V2E14: Trainwreck
A good week, Ozpin did not have. First, he had to deal with the media circus that Anon dragged at his feet like a cat bringing a dead rat to its owner. Then he had to deal with the headache that was the CCTT infiltration, including the ragings of the general at losing his mechanized army. And now, the seer that he worked so hard to try and keep in line had been kidnapped.
The Headmasters and Glynda stood in front of Anon's dorm after receiving a complaint from a worried student that a strange commotion had come from the room. Not two minutes after they arrived did the general kick the door down with brusk impatience. Glynda was about to explode on him until they found the scene that laid beyond the door. A struggle had definitely taken place. The window was wide open, the floor had the remains of a broken lamp, shredded papers and part of a ruined board lying in a heap next to a tipped-over garbage can. But the most worrying part wasn't the uncharacteristic disorder of the room.
It was the small pool of blood on the floor.
Glynda was the first to notice it. Her chest tightened at the sight of the crimson ichor.
"Oz, James..." She said as she walked to the red puddle, her voice quiet with deep worry.
The two men looked at where she was fixated and both felt a rush of emotion. Ozpin winced with gritted teeth, thinking that perhaps the struggle had a worse outcome than he had envisioned.
General Ironwood, on the other hand, was red with rage. Not only did they have the gall to ruin his army of androids, but they had the brazen audacity to maim and kidnap someone in broad daylight. The general felt his blood boil, one popped forehead vein away from an aneurism.
"This..." Ironwood's voice shook as he spoke. "This has gone too far."
Ozpin inhaled sharply, hiding his wince.
"James... Please calm down."
"Calm down?" Ironwood's eyelid twitched. "Your seer, your STUDENT is missing, his room is in shambles and there is blood on the floor!"
Ironwood stomped to the old wizard. Despite dwarfing him, Ozpin did not react to the General's physical might. James began pushing his index into Ozpin's chest with more force than was necessary, driving his point further.
"He's been kidnapped if he isn't dead. The man who could save us IMMENSE amounts of trouble is in the enemy's hand!" he pushed one last time with enough force to make the wizard take a step back. "First the CCTT, now this! All on your watch!"
Ozpin shook his head.
"I am aware, Jame."
"Are you?" Ironwood spat. "It seems you are aware of many things, yet you refuse to do anything about it."
Ironwood looked at the bloodstained floor, grim scenarios rushing through his mind. Each subsequent thought became worse and worse, only furthering his anger. Hope was a foul-mouthed, disrespectful, spiteful man. But he had his priorities straight, he honoured the dead and was willful to a fault. His convictions bled into every action he'd witnessed and he was far wiser than his age and demeanour let on. Even now, his words wormed into Ironwood's mind, reminding him that Ozpin was letting these infiltrators do as they pleased over worries about the festival.
"Hope was right," James noted grimly. "With how things are going, we are only digging ourselves further into our own graves."
The tone of voice gave Ozpin cause to worry.
"Now is not the time to do something irrational, James."
"Irrational?" Ironwood repeated, baffled. "Everything that you have failed to do culminated in this! And I'M the irrational one?"
He opened his arms wide, showcasing the slight carnage of the room. Ozpin didn't react.
"This is a minor setback. Knowing him, Hope will return soon enough." Ozpin "Everything is still under control."
The general shook his head.
"No, Oz." His tone lowered, his anger having grown cold. "You lost control. You just refuse to admit it."
Glynda had tuned out the arguing men. She had always had this reputation as this cold woman who worked her students to the bone. A hard woman to approach, let alone befriend. She hadn't helped herself in that assessment, considering that she was still single. It's been a long time since she just... cooled off and taken it easy. Hope was the first person who shared in her mundane pains and annoyances. he was the first person where she didn't have to always be serious around, where she could lower her defences just a little bit. Just enough to remind herself that she wasn't just a hardened career woman.
Hope was the first friend she had made in a long time.
And the sight of his blood on the floor strangled her heart with fear. Fear that her friend was in danger. Fear that he might be... Glynda gripped her cape with a shaking fist.
"Gods..." She quietly prayed. "Please let him be safe..."
A groan emerged from his lips as his eyelids fluttered open. Anon's head swivelled side to side as he hazily looked around. It was dark and dry and the air was stagnant. He coughed as dust entered his mouth. He tried to move but found out quickly that both his hands and feet were bound to an old wooden chair. He cursed quietly as he blinked, trying to focus. His endeavour was mostly for naught, as his vision remained troubled and unfocused. The only thing he could make out was the dim light that partially illuminated what felt like a small side room.
"Fuck... I think I have a concussion..."
He felt his stomach reach his lips but somehow managed to fight it down. The echo of two pairs of footfall alerted him to two upcoming assholes. A door Hope didn't know existed opened, blinding him with indirect harsh floodlights. He squinted at the light as he heard a condescending chuckle.
"Well, well, well..." A familiar voice smiled audibly. "If it isn't the prodigal asshole."
Hope winced, the lights still hurting his eyes.
