Chapter 46

Sun yawned as he stumbled down the stairs towards the kitchen. His team was already there, groggily eating pancakes and drinking coffee. Ghira grumbled to himself from the head of the table, reading through the day's newspaper.

He quirked an eyebrow at Neptune who sighed. "Adam already left with Kali. Went shopping or something…" He yawned and took a long sip of his coffee. Sun groaned but sat down and dug into his own breakfast.

An hour later and he left the mansion in search of the errant man. Heading into the market he passed by a lot of Faunus. Many were heading home, being nocturnal and being at the end of their day, or were setting up stalls and hawking goods to any passer-by. Sun was offered plenty of early morning foods, though he only grabbed a banana.

Eventually, he found the man he was looking for, scrolling through his scroll whilst he sat outside a small shop. "You left early."

"Huh?" Adam lazily looked up at Sun. "Oh. Hey. Yeah sorry, had business to attend to. Thought I'd get it sorted first thing."

"Business?" Sun raised a brow in confusion.

"Yeah…" Adam seemed hesitant. Before it could get awkward however the door opened and an older fox Faunus, with only one fox ear atop his head, stepped out with Kali. Adam jumped to his feet, looking anxiously at them.

"I got what you ordered. Wasn't hard to do." The shop-keep said with a deep, gravelly voice and handed over a small black case. Adam took it and stared for a moment before he opened it. Sun didn't get to see inside as Adam closed it quickly.

"Thank you." Adam said, his voice trembled slightly.

The fox shrugged and went back into his store. Kali smiled. "It's all ready for you."

"I'll put it on, just not in public."

"There's a quiet alleyway just over there." Kali replied, pointing behind her. Adam nodded and hurried into it.

"Okay… what's going on?" Sun asked the older woman. Her smile twisted into a smirk.

"Oh, nothing much. You'll see soon enough."

And they waited. And waited. And waited. Sun restlessly tapped his foot on the ground. After about ten minutes Adam finally returned and Sun was speechless. Gone was the blindfold, replaced with a large black and red eyepatch which didn't just cover his eye, but also covered some of his forehead and nose. While the majority of it was a deep black, it had dark red piping and his emblem emblazoned across it from end to end. His right eye was now visible and Sun could see he was still getting used to it. Blue? Huh, I thought his eyes would be weirder. Like super red or something.

Sun let out a low whistle and nodded. "Suits you."

"Thanks," Adam said while he pocketed his blindfold. "There's still something I need to do before I head back to the house. Kali, can you get it all set up?"

"I can. You sure this new idea of yours will work?"

"Nope." Adam popped the p in a way that reminded Sun of Ruby, and judging by Adam's smile he probably did it on purpose. "But it's better than doing nothing."

Kali nodded. "Alright. I'll see you soon then." As she walked off Sun gave the bull Faunus a confused look.

"A new idea?"

"Yeah. Came up with it while I was waiting and going over Ilia's information. Still need to grab a couple of things, then I'll be ready."

"To?" Sun prompted.

"To inform you all of the plan. Even Kali doesn't know yet. Just asked her to prepare for me to announce it. We'll have a lot to discuss."

"Alright. So where are you going?" Adam pointed down the street towards the city's CCT building. Sun raised an eyebrow. "Okaaaay?"

"Unlike the Kingdoms Menagerie doesn't have a full CCT Tower. It does do what a lot of villages do, however: it stores basic information. Villages deal with blackouts a lot so they store what they can. Thankfully Menagerie is only out of date by a few months. I've seen some be a few years out of date."

"What kind of info do they store? I never heard about this in Vacuo or Mistral…"

"History, Geography and some basic instructions for important professions. Building, crafting, farming. That kind of thing. Everything a village needs to become self-sufficient and connect to the other villages and the Kingdoms. The Kingdoms don't have the same issues. Probably why you never heard about it."

"Huh." Sun shrugged. "I thought it would be the same signal towers they use everywhere. Didn't realize villages had that kinda set up."

Adam hummed. "It probably wouldn't come up often. Anyway, I'll see you back at the house. You'll see what I needed then."

"Gonna make me wait huh? Alright alright. See you soon." Sun waved and walked back to the mansion, wondering what idea Adam had come up with.

