Painting the Town...
Cora and Cataline tail Yang as she approaches Junior's bar.
"Laura's predictions are really amazing." Cataline comments as they park.
"Focus on the mission." Cora chastises.
"Sorry." Cataline apologizes.
They use the gravity Dust in their suits to jump on top the building. Cataline begins playing the audio from Yang's scroll through her helmet's internal speakers.
Ash and Iris take position across the street from the White Fang meeting. Iris jumps on top of a building and takes out her weapon. It extends into a sniper rifle with a bi-pod. Iris takes aim at Blake and Sun and watches as they enter the building. Ash enters the building through a window and sneaks his way to a position directly above the stage. His gravity Dust makes him float slightly above the ground as to not make audible footsteps. Ash looks down to see the Faunus form lines. Those in uniforms to his right, new recruits to his left. Ash disables the external speaker in his helmet so he can't be heard. Ash then activates the external microphone so any audio he picks up is recorded. A bulky man with a full mask and tattoos stands on stage. His uniform is unique, marking him as higher rank.
"Thank you all for coming." The man speaks, "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!"
Ash glares as Roman Torchwick walks on stage.
"Thank you, thank you!" Roman waves mockingly, "Please, hold your applause!"
"What's a human doing here?!" A faunus shouts.
"I'm glad you asked, Deerie!" Roman says, "Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans... are the worst. Case in point. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked away, or, better yet, killed! But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms! Government, military, even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around... No offense to any rodents in the room."
"Gotta admit he can work the crowd." Iris comments.
"Focus on the mission." Ash orders.
With a snap of Roman's fingers, the curtain falls, and the crowd applauds at the sight of the Atlesian Paladin behind it.
"As some of you may have heard, this right here is Atlas' newest defense against all the scary things in the world." Roman explains, "And thanks to my employer, we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, hit the shelves. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine... But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?"
"Kismet, send all data on the Atlesian Paladin-290." Ash orders.
"Will all new recruits, please come forward!" The higher ranking member of the White Fang requests.
"I don't know!" Junior voice comes from Cora's scroll.
"How can you not know?" Yang asks.
"I haven't talked to him! I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here." Junior states, "He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever. Came. Back."
"So where did they go?" Neptune asks.
"What kind of stupid question is that? They never came back!" Junior says, annoyed, "Who is this guy?"
"Don't worry about him; worry about me if I don't find out what I want!" Yang orders.
"I already told you everything!" Junior responds, "Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them, which is something I can relate to!"
"Nothing we didn't already know. This was a waste of time." Cora says as she and Cataline watch Yang and Neptune leave Junior's club.
"I wonder how Ash is doing." Cataline comments.
The White Fang is cheering loudly as the recruits are marched to the stage, with Blake and Sun being forced to follow along.
Ash begins making his way towards the Atlesian Paladin in order to sabotage it when the lights cut out. Ash's armor automatically switches to Night Vision and he watches as Blake and Sun jump out a window. Ash gasps as the Paladin activates, it immediately turns and charges after Blake and Sun. Ash makes his way out, having not been seen. Ash gets onto the rooftop that Iris is on and they begin heading towards their bikes.
"Cat, Cora!" Ash calls, "We need backup. Make your way to our position, we'll be on the move. Stealth is no longer an option. Our first priority now is asset denial."
Ash and Iris follow the Paladin on their motorcycles as Blake and Sun jump from rooftop to rooftop. They eventually make their way to the highway, now jumping from car to car. The Paladin smashes all cars out of its way.
"Iris, dock with me." Ash orders.
Iris drives beside Ash and their motorcycles connect. Iris syncs her controls to Ash, releasing the handlebars and preparing her sniper rifle. Ash begins dodging out of the way of cars as Yang does the same, Neptune behind her on the bike. Neptune glances at Iris and Ash.
"Who're they?!" Neptune asks.
Yang quickly glances at them, but turns back to the road.
"I don't know, just focus on the mech!" Yang shouts.
Iris and Neptune both fire at the Paladin as Cora and Cataline finally arrive. They follow behind Ash. Ash then growls as he turns to Iris.
"Take the wheel." Ash orders.
