"Okay, so what's the plan?"
The clouds overhead covered the moonlight, and the streetlights below left the pair of hunters damn near invisible to anybody on the ground, which was perfect for reconnaissance, although they kept themselves low to the ground until the coast was clear.
"Well," Scylla began. "Figuring out why Blake and Sun are here isn't the main problem right now. So I say we head over there, take out the guards, and get inside...Somehow."
"It's a start." Cyprus sighed, and quickly leapt between the two buildings, landing with a quick roll and placing his body alongside a large square air conditioning unit. streaks of orange and brown stained the white surface, showing the neglect after years of constant service, at least it did its job well enough, as the vigilante was hidden from the view of an armed member of the White Fang who passed a few moments later. Watching the masked guard make his way slowly around the inner perimeter of the rooftop, he raised his hood just in time to spot a second guard make his way around the outer edge opposite his own position.
Scylla watched as Cyprus silently crept his way around, following the trail of the first guard, sticking between cover as to not get spotted as the two Faunus made their way past each other and towards opposite ends of the rooftop.
"Okay, on my signal, ready?" He whispered into his earpiece, pulling his compacted weapon from its holster on his hip. The guard on the inner side was gazing out lazily over the buildings, blind to the young man effortlessly making his way to his back, and in a flash it was over for him. His legs swept from underneath, the guard could barely get out a quite whimper as an elbow came crashing down into his face and crashing him into the ground. Any bouts of resistance were stripped away when the electrified weapon hissed and crackled as it was pressed into his stomach by the hooded student, rendering him unconscious.
"Alright, back in business." Scylla said to herself in a hushed whisper, as the second guard finally made it to where Cyprus had first arrived on the rooftop after circling around, leaving a target on their back as they spun to the sound of a grunt and crackle of violent energy.
The hacker took a running leap, her crossbow unfolding into the longer, trident form as she jumped across the gap, soaring over the alleyway below. As the guard turned to investigate the sudden eruption of noise, they were quickly made unconscious through a knock to the back of the head by the butt of Scylla's weapon. Their bodies slumping to the floor with a soft thump, the rooftop was clear and gave the investigators some much needed breathing room.
"If we head straight down the stairs, there's no telling how many guards are that way, or how quickly we'll be spotted." Scylla said, eyeing the white metal door that led inside, the only clear route for any others to take. Thankfully, Scylla's sharp eye spotted another, more stealthy route.
"So, what do you suggest?" Cyprus asked, grunting as he moved a large box in front of the doorway, blocking it.
"I hope you're light on your feet, or in this case..." The redhead smiled as she pulled free a grate covering a small, man-sized hole on the roof, a vent leading into the building a perfect cover for anybody looking to sneak around. " All fours."
The vigilante moved towards the square opening. It was a tight fit to be sure, but his lithe form and smaller armour made him the better choice to move in, stale, dry air peppering his face as he squinted and looked down the hole, complete blackness enveloping the inside.
"I hate you." He said, stone faced.
"I know, now get moving. I'll keep an eye on the roof in case anything happens."
Cyprus bumped and knocked every bit of his body as he squirmed in the tight crawlspace. The hollow vent echoing the noises he made with each push he made. A small drop led into a series of level straights and angled slides that had him moving deeper into the building, the sounds of the crowd could be heard soon enough through the slitted grates that were found every dozen or so meters. Trying to move as silently as he could, his efforts slowed to a literal and figurative crawl as he worked especially hard to not get caught, in a spot like this he wouldn't make it very far if someone caught on to their scheme.
"See anything yet?" Scylla said as she watched over the alleyways, spotting scattered groups and individuals finding their way inside the complex.
"There's a lot of Faunus here, Scyl'."
"I mean they've only grown in popularity, it's not that surprising when most people still see them as a peaceful movement."
Cyprus thought of the possibility of how large their numbers could truly get, if these were the numbers the White Fang drew in every time they hosted some kind of rally, who knows how popular they could get. His concerns were pushed aside however, as he noticed the familiar faces amidst the crowd. "I see Blake, looks like she's there for the same reason as the rest of them."
