Chapter 16...

The sounds of nearby cars, the whooshing of cold wind and the soft hum of the street lined heat vents supplemented the dingy appearance of Mantle's streets. Off in the distance the flickering image of a massive neon sign flickered and danced. If one listened very closely the soft thrumming and reverberation of electronic music could be heard coming from the distant nightclub.

Mauve led her team towards the building, the four of them trying their best to look completely casual. They had shed their usual combat attire, instead opting for coats and clothing that would let them blend into the crowds.

Asher was walking beside Rust, the two of them were following Mauve and Sage brought up the rear. Things were still tense from the spat Mauve and Sage had earlier in the afternoon. Asher was instantly reminded of their second night as a team, when Mauve's comments towards Sage had caused a week long rift. It seemed as if the tables had turned this time with Sage being the one to distance himself from the team. The wolf faunus had spoken little since meeting them for the mission assignment and nobody knew where he had gone for those few hours.

Asher snuck a glance towards Rust, the large boy returning Asher's gaze with a knowing look. The two of them had shared some words after the spat…

A few hours earlier…

"I'm going for a walk," Mauve muttered, snatching her windbreaker off the desk chair and slipping her arms through the sleeves.

"Mauve… wait," Asher finally spoke, rising off the wall and approaching her.

"Just…" Mauve held up a hand to stop him. "Just leave me alone… I need a little time for myself."

"I…"

"Asher," Rust muttered, shaking his head as a warning.

"Thank you," Mauve directed at Rust. She gave Asher a quick peck on the cheek and then walked to the door, opening it and then shutting it gently behind her.

"That was a thing…" Asher muttered.

"A real understatement right there," Rust muttered back. "Reminds me of the day after initiation…"

"Definitely."

"Mauve was way out of line…"

Asher squeezed his eyes shut and let out a sigh. "She was... and I think she now realises it," he turned his grey eyed gaze towards his imposingly tall friend. "I guess I have to admit that Mauve and I have a few secrets… you and Sage?"

"One or two," Rust admitted.

"Is that a problem?"

"How so?"

Asher broke eye contact and looked down at his feet, kicking at the ground before responding. "We're a team… should we be keeping secrets?"

"Depends, do you want to share?" Rust tested, giving Asher a careful look.

"I-" Asher's voice wavered in hesitation.

"Then don't!" Rust responded, holding up a hand. "It's not my place to ask and it wasn't Mauve's place to judge…"

Asher nodded in understanding and folded his hands behind his head to stretch his back. The room fell into silence as the conversation fell into a natural lull.

Maybe there was still a rift in the team… not between Sage and Mauve, but between the two pairs of partners.

Back to the present…

Asher saddled up at the end of the line with the rest of the team. Mauve held up a steady hand to stop them, turning in the dim glow of the streetlights to face her team.

"Everyone remember the plan?" Mauve carefully whispered over the noise of the nightclub.

A rousing chorus of "yesses" from her teammates followed.

"Everyone have the equipment? It's all working properly?"

Another rousing chorus of "yesses."

"What do we do now?" Rust questioned his leader.

Mauve turned her amber gaze towards the long line up, scanning the throngs of civilians piling into the club. At the end of the line stood a burly looking bouncer with a face like a brick wall. If the circumstances were dire Mauve could have easily taken him… but this wasn't exactly a dire circumstance.

Mauve sighed and turned back to her team. "We wait…"

And wait they did… slowly shuffling along with the line until they came within view of the door. Asher watched as Mauve shivered from the cold, her turtleneck and jacket being insufficient to protect her from the chilly weather. He felt an incredible urge to pull her close so she wouldn't have to suffer… but they were on the job.

After an insufferably long time in the cold, the burly looking bouncer ushered the four of them into the club. The two pairs of partners separated at the doors to begin their reconnaissance of the club and its security. Sage and Rust walked off into the crowds towards the back of the club. Asher and Mauve walked in the opposite direction towards the bar and dance floor.

The young couple went about their business, doing their best to scout out the nightclubs features. Mauve carefully angled the purse hanging off her left arm, pointing the built in camera lens at a nearby security camera to snap a quick picture. Having Doctor Polendina integrate spy equipment into everyday items was pretty clever… although it was pretty weird to see Mauve with a purse.

Asher nudged her with his elbow and jerked his head towards a nearby staff door. Mauve nodded to him in the dim lights of the nightclub and pointed the purse at the door, snapping a quick picture with the built in button.

Asher felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when a large bouncer walked near his position.

He nudged Mauve again. "Follow me…"

Mauve nodded and Asher led her towards the bar, finding two free spots and laying his hands atop the counter. He felt Mauve's form glide up next to him, following his lead by laying her own hands on the counter.

"It's loud!" Asher muttered into Mauve's human ear.