"Turn that shit off..." He croaked dryly.
He heard a snort.
"Someone's messed up."
Hope dry heaved as his stomach churned, burping wetly shortly after. The bitter bile rising at the back of his throat only made his nausea worse.
"...Really freaking messed up." The voice continued, uncharacteristically tinted with worry. "You sure you didn't give him internal damage or something?"
A short silhouette flailed around indignantly in the glow of the floodlights. A small, high-pitched yip reached his ears. He squeezed his eyes close and tried his best to focus. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room, enough so that he could make out his current company. Roman stood in front of him, leaning on his cane with a doubtful look. Behind him was Neo, pulling her tongue out at her boss while holding Zwei close to her face. She cuddled with the diminutive canine, probably to ease her mood against Roman's criticism. Roman held up two fingers.
"How many am I holding up?"
He wondered if he should mess with them, maybe to get Neo into trouble. But, even though he wanted to get back at her, pragmatism won over pettiness in this instance.
"Two." He sighed out, drained.
Torchwick smiled in his own shitty way.
"Good! At least you don't have brain damage!" the criminal smirked. "Although even if you did, not much would have changed."
Hope squinted at the pain radiating from the back of his head.
"Not from a lack of trying," he muttered bitterly, glaring at Neo.
Neo winced before making some signs.
'I - Panicked. Heat - Of The - Moment. Super - Very - Sorry.'
Once his focus fully returned and his nausea settled, he realized that he was probably in some repurposed storage closet. Everything had a thick layer of dust covering it with clean spots where things had obviously been moved. He could make out a small table hastily placed against the wall. In his observations, he noticed a very aggravating detail. Neo took his gun, as evident by her wearing it on his stolen holster, whilst Roman paraded his nicked knife on his belt. Roman saw where he was looking, furthering his cocky, taunting grin.
"What's wrong?" Roman jeered. "Feeling naked all of a sudden?"
Anon blinked, nonplussed.
"Keep talking shit, carrot top." He dismissed dryly. "It won't save you."
Roman scoffed.
"The only one who needs saving is you, hero."
That word. It ground against Hope's psyche with the force of a belt sander to the braincase. Anon ground his teeth.
"Just fucking get it over with, you interminable cunt. Kill me, leave and lock the door behind you, what the fuck ever. Just shut your damn trap."
There was a small moment of silence, only for it to be broken by a small, dark chuckle.
"Oh, Hope..." Roman leaned forward, his hat casting a shadow over his face under the light. "I'm not here to kill you. I'm just here to talk."
Anon blinked wordlessly. Roman continued.
"Y'see, Hope, you caught my boss's attention. Ever since you meddled with our plans at the CCTT, she's been interested in your role in this sordid story."
Anon didn't look impressed.
"You want me to... talk..."
"Yes!" the criminal exclaimed. "Either that... Or."
There was a pause as Anon stared in astonishment. The stunned silence turned into a mad cacophony as he belted out in laughter, to Roman and Neo's shock. Did the head wound drive him mad?
"Y-you fucking-" Hope wheezed. "Oh god! That's a good one!"
Roman unsheeted Hope's dagger and placed the point against his throat. Hope's expression immediately returned to his unimpressed scowl.
"Do it, maggot," Hope challenged. "I fucking dare you to."
"You think I won't do it?" Torchwick threatened.
Hope looked at Torchwick dead in the eyes before slowly leaning forward and towards the blade. The thing that could kill him at any moment backed away, if still against his throat. Hope smiled confidently as Torchwick gnashed his teeth worriedly, making sure that the blade didn't pierce his throat.
"I thought so," Anon said.
Torchwick inhaled angrily, grimacing. He let out an angry cry before backing off.
"Damnit!"
If his leg weren't bound, Hope would have crossed his legs just to drive the point further home.
"Are we done?"
Roman growled.
"Keep acting tough, Hope." He turned to his assistant. "Neo, do what you do best."
Anon snorted.
"Nope."
Roman turned his head to glare at Hope in confusion.
"Excuse me?"
Anon stared directly into the thug's eyes.
"Neo is going to sit there, looking pretty, whilst you do jack."
"Is that so?"
Roman snapped his fingers, expecting Neo to start making him scream. Instead of obeying his non-verbal command, she remained idle. However, instead of looking pretty, she was looking pretty awkward. Roman snapped again and once more, nothing happened.
"Neo," Roman called. "Kindly explain to me why you're doing nothing?"
Hope was now grinning with zero restraint.
"Y'see, Roman," The emphasis wasn't lost on the criminal. "Neo kind of owes me. Twice. I let her go back during Highway 17 so that she could save your sorry ass. I let her go again instead of blasting the both of you apart during the gunfight. You're still alive because I let you."
Hope radiated confidence, every word jabbing into Roman's psyche. Roman glared at Neo, silently ordering her to do as he demanded. She looked at her boss and friend sadly, shaking her head. A dept is a dept, even for someone like her.
Huh, looks like there is honour amongst crooks.