"At least she's not at the mic." Scylla breathed a sigh of relief, "Maybe a crisis of faith?"
"Maybe, but she seemed pretty adamant that-" He paused, taking note of the quieting crowd as a heavily build man took the stage.
The room was a mixture of uniformed White Fang members, their vests with the red symbol on their backs, and grey masks littered the crowd, and new potential recruits. A quick head count and Cyprus guessed at least a hundred in session. The vent gave him the perfect view of the warehouse, seeming to be on the left side of the building, he caught a single large banner between a pair of large, metal stages that was flying the organisations' colours. Guards stood watching intently, moving back and forth along rafters by the windows a few meters above the ground, and only the strip of stage lights in the centre of the room illuminated the interior.
Taking out his Scroll, the robed figure aimed it as best he could for a view of the stage, and started to record just as a man walked on stage.
"Thank you all for coming..." He began, a deep voice booming throughout the warehouse, no doubt thanks to a microphone beneath his full-face mask, only his short black hair a visible feature. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a special comrade of ours. I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long." One hand clenched into a ball as the other motioned to the opposite end of the stage, revealing the infamous Roman Torchwick from the shadows, and Cyprus's mouth went dry.
"He's here, front and centre." Cyprus whispered, his breathing becoming a little shaky as he tried to reposition himself without making a scene as the criminal mastermind took the stage. Beside him, a mousey woman at least a full head shorter than the villain, a simple business suit coloured with a mixture of white, brown and pink, including her hair.
"-Thank you! Please, hold your applause." Torchwick exclaimed, a cocky smirk on his face as he eyed the crowd. A majority of the White Fang members seemed content with his appearance, but several outbursts from the crowd showed he was less popular with the newer arrivals. "Now I'll be the first to admit, humans are the worst! Case in point. So I would understand why you would love to see us all locked away, or better yet, killed!"
The arrogant spring in his step made Cyprus's blood boil, and what's worse was the fact that he had no chance of taking him down at this point. Forced into reconnaissance, the vigilante scoffed as he listened to Torchwick ramble.
"So before the claws come out, I would like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy. The ones in control." He growled, standing in place and pointing his cane out towards his right, his eyes scanning the room and watching as the crowd slowly began to turn to his side. The student stuck in the vent cursed under his breath, holding his scroll steady.
"...Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator in the room. No offence to any rodents out there."
The large flag behind the criminal began to flutter as its anchors gave way, revealing a shining new piece of equipment. It stood at least four metres high, glimmering with untouched steel plating. It's shape was vaguely humanoid, two bulky rectangular legs holding it up, with a pair of arms littered with different guns and cannons extending from the "elbows" of the machine. At it's centre was an encased square structure, a cockpit perfectly sized to accommodate a regular sized person.
"Oh crap, Scylla they have a Mech!" Cyprus said in a hushed tone, careful not to make his echo any more audible, thankfully the crowd grew in excitement at the showing of the creation. On the other side of his earpiece, he heard his teammate reply after a short while.
"Wonderful, what kind?"
"A big one. Doesn't look like it's long off the production line."
Scylla, still on the rooftop, grunted as she slid the second of the unconscious bodies into a heap in the corner of two boxes, hiding them even more so from any possible prying eyes. "Well nothing we can do about it now, you're recording it, right?"
"Of course I'm recording it, I'm not stupid." He grumbled.
"Debatable."
Shaking his head, he continued to focus through the gaps in his hiding spot.
"Would all new recruits, please step forward." One of the members announced, calling up the crowd to the stage, as the bulk began to make their way forward, Cyprus noticed his friends in the midst standing still, looking from side to side.
"Come on, don't stick around. Please." Cyprus thought, holding his breath as he wished for a preferable outcome. On the stage, however, he noticed Torchwicks' body stop still, as his head tilted to one side. And within an instant, Blake drew her weapon, and the building went dark following the flash of gunfire, all of the bright spotlights in the room flickered and died, leaving Cyprus stuck with only the soft blue hue of his scroll illuminating the area around him.
"You okay!? I heard that from here!" The voice in his head rang out, his companion already loading up her Crossbow with a bolt, the tip glowing a yellowish tinge.