"How long did it take you to figure that one out!"

"Hilarious! Very funny!"

Mauve looked at Asher thoughtfully, tapping her fingers against the bar. She turned away and motioned to the bartender, ordering two beers for them and offering some lien as payment.

Asher took the chance to interject as the bartender turned away. "Is this a good idea? Not sure we want to get drunk on the job…"

"Were not going to get drunk!" Mauve shook her head, she leaned in closer to him to whisper into his ear. "It would look a little weird if we didn't order drinks…"

"Right…" Asher mumbled back as two cold beers were set in front of them. Mauve took hers with confidence, uncapping the bottle and taking a long swig. Asher watched in fascination as she drank.

"Never knew you liked this stuff!" He spoke with genuine surprise.

"What? I've had some alcohol before…" Mauve answered.

"When?" Asher questioned. He racked his memories for a time when he had seen Mauve drink alcohol. A long time ago they helped a small village called Rifugio and a party had been thrown in their honour, but he didn't see Mauve drink anything that night.

Mauve must have sensed his confusion. "I'm not a big drinker or anything… Mistral is a little more relaxed with the drinking laws. I don't mind something alcoholic once in a blue moon..."

"Right…"

"You gonna drink?" Mauve asked, pointing to his untouched beer while taking a swig of her own.

Asher sighed and grabbed his bottle, uncapping the vessel and touching the rim of the glass to his lips. He took a hesitant sip from the bottle and gagged when a burning liquid snaked down his throat and into his stomach.

"How do you drink this shit!" Asher gagged out, slamming the bottle back onto the counter.

"Lightweight," Mauve chuckled, lacing her fingers into his.

Asher smiled at the touch but didn't reciprocate, they were still on the job after all. Mauve looked really good tonight… but that was no excuse to act rash. He quietly filed away his observations of her behaviour as well, she was acting far more personable than she had before.

While he was lost in thought, Mauve turned her gaze away to the rest of the club's occupants, feeling the unfamiliar weight of her handbag on her shoulder. She felt a spike of apprehension when she noticed a pair of bouncers sneaking a glance in their direction.

She nudged Asher gently, his grey eyes turning to find hers. "We should dance for a bit!"

"What?" He asked, looking completely flabbergasted at her suggestion.

Mauve leaned in closer to speak with him in confidence. "Two bouncers are looking at us… we need to look like patrons."

Asher nodded and smiled at her suggestion. He grabbed his beer off the counter and placed the rim to his lips, holding his nose as he chugged the drink. Asher then slammed the empty bottle on the counter, his face twisted into a tight grimace.

"You didn't have to do that," Mauve deadpanned. "You could have just left it…"

"Authenticity…" Asher wheezed, his facial expression still sour.

Mauve chuckled and downed her beer before pulling him off to the dance floor.

Meanwhile, with Sage and Rust…

Sage stayed behind Rust as the large man navigated through the packed nightclub. His imposing partner had equipped a pair of false glasses before they walked in the club, the rims modified with a built in camera to stealthily take pictures.

Sage was grateful that Rust was leading the way, it gave him some time to organize his thoughts. He already hated being back in Mantle, but the feeling of revulsion intensified the moment he spotted Omega's dingy neon sign. The entire building shook with music that was blaringly loud and the air was filled with a miasma of disgusting odours.

He also knew that the bouncer at the door recognized him… chances were his uncle already knew he was back in Mantle.

Tonight would be interesting… to say the least.

Rust stopped for a moment, with Sage also slowing down behind him so they wouldn't bump into each other. Rust turned his eyes in the direction of a security camera and blinked, an indication that he had just taken a photo.

Rust kept walking, momentarily looking behind himself to make sure Sage was still with him. The faunus boy fell back into his thoughts, turning his attention to the small digital watch on his left wrist. It was just a cheap little timepiece he had brought along… and it was working exactly as intended.

Sage sighed and peered towards a staff door, guarded by a particularly mean looking bouncer.

He tugged on Rust's arm sleeve, prompting his partner to turn around.

"Whats up?" Rust questioned over the pounding of the music.

"Gotta make a bathroom trip!"

Rust's face twisted into a concerned grimace, Sage could see it clearly even in the dim lights of the club.

"Do you want to stick together?" Rust asked him, his concerned tone coming through.

Sage shook his head. "Head over to the bar… I won't be long."

"Are you sure?"

Sage sighed to himself and gave Rust a careful look. "I'll be fine man… I can take some pictures too! Just get going!"

Rust gave Sage a scrutinizing look but nodded in acceptance. He turned away and lumbered off into the crowd, quickly becoming lost in the sea of bodies. Sage walked in the opposite direction to the staff door, trying his best to look calm as he approached the bouncer.