"... Commander of our Brothers and Sisters in Vale, Blake Belladonna!" A guard announced as the heavy doors were pulled open. Blake walked through with purpose and confidence. She had no reason to be concerned even with the summons from Sienna being critical of her choices in Vale. The door slammed shut behind her.

Blake knelt down once she reached the stairs, her new stark-white coat flowing out behind her. "Supreme Leader Khan. I have come as requested."

"Stand." The woman commanded, her tone annoyed. Blake followed the order, looking out at her through the thin slits of the mask which once had been Adam's. "Now tell me. Why? Why did you attack Beacon!? You've destroyed our reputation! Damaged our image beyond any chance of fixing! You have made things worse for the Faunus. Tell. me. why."

"To make things better for us." Sienna's eyes twitched in anger. Blake simply smiled. "I have found great allies who have promised to aid us! With their help, I shall claim us our own Kingdom! A place where we are in control, a place where no Human will be able to harm us."

Sienna slammed a fist down on her throne. "You dare to utter such nonsense!? Our own Kingdom!? We'll be invaded by Atlas in no time! We don't have the power to hold any land."

"But they will give it to us! I've brought one here to tell you all about the power they wield." Blake turned and motioned for the door guards. After a split second of hesitation, they moved to pull the door open once more. Hazel marched in and bowed once he reached the stairs.

"You… you brought a Human here!? What is wrong with you!?" Sienna growled, standing from her throne.

"He's a representative. Hazel." Blake stepped aside and the large Human took her place.

"I am Hazel Reinheart. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sienna Khan. I represent-"

"I don't care who you represent!" Sienna interrupted. "No Human should have ever been allowed here! Guards, take them away!"

Nobody moved.

Sienna's eyes widened. She already knew what was happening, but yet she questioned it anyway. "Why aren't you doing what I say? Guards! Take them away!"

"They won't listen, Sienna." Blake announced, her smug voice carried throughout the large hall. "They all know. The way you do things doesn't work anymore. Fear is how we get things moving, and you just don't create enough. But I will. I'll create a land perfect for us all!"

Blake stalked up the stairs and stood directly in front of Sienna. "Guards. Take Sienna away." They immediately made to follow her commands, grabbing the shocked woman and dragging her away. Blake took a second to take in her success before she sat down upon the throne.

Hazel made his way up the stairs. "I am glad this didn't turn violent."

"Sienna has made great strides for the Faunus. She simply isn't suited for leadership anymore. We'll find something else for her. She can still serve after all." Hazel nodded. Blake sighed. "As agreed, our forces will do this quietly. Haven shall fall to us."

"Good. My mistress will be pleased. We shall ensure you gain your Kingdom and keep it. Atlas won't be an issue forever."

Blake leant back in her chair. "Perfect."

It won't be long Adam. Then you'll see how right I was. You should have stayed and taken up Cinder's offer.

Everyone had gathered in Ghira's office when Adam returned. Ghira looked annoyed but everyone else was waiting patiently. Adam didn't waste time and set his scroll down on the desk, pushing a few buttons to deploy a holographic screen of his compiled information.

"As you all know, the White Fang plan to attack Haven academy. I took the liberty of going through some old pictures and combining them with Ilia's data. Transfering to you now is a partially accurate depiction of where the White Fang will be deploying their explosives. You heard that correctly. The White Fang plan to bomb Haven into the ground."

Everyone eyed their scrolls as the graphics were received. Adam rubbed his hands together and let out a sigh. "My plan is pretty simple. We're going to stop the attack and save Haven." He looked around the room. They all seemed to be following so far. "The White Fang won't be the only ones there. Their allies, who aided their assault on Beacon, will be stealing something from Haven during the attack."

Adam stepped out in front of the screen and placed his arms behind his back. "We have three main goals. First, we stop the White Fang from destroying Haven. Second, we stop their allies from stealing whatever it is they're after. Third, we capture Blake, if she can't be convinced to change sides. We focus on them in that order."

Ghira spoke up. "You put Blake last. Why?"

"As much as I want her back, I know it's not easy. She won't just change sides like that. If we focus on capturing her we might lose Haven. If that happens then it may very well lead to a second Human-Faunus war. We can't allow that. Their allies are second because they helped destroy Beacon. I won't allow their plans to come to fruition. Does that make sense, Ghira?"