The criminal boss sneered, trying to look unfazed, only to sigh impotently.
"Son of a bitch..." Noman quietly cursed.
"Not willing to cross that line?" Anon asked.
The criminal's glare returned.
"Just the fact that she put me up to this frustrates me," Roman complained. "I'm a thug, I rough people up. Sure. But I don't hurt people like she intended me to. I'm not some violent maniac, for dark's sake!"
Anon struggled to hold back his smile as his eyes swivelled to Neo. She let go of Zwei and crossed her arms with a pout, displeased with Anon's look and her boss's indirect jab.
The door opened behind Roman, illuminating the room with a harsh glow. A dark figure cut its shape in the light. The horned shadow walked into the room with a sword at its hip. The black was cut with bloody crimson with the only pop of brightness being a sombre white half-mask that covered the figure's eyes.
Adam Taurus stood silent at the sight of Hope before suddenly looking at his unwanted associate.
"The ram is ready and a few of the carts are fully loaded." He reported emotionlessly.
Roman sighed, still bitter at his failure.
"Good, at least that's one good thing that happened today. How long before we're ready?"
"If everything goes smooth? A week top, then we can enact the plan during VytalFest."
"And if we rush?"
The bull grimaced.
"We're working with enough explosives to level this entire place, Torchwick," Adam explained. "Look, I want to leave this accursed place as much as you do. But we can't afford to rush and mess things up."
Roman nodded bitterly, looking over his shoulder.
"I swear, I feel like I'm being watched." Roman groaned with a shiver. "This place gives me the creep."
A small huff came from the chair-bound man.
"Considering thousands of people died here, It could be worse."
The trio of outlaws stared at Hope.
"What do you mean?" Adam asked in curiosity.
"Usually when mass death occurs, the veil between the realms of the living and the dead thins. That or when particularly powerful souls die abruptly." He sniffed. "Honestly, I'm shocked the dead here are so docile."
Roman scoffed mockingly, despite a cold sweat forming on his back and brow.
"You believe in ghosts or something?"
Anon smiled darkly.
"I don't believe in things, Roman. I know things, and last I checked..."
Anon looked over Roman's shoulder, an action that made the hardened criminal's skin crawl.
"The dead don't walk in the light."
Roman felt something brush against his leg. With a high-pitched girly screech, he jumped back and stumbled onto his ass. Zwei tilted his head as he looked dimwittedly at the orange-haired man sitting on the hard floor. Anon burst out laughing as the hardened criminal boss hyperventilated out of fright.
"Had you goin' now haven't I?" Anon huffed lightly.
Roman's face slowly went from white with fear to red as rage. He shot to his feet with an angry cry before smacking Hope in the face with a closed fist. Hope's chair nearly tipped over before rocking back down on its legs. Hope let out a small exclamation as the fist slugged him in the jaw.
"YOU FUCK!" Roman screamed as he held his sore wrist.
Despite tasting his own blood, Anon kept his grin. He pulled out his tongue cheekily just to add salt to the wound. Roman trembled with anger before stomping towards the door.
"Screw this! Adam, you make him talk!"
The thug stormed out of the room with a huff. Neo took Zwei in her arms, tapping him on the top of his head scoldingly for what he did. Once they're done here, he won't be getting any treats for a while. Zwei looked at Hope sadly but the smile on his caretaker's face reassured him that yes, he will be getting a lot of treats when this is over. Neo gave Hope one last look and a small unenthused wave before following her boss out the room, closing the door behind her.
Adam glared over his shoulder before shaking his head disapprovingly.
"Oaf."
The dim room fell silent as the two men were left alone. Anon groaned as the wound at the back of his head kept buzzing with dull pain. Now that he didn't have someone talkative to distract him from the pain, he had to endure it. Adam silently flicked the lights in the room on, making Hope grumble in discomfort since the lights here are just as harsh as the lights outside. The bull gently tilted the seer's head to examine the wound before making a displeased noise. He left the room, still without a word before coming back with a first aid kit. Adam held the handle with one finger tentatively.
"If you want, I can redo the bandage and give you some painkillers." Adam offered.
Anon, knowing full well that he wasn't being nice for no reason, sensed a catch.
"I have a feeling that there's a 'but' in there."
Adam smiled knowingly.
"Genre savvy." his smile disappeared as quickly as it came. "Tell me what Roman wanted to know and I'll patch you up."
Anon thinned his lips awkwardly.
"You're gonna have to ask Roman what he wanted cuz I don't have a damn clue."
Adam stopped swinging the kit on his finger. His hand went straight to his face with a meaty slap. He let out an aggressive, drawn-out growl.
"You're kidding me..."
"Dead serious, mate. All I got was that he wanted to know about my role in all this but he didn't elaborate."
Adam shook his head in aggravation as he moved to fix up Hope.
"Seriously, I'm shocked this idiot has gone on as long as he had." The bull complained. "I swear, it's like he has a sack of rocks for a head."
The seer smirked.
