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Chapter 18: Answers
Team FADE were, as was something of a custom for them on Saturday mornings, in the gym. Not many students wanted to wake up early on their days off and the first year team took advantage of the fact that they had the place to themselves until Helios Nikos could either drag Team NEON out of bed or simply leave them to their own devices and train alone. Diamond was currently on a treadmill with music from Raphael Lake, a band both she and Arctus enjoyed, blaring from her earphones as sweat trickled down her forehead from exertion as she pushed her muscles and stamina to their limit. Eagle was currently using the free weights, dead-lifting an amount that would have shocked most people, the corded muscles of her arms, neck and shoulders clearly visible. Arctus and Felix were currently sparring, that being one of the most effective ways to get the Bear Faunus to actually focus in the gym rather than staring longingly after his partner; failure to pay due attention in the ring would get him punched in the mouth, and getting punched by Felix hurt
"You're still too static" Felix noted as he launched a series of left jabs, gradually forcing his cousin back a few steps.
"Nah, you're just overreaching" Arctus countered as he ducked under the follow up right haymaker from the Lion Faunus and delivered a solid punch to the gut that sent him staggering back, wheezing as he struggled to breathe.
"Okay, not bad" Felix grunted as he raised his guard once more and balanced himself on the balls of his feet; poised and ready while he and Arctus circled each other slowly, each of them searching for any sign of an opening before the next exchange. Felix made his move first, deciding to try something outside of his usual style. Arctus saw his leg move and prepared to block a knee strike, knowing how Felix fought; he was thrown to the mat when his assumption proved to be incorrect and the Lion Faunus's spinning heel kick connected with his jaw
"You okay?" Felix asked, clearly suppressing a bout of laughter at his expense
"Oh I'm just great" the Bear Faunus muttered while massaging the side of his face and returning to his feet
"Good" with no warning other than his smile suddenly turning menacing Felix lunged forwards and leapt into the air, aiming a knee directly at Arctus's face. Arctus didn't consciously make the decision to react the way he did, instinct caused him to try and grab the attacker and hurl them overhead, the way his father had taught him. Felix tried to latch on, the result was Arctus toppling backwards and driving his cousin face first into the mat. As they both scrabbled to their feet they became aware of the hysterical laughter filling the gym. Diamond had dismounted from the treadmill and was currently leaned against it while doubled over pointing at them with tears of laughter streaming down her face
"Oh my Oum Fluffy you dumb-ass how can you get accidentally suplexed?" the voice came from the other side of the gym, turning to face the speaker Felix saw that Team CLIR had arrived, his sister being the one responsible for the mocking
"Yeah yeah, keep laughing. Don't forget I've seen you land on your face plenty of times before. I remember the Omega Wing prototype"
"Point taken" Corvid shrugged, still chuckling to herself as her team spread out, beginning their warm-up for the session. Corvid approached the sparring ring that Felix and Arctus still occupied, leaning against the ropes; whatever it was she wanted to say to her brother momentarily forgotten as she nodded to something behind he and and cousin. Both of them turned to see that Iris had made her way over to the weights; Eagle seeing this, had decided to stop and add more weight to the dumbbells she was currently lifting, despite already being red in the face.
"Oh my fucking Oum" Felix breathed out "She has got it so bad"
"Yeah" Corvid chewed her lip, obviously concerned "Problem is, as far as I know Iris is straight. Your partner's a sweet kid, I just don't want her breaking her heart chasing after her"
"I don't think Eagle know how to chase, she just watches from a distance and doesn't make a move" Arctus noted with a sly grin
"Pot. Kettle. Sexually frustrated" Corvid gave him a pointed glare that he reddened under, mumbling something incoherent
"Okay" Felix caught his sister's attention with a hand gesture and exaggerated eye-roll "You didn't come here just to pick on my teams' lack of dates"
"You're included in that by the way" Corvid snorted before taking on a more serious tone "Do they know about the other night?" Felix nodded, he had indeed told his team-mates about what had transpired at Melanie Malachites bar; resulting in Eagle mothering him until she was satisfied that the experience hadn't traumatised him.
"Okay good, I had Rusty do some digging. He's from Vaccuo but he's got a knack for finding things out, people talk to him" Corvid paused for a moment, as if she didn't want to continue "He heard some talk about a crew that runs drugs from a little place on the edge of the city. Apparently it's some really nasty stuff, I've never even heard of it before….anyway with the centenary festival coming in a few months these guys are getting ready to go big, they've been buying trucks that have already been reported as stolen and written off. Word is they just bought one from a really big guy who was some kind of Cat Faunus who had a bug Faunus with wings with him"
"That sounds like our guys" Felix nodded eagerly "You got an address?"