The large man gave Sage a long look before gesturing him in. The faunus boy took this as obvious confirmation that his uncle was aware of his presence. His legs felt like lead as he ascended the steps to the office door, feeling increasingly terrified about what was to come.

Sage paused once he reached the door and gently laid his head against the wood. He had to be very careful about how he played his cards… he sincerely hoped all those poker games with his team had played off…

Sage delivered two sharp knocks against the door, pausing for a moment before delivering a third.

"Enter," called an unmistakable voice from behind the wood panel.

The door swung open and Sage found himself locking eyes with a hardened criminal, who also just so happened to be his uncle. Verdant Bulwark didn't look very different from the projection Team MARS had been shown. He was neatly dressed in a fitted tweed suit, with well trimmed facial hair that complemented his almost gentlemanly appearance. The only quality that shattered this image were his eyes, they were as blue as Sage's but possessed a much colder quality.

That "colder quality" was intelligence… Verdant Bulwark's eyes glittered with an excess of it.

"So the rumours were true," Verdant cracked an almost friendly smile as he rose up from behind his desk. As he rose his strong and athletic build became more apparent, his broad shoulders highlighted by the sharp creases of his clothes. "My favorite nephew is back in Mantle…"

Sage bristled but managed a smile. "Here in the flesh…"

Verdant walked around the desk and pulled Sage into a warm hug. The faunus boy stiffened but did his best to soften up and return his uncle's embrace.

"Please, take a seat… we have a lot of catching up to do!" Verdant chuckled, gesturing to a guest chair as he returned to behind the desk. "Tell me… how was Beacon academy? I was most impressed when you gained admittance…"

"Beacon was fine," Sage answered coolly.

"I'm still not sure why you didn't choose Atlas," Verdant pondered out loud, resting his elbows on the desk and supporting his head with his hands. "You could have followed in my footsteps…"

"Right," Sage bristled. "That's one way to word things…" His uncle was merely trying to sound polite… he knew exactly why Sage chose Beacon.

He also knew how Sage got into Beacon in the first place...

Verdant gave Sage a slow smile, the expression creeping up the sides of his face.

"After all this time… why are you back in Mantle? You didn't say much before you left… you had me wondering…"

Sage didn't answer, keeping his jaw clenched.

"Sage?" Verdant asked, his tone slightly more demanding.

Sage looked his uncle straight in the eyes and mouthed the word "wire". Verdant's face dropped and he gestured to Sage's chest. The green haired boy unzipped his jacket and pulled up his shirt to reveal the listening device taped to his chest.

Verdant snapped his fingers and the guard that had let Sage in quickly got to work. The guard carefully removed the device and disabled it in a matter of minutes.

"You should have told me about that when you came in," Verdant muttered.

"You should have frisked me for one the moment I came in," Sage chuckled, seeing Verdant's face drop. "I think someones getting careless…"

"Very funny," Verdant chuckled.

"But even if they did hear anything… it's nothing that can be used to incriminate or implicate you," Sage spoke carefully, leaning over the edge of the desk.

"As for my question…"

"Right," Sage nodded. "You already know that Ironwood put me up to this…"

"James Ironwood," Verdant grumbled. "He always was a boy scout…"

"He's a beaurocrat," Sage sighed. "He wants you out of the picture… and he enlisted me to help."

"Does he now…?"

"He does," Sage nodded. "He made me some lofty promises if I helped him… but you and I both know he can't deliver on anything I ask of him."

"He always was a fool…" Verdant chuckled.

"He still is!" Sage agreed.

Verdant sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands behind his head but not really relaxing. He gave Sage a very long look, cold blue eyes boring into the face of his nephew.

"Going back to my previous question…" Verdant muttered. "Why are you back in Mantle? Is it because of Ironwood?"

"That's right," Sage nodded. "He pulled my team out of Vale to use me as his little pawn."

"And what of your team?" Verdant questioned.

"What about them?"

"Do they know about me… about the family business?"

"They do… Ironwood made a big show of telling them and saying how bad you were…"

"He always had a thing for dramatics!" Verdant laughed. His face suddenly became deadly serious, he placed his hands on the desk. "Will they be a problem?"

"Nope," Sage shook his head. "My bitch of a leader and her idiot partner are off somewhere 'gathering intelligence' and my oaf of a partner thinks I'm in the bathroom right now. They're taking pictures of anything and everything in the nightclub, trying to gain tactical information."

"I'll change around our guard rotations to compensate for that," Verdant replied. "I take it there's little love between you and them…"

"They are a means to an end… it's useful to keep them around," Sage answered quickly, feeling the urge to smack himself at his carelessness.

"A means to an end…" Verdant mused quietly. "What about you? Will you be a problem?"

