. The negativity that arises should be enough to make up for lost time."
"Understood Ma'am," Emerald replied.
"Got it," Mercury shot back before returning to his workout.
Satisfied, Cinder returned to her scroll. Behind her confident mask, however, her mind was silently going over the revised plan for the coming days. Fact of the matter was she had no guarantee that their actions would be enough to awaken the Grimm Wyrm that slept in the nearby mountains. While it wasn't necessary, its presence would help to generate an immense amount of negativity not only from its sheer size but its unique ability to spawn Grimm from the pieces of itself the fell off. Having a creature like that on the loose would serve as a greater distraction and target for their enemies to deal with as well as drive home the belief that their efforts were hopeless, ensuring Vale's complete destruction and takeover by the Grimm. While before it was certain, now she wasn't quite sure.
One thing she could say for certain was that Archangel's interference had proven an undesirable thorn in their side. The man obviously had powerful connections, enough so that he was able to amass the literal army that had been waiting for them at the Breach and brought the operation to a swift end. Curiously those same allies didn't seem to consider him one of their own, if their efforts to capture him at the scene were anything to go by. Granted, this could have been a rouse, something to show to ensure the public and by extension themselves didn't realize that he was working for them behind the scenes. However, she had her doubts about this. For one, if they had been working together there was a strong possibility a great many of their operations in the past would have met with similar setbacks. No, if they were aligned against her then it was a recent development and one that had proved to be in their favor.
In truth Cinder would love nothing more than to skewer that man or perhaps even burn him alive. Sadly, unlike their other opponents, she didn't know a thing about him. He'd come onto the scene only recently this year and with no evidence to tie him back to anyone she would have a difficult time tracking him down or even luring him into a trap. It would also prove to be a useless distraction, one she couldn't afford to take at the moment. Her only other lead on the man was Merlot and even he was proving to be an enigma. The fact that one of his bases of operation had been near the area where they were making preparations for the breach and had been infiltrated by Archangel not long before was far from a coincidence. She strongly suspected the Doctor had intentionally led Archangel there and, once he was finished with their confrontation, had pointed him in the direction of the White Fang and Roman.
The problem was she didn't have any proof. Merlot was a separate player in this game of theirs. She didn't hold any control over him and even if she did try to exert some control he'd no doubt pull away, destroying anything that might led her to his next location and leaving them without a useful ally. What's more his Grimm were loyal only to him. Something in the process of recreating them that imprinted him as their master, making them completely subservient to him. That could prove a problem, especially if he used them as a distraction for her to deal with while he escaped. Yes, for now he would prove a useful ally, at least until she found something to use against him then he would either bend the knee or lay in a pile of ash.
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Amity Stadium – Later that night…
Jaune did his best to walk casually, keeping his pace even and relaxed despite how badly his nerves were acting up at the moment. He hoped his hat, which he had set down far enough to obscure his face while not looking odd or out of place, would be enough to keep him out of view of the cameras. It wouldn't have mattered regardless. Lazarus had assured him that his identity as well as a photo had been uploaded to the system and backdated, making him appear as if he'd been working there for a quite a number of years. It would take someone a fair amount of time to uncover the truth and by then he would be long gone, most likely working on another mission.
Still, a small part of him worried that anyone of the people he walked past just might look up and not recognize his face, leading to an awkward situation that would no doubt cost him precious time. By some stroke of luck he made his way towards the main sever room without any problems. Taking out an I.D. card he was given he swiped it through the machine before punching in a six digit code. The panel turned green and issued a loud beep before unlocking the door to admit entrance. Jaune entered, quickly shutting the door behind him and checking to make sure he was alone.
The room was hot, mostly from all the heat being generated by the servers, but not so much that it was suffocating. It was temperature controlled, ensuring nothing overheated and caught fire. That would undoubtedly lead to some major problems down the line not to mention cause massive panic should they be set off. Idly Jaune wondered if whatever had been uploaded previously might be intended for that purpose. It was possible and something he would bring up with Lazarus when they next met. For now he would focus on the task at hand.
He moved to the back, picking a server that was well out of view of the door should anyone come in behind him. Taking out the thumb drive he had on him he quickly pushed it in, waiting patiently for something to happen. The server clicked, the small screen lighting up as lines of code scrolled by. It took only a few minutes before the screen turned off and another click sounded. Jaune grabbed the thumb drive, stowing it away before exiting the room. Once more he did all that he could to make his walk seem as natural as possible. Thankfully what little nervousness he'd had was dispelled thanks to the pleased feeling he had at accomplishing his mission. Now all that was left to do was watch and wait. Sooner or later their enemy would make their next move and he would be ready to react at a moment's notice and bring this long and arduous battle to an end.
Bit of a shorter chapter this week. Trying to put more effort into putting out quicker updates so people aren't waiting a month or more between updates of my stories, especially when I just recently dropped a new story on top of the others. Next few chapters of Archangel are going to start hitting the climax. Thinking maybe two or three to really encompass everything that will be happening. I want to do the final battle some justice and not just drop a chapter or two with scant detail on what's going on. Also trying to incorporate Merlot into the plot a little more to at least fill in the question of "what now?" Honestly, as soon as people started bringing up the fact that I'd basically derailed the main plot of the first three volumes and everything that lead up to the climax I found myself wondering "shit, what am I going to do?" Thankfully it wasn't long before I came up with something.
World War Remnant will be dropping next. Getting excited not only for that but for Ice Dragon of Remnant as well. Make sure to favorite, follow, and review.