Disclaimer, I do not own RWBY
Chapter 5: A new job
"Move! It's coming down! Run!"
Rubble falling, the thunderous cacophony, red. So much red.
Emerald jolted awake when the bullhead encountered some turbulence. An announcement played over the intercom, requesting all passengers return to their seats and buckle up until the turbulence passed.
She sighed and stared out the window, absentmindedly fingering her scar. Night still held sway outside, lightning occasionally flashing in the stormy clouds. Glancing below, she couldn't spot any lights or signs of habitation, clearly, it'd be a while before they'd make it to Vale.
Uneasiness gnawed at her and Emerald sighed again. Adjusting her posture, she tried to settle in and get some more sleep. But between the heavy turbulence and her own mind, slumber eluded her.
"Too many goddamned moving parts. Something's going to jam." Emerald muttered. She felt like she was working for Cinder all over again, only without any of the surety Cinder provided. Plans within plans and so many gambits by unknown players, she felt like a lone pawn lost in a sea of grey pieces.
Every mission she undertook revealed a new piece of the puzzle, the only problem being she had no idea how many pieces there were or what the completed jigsaw was even supposed to look like. "Maybe this one will give me some damned answers. Just… have to convince Jaune to help. Ugh."
Emerald hung her head in frustration. She was not looking forwards to the conversation due in the morning.
Once the turbulence subsided, Emerald unbuckled her seatbelt and headed for the washroom. If sleep was going to elude her for the rest of the flight, she might as well be a little more refreshed and do some planning for the days ahead.
Splashing some cool water on her face, Emerald welcomed the shock and clarity it brought. Adjusting her wig to fit better, her mood lifted slightly at the thought of being able to remove it once she was in Vale.
Slapping her cheeks to return to full wakefulness, she put on a forced smile and stepped out of the washroom, bumping into someone exiting the one opposite her. "Oh, sorr-"
"It's nothin-"
"Bull-" Emerald started.
"Shit!" Mercury finished.
"What the hell are you doing here!?" Emerald hissed.
"Me? What about you, aren't you supposed to be dead!? How the hell are you still alive!?" Mercury retorted, poking at Emerald with a finger to make sure she wasn't a ghost.
"Quit it!" Emerald growled and slapped the offending finger away. This, this she did not see coming, at least it didn't appear Mercury had any idea of her involvement with the train heist. If he did, somehow, she got the feeling he wouldn't be quite so cordial.
"Ah great, I don't suppose Cinder is lurking around somewhere too?" Mercury glanced about, wondering if his old employer would suddenly pop out and threaten to burn someone to death.
"Cinder's… gone." Emerald averted her eyes, then growled and shook her head.
"Whatever, I'll stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine, capiche?"
"Fine by me. My business doesn't involve you anyways." Mercury raised his hands in surrender before walking away.
Emerald sighed and returned to her seat, hoping this wasn't going to be a sign of things to come.
As it turned out, it most definitely was.
"Why are you following me?" Emerald snapped as Mercury maintained his pace, staying several steps behind her.
"Excuse you, I have better things to do than follow you Em. I just happen to be heading this way too." Mercury rolled his eyes.
"Oh yeah? And where the hell are you headed then?" She challenged.
"To see our old pal Jauney of course. Haven't you heard? He's got an awesome casino now and I'm feeling lucky." Mercury chuckled.
"Bullshit." Emerald countered.
"What? I'm being serious. My previous employer and I had some ah… creative differences. Now I've got time and lien to burn, might as well play the slots. And eh, maybe Jauney will have people in need of whacking. His money's green." Mercury shrugged.
"Oh no." Emerald muttered under her breath. This… this wasn't going according to plan. If her luck was anything to go by, her next mission was about to have another plus one. Jaune would probably do it just for laughs.
"What? You got business with Jauney too?" Mercury asked.
"That's none of your concern." Emerald snapped.
"So you do." Mercury nodded, ignoring Emerald's hiss of frustration.
"Word of advice, watch your back, he doesn't have it."