"You can say that again, the guy has poorer judgment than me. And I went to college!"
"Oh, gods!"
It was surreal how easy it had been for the two to laugh together. Their first meeting was a firefight with the two of them at opposite sides, yet they complained and joked like coworkers on break. Hope hissed as Taurus sprayed his wound with disinfectant but remained docile.
"Oh, get over it." Adam quipped as he sponged the wound with a sterile cloth.
"Do you hear me complain?!"
"You are now."
Once the alcohol did its job, Adam covered the raw wound with a large bandage. Hope let out a groan as he finished patching him up. The bull then gave Hope some pills and a swig from a previously unseen flask. Hope let out a sigh of contentment after the drink of water. He knew from experience that the painkillers would take a while to kick in but at least he'll eventually feel less shitty.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome... Anon, was it?"
"I go by that, yeah."
Taurus frowned.
"I take it it's not your real name?"
"I take it you wouldn't believe me if I told you it was?"
"Ha!" Adam exclaimed, amused. "I spend too much time on forums to fall for that!"
Anon frowned at a certain detail.
Forums? Wait...
"What kind of forum?"
"TTRPGs. And sometimes LARPing for a good laugh."
His eyes slowly went to the back of his head as he realized something about a certain user he's friends with.
Why am I such a fucking retard?
Anon let out a groan, which interested his current interrogator.
"Something came up?"
"No, I just realized how dumb I can be at times."
"What brought this on?"
Anon sighed.
"Nothing that's actually important."
"Like what?"
"My relationship with certain people," he let slip.
Adam tilted his head down, almost as if deep in thoughts. He leaned against a wall, nodding bitterly.
"I can relate."
Anon cocked a brow.
"Blake?"
A small, painful chuckle left the bull's mouth.
"I wonder what gave it away..." The White Fang commander hesitated. "How has she been?"
"Oh you know, fighting the good fight. Trying her best to thwart evildoers and Grimm alongside her team."
"Not what I meant," Adam said, annoyed. "Does she get enough rest? Is she eating properly? Does she take a few hours of her day to just relax? Does she have a boyfriend?"
Anon blinked multiple times, a soft smile slowly creeping across his face. He let out a gentle chuckle.
"You really do care about her, don't you?"
Adam looked down again, his melancholy plain to see.
"She may have moved on from me... But I just..." He sighed defeatedly. "I can't, no matter how hard I try. And I tried. HARD."
Even though his mask already hides his face, he covered it with his hand.
"I'm worried sick about her. Every day that passes, I can't help but hope that she's doing fine. But the fact that I don't know drives me up the wall. What if she's associated herself with the wrong crowd? What if she's indebted herself to the wrong people..."
Anon stared blankly.
"Jesus fucking Christ, are you her ex or her dad?"
Adam Taurus, the terrorist commander, blushed like a schoolboy.
"S-shut up! I-I only act this way because I promised her father that I would look after her come death or high water!"
"Sure you do, lover boy."
"I ACTUALLY HAVE!"
Anon shook his head with a small chuckle.
"Take it easy, samurai. I'm just ribbin'." Hope reassured. "We've been making sure that she's well-taken care of, me and the others. She's a handful or two but, we manage."
Adam breathed out slowly, relieved at the news.
"I see..." He looked at his prisoner wearing a thankful smile. "I... I'm grateful for what you're doing."
Anon blanked out on Adam, much to his confusion.
"Did I say something weird?" Adam inquired.
"No... You're just... different from what I expected."
Adam huffed lightly.
"The media has a way of twisting the truth for their own end." The bitterness returned. "Although, I have made it awfully easy for them."
"No."
Adam tilted his head as Hope continued.
"I don't trust a single fucking thing the media says anyhow," Anon admitted. "No, I have... Other means."
Adam took note of that statement.
"And those means are?"
Hope smiled in his usual mysterious way.
"I just know."
Adam pursed his lips.
"Do you tell everyone that?"
"Yeah..."
Anon looked down with a sad smile.
"Don't take it personally, samurai. I lie to everyone..."
Adam didn't know how to respond to that. Not like he had a chance as a knock at the door interrupted the two. The door swung open as a White Fang lieutenant entered, his mask covering his entire face. Anon had recognized him as the Canon WF lieutenant.
"Sir, the recruits are acting up again."
"Another fight?" Adam sighed. "The usual suspects?"
"No, but I wouldn't put it past them if they're at fault in some way."
Adam let out an annoyed groan before leaving his spot on the wall. His face hardened, now more fitting to the image of an authoritative commander. He looked back to Hope.
"This is farewell for now." He faced the outside light. "I'll be sending someone to watch over you, so try not to do something stupid."
Anon gave him a deadpan, resting bitch face.
"You have no idea who you're asking that to, do you?"
Adam cracked a smile.
"Indeed I don't, but neither does you."
The door closed behind the commander, isolating the seer once again. At least he had light... With not much else to do, he contemplated his options. He couldn't just escape since the compound was crawling with racial extremists that would just love to use him as target practice. He could try to sway Adam but he was still a bit too much of a wild card to deal with flippantly. He needed more data on him to try anything drastic.