"I have-"
"Arctus, tell Eagle and Diamond we're done here. We're hitting 'em tonight" Arctus was momentarily taken aback, overcoming it he nodded silently and left the Xiao Long Siblings alone, Corvid motioned for Felix to follow her and made her way out of the gym and into the deserted hallway
"What's up?" Felix asked
"Team CLIR are coming with" she answered bluntly
"My car won't fit eight people sis, and the Omega Wing-"
"It's not a debate!" She snapped, cutting her brother off before pulling him into a hug. Felix realised with a shock that she was crying, shuddering softly into his shoulder
"Sis?" he gently patted her back, utterly lost as to how to proceed for a few moments until Corvid spoke again between sniffles
"I'm fine….Just, fuck" she pulled back and wiped her eyes as she forced her emotions back under control, Corvid had always been able to do so better than her brother "I'm such an idiot, we both nearly died the other night. I dragged you into this mess with the Scavenger Guild. I'm such a fucking idiot, I nearly got my baby brother killed-"
"Hey" Felix placed a hand firmly on her shoulder "It's fine, really it's fine. We both made it out okay, that's all that matters right?"
"You trusted me and I led you into a gunfight, our Mums are gonna kill me if they find out" Corvid noted with a watery chuckle
"I think they'll kill us both" Felix mused.
"I can't talk you into just letting me take care of this can I?" Corvid sighed, Felix shook his head and gave her a determined look
"Not a chance"
"Okay, tonight then. I'll text you later with where we're meeting up; we need to have at least a rough plan before we go in there"
"Well I wasn't planning on running into a drug den and asking nicely" Felix growled
"Me neither" Corvid admitted "And I doubt he'll be there in person but the rumour is this drug ring is run by a total psycho; somebody called Torchwick"
Artemis Tan kissed her husband. Not the surface of the mask he wore while Hunting as was their tradition, the ritual they'd shared since their time as partners at Beacon over twenty years ago seemed out of place somehow when Rover was going out without her. Those concerns fled from her mind as Rover's arms encircled her waist which was beginning to show clear signs of her pregnancy
"Oum I love you" the Husky Faunus murmured as he held onto her for a few more moments. Silently thanking Oum, as he did every day, for the genius of Antonia Arc that made the fact he was among the living and holding his pregnant wife possible.
"Go on, Scar's waiting outside" Artemis quickly planted another kiss on his cheek before releasing her grip on him
"Love you"
"Love you too" with that Rover left their home, a house in a decidedly upper middle class part of New Vale; the two stories taking up a single floor of the gigantic Hive City tower complex that the house was a part of. The artificial lights overhead were dimming, signifying that afternoon was rapidly giving way to night outside of the complex. Parked across the road from his house was an unremarkable black sedan with darkened windows which stood out against the more expensive vehicles in the surrounding driveways, it's own inconspicuousness making it conspicuous. Rover made his way over and opened the door
"Company car?" he asked as he slid into the passenger seat, struggling to make his bushy canine tail comfortable"
"Something like that" Scarlet David answered, the fingers currently drumming against the steering wheel were that of his cybernetic left hand. Rover had heard stories of how Scarlet had lost the appendage in the battle of Vale and proceeded to cauterise it himself with Fire Dust and leap back into the fray. Rover had been at the battle himself, though at the other side of the city
"What're we looking at tonight?" Rover asked expectantly. He and Artemis usually worked as a pair, his speed combined with her ability to see the Aura of others made them the most sought after search and rescue team in the Kingdom; however since his wife had taken an early maternity leave, as was usual among Huntresses, he'd been working alongside Scarlet David-Vasilias who tended to operate within the city limits lending assistance to the police when they were desperate or overworked enough to ask for it
"Oh you'll like this one, the police need Hunters on site with a drug bust"
"And why would I like-" he was cut off by Scarlet pressing a dossier into his hands, golden lightning crackled over his body as he triggered his Semblance for the briefest of moments, reading the entirety of the information regarding the case in seconds
"Why in Oum's name would anyone still make this stuff?" he demanded, utterly aghast that there were still people willing to make the same mistake he had during a panicked decision during the war and disgusted at the pushers that enabled them to do so
"Easy Rover" Scarlet warned him softly "You need to stay calm….even though this is personal for you" he indicated to the centre of his temporary partners' chest, where the green light of his Aura regulator was visible through the gaps between the plates of his armoured vest. After the battle of Vale the monstrous Dragon Grimm that Ruby had left in a kind of stasis was eventually reawakened and Rover, in a desperate bid to stop the beast had used a technique he called 'Overdrive Mode' which involved using narcotics as a delivery system to get Dust directly into his bloodstream, giving him an incredible but short lived boost in power. The gambit hadn't paid off and for a while the Husky Faunus had been left phasing in and out of corporeal reality as his Semblance was turned against him, leaving his body intangible. Now over two decades later some street gang punks were mixing Dust and drugs and selling it to poor kids with dreams of being Hunters under the street name of 'Booster'
"It's fucking disgusting man" Rover growled "Even when the White Fang and the Black Bear Syndicate were fighting over who ran Vale, gangs weren't selling this on the street"
"Well the Narcs have been watching their operation for a while now, looks like the guy running the show is gonna be there in person. That's where we come in….you don't believe they're who they say they are right?"