"I'm fine! Blake just knocked out the lights, I think Torchwick is-" He paused as he heard the whirring of machinery, and several small blue lights illuminating the stage as the Mech began to power up, other than that it was far too dark to see, and Cyprus struggled to crawl back up through the vent before the smashing of glass could be heard.
On the roof, Scylla ran to the sound of the smashed window, only to see two figures running in the opposite direction. Beneath her, loud thumps vibrated the building, causing it to shake and rattle. Instinct taking over, Scylla backed up a few steps, and sprinted towards the edge, her body leaping over the parapet just as a flurry of bricks and sheet metal exploded beneath her. The lower half of the building's side wall collapsing as the now activated machine broke through, giving immediate chase to Blake and Sun. Her arms flailing, Scylla focused her mind, holding her breath as she activated her semblance.
Cyprus's adventure, however, had taken a far less exciting turn. The inside of the shaft proved to be far more difficult to climb out of than into, the curving incline and smooth surface resulted in him cursing every time he slipped slightly and fell back a few inches. Below him he could hear the crowd cry out in shock and terror, and the members of the White Fang rushing to calm them as they scattered. "Oh come on..." He groaned, his palms spread against the sides, the vigilante pushed his way through. At this point, he was just thankful that Scylla couldn't see him in this sorry state.
It was as if time itself slowed down. Scylla's movements slowed to a crawl, and indeed, the movements of everything around her. She could see each chunk of brick and wall beneath her as it sprayed out in a buckshot fashion, and the colossal Mech beneath her stomping slowly onto the ground below it, steadying itself before it charged forward.
Scylla took a brief second to analyse the steel, finding a suitable bar that extended horizontally along the back of the canopy in the centre, the huntress in training had located her target, and exhaling she felt time speed up once more. Her hand reaching out, she grasped the metal bar and clutched on for dear life. The momentum of the manoeuvre caused her to land rather roughly on the plating, her body crashing into it, though thankfully no louder than the machines' thunderous steps.
The back of the Mech looked vastly different from the front, a series of large metal tubing connecting to each limb and weapon that it held in it's seemingly vast arsenal. Loud booms emerged from the guns on both arms in slow sequence, firing pot shots at the pair making their getaway. Scylla grunted as she struggled to lift herself higher, peeking over the shoulder of the behemoth, and noticing it was heading straight for the busy highway.
"Worth a shot." The hacker thought as she grasped her Trident in her off hand, she thrust the three points into one of the tubes, piercing the thick metal where it was weakest and causing sparks of electricity to shoot from the exposed, now damaged wiring.
Unfortunately for her, this also caused the Machine to jolt in response, and the man in the cockpit had taken notice of the damage.
"Oh, you kids...Every time!" Torchwick exclaimed, a muffled response to the bug on his back. The Atlas Mech increased it's pace as it chased the pair, and as Blake and Sun made their way upwards towards the elevated road, the criminal was soon to follow. The machine dug itself into the concrete, the whirr of hydraulics as it prepared itself to jump, Scylla knew she would need to hold on tight before it jumped. Unfortunately, the sheer torque and power in it's jump, caused her to lose the grip she had, and slipped around halfway on her jump, landing against a nearby roof with a grunt.
The ensuing carnage above her on the highway echoed into the distance as the battle raged on. But with no way back up, the girl was stuck with licking her wounds, her Aura pulsing as it waned over her form, the impact against the building quite a lot to take in.
"Ouch. Hey, Cy'? Where are you?" She asked, picking some rubble from her hair.
"Oh yeah I'm fine!" He began, grunting as he pulled his lower half from the vent entrance. "Thanks for all your help, real kind of you."
"I lost Torchwick, he took off after Blake."
Cyprus rolled his eyes after picking himself up, uncouthly falling to the floor once escaping his prison. "Of course we lost him."
Scylla jumped from the rooftop, landing with a quick roll before finding her footing in the open space between the lines of buildings. Looking around however, she noticed something, or rather failed to, among the debris, crushed ground and spewed concrete. "I also lost Prismatic Flurry, must still be in that stupid Mech."