I'll have to have that talk with Blake we've been putting off. God knows I should have pushed earlier.
The doorknob creaked as it turned before cracking open slightly. A small snout peered into the room before rushing in. Zwei stopped at Hope's feet before climbing onto his lap with a small leap.
"Hey boy!" He noticed the leash that was still attached to his collar. "I see you've escaped the ice cream girl."
Zwei let out low bark, confirming his statement. Anon felt the gears in his head work. He hummed, his big think possibly paying off if everything goes well.
"Zwei, I need you to do something for me."
The dog lifted his head, paying attention.
"Ruby and Yang are around here on the surface." He explained quietly. "I need you to go find them and bring them here. They'll know what to do."
Zwei let out another quiet bark, letting him know that he got it.
"There should be a surface access stairway that you could use. Now go!"
Zwei stood on his hind leg and did an adorable salute before jumping off his lap and jetting out of the room.
Godspeed, you magnificent son of a bitch!
Hope let out a long breath. Now all he could do, was wait.
...
Hours passed and nothing was happening. If Anon's leg weren't bound to the chair, he would probably be balancing on his chair or tap his feet rhythmically. But right now, he was bored out of his mind. Despite this, Adam had been true t his word and sent someone to guard him. Some lithe-looking girl with a literal ponytail.
"God, someone fucking shoot me." Anon bitched.
The guard nervously thumbed the side of her issued rifle, making sure that the safety was on.
"Don't-don't tempt me, human." She threatened, her stutter ruining any attempt at intimidation.
Hope winced.
"You stressed?"
"Why would you care?"
"Because I'm bored out of my mind and talking to you is literally the only fucking thing I can do."
"Well, I don't- I don't... I don't give a shit."
"C'mon, some basic get-to-know-you stuff? I'll start if you want."
Her grip on the gun tightened.
"Shut your fucking mouth."
Hope clicked his tongue.
"Fine, be like that."
Harsh light flooded into the room as the door opened. Everyone's favourite ice cream-coloured thug marched into the room with a large scroll in hand. Neo motioned the grunt to leave, waving at her without looking. The grunt sneered but did as she was ordered. Finally, she didn't have to endure that human scum any longer. Anon glanced at her dismissively.
"Fuck d'you want?"
Neo pouted as she started signing.
'I. Said. Sorry.'
Anon rolled his eyes.
"You broke into my room, broke my shit, nearly gave me brain damage and you fucking kidnaped me." Anon enumerated. "Excuse me if 'Sorry' doesn't fucking cut it."
Neo grumbled silently. Hope sighed, knowing that she didn't come here to chat.
"Do what you have to do then leave me the fuck alone. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."
The aggravation in his voice saddened her but knowing what was next, she couldn't blame him. Neo grabbed the table in the corner and set it in front of Hope, setting the tablet-like scroll on a small stand atop it. The scroll was black, indicating that it was in fact filming something in a dark room. If it had been off, then the scroll would be transparent. A pair of amber orbs glowed in the dark as a warped voice began speaking.
"Anon Hope." The voice almost seemed to relish saying his name, like a foreign traveller discovering an exotic new word. "A pleasure to see you again."
Hope was impassive although his words revealed his true feelings.
"Yeah, I preferred it when you were getting thrown out a fucking window."
The voice let out a warbled giggle.
"I must say, you seem quite irate today."
"I'd say blame Roman but seeing as you asked him to kidnap me, it would make more sense to blame you instead."
She let out a chuckle, an act that grated further on Anon's mind.
"A tongue as sharp as your glare. I'm liking you more and more as we speak."
He rolled his eyes.
"Right, next you're going to tell me that you enjoy spying on me while I shower."
"Oh my~" She joked. "Jokes aside, I've had my eyes on you."
"Yours? or your lackeys."
"Does it make a difference?"
"One proves your diligence, the other your laziness."
The figure hummed thoughtfully.
"An interesting way to view it, but I prefer to delegate in order to do more important things."
"Like kidnapping some random guy who has nothing for you?"
"No, I delegated that too." She audibly sneered. "At least, Roman should've if he wasn't so soft."
"Then what the fuck are you doing other than looking sinister and twiddling your thumbs?" Anon asked, already fed up with this set-up.
"Well..." She took a moment to breathe in dramatically. "As I previously mentioned, I have come to be very interested in you. But no matter how hard I try to get information on you, I come across none."
Her eyes got closer as if she leaned in.
"No birth certificate, no medical history that dates further than the last six months, likewise for academic records." Her eyes glowed brighter. "It's as if you appeared out of thin air."
Anon let off a discreet smile.
At least Oz didn't let the info I gave him leak.
The voice continued.
"Just who in the world, Is the man known as Anon Hope?"
Anon smirked.
"An alien from another dimension that got spirited away by forces beyond comprehension."
The orbs flickered rapidly, as if blinking, with Neo doing much the same.