"I'm family," Sage muttered. "I know my allegiances… I would be on the street if it weren't for you…"

"I'm glad you remember," Verdant answered, tracing a small circle on the desk with his finger. "Unfortunately… you know that I can't trust you right now…"

Sage frowned. "You would be foolish to trust me… after what I did."

"Remind me what you did?" Verdant asked rhetorically, his tone as hard and cold as a slab of granite.

"I stole all that lien…" Sage gritted his teeth. "Then I ran off to Beacon…"

"You did," Verdant gave Sage a cold smile. "But you know what? I'm willing to let you prove your loyalty… to make up for all the lien you stole from me."

"Name it!" Sage spoke eagerly.

"Two weeks ago a special shipment came into Atlas academy. Onboard the aircraft was a wooden crate that contained the parts of Penny Polendina, the fake girl who was ripped apart in the Vytal tournament. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Sage nodded his head and smiled. "I took a peek in the crates when I got a chance… it's always good to search for profit."

"I taught you well," Verdant smiled. "You… are going to bring me one of her parts…" Verdant muttered. "Any part will suffice… I will leave it to your discretion."

"Why…?" Sage questioned.

"Isn't it obvious?" Verdant chuckled. "A simulacrum that is indistinguishable from a human? There are plenty of buyers for such information… just a single body part could enable the interested powers to begin working on their own… and net me a tidy sum of lien."

"This will be a challenge," Sage grumbled. "They certainly won't hand it over... It's probably under lock and key… in a blacksite somewhere."

"My sources tell me it's still in Atlas," Verdant deadpanned. "And you have the skills to retrieve it…"

"It's been a while…"

"Then you better remember… I will give you one week, you will present it to me in this office." Verdant stopped for a moment to leer at Sage. "Ensure you are not followed…"

Sage took a moment to think over

"Fine…" Sage huffed. "I'll do it."

"Excellent," Verdant smiled, he then pointed to the door. "Now get out of here! You have work to do!"

Sage gave his uncle a nod and a smile and headed towards the door, averting his gaze to avoid the glare of the guard.

"Sage…" Verdant called out, seeing his nephew whip around with a look of curiosity on his face. "I'm glad you're back here… I want things to work out this time… between us."

Sage smiled. "I'm glad to be here… see you later, uncle."

Without another word, Sage left the office and made his way down the stairs.

He found Rust sitting at one of the stools, quietly sipping a beer and blending into the crowd. Sage's partner would occasionally look around and blink, still diligently taking photos like he was instructed.

Rust turned to look at Sage in surprise when the faunus boy took a seat next to him.

"You took a while!" Rust spoke in a careful tone.

"There was a line up!" Sage responded as he motioned for the bartender.

The digital watch felt uncomfortable on his wrist...

Later…

Sage blinked as he observed his teammates sleeping, his head sticking out from his bunk to watch them. His powerful faunus eyes could easily make them out in the dark. He wasn't all that worried about Rust or Asher, knowing them both to be heavier sleepers. Mauve was his only concern, as she would be able to easily identify him in the dark.

Sage carefully slid out from his covers and placed his sock covered feet on the floor. He timed his quiet footfalls with Rust's snoring as he stalked across the room; the faunus boy carefully reached into the pocket of the jacket he had worn that night to retrieve the desired item.

He turned his eyes back to his teammates, wanting to be sure they were still sleeping. Rust was on a bottom bunk and sprawled on the bed frame, Mauve and Asher were piled up in a mound of covers on their own bed…

Perfect.

Sage threw on some pants and his jacket, doing his best to quietly lace his boots up. He stored the item from his jacket in the cargo pocket of his pants and then quietly exited the dorm room, shutting the door gently behind him. Sage navigated the almost empty halls with ease, occasionally hiding from janitors or patrolling soldiers as he approached his destination.

Sage approached the elevator that would take him to Ironwood, there was a single guard by the elevator. Sage approached the uniformed soldier and waited for him to begin.

"What walks on four legs in the morning, two during the day and three in the evening?" The soldier asked, his mouth exposed but his eyes hidden by his helmet.

"A man," Sage answered, already having memorized the answer to the riddle.

The soldier nodded and let Sage into the elevator. The faunus boy hit the appropriate buttons and felt a jolt as the lift began to ascend.

The elevator doors opened to reveal the increasingly familiar sight of Ironwood's office; the General himself was already waiting behind his desk, watching as Sage entered.

"How did it go?" Ironwood asked, his eyes just as calculating as Verdant's. Sage shrugged and ascended the steps until he was standing right next to Ironwood.

"As expected," Sage muttered. "Nice trick with the wire by the way… it was a clever misdirection."

Sage pulled the digital watch from his cargo pocket and placed the black device onto the desk. Ironwood reached out his gloved hand and fiddled with the dials, activating the recording device that had been carefully stored within.