Iris does as she is told as Ash gives her control. Ash stands up and jumps off of the bike, using the gravity Dust to propel himself forward. He lands on a car and jumps off of it, closing in on the Paladin. Ash draws both Eos blades, his silver eyes glowing beneath his helmet. Cole, sensing Ash on the sensors turns the Paladin around and punches. Ash rotates his body to the side and spins rapidly, cutting into the arm of the Paladin as he rolls towards its body. When close enough, Ash dashes forward, stabbing into the machine with both blades. A shockwave of white Aura is launched from the point of impact. Ash then jumps back, splitting the edges of his Eos blades to reveal the green gems within. They begin glowing as Ash dashes forward. He uses his gravity Dust to orbit around the Paladin, slashing his way down as he rotates around it. As the Paladin stumbles to regain its footing, Ash jumps and slashes its back, sending the Paladin over the edge of the highway before Ash jumps back towards the road. Ash then slams into the ground, taking one of his Eos blades and stabbing it into the ground to stop himself from skidding across it. Ash, using the blade to assist himself, stands back up. He turns to see Team RWBY jumping down to face the Paladin. Ash growls as he holsters his Eos blades and walks towards the edge, the other members of Team SCCI pulling up.
"My long range sensor are detecting incoming Bullheads." Iris informs.
"ETA?" Ash asks.
"About a minute." Iris answers, "We should get down there."
"No." Ash says, "Team RWBY can handle the Paladin. Iris, find a position where you can provide covering fire. The rest of you follow me."
Ash, Cora, and Cataline jump down to the lower level as the Bullheads arrive, mercenaries dropping out.
"Those aren't White Fang?" Cataline states, confused.
"They work for the humans that are in charge of this operation." Ash responds, "Keep them away from Team RWBY and the Paladin."
The mercenaries immediately open fire as the members of Team SCCI separate. Cora draws a revolver and fires at two of the mercenaries. The stopping power combine with their low Aura reserves causes them to immediately get knocked out. Iris begins firing at all mercenaries that are in the blind spots of her teammates. Always getting headshots and never missing. Cataline draws a machine pistol, firing as she charges. Once close enough, Cataline draws a tactical knife and slashes as she dashes forward. Ash draws both Eos blades and holds his arms out wide. The blades' edges separate from the base, revealing the lining of green gems. The gems glow and the Ash charges forward. Iris shoots one mercenary, but his Aura doesn't immediately break, so she shoots his gun out of his hand and then shoots him in the knee. Cataline jumps into the air and rains down bullets from above, slowing her decent with her gravity Dust. Ash stabs through one mercenary and pulls his blade out while spinning, also removing his second Eos blade from another mercenary behind him. Ash turns and dashes to a third mercenary, slashing upwards with both blades. He cuts off the mercenary's left arm and leaves and long gash on his chest.
A mercenary armed with a katar tries to stab Cataline in the back, but Iris shoots the katar out of his hand. Ash dashes behind the disarmed mercenary and slashes through his waist. Ash then jumps into the air, using his gravity Dust to gain height. He increase gravity, slamming down on top of another mercenary. Ash then rushes to another mercenary and slashes upwards, cutting his arm from the elbow down. The mercenary tries to punch as with his remaining fist, but Ash ducks down while spinning away. He then lunges forward, cutting the mercenary in two as he passes by. Ash quickly raises his blades and crosses them to block a shell from a mercenary on one of the Bullheads. Iris quickly shoots the Bullhead's engines, bringing it down to the ground. Cataline flips through the air, dodging gunfire as she shoots down a couple mercenaries. She turns to see Ash slash his way through two mercenaries while charging forward.
"You're getting too worked up, Vermilio..." Cora says to herself as she notices Ash as well.
Cataline jumps back into the air and shoots down two more mercenaries. Cora shoots her revolver into the air, hitting the pilot of one of the Bullheads, bringing it crashing down on top a few more mercenaries. Cataline uses her small body to easily dodge bullets while firing at her targets. One of the mercenaries tries to run, but Cora shoots him before he can get far.