"Pardon?" The voice asked incredulously.
His smirk turned into a full-on shit-eating grin.
"Y'see, I'm from this world called Eden, right?" He said with an exaggerated voice. "And shit is wack there! There's stuff like planet-wide pollution, child soldiers in third world countries, celebrity pedophile rings, and people who unironically like communism!"
Neo's eyes flickered open in abject confusion. What the fuck is he talking about? An Alien? Pedo rings? AND WHAT THE FUCK IS A COMMUNISM?!
The orbs on the scroll narrowed.
"You're mocking me." She accused, somewhat rightly.
JOKES ON YOU!
Anon chuckled.
"Try all you want, you won't get shit from me." Anon declared. "Neo and I have a deal, Roman doesn't have the guts, Adam is too reasonable and the Fang are either too chicken shit to hurt me or too bloodthirsty to keep me alive long enough for me to say anything."
The orbs narrowed further as Hope leaned forward.
"You lost this fight the moment that you chose the wrong allies." He radiated with confidence. "As a gambler once said to me: the game, as it were, was rigged from the start."
There was a pause as the hidden figure looked down thoughtfully. She nodded to herself.
"In this instance, I admit defeat."
Hope blinked shockingly.
"Pardon the fuck?"
"You are correct in your assessment that in the current situation, I have failed to choose the right person for the job. And by the time that I find someone who fits my designs, our operations will have to start."
The figure shook its head.
"It is my defeat."
Hope sat there stunned.
Cinder is... Humble? and admits when she failed?!
"Who... are you?" Anon slipped absentmindedly.
He could hear her smile.
"Not what you were thinking it seems," she noted self-satisfyingly. "For the time being, you will remain at our outpost while I prepare for your extraction."
Hope let go of his shocked daze and smiled defiantly.
"No dice, Cinderella."
The figure flinched at the name.
"What time is it?" Hope continued.
The voice chose to take the bait, if only to sate her own curiosity.
"Past midnight. Why?"
Hope just smiled ominously. Neo furrowed her brow at this action before leaving to check if everything was in order. With Hope, you can never be too careful. The figure cocked an eyebrow.
"Well? Why does the time matter?"
"Fortune favours those who help themselves." Hope's smile turned mysterious. "And I..."
Alarms began blaring outside the room, melding with a cacophony of gunfire.
"Am very much shameless, in helping myself." Hope finished his quip.
The figure's glowing eyes bulged out of their socket. This timing can not have been coincidental. Roman burst into the room, mad as hell, and marched towards Hope. In his haste, he toppled the table aside, spending the scroll to the floor and breaking it. Roman struck him across the face with enough force to tip over the chair. Hope landed with a thud and a cry as the back of his head hit the floor.
"You damned son of a bitch!" Roman cursed. "How?! How are your dipshit friends here?!"
Hope snorted as he licked his bloodied teeth.
"For all my faults, I'm nothing if not resourceful." Hope humble-bragged.
Roman growled before cutting his legs free from the chair.
"You're coming with me!" The criminal said as forced Anon to his feet. "If I'm going to eat shit, so will you!"
Hope felt a wave of dread hit him. He hadn't thought of the train. The CRASHING train. And if Torchwick is going to drag him into that future literal trainwreck, he's going to end up as chunky human soup. He tried to break free of Roman's grip but his still bound hands made the act more symbolic than actually practical. Roman cracked him across the head again to put him in his place. He hooked his arm around Hope's neck before unsheathing the knife at his belt.
"Don't be a hero." Roman pleaded. "For both of our sakes."
Roman dragged the defenceless Hope through a makeshift barrack as chaos erupted. Footsoldiers of the Fang hustled and rushed around, grabbing weapons and leaving to get their asses handed to them. Once the duo was through, the train came into view. Hope knew that trains were generally really big, but what he witnessed was more akin to a destroyer class ship on rails. The battering ram attached to the conductor car alone made the whole thing look like a jagged lance of crudely welded steel. He saw as Adam ordered his men to secure the last train they managed to fill. He saw as Neo entered one of the middle cars with her Hush.
He saw as RWBY and Oobleck, accompanied by Zwei, burst in with guns blazing.
He saw their flabbergasted expressions when they first saw him. He saw their shock turn into fury as they gunned for him, batting aside grunts after grunts in order to reach him; save him. Hope saw Torchwick's desperate panic as he threw him into the conductor car and threw the commands at maximum speed. He saw as RWBY slowly got farther and farther away. He saw as the light disappeared and turned into dark stone.
Anon left the window as he collapsed to his rear. The feeling of dread turned into internal panic as he tried to think of a way to make himself safe. His thoughts were interrupted by Torchwick holding his throat hostage at knifepoint.
"Those damned girls have boarded the train!" he sounded more desperate with every word. "So you are going to stand between me and them until I find a way out of this mess."
Anon grunted as he felt the cold steel of the blade shave the slight stubble of his throat.
"This is not-" He felt the grip of Roman's hand on his throat tighten. "A really big mistake."