"What are you talking about." Emerald glared at Mercury.
"Oh, nothing at all. Just try not to get stabbed in the back." Mercury shrugged and fell silent. For a man everyone deemed untrustworthy, Jaune Arc was surprisingly honest, and that scared Mercury.
"Come in, both of you. It's unlocked."
Emerald paused at the door, hand just about to knock when Jaune called out from inside. Exchanging a glance with Mercury who just shrugged, she grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Inside the nightclub was largely empty, the chairs and tables nicely tucked away in a corner for easier cleaning. Jaune sat at the bar, a sandwich in hand and an expectant expression on his face.
"You knew we were coming?" Emerald asked.
"No. But weapon detection, remember?" Jaune jerked a thumb at Grey standing in a corner. The silent sentinel afforded them a single nod in greeting.
"Any reason you're here interrupting my breakfast?"
"Got something for you, special delivery from Argus." Mercury reached into his pack and retrieved a neatly wrapped parcel. Tossing it at Jaune, he plucked it out of the air.
A small smile formed on his face as he inspected the contents before shaking his head and putting it away. "They really didn't have to."
"You're a mailman now?" Emerald raised an eyebrow.
"Haha, very funny. I just happened to be in the area, that's all." Mercury grumbled.
"Haaa… well Jaune, I need muscle for a job again." Emerald sighed and got to her point.
"And Mercury's next to you." Jaune pointed out.
"More reliable muscle thank you." Emerald replied without missing a beat.
"Yo, what's that supposed to mean!?" Mercury frowned.
"Mmph, but if Mercury's here, odds are he wants a pay check, and you want to hire people. Guess what I'm going to do? You two lovebirds could use the time alone." Jaune muttered sarcastically.
"Dick." Emerald and Mercury said together.
"Look, you're already in sync. Why don't you two just hash out the deal here, I'll be in the back to give you all some privacy." Jaune snickered when both of them promptly gave him the finger.
"Must you be this difficult?" Emerald hissed.
"Fine, fine, I'll hear what you have to say. Merc, just sit here and break nothing. Come on Em, this way." Jaune led the way into the back office while Mercury pulled out a chair and promptly stuck his legs up on the bar itself.
"So, what do you need? Another train needs robbing?" Jaune asked once Grey shut the door behind them.
"A bigger job this time. You're not personally needed, but I figure you'll want in." Emerald said.
"Bigger? Do tell." Jaune leaned in closer.
"Lil Miss Malachite has gotten too big for her boots. There are… interested parties willing to pay big money if she's delivered to their hands. Alive." Emerald said.
Jaune stared at her blankly for a bit, searching for any sign it was a joke. Finding none, he reclined in his seat and took a deep breath to muster his thoughts, all signs of his earlier mirth fading away. "You know what you're asking, right?"
"The decapitation of one of Mistral's biggest mob families? Yeah, I know." Emerald replied.
"Heh, if only. Lil Miss Malachite is one of the lynch pins of Mistral's underground. I hate her guts to the core but taking her out has consequences, for everyone." Jaune shook his head.
"If the Spiders collapse, there'll be one hell of a power vacuum that everyone and their grandma is going to try and fill. We're talking possibly destabilising half the kingdom."
"And that matters to you? Doesn't it give you a chance to break in anyways? I thought you'd be happy." Emerald said, frowning when Jaune shot her a look reserved for the exceptionally stupid.
"To the rest of the world, I'm a mob boss, but personally, I see myself as a businessman. Profit is my number one concern and I need stability for that. It's hard to do anything when shit's in chaos. Yes, Malachite is one hell of a thorn in my side, but it doesn't mean I don't have investments in Mistral. All of that could vanish if she goes down."
"Aren't you being too pessimistic?"
"It's a risk I can't afford to take. Fucking over her operation is one thing, taking her on personally is quite another. Not to mention there's no saying who'll take over her once she's gone. Better the devil you know right?" Jaune shrugged.