"Oh, damn. You love that thing." Cyprus gulped, looking over the carnage and seeing his redheaded friend in the near distance, scanning aimlessly to see if she could spot her weapon. Though, looking further ahead, he could see Torchwick and his new toy barrelling down the highway, completely out of sight.
"I'm sure it'll turn up, but come on. We have to go before the cops get here."
"Bumblebee!" Ruby cried out, calling to her teammates. The four currently encircled the Mech, it's monstrous frame making its way down the freeway with the group in pursuit, they barely managed to escape the mass of thrown cars and destroyed architecture before the group collapsed back down to the empty space below the towering pillars that held up the road. So far, the battle had gone well. Team RWBY getting a fine chance to show off their ability to work as a unit, with the youngest member proving herself a reliable leader. Torchwick's machine had already taken several hits, and pieces of it's armoury were either too damaged to work, shot off, or malfunctioning through other as of yet unknown means.
Yang circled herself around in a wide horizontal ark, the Faunus member of the team holding the pair together by the long, elastic like ribbon of her weapon, Gambol Shroud. Boosting herself with a few hits of her weapon, the brawler launched herself towards the machine, knocking it back with a swift kick, but still it stood.
"We've got to slow it down!" Ruby yelled, thinking up yet another quick strategy.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Weiss replied, standing beside her at the ready.
"Ice Flower!"
Levelling her Scythe's blade into the ground, Ruby eyed down her sights towards Torchwick, whilst her teammate created a trio of white, shining Glyphs before her. Firing a shot, the bullet took on an icy bloom, followed by a swarm of smaller pieces that impacted the surface of the Machine. Covering it in expanding shards, it caused the moving pieces of their adversary to struggle and creak.
With another circle around from Yang, she smashed gauntlet first into the cockpit of the Mech, crumpling it severely before the oncoming force sent it flying, crashing into the ground dozens of meters away. Pieces of shrapnel and armour plating scattered over the road, until the cockpit itself shattered to pieces, and Torchwicks sleek, well dressed form emerged.
"Alright, I think that's enough." Torchwick grunted, picking himself up and dusting himself off right as a round of blazing fire headed his way. And at that moment, the Crime Lords' acquaintance dropped as if from nowhere, deflecting the damage from Yang's weapon with what looked like a simple Parasol. Remaining completely silent, the woman in the flashy business suit twirled the handle around, spinning the item until it rested on her shoulder, all the while giving a cheeky grin to the four. "Ladies. Ice Queen. No desperate friend with a death wish tonight?"
"He's not the only one who's got their eyes on you!" Yang exclaimed, pumping her fists as she readied her next shot.
"Pity, would have loved to see his pathetic head roll tonight. But as always, it's been a pleasure." Torchwick looked to his defender, who was already bowing as she prepared their exit. "Neo, if you would."
Yang had heard enough, charging directly at the pair of ne'er-do-well's. Only to have their bodies shatter like glass upon impact with her gauntlet, prompting her to glance around her in confusion.
"Where did they go?" Ruby asked.
"How did they do that!?" Weiss followed, lowering her weapon as she saw a hulking ship fly overhead. Torchwick and his new friend waving, aggravatingly towards the group stranded in the middle of the overlapping roads.
"Now what?" The Heiress said, feeling somewhat defeated despite destroying the powerful machine that was in their enemies possession.
"Well, we did some damage at least. And we know that he's got more than the White Fang on his side." Ruby replied, shrugging.
"But we have to find out where he's going! We should follow him." Blake exclaimed. Following the aircraft with her index finger, her eyes scanning for the likely trajectory and beginning to walk in it's direction before quickly being stopped by Yang.
"You know they're long gone." She said flatly, "Come on, we'll get another shot. I promise." Smiling, she began to guide the quiet one of the group back towards the nearest freeway entrance, Yang of course having left her bike against one of the guard-rails on the side of the bridge.
"Hey, what's this?" Ruby piped, the mess of shrapnel and metal plating hiding a long, thin piece of something that looked very out of place. A pole-arm of sorts, only a significant chunk seemed to have been ripped off, encrusted with Dust crystals. "Looks like someone's weapon."