"This whole deal was a big mistake!" Torchwick confessed. "Ever since I took the money, that bitch has had my nuts in a vice! If it weren't for my connections and Neo, she'd have me cooked to a crisp!"
The train shook violently as one of the bombs went off. Torchwick wisely chose to keep the blade off his throat in the off chance that the blade finds home in Hope's neck. The criminal boss brought the seer closer.
"I'm not a gambling man, not anymore, but I know when I have a bad hand. And this one is rotten to the core. The only way for me to win, is to bluff, lie and cheat my way off this deal!"
Hope struggled out a sigh.
"But you can't win, Roman."
Roman let out a strained laugh.
"Oh please, don't give me that stupid good guy schpiel about evil never prevailing. I've heard it a hundred times before."
"No, you git." Hope retorted. "You can't win, because there's nothing to win."
Torchwicks grip loosenned.
"Whu?" Torchwick bumbled.
"Your boss is just a pawn. A slave to something much, much worse."
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Her master wants to end the world."
Roman's mouth closed as he blinked. Wait... Really? He shook his head.
"That doesn't make a lick of sense!" Roman retorted. "If the world ends, then everyone dies, whoever the bitch's master is included."
"That the plan," Anon revealed chillingly.
Roman froze entirely.
"You got played completely," Anon continued. "Even if you live that long, all you'll get to see, is your own demise."
Roman's breathing quickened. No, no, no! that can't be! No one is that suicidally omnicidal to do something like that!
"Bull...BULL!" Roman bellowed as the blade got closer. "I refuse to believe that!"
The train rocked again as another bomb went off. Hope felt the cold steel against his neck, the shaking guarantying a sliced throat. Hope went stiff and waited for the pain to kick in. Hope raised an eyebrow at the lack of pain. The blade was already at his throat and got even closer. It should have at least made him bleed. Instead, it was as if the blade refused to cut him. It couldn't have been Torchwick, so what could it have been? A fluke? Hope chose to hedge his bet.
"Then let me tell you something that you can believe in," Anon said confidently.
"What?!"
"Your future."
Roman didn't move a muscle. Neo had told him that Hope was possibly a real fortune teller. He had dealt with a lot of phonies in the past but if what Cinder had told Neo, then he could be the real deal.
"The girls are going to win this skirmish." Hope continued. "However, the train will derail and wreck in such a spectacular fashion that the train will end up blowing a hole into the commercial district. There's gonna be a big fight between the huntsmen and the Grimm. You'll slip out only for Cinder to find you."
Roman's eyes widened. He knows who she is? His grip loosened further.
"What then?" An enraptured Torchwick demanded. "What happens next?!"
"You failed her again, so she'll throw you to the wolves. You'll get arrested but you'll have one more job, your last job."
Torchwick stiffened.
"She'll tell you that she has a backup plan and your plan in it. your job will be to hijack the Atlan supercarrier where you'll be transferred. With the back door in the Atlan systems, you'll have free reign to cause havoc as the city descends into chaos."
"How could that be my last job?" Roman muttered, deep in thoughts. "If I'm in that big airship, I'd be untouchable..."
"Ruby can fly, Roman," Anon told him matter-of-factly. "She'll get on the carrier and you, Neo and her will fight."
"So that squirt will kill me?" Roman asked, astonished.
"No. Plan B will cause Chaos and Havoc. The Fang will attack, murder as many people as they can. What do you think will happen when bombs start levelling buildings and mass murder happens in the streets?"
"The Grimm... But how could they get in?"
"The back door is everything Vale-related, not just the Atlas OS. The wall defences will go dead."
"And the Grimm will invade. Like what we are currently trying to do..."
"During the fight with Ruby, you'll get mad, you'll lose focus and a griffon will swallow you whole."
Torchwick's face grimaced in horror as his hands began to shake. The thought of being devoured whole, slowly being digested by one of those monsters was unthinkable to him. Fear coursed through him as his face blanched.
"On the other hand,"
Roman snapped to attention at Hope's words.
"I can help you. I can save you." He declared.
"How?" Roman breathed out.
"You'll have to trust me and Neo when the time comes."
The door to the conductor car slammed open, startling the two men. Ruby stood at the door, her eyes full of anger and glowing slightly with silver light. She ground her teeth at the sight of Hope being held hostage, the grip on her scythe tightened.
"Let. Him. Go." She demanded, her voice low and full of menace.
Hope blinked multiple times.
I didn't know Ruby could do that.
Roman's hold returned but his attitude completely shifted.
"No. I have to." He said quietly. "I have to keep him between you and me."
His voice was full of fear and Hope could feel his body shaking. He couldn't blame him, in a strange way. After all, he was facing his future reaper.