"So you're saying as long as leaving Malachite be is the 'stable' option, you won't move against her." Emerald said.
"Well, yeah, pretty much. And kidnapping her from her stronghold ain't exactly an easy ask either. You might want to talk to whoever's pulling your strings about suicide missions and why they're bad." Jaune folded his arms and shook his head.
"And what if I told you, taking Malachite down is the stable option?"
"Then… I'm listening." Jaune tilted his head, giving Emerald the go ahead to continue.
"Some say she's building an army, others say she's planning to tear the kingdoms down and build her own. Point is, she's planning something big. All that Chronos she's stockpiling isn't ending up in the market." Emerald said.
"That can't be right." Jaune frowned and accessed his scroll. Scanning through his Mistral intelligence reports, his frown deepened further. It seemed Emerald was correct after all, the Spiders were still dealing in plenty of contraband, but Chronos wasn't on the list.
Flipping through several more reports from his spies in Mistral, he found multiple reports all corroborating the theory that the Spiders were taking Chronos off the market. In some cases, by force it seemed, if the uptick in deaths of competing suppliers was anything to go by.
Power and money, that's all that mattered to Lil Miss Malachite, no way was this some charitable gesture aimed at cleaning up the streets. Something else was in play here, but what?
"Interesting, how very interesting." Jaune muttered.
Emerald nodded. "It's kind of why I'm here, Malachite is acting weird and it's making people, powerful people antsy. And they'll pay big to have her removed from the picture."
Jaune remained silent, mulling it over in his head. Malachite had been a pain in his ass since day one, having her permanently dealt with was a very tempting prospect. Her reach in the other kingdoms was also growing if the SDC smuggling and subsequent silencing was anything to go by.
Only issue was, he couldn't be sure if Malachite was a big enough problem yet to warrant direct intervention. The potential fallout was enormous. Although, a more cynical side of him helpfully pointed out that even if Lil Miss wasn't a major issue yet, she soon would be and it might be too late to act then.
"This is quite the headache you're giving me. Before I give a reply, who are you working for really? The Mistral council themselves? One of Malachite's rivals? Or you're screwing with me and actually taking orders from Atlas." Jaune broke the silence with a question.
"That's not relevant." Emerald replied evenly.
"It really is. I should reiterate, I don't trust you Emerald, even if whoever you work for has a bone to pick with Malachite. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy, not my friend. If you expect me to blindly do their dirty work for some cash just so you can put a knife in my back… ah well, just try it." Jaune shrugged.
"…Fine, I made some friends in Atlas when I was drifting around Remnant. Malachite's business has caused them quite a bit of grief and they want blood. As for you… I don't think they have a quarrel with you? They definitely don't like you, but you stay out of Atlas and that's good enough for them." Emerald replied.
"Ah, I see. I guess this is where your info on Agent Orange being real came from? I hope you don't mind if I look into them." Jaune said.
"Not like I can stop you. As long as you stay out of Atlas, they won't cause you trouble." Emerald said.
"Right, so I don't suppose you'll give me a name?" Jaune chuckled when Emerald regarded him with a stony expression.
"Worth a shot. Now, for Malachite, I cannot commit to taking her on yet, not until I know what the hell she's really up to. For all I know she has some contingency plan ready to stir shit up. My agents in Mistral have been having trouble getting through her net, seems I'll have to do things personally." Jaune said, rising from his chair and dusting himself off.
"…Better than nothing I suppose. I'm coming with, in the event you choose not to help, I can always use the intel to find someone else who will." Emerald said.
"Right. Of course you would." Jaune strode over to the door and threw it open.
"Oi! Mercury! We're gonna fuck Malachite's shit up, you want in?"
"I am getting paid right? Like I'd do it for free, but I like money." Mercury took his boots off the bar, turning to face Jaune.
"Oh yeah, double your usual rate as per normal. Some espionage first, then if things go well, I might even throw in a fat bonus. So, you in?" Jaune said.
"Hell yeah! Now, what was that about trains and robbing you were talking about?"