"Not just anybody's." Weiss said, her brow furrowed as she took hold of the remaining piece, three sharp prongs speared into a large bit of electrical tubing, smoking with red Dust as the mechanism flickered and waned, strings of metal and chunks of black and grey gears littered the ground nearby. Pulling it free, she matched it with the other piece, Scylla's weapon was a wreck. "So Scylla and Cyprus were here, too."
"They lied to us. CFVY said they were in Sumire." Blake scowled, feeling instantly double crossed.
"Maybe there's an explanation." Ruby said, ever the optimist.
"Well find out soon enough, come on. We need to get moving." Yang said, looking around at the carnage they had all been a part of, and was eager to leave. The sound of sirens was distant, but moving ever closer as the Authorities followed the trail left behind. Weiss begrudgingly took hold of both halves of Scylla's trident, knocking them together briefly in a vain attempt to recombine the sections, before sighing.
Cyprus collapsed on the bed, the irritatingly long trek into the main city was draining in of itself. But to do it whilst also acting natural whilst also dressed head to toe in their Huntsman attire was another challenge in of itself. They kept to rooftops when they could, but around the taller complexes and open spaces, there wasn't much of a choice. Thankfully, the pair seemed to make it back in one piece.
"Usually you've complained about something by now." He said in jest, unlocking their door.
Scylla remained silent.
"Hey, you good?" He turned as he flicked on the light, only for his companion to stroll right past him, sitting at her desk quietly, eyes fixed on her small laptop screen. Cyprus sighed. "I know it meant a lot to you, we'll do what we can to find it, maybe Blake picked it up if they managed to take that thing down?"
"We shouldn't have left. Either the cops will get it, or some idiot on the street, or it got broken..." The hacker said, undoing her braid and allowing her surprisingly long, crimson locks to fall down her shoulder. The vigilante began to remove his armour, placing it on the table beside him before making his way to Scylla and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"One of the Huntsman in your village made it for you, right? I can understand not wanting to lose something so important. We can get some rest, then wake up early and head back to the Warehouse, see if it got dropped somewhere along the way." He said, unsure how exactly the two were going to find Prismatic Flurry, but as far as Cyprus was concerned, it was top priority. Scylla nodded and rose from her seat, her head hung as she turned to walk to her bed, before she could make it a few feet, however, her friend pulled her into a tight hug. "Shower, then sleep. Okay?" He chuckled, and for a moment he knew he saw the briefest of smiles.
As Scylla made her way towards the bathroom, she was pulled into a hug by her friend, holding her tight for a moment before letting go and patting her comically on the head. Turning away, he opened up his Scroll to compose a message, while continuing to place his gear in a neat pile.
"Ozpin,
Caught Torchwick at a White Fang rally, somehow he stole an Atlas Mech, too.
Didn't catch him, but there was a girl working with him that we've not seen before. Sending you a recording.
- Haze."
Before he sent off the footage, he re-watched the video. Due to the clunky positioning in the vent, he didn't get the greatest of angles, and a small amount of the video was spent looking horizontal lines that covered the opening and shakiness of his movements blurring the footage.
"Mental note, never become a director." Cyprus thought to himself before sighing and attaching the file to his message. Flicking the light off, he lay himself sideways on his couch, listening to the distant sound of the water running in the next room as sleep began to take over.
A solid half an hour went by, and Scylla exited the shower, her armour neatly folded in her arms, and replaced by a set of long sleeved pyjamas. Sighing, she placed them on the table beside Cyprus's, deciding that cleaning the set would require more effort than she could fathom for the rest of the night. As she lay on her own bed in the next room, her Scroll began to ping, the soft chime causing her to jump a little before quickly taking it in her grasp.
"We need to talk."
"Blake?" Scylla thought, her palms getting clammy at the straightforward, yet nerve wracking message. Then the thought occurred, if her weapon managed to stay in the Mech through it's pursuit, and she and Sun ended up fighting it, then there's a chance that they would have found it. Although, what she read didn't exactly inspire confidence in the matter, perhaps she was merely spotted by them at some point.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Come back to Beacon tomorrow, and bring Cyprus with you."