The blade came closer to Hope's throat but once again, the edge refused to cut into his skin. Hope realized what Muramasa had done to his dagger. He straightened out his back and smiled at Ruby, winking knowingly. Before she had the time to look confused, Hope threw his head forward, towards the blade. As predicted, the blade moved out of the way in order to not injure Hope. Torchwick's eyes widened for a second before Hope threw his head back with full momentum into his nose. Roman's nose would have shattered if it weren't for his Aura but the hit stunned him enough for Anon the hit the deck. His head wound began bleeding again, staining the fresh bandage with blood.
"Now!" He signalled.
With a mighty cry, Ruby lunged at the crime boss and round-house kicked him in the jaw. Roman was instantly knocked out, his body spiralling around before collapsing onto the train's control.
Anon let out a strained groan.
Finally, I don't have a knife to my throat. Christ.
Ruby helped him to his knees before cutting his restraints into twain. Hope rubbed his freed wrists, lifting his head to smile at her friend.
"Than-"
A meaty thwack resounded as a red hand mark appeared on his face. A teary-eyed Ruby had slapped Hope across the face.
"You idiot!" She yelled, her voice faltering. "What were you thinking?!"
Hope rubbed his reddened cheek.
I should have seen that one coming.
"That I'm fucking invincible?" He joked.
Ruby went to slap him again but Hope blocked it.
"It's not funny!" She started crying as she kept trying to slap him. "You could have gotten hurt or worse!"
Hope locked her in a hug to stop her from trying to slap him as she began sobbing. Hope frowned dourly, feeling like a jackass.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Ruby kept sniffling as she held Hope tight. Despite being angry at him, she was still so very glad that he was ok. Hope gently rubbed her head to calm her down. Ruby's sniffling subsided and after blowing her nose into Hope's handkerchief, she had calmed down.
"Why are you here?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Kidnapped." Hope deadpanned.
"Yeah, I got that part! I meant why did they kidnap you?"
Hope's dark lidded stare worried the red reaper.
"It seems his boss wanted to get to know me better." He smirked angrily. "Too bad for her, I have more up than a few aces up my sleeves."
"ANON!"
The cry came from behind the pair, the sound of footsteps announcing the coming of the rescue team. The pair looked up to see Blake, Weiss and Yang all converging on them. Yang dropped to a knee, looking frantically at Both Ruby and Anon.
"Are you two ok?!" She fretted.
Hope felt the back of his head and felt something wet cling to his fingers. He inspected his now bloodied fingers with an annoyed frown.
"Goddamnit." He cursed. "And Adam was so nice to have bandaged me up."
Blake frowned with wide eyes.
"Wait, Adam did this?!"
"No, Neo did. Adam patched me up."
Blake turned her head to the side with a squint of disbelief, unable to understand why Adam would have done that to his enemy. Yang frowned.
"Who's Neo?"
"The ice cream-coloured girl that kicked your ass."
Yang groaned.
"Stop reading my mind! And don't announce my defeats out loud!"
"Did you hear a raven's cry?"
"STOP DOING THAT! STOP KNOWING EVERYTHING!"
Hope smiled, glad that Raven actually came through and helped. With a bit of luck, she's a better person than she is in canon.
Or, at least, not a complete asshole.
Weiss knelt down and inspected Hope's bandage, all the while admonishing her teammate.
"I knew I should have stayed behind to help you! But noooo, leave it to Yang because she had a grudge to settle."
Yang grumbled to herself like a scolded child.
"What about you Weiss?" Hope asked.
She waved dismissively.
"A bunch of ruffians and their oaf of a commander." She smiled cockily. "They were no match."
Blake nodded grimly.
"Same. Although..."
"Adam?" Anon asked despite already knowing the answer.
Blake nodded again.
"I was able to hold him back, but I think he escaped when we passed by a maintenance tunnel."
"Somehow, I doubt that we won't see him again."
Blake smiled sadly.
"For all his faults, he is determined."
The train suddenly jumped, its wheels rolling on something unknown. A sudden cranking sound followed by a snap and a thud alerted Hope that his fears had come to pass. Whipping his head around confirmed that Torwick's unconscious body dragged the acceleration lever all the way to max and snapped the thing off. The train began rumbling as it went into maximum speed. Hope shot to his feet and looked out the front window. In the distance, a massive pile of rubble, probably the result of a collapsed tunnel.
"Shit." Hope breathed out. "This... This is not good."
The girls joined him and immediately understood that this trainwreck was going to become very literal. A flip switched in the sister's heads.
"Yang!" Ruby called out.
"On it!"
Yang grabbed hope by his neck and buried his head in her ample chest just as Ruby jumped on Anon's back, locking her legs around his waist and squeezing his body hard against hers. Hope would have blinked if his eyes weren't obstructed by his blond friend's rack. Surrounded by softness, Hope could only think to say one thing. And although muffled, no one could mistake what he said.
"If this is is how I die... I regret nothing."
Weiss and Blake glanced in annoyance at the scene, although for very different reasons. The heiress rolled her eyes before unsheathing her Myrtenaster. Her Aura flared, cooling the air as glyphs began to form from the air.
A blinding light flashed as all turned white.
V2E14: END!
NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V2E15 - PLAY?