All Stations, All Stations, this is MarchWarden, I apologize for how fragmentary this is, but I decided to finish what I started, and you have to start somewhere. How Copy? I'm open to editing even this. MarchWarden OUT.
Chapter Three: The Roots of the Mountains
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood." - General George Patton
You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after. - The Hobbit
Director Grey's office was surprisingly warm. Both figuratively and literally. The walls were adorned with a leaf-patterned golden yellow wallpaper, and the floors were carpeted in fuzzy red giving the feeling that one was standing in a giant fireplace. The office was lit primarily by a set of four desk lamps, and two chandeliers, each shaded and decorated with cut green glass. A great mahogany desk dominated the center of the room, the surface of which was neat and tidy, featuring a mug with an electronic cigarette in it, a holographic display mount, and a notepad. The air was tinged with a faint sickly-sweet note.
The Director himself was a tall, fit, man of about sixty-five, dressed in navy blues and grays, and he seemed to greatly favor a silver paisley pattern on all of his clothes and upholstery, allowing him to blend into his seats and walls, seeming to melt in the fire of his office.
Jaune rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. He felt somewhat out of place among the finery of the room. They had taken Weiss from him in the small lobby, insisting that the Director would only speak with the man in charge, and that she would be quite unnecessary.
Only now did he realize his mistake.
"Please take a seat, my lord Huntsman, you are surely exhausted from your long trip here, and I do not wish to further discomfort you. Please take a seat." Director Grey said, from his place standing behind his desk.
Jaune eased himself into a chair, trying not to touch the back with his armor. It felt weird to be called my lord. If he remembered correctly that was something only a few people had ever called his father, and he had never heard anyone else, huntsman or not, addressed in this way.
"Are you a traditionalist, sir?" said Jaune.
The Director seated himself, once he saw his guest seated.
"No, my lord, I actually consider myself fairly liberal." The Director said, smiling charmingly, "I believe in the education of the masses and casting off the shackles of a class system. It's a very attractive little philosophy to believe that we could all be the same someday. Of course, I don't think that that idea is possible in any realistic way, but who knows, I started off as a minimum wage worker in the mines. Anyone can climb the ladder. No, I just have great respect for huntsman and their work, and you are among the greatest of huntsman, My Lord Arc."
Jaune blushed a little bit, "I don't know about that, sir. I've had my license for less than a month."
The Director laughed, "You cannot lie to me. The SDC knows many things about many people and one of those people is you. You have shown yourself to be no less than your pedigree. It takes quite the man to get the attention of the Schnee's favorite snowflake. You have been the subject of her interest since at least Beacon's last official ball. My Lord, you cannot lie to me."
Jaune blushed harder. "I think I might've captured her attention in the wrong way, sir. I was somewhat desperate back then."
The Director laughed again and clapped his hands together. "Well, what can we say? She is quite the snowflake. You know, I never expected you to be sitting in my office one day, my lord. Really, it's quite serendipitous."
Jaune frowned through his blush, "All I can say is that I'm glad that she chose to have me surveilled instead of issuing a restraining order. But I am here for a reason, sir. I need permission to drive my tanks through your tunnels, please be serious."
The Director's face grew serious in an instant. He leaned forward in his chair and pushed his bearded lips together.
"What does Ironwood want now?" Grey asked, his voice low and full of gravel, all semblance of joviality gone.
"He wants to protect his assets; he is sending me to help you eradicate your pest. He maintains business with this mine. You retain your mine. It's a win-win." Jaune said, just like Weiss had told him to.
"The Snowflake told you that. What does Ironwood really want?" the Director said.
Jaune reeled, wondering how he knew that. Apparently, the question came out his mouth.
"Because I taught the Snowflake how to make deals. She always leads with the killer. But now I want an answer from you, stranger. What is Ironwood doing in my mine?"
Jaune was dumbfounded for a moment. "What does it matter? He's here to kill Grimm. You want Grimm dead. You guys agree."
"There's no such thing as free lunch. Ironwood wants something. I have the Grimm leak under control. I don't need you. Ironwood needs me. What does he want?"