She felt like she had been scolded by a parent, caught in the act of doing something she shouldn't. Which could very well be the case, but there wasn't much to do about it now, and sighing before placing her scroll on a bedside table, she let her heart rate decline, working herself into slumber.
Torchwick grumbled in co-pilots' seat of the craft, A woman with two small horns on her head sat at the helm of the airship, her body donning clothing with White Fang colours.
"Unbelievable, those kids are becoming more of a nuisance every day. I get the feeling we should kill them sooner, rather than later. What do you think?" He said, turning to the doorway of the cockpit, his companion stood holding onto a guard rail above her, smiling and shrugging as she let him vent. "You know, one day I'll get you talking, Neo."
Neopolitan kicked her heel against the ships' floor, her long white boots reaching to her knees helped to elevate her a good six inches, though that still only helped her achieve a marginal increase in height when compared to Roman.
Before he could continue his one sided conversation, a voice tainted by a slight bit of static emanated through the dashboard speaker.
"Roman? I'd like a status update at some point." The sultry, confident voice without a hint of being masked, Cinder waited rather impatiently for a response.
"Always a delight, Cinder. And boy do I have an amazing update for you!" He began, leaning back into the leather of his seat and chuckling, lighting a cigar. "Would you like the good news, or the bad news?"
"The very idea of bad news tells me I'm not going to be very happy." She hissed.
"If you like I can have Neo tell you." He grinned before taking a slow inhale of smoke, "The rally went well, calmed the Faunus down and got a fair few of them on our side. You'll probably have a few more cannon fodder-" He paused, looked to the pilot who side-eyed him with a scowl. "-Troops for the fight." The criminal began, rolling his eyes.
"And what's the part I won't enjoy hearing?" The woman on the other end of the line asked, her patience wearing thin.
"Well there's those idiot kids trying to sneak in on our little club, the ones from last time. Or there's our brand new freshly stolen Mech, lying in pieces beneath a Freeway. Take your pick as to which one pisses you off the most." He grumbled, his defeat sounding even more humiliating when he said it himself.
The line went dead for a few moments, and for a brief moment, Roman assumed that there was a faulty connection, or that Cinder had simply hung up on him before drilling into him. However as the ship passed through some dense clouds, blinding the crew from viewing the outside. On the plus side, it made Torchwick feel a little more at ease, the lack of vision in a way making them feel invisible to any forces that could be chasing them, even though they were already long gone.
"You continue to disappoint, Roman. I do hope you make up for this in future plans, speaking of which..." She took a brief pause, as if making sure her own notes were correct. "Head to these co-ordinates. Our friend will have a team ready to greet you."
Roman took a moment, squinting as he looked over the message and fiddled with the on-board computer, the location revealing itself over the regional map glowing on the main screen. "Mountain Glenn? What are we planning in Grimm territory?"
Cinder smirked. "You'll see in time, don't worry. The hard work will go a long way, but your punishment will be our reward."
And with that, the line went dead. An eerie silence coated the air inside the ship, only the rushing wing and gentle hum of the engines filled the void. "Alright, you heard the lady." He motioned to the pilot, gave her a haughty pat on the shoulder before retiring to the cargo bay. Neo followed, swinging her closed parasol back and forth lazily, their footsteps echoing within the hollow shell of the hull.
"This whole thing smells wrong. What do you think?" Roman asked, sitting down against the closed door, looking quickly over to his partner who stared at him blankly. "Right."
(Hey guys, just a quick author's note here! First of all thank you to everyone who is reading this story and enjoying it, and I'm always open to any kind of feedback.
I'd also like to apologise for taking such a long hiatus, I've had a lot go on on my life, and it's only recently I've found the drive to keep writing, as I'd forgotten how much fun it is to share this story with you. With that said, I hope to upload a new chapter every couple of weeks, and make this story divert more into it's own narrative. I'm trying not to rely on the canon RWBY story too much, but it does make things easier to write, and plan around, especially when it comes to certain characters and where I want them to end up. I do have things in mind that will greatly change the story to a new direction, but it's going to take time to get to that point.
Anyway, thanks for sticking around, and all of you reading this story for the first time, I hope you are enjoying it!
- Love, Yoshibee)