"Roman Torchwick's illegitimate son?" Rover snorted "Does it really matter?" Scarlet looked thoughtful for a few moments before a smirk crossed his face
"Not really. I doubt he's half the escape artist Roman was" with that the unmarked car sped off.
The Killer Bee came to a halt, the screech of its' tires and roar of the engine reverberating around the surroundings as the instantly recognisable car pulled into an empty space in the almost deserted multi-story parking lot. Team FADE clambered out and turned their attention to the only other vehicle currently in sight; a white transit van, indistinguishable save for the name and logo of 'Lumière Construction LTD' emblazoned on its' side. After a moments' pause the rear of the van opened allowing Corvid, Rusty and Iris to step out to greet them, Lux remaining in the drivers' seat
"Hey"
"Hey" the tension was evident as the Xiao Long siblings greeted each other
"You sure I can't talk you into letting us handle this?" Corvid asked, daring to hope only for Felix to shake his head, dismissing the idea
"Have we got a plan for to go about this?" he asked
"Bare bones" Corvid admitted "Gives us more adaptability on the fly….since Lux thinks this is too risky"
"He's kinda got a point" Diamond murmured from her position behind Felix, rubbing her hands together for warmth "Do we know how many guys are gonna be in there? What it is they're manufacturing?" Corvid leaned over the railing atop the perimeter wall of the parking lot and gestured to the ground, several stories below where in an otherwise deserted industrial estate that may have been a holdover from before the fall of Vale, a single small warehouse could be seen with lights shining through its' windows
"That's the place; apparently the crew's mostly just lowlifes that know how to avoid being caught. They'll go down easy-"
"We're only trying to get answers" Felix reminded her "It'd be great to be able to call the police and tell 'em we've shut down a drugs lab for 'em but finding out where the Puma Faunus that sold them a truck is takes priority"
"Right" Corvid nodded "And Diamond apparently these guys make a bit of everything, their new product is something called Booster? I've never heard of it" she admitted, Corvid Xiao Long may have given the appearance of being street smart but she was still a native of Patch and this kind of organised crime seemed a distant concern on the island
"I say we burn the place" the Mistrali huffed, wrinkling her nose at the mention of the substance but giving no more explanation.
"So how're we doing this?" Arctus growled, being from Upper Atlas drug dens and the like were something he had no experience with outside of overheard conversations between his father and the older Faunu's old acquaintances. Frankly he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"Me, Diamond and Eagle are hanging back" Corvid started, raising a hand to silence the inevitable objections before they started "Look….I put a gun against someone's head the other night because I panicked, right now I don't trust myself to not do something stupid if one of you gets hurt….I'm gonna hang back"
"Don't worry little lady, I'll bring 'em all back in one piece" Rusty drawled out, Corvid ignored the nickname as she continued
"Diamond I want you to see if you can get a vantage point and keep in contact with your team. Eagle look, there's no safe way to fire Sentinel's gun in a crowded room full of drugs and Oum knows what else. You hang back with me and we jump in if the place needs tearing down"
"Okay fine" Eagle accepted the logic of the instruction but still didn't like the idea of sitting on the sidelines while her team fought
"Rusty and Lux are going in first. Rusty blows the doors, Lux creates a distraction. Arctus you run in behind them the second you can do it safely and get a Glyph up so Iris and Fluffy can get inside" the Bear Faunus couldn't help but wince at the memory of the last time he'd been subjected to Lux Lumière's Semblance 'Flash-Bang'.