Jaune sighed.
"Ironwood wants a little extra security. Something is big is about to happen, and Ironwood doesn't know what. Any known Grimm vein should be under control if he is to have complete peace of mind."
"Why do I care about Ironwood's peace of mind?"
"Because he holds two seats on the council and can pass whatever tax code he wants. He can also place the mine under supervision if he wants."
"Are you threatening me?" The Director asked a note of aggressive disbelief in his voice.
"No, I'm stating facts. You can expect a visit from the Central Security Bureau." Jaune made as if to stand up but was grabbed by the hand.
"Here's your gate clearance." The Director forced out, and then in a more resigned tone, "Say hi to the Snowflake for me."
Jaune was surprised to see that the Director was smiling.
-break-
The lobby was cold. Decorated in the standard white walls and cheap blue carpet of every other SDC lobby, stinking of cigarette smoke, and filled with those strangely durable plastic chairs that are the staple of every schoolroom, the lobby contrasted starkly to the warm office Jaune strode out of.
But Jaune didn't care. He held the gate card triumphantly in his right hand, for all the world to see.
Nora seized it as soon as he got close.
"Don't want to lose this." She sang and promptly stuffed it in her shirt.
Jaune shook his head but didn't comment.
"Mr. Grey says hi, Weiss." He said, as she joined him in his beeline to the door, followed closely by Nora and Ren.
Weiss smiled.
Jaune shoved the metal door to the lobby open and walked out onto the fire-escape-like staircase down to the base level of the mine. There was a resounding boom that shook his organs, the grated staircase shook for a moment. Everyone on it paused their ascent or descent on it, then resumed once the shaking was over.
Strangely enough the use of explosives in dust mines was considered a staple of the trade, just so long as they weren't used anywhere near a known vein or lode.
They managed to get down about a floor before the next explosion hit and they were forced to pause for a second.
The Intercom requested additional security in area ten.
Then they were able to continue down another floor.
The landing on the third floor looked pretty chaotic, armored guards were trying to separate two miners who seemed to be trying to kill each other, and a crowd had gathered to watch. Suddenly, one of the miners seized the other by the sides of his head and headbutted him with a force powerful enough to knock both his victim and the guard restraining him over.
The man struck writhed like a snake, escaped from the guard's grip and charged directly at Jaune, only to get a lightning-fast jab to the neck and be sent tumbling back down the stairs. The man picked himself up as soon as he could, seemingly unconscious of the ordinary pain that comes with a punch to the neck, and tried to make his way back towards Jaune. A guard seized him from behind.
The man twisted fast and managed to both break the guard's grip and get a hand between his face and the faceplate on his helmet.
With superhuman strength the miner threw the guard against the railing on the platform and reached for his gun.
The guard seized the miner's outstretched arm and pulled him into the railing as well.
"Chill!" The other guard told Jaune, having dropped his man, who was now incapacitated from the mighty headbutt he gave earlier. "Got any Huntsman tips for this one?"
"Punch it out?" Jaune said, trying to close with the Chill, pushing the guard back as he did so.
The Chill popped back up from its impact with the railing as if nothing had happened, only to be hit with such a haymaker that it fell onto its face after rebounding off the railing, bleeding profusely from the nose and mouth.
Jaune went to put his foot on its back so that it couldn't rise again, but it rolled over, seized Jaune behind his ankle and yanked, pulling him down with him. Three gunshots rang out, and molten lead rebounded from Jaune's temple.
The Chill had taken the guard's gun.
There came a crackling sound from Weiss' direction, and the Chill froze in its place, encased in ice.
"Go ahead, we got this," the guard told Jaune, "They leak out of the breach from time to time." The guard waved his hand dismissively, and the party continued their journey down the staircase, a little shaken by their encounter.
"Well, if that's the kind of stuff coming out of the hole, then I'm glad we're going to close it, or clean it out." Nora said, a note of trepidation in her voice.
They had entered the mine though a side door not far from the director's office, and it was this way that they got back out to the Ridders.
Jaune flashed the gate man a big smile as they returned to their parked vehicles.
The man pretended not to notice.