The older man nodded. "Yes. We only have one chance to protect Haven but if Blake escapes we'll have other chances." His tone was both annoyed and understanding.

"Exactly." Adam nodded then turned back and scrolled the screen down. "To achieve this goal we need two things: Numbers and Transportation. I know a captain who can help with the latter, leaving the former. We need Menagerie to help us stop this."

"There's five of us though, couldn't we go and stop them ourselves?" Sun asked.

"Probably. But it's about more than stopping them. We need the people here to stand up and show the world that we won't allow this senseless violence to continue! We have to show that the White Fang don't represent us. And for that we need numbers." Adam pointed to the screen. "We have evidence from Ilia showing their plan. We can show this and prove to the people of Menagerie that they need to stand up, however, we only have about a month to do so. After that, we'll have to take everyone we can and set out for Mistral."

He turned back to the others who all nodded in agreement. Adam looked to Ghira. "I want you to make the statement."

Ghira blinked. "You do?"

"You're far better at inspiring than I am. And… well we didn't stop following you because of any real issue with you. We followed Sienna because she promised faster reforms, not because she was a better leader. I know that you can bring people together."

Ghira looked surprised before a smile formed on his face. "Well, how can I say no to that? I can do it. I'll get the ball rolling."

"Thank you. Sun, you and your team will help me afterwards in getting everyone signed on and then trained. They'll need some basic training. Spear and shield should do." At their blank looks, he sighed. "It's not hard. I'll show you tomorrow."

"You can use those too?" Neptune asked.

"A little. They're the easiest to learn and they won't need to do much." Adam replied, folding his arms. Team SSSN nodded along. "We'll work on your teamwork later as well. Need you all working together like a clock. Especially because our non-White Fang opponents are an unknown."

"Got it!" Sun said with a smile and a thumbs up.

"In a couple of days, we'll hold the speech. After that we prepare."

"What's to stop them from changing the date?" Scarlett asked.

"They need that time to get their explosives together. They won't be able to move the date forward and finish the job. They might push it back, but that'll help us. No, the most they'll do is work to stall us. Any other questions?"

When none were asked he nodded and closed his scroll. "Then let's get some rest. Soon enough we won't have the time."

"Ahh Sister Ilia. Good." Corsac spoke softly. Ilia bowed.

"You called for me?"

Fennic answered. "Blake Belladonna has succeeded Sienna Khan as Supreme Leader. Her first order was for us to capture Adam Taurus before he can corrupt her parents. Anyone who is not Taurus or one of the Belladonnas aren't required, so don't be concerned if you have to take their lives. To aid in this she has sent reinforcements."

"And my place in this?"

"Stall Adam until our plans are ready. Ensure he doesn't gain the support of the people here. Understood?" Corsac asked.

"Yes. I shall do it."

"Then go, Sister Ilia." They said in unison. Ilia left immediately.

Pyrrha stretched out as Yang got off the bike. They'd stopped at a nice little station for fuel and a drink. While Yang went in first, more used to riding a bike for long periods, Pyrrha stretched a little more. She also took the time to straighten her armour.

After a minute she made her way inside, stepping aside to avoid a man being thrown out, and took a walk around the store. Yang was at the counter already so Pyrrha tried to keep it brief. Soon enough the pair were leaving with a few extra bottles of water. The man was still outside, nursing his face.

"I… heard you were looking for the Branwen tribe?" He said with a smirk. Pyrrha and Yang shared a look.

"Yup." Yang answered, folding her arms.

"I can take you there!"

"That's kind of you!" Pyrrha replied. "We'll take you up on that." She held out a hand and pulled with her mind. The man jumped as his pistol flew from its holster and landed in her hand. "You won't be needing this! We're big strong Huntresses after all! We can protect you."

She could hear him gulp from where they stood.

A/N: So sadly my beta is no longer available to beta. Happens when you go to uni I guess. Oh well. But anyway, Adam's got a new eyepatch and with it comes some new confidence and eventually a new plan. Meanwhile, Blake takes over the White Fang but she doesn't kill Sienna! Lucky her. At least Hazel is happy. Poor Shay D Mann is getting treated poorly once again. Maybe one day he'll have a good time. I doubt it though.

I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!