"Her idea, I'm just the muscle." Jaune threw Emerald under the proverbial train immediately.
"Fuck." Emerald's face fell when Mercury turned and smirked at her, smile not quite reaching his eyes.
The restaurant was jammed packed with people and waiters buzzed about delivering orders at breakneck pace. The air was filled with the mouth-watering scent of Mistralian cuisine and despite himself, Jaune found himself feeling famished.
He and Grey were tucked away in a corner booth on the second floor, both of them in disguise. Jaune's usually unruly mop of hair had been trimmed down and became a spiky mess instead, between dying it black and putting on grey contacts, he was essentially unrecognizable.
Grey on the other hand was still completely covered up, only the usual blank mask had been replaced by a horrifying collage made out of numerous White Fang mask pieces. To anyone brave enough to ask, their reply was a simple one. "Trophies."
Their table was set for three and had a modicum of privacy afforded to them by the curtains. Emerald had yet to arrive, still busy with her own preparations elsewhere. Mercury on the other hand remained outside the kingdom's walls for the moment, the heat was too high for him to enter even under a disguise.
For now the three-one approach worked just fine. Jaune, Emerald and Grey infiltrated Mistral for recon while Mercury remained outside, on standby with the Manta and paying attention to any suspicious comm traffic. Should things inside go red-hot, Mercury would come in guns blazing for a possible hot extract.
Jaune glanced out of the restaurant's window at the busy streets below. Just another weekday afternoon with a fair amount of foot traffic. "One, two… six… seven, I count seven."
"What are you talking about?" Emerald asked once she arrived and joined Jaune and Grey at their table. Her usual mint green hair had been hidden by quite possibly the ugliest bright red wig in existence on Jaune's insistence much to her annoyance. She prided herself on being stealthy, this… was about as far away from that as humanly possible.
"I count seven individuals spying on us. Three belong to the spiders, one's leaving to inform the boss I guess." Jaune replied.
"Grey?"
"Nine. Two in the café at the end of the street. Mistral State Sec." Grey replied.
"Ah the happy fun time people, let's not get invited to any of their house parties, shall we? So, any news on your end Em? How's the competition?" Jaune looked over at her.
"…Are we seriously discussing things in public?" Emerald stared at Jaune incredulously.
"This place is secure for now, bug's already taken care off." Jaune lifted up a small busted device to show her.
"As for everyone else here, let em listen in if they want. We're taking first place in the tourney anyways. Ain't no team out there better than the three of us." Jaune shrugged.
"Haaah… I wish I could share your astounding confidence. Really, I do." Emerald snarked, taking her own seat.
"Well, last year's champs are still in the running along with most of the top eight. Heard a bunch of new challengers are coming, some all the way from Vacuo." She reported her findings drily.
Jaune nodded and sipped from his drink, filing the information away. To anyone trying to listen in, they were a team here for the big tourney currently scouting info on the competition. In truth, Emerald had been busy ascertaining the status of the other major criminal gangs.
The Spiders were obviously still very much alive and kicking, but it seemed several big players had already been knocked out. Plus, visitors from Vacuo moving in, a possible alliance between Malachite and the Crown? Malachite taking sides in the civil war? A problem in the making if ever there was one.
"Hmm… this could be interesting. You think we could get to meet them? I'd like them to know who's going to kick their asses in a few days." Jaune grinned.
"…If we face them. They might get knocked out early." Emerald replied.
"Or maybe they'll make it to us and get the ass kicking of a lifetime in front of thousands. Heh, we'll just have to wait and see. Eat up team, sooner we finish, sooner we can get back to prepping." Jaune started digging into his meal. The others followed suit, but to Emerald's consternation, Grey managed to eat through an opening in their mask, revealing nothing about what lay underneath.
Shortly after leaving the restaurant, the three of them found themselves accosted by several sniggering thugs. Jaune sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets, no signs of spider tattoos on them at least. "One chance to fuck off out of our way chumps, or I use you as a warmup."