Ash turns and dashes to the side to avoid gunfire from three mercenaries, the few bullets that hit him are blocked by his armor and Aura. Iris fires at the group who shot at Ash, causing them to separate. Ash then dashes in, slicing the hand off of one of the mercenaries. One of them flanks Ash and shots at his back, but Ash dashes to his left, avoiding the shots. Ash turns and crosses his blades, blocking the bullets of a few mercenaries. Ash turns to dodge a few more shots then blocks again. He is surrounded by mercenaries. Iris shoots the mercenaries surrounding Ash, until only one remains. Ash stands in front of him and slashes upwards, disarming him. Ash turns to look at Iris' sniping position. She lowers her rifle as she stares at Ash. Two mercenaries charge at Ash while he's distracted. Iris notices and quickly raises her sniper, but Ash strikes first. He spins around while lowering his body towards the ground, slashing both of them into pieces. Ash stands straight up with his blades still in hand, blood dripping from them, as Cora walks up beside him to his left. Cataline is on Ash's right and they all turn to see Yang punch the Paladin into pieces, knocking Cole Carmine out of it.
"That's not Torchwick!" Ruby shouts.
Ash's eyes narrow and he begins walking towards Cole.
"That mech wasn't what it was cracked up to be." Cole declares as he stands up.
Cole turns and see's Ash approaching. He smiles as he charges towards Ash. Cole straightens his robotic hand and five blades of red energy expand from his fingertips. The energy is unstable, as evident by the black lightening flickering off of it. He positions his fingers so that the five blades act as one. Cole then slashes downwards, but Ash blocks with one of his Eos blades. Ash pushes Cole backwards, and he disengages the blades.
'Those are just like the beam that killed Tukson.' Ash notes.
"He's mine!" Ash shouts.
Ash then charges forward and swings at Cole, but he rolls to the side. Cole grabs Ash's shoulder, but Ash pulls back from his grip before Cole can do anything else. Cole then draws his rifle from his belt and fires two beams, and like the blades, they are unstable red energy. Ash dodges all of the shots as he charges at Cole. Once Ash is close enough, he swings his left Eos blade, cleaving Cole's rifle in two. Cole grabs two grenades from his belt and tosses them at his feet, causing both Ash and Cole to jump backwards.
"Should we help him?" Cataline asks.
"If Vermilio needs help, he'll ask." Cora answers.
"Keep him still so I can get a shot." Iris requests.
Ash is too focused on the fight to protest. Cole drops his damaged rifle and reactivates his finger blades. Cole charges forward and stabs, but Ash ducks down and slashes at Cole's arm, disrupting the blades. Ash turns around, but Cole grabs his head, raising him into the air. He positions Ash to block Iris from getting a shot. Cole's grip tightens and helmet begins displaying a pressure warning to Ash. In response, Ash raises his Eos blade and tries to cut the arm off, but the blade doesn't cut through, the metal of his robotic limb protecting him in place of his Aura. Cole chuckles.
"That head of yours..." Cole begins, "I'm taking it!"
The pressure warning begins beeping more rapidly and cracks begin forming in the visor. Ash's eyes narrow and his silver eyes glow brightly. The green gems in his blade glow brighter and the Eos Blade is covered in green flames. When Ash slashes this time, it cuts through Cole's arm. Ash then pries the arm off of his helmet as Cole backs away. Ash points the Eos Blade at Cole, the blade still flaming. Ash then activates his gravity Dust, lifting slightly off of the ground. Ash dashes forward but before he can strike, a girl with a parasol lands in front of Cole. She opens her parasol to block Ash's blade as both her and Cole shatter like glass. Ash growls as he turns to see a Bullhead flying away.
"Looks like Torchwick's got some new henchmen." Yang comments.
"Yeah, I guess she really made our plans... fall apart!" Weiss quips.
Ruby giggle, Weiss smiles, and Blake walks towards Cora and Cataline
"No." Yang berates, "Just... no."
"What-" Weiss questions, "But, you do it!"
"There's a time and a place for jokes." Yang counters.
"Was this not it?" Weiss asks.
"No, it just wasn't very good." Yang responds before following Blake.
"Well, at least I'm trying!" Weiss shouts.
"Who are you guys?" Blake asks Ash.
"Professionals." Ash answers, his helmet disguising his voice, "Unlike you..."
"Excuse me?" Weiss asks, "You're not the police and you don't look like Huntsmen."
"We're a PMC stationed and funded by Atlas." Ash lies, "We were hired by the Council. And the best part of this whole thing, because of you, they now know we're onto them and the only thing we know is that they're stationed somewhere in 'the southeast.'"
"I'm sorry." Ruby says quietly.
"You're sorry?!" Ash shouts, "Sorry isn't going to stop the combined effort of two terrorist organization."
"Two?" Blake asks.