"Oi, oi, we've got you outnumbered here. The boss has a lot of money riding on the tourney, so you'll take a fall if you know what's good for you." The lead thug ignored Jaune's warning and stepped right up to him.
"Warm up it is." Jaune smiled cheerfully and his right arm became a blur. A loud crack sounded as the thug's jaw shattered instantly and he collapsed backwards. Jaune's arm remained outstretched, bloody knuckledusters glinting in the sun.
"Holy shit!"
Jaune's smile never wavered as he advanced.
Several punches and missing teeth later, Jaune dusted his hands off and returned the dusters to his pockets. "Your boss is going to lose big unless he bets on us. Tell him that would ya?"
No response was forthcoming, the thugs either unconscious or screaming themselves hoarse from the pain.
Glancing to the audience their little show had gathered, Jaune held his arms out wide. "Well, anyone else want to give me a shot? I'm right here!"
They cleared out rapidly.
Jaune spat on the fallen thugs before leading the way into one of Mistral's alleyways. After the public display getting all eyes on them and forcing their watchers to give them a head start, the winding streets effectively lost them all after a bit and they were free to duck into one of Jaune's safehouses.
"I'm surprised you have something like this here." Emerald ripped the hideous wig off and inspected the place. A little dusty from disuse but the place was still pretty neat and well furnished. She watched with a raised eyebrow as Grey moved over to a corner and uncovered a false panel in the wall, pulling out a rack of guns, knives and other equipment.
"Told you I had investments in Mistral. I don't have a lot of influence outside of Vale, doesn't mean I don't have any." Jaune replied. Removing his contacts, he drew out his scroll and checked for messages from Mercury and his other agents.
So far nothing truly concerning. The comms were mostly clear on Mercury's end but his other people had reported increased activity down by the warehouse district. Mystery crates were being loaded onto airships by Lil Miss's people and they'd be launching sometime in the next few days. Plenty of time to do a little investigation and maybe ruin the entire shipment.
"Did you have to tell them to bet on us though? We're going to be no-shows." Emerald said.
"If they lose, they lose, that's what they get for being such amateurs." Jaune rolled his eyes and continued scrolling through his reports.
"And how would you have done it?"
"Haah, I don't bother fixing matches since I do already have a money printer called a casino. But if I did have to, I'd obviously offer a cut of the profits to anyone I need to take a fall. Business 101, trying to keep all the profits to yourself ends badly, everyone wants a cut and if you don't give em their 'fair' share, you get whatever problems you deserve. Greed is good, but only if you can master it." Jaune shrugged.
"And if they don't want to take the bribe, sure, that works too. I'll just put the bet on them and have my guy take a fall instead. The house always wins."
"Heh, you've got things thought out. So, what's the plan now." Emerald asked.
"Now we take a break and wait till nightfall. Malachite's shipping something out of Mistral, destination unknown. Could be all the Chronos she's been stockpiling, could be something else. I want to know what's inside." Jaune replied.
"We could just ask Malachite directly you know." She suggested.
"Patience Em, if it's any consolation, I am leaning towards taking her down now. Which gangs are gone?"
"7th Riot, Strikez and the Ghosts are effectively gone. And get this, even the local White Fang is hurting like hell, they lost a lot of men in an ambush during an arms deal. The Faunus are on edge and worried about further violence, the council's ignoring them like animals again, nothing new there." Emerald replied.
"Mm, no evidence linking Lil Miss to all that right? Of course, with her recent expansion, people can draw their own conclusions." Jaune muttered. It matched what his spies were telling him, Mistral was a powder keg, dangerously unstable. Now, would taking out Malachite extinguish the lit match, or would it set everything ablaze?
"Get some rest, both of you, we'll move out at midnight." Jaune said, getting a grunt from Emerald and a curt nod from Grey.
Leaving the living room behind, Jaune retreated to one of the empty rooms and glanced at his scroll again. With a sigh, he dialled up an old contact and put the scroll to his ear.
"Hey. Junior, it's Jaune, I have a few questions…"