"The White Fang and the Flames of Destruction." Ash states, "A perfect combination really. Extremists and Warmongers. How do you expect to fight an enemy if you don't even know what you're up against?!"
"Hey!" Yang shouts, getting into Ash's face, "Back off! Just because you're a professionals doesn't mean you can treat us like kids."
"I'm an Agent of Providence." Ash states, "And you've just interfered with our mission. I could arrest you, or..."
Ash gestures to the corpses of the mercenaries he killed. Team RWBY all turn away in disgust.
"You killed them." Blake stated, "How could you?"
"They've killed people too." Ash declares.
"You could have knocked them out, like those ones over there." Ruby points to some of the mercenaries that are unconscious.
"When I hold back, people die." Ash declares, looking down and closing his eyes.
"Maybe, but-" Ruby begins.
"No buts." Ash interrupts, "Do yourselves a favor and stay out of our way, before you bite off more than you can chew."
Ash turns away without a word and examines the arm of Cole, crushing the hand with his grip. When Ash loosens his grip, he holds up a red gem, similar to the ones in Lancel's armor and Ash's weapons.
'Is he another piece in this game?' Ash asks, 'Another knight, or something else?'
Ash looks up from the gem and begins walking away, but stops and looks over his shoulder back at Team RWBY.
"So...?" Ruby begins, "What happens now?"
Ash sighs.
"I didn't mean what I said. I'm not going to kill you or arrest you for trying to do the right thing." Ash declares, "I understand that you want to help, but this isn't the way. Providence will have to change its plans because of you and we've lost the element of surprise. We're better prepared to handle this problem, leave it to us."
"So we have to just step aside?" Blake asks.
"I expect you to not pull another stunt like this again." Ash declares, "If you want to help, stay out of our way."
Blake opens her mouth to protest but Ash interrupts her.
"You better clear out of here." Ash suggests, "We have reinforcements coming in the clean up and secure this mess."
"Come on guys..." Ruby calls, "Let's go..."
After other agents secure the area, Team SCCI returns to the Assault Container. Ash, no longer wearing his armor but still wearing the jumpsuit, puts the airship on autopilot and gets out of his seat, he is sucker punched by Cora, dressed similarly.
"You know why I hit you, right?" Cora asks, "This mission fall under the same level of secrecy as the Orbital Reactors. Why did you reveal so much information?"
Ash doesn't respond.
"You are so stubborn." Cora says as she reaches for her revolver, "You're really asking for it."
Cora draws and takes aim at Ash.
"You're becoming a danger to the rest of us." Cora claims.
"Knock it off, Cora!" Cataline, also only wearing the jumpsuit, insists as she pulls her arm down.
"If we let him get away with this kind of crap, he'll be putting our lives at risk." Cora argues, "The plan is still in its infancy, we cannot afford to slip up."
"I'm not leaving." Ash declares as he draws Exousia from his pocket dimension and aims its pistol at Cora, "I'm not leaving Providence and I am an Agent of Providence."
Cora pulls her arm from Cataline and takes aim.
"Put it down, Ash!" Cataline insists.
"Look." Iris calls, the only one still wearing her armor just without her helmet, "I know I'm the new one here, but all of us here were chosen by Kismet. There's a reason Ash was made an agent."
"Answer me one question, Ash." Cora demands as she lowers her gun, "Why do you deserve to be an Agent of Providence?"
Ash lowers Exousia and then stands up.
"My existence is the reason." Ash answers.
"What?" Cora asks.
"Because I'm alive." Ash responds, "I'm still alive."
"What about the Flames of Destruction?" Iris asks, "You killed them."
"All of them dead is at least twice as many avenged." Ash declares, "They were murderers."
"And now you're one too." Iris comments.
"Are you serious, Ash?!" Cataline shouts.
"You murdered dozens of them!" Iris adds, "And you don't feel anything!"
"No, I don't." Ash states, "As Agents of Providence we have free reign to eliminate our opposition - by any means necessary."
"Do you hate the Flames of Destruction that much?" Cataline asks.
"Do you have a problem with me hating them?!" Ash asks.
Ash begins walking out of the cockpit to the cargo hold when no one responds.
"I'll kill them." Ash declares, "I'll kill them all."
Next chapter is not ready because I have to entirely recreate it from scratch due to the changes in this chapter. But it's underway.