"So we rush in, shut the place down and grab whoever's shouting orders then shake 'em down until they talk….Yeah we can do that" Felix breathed out. Corvid nodded
"Diamond you seem to know a little more about this kind of thing than me, any tips?"
"No incendiary rounds and Felix be careful with your Semblance. Don't set anything on fire in there" the Mistrali advised. Felix nodded in understanding, his Balrog state was off the table but truth be told he hadn't expected to need it
"Okay" he turned his attention to those who'd be fighting alongside him "Everyone ready"
"Where Corey's plans are concerned I'm less ready, more just resigned" Iris chuckled as she gave her team leader a playful nudge.
"Darlin'" Rusty rapped on the drivers' side window of the van Team CLIR had arrived in "Let's go knock some heads"
"Hey big guy" Arctus turned to face Diamond and was pulled into a surprising but far from unwelcome hug "Stay safe dude"
"I'll be fine" he grinned "I've got you watching my back" Diamond gently punched his shoulder while wearing a smile that somehow seemed far to cheery for the occasion
"Aww that's cute" Corvid admitted "When did you two start dating?"
"I- what?" Arctus sputtered
"We didn't" Diamond forced out through clenched teeth. Felix found himself laughing at his team-mates' predicament despite the situation they were heading into
"Come on, we've got work to do….and we still need a slogan or something"
A young man in his early twenties was currently lounging in an office chair, casually counting money and ensuring each of the stacks did indeed total one thousand Lien before wrapping a rubber band around them and throwing them into a nearby duffel bag with the rest. Nearby an associate, a floppy eared Mastiff Faunus, was making sure the numbers continued to add up, using a laptop to keep the businesses accounts rather than one of the computers in the warehouse. The young man was Rhodium Torchwick or Rhodey to those that were either good friends or brave enough to try their luck, though growing up it was always debatable whether or not the Dust thief who'd passed on into the realms of urban myth was in fact his father. His mother had pictures of them together at some club or another, but none of Roman holding his alleged son; sure Rhodium was a redhead but there were plenty of those around.
'Honestly' the young man had told himself years ago 'It doesn't matter. The Torchwick name still means something in this city, if he was my old man he owes me that at least for running out. If not, well he'd appreciate someone with the balls to steal it' The outfit he wore seemed to be an homage to his presumed father; black pants held up by a belt with a decorative buckle depicting a smiling skull, dress shoes and shirt all designer brands naturally, an ornate silver chain visible beneath the unbuttoned collar. A high collared white trench coat and fedora tilted forwards on his head, obscuring his blue eyes and pushing the bangs of his perpetually messy ginger locks out of place, his hands were covered by gauntlets which incorporated leather gloves and armour plating that extended almost to the elbows and sported the same grinning skull logo on the backs of the hands
"When can we expect the next shipment of raw product?" he demanded, taking a drag of a large cigar whose smell indicated it contained more than tobacco, he didn't bother to turn and face the Faunus currently relegated to crossing I's and dotting T's
"Dunwitch said two or three weeks"
"Is it two or is it three?" Rhodium snapped "Can nobody here work to a fucking schedule? Is that why I'm surrounded by high school fucking dropouts?" he took another long drag and decided it couldn't be helped. Dunwitch, the Atlesian supplier for an essential component of Booster, whom Rhodium knew without a shadow of a doubt was using a fake name, never seemed to give an exact time, place or date. True it made them more reliable in the long run as they less likely to be caught; it was still an infuriating habit for ones' business partner to have.
"You ever wonder who they are?" the Faunus asked conversationally, that did cause Rhodium to turn and face them, glaring at the underling suspiciously
"I know they're someone who likes making a lot of fucking Lien and that's you need to know Clifford"
"My name's Bordeaux, Clifford's the guy with…." he trailed off, sensing that the drug lord wasn't interested. There was a tense silence in the room which was forcefully broken by what sounded like an explosion in the warehouse turned drugs lab below them, within seconds the door to the office was thrown open and a gas-mask wearing worker ran inside, panicked shouts muffled but still clearly understandable
"WE'RE BEING RAIDED!"
"Hunters?" Rhodium demanded
"I don't know, it looks like Hunters but there's no cops with 'em" Rhodium scowled, the sounds of a gunfight reaching his ears. No pointless demands to drop the weapons or assertions that everyone was under arrest were being made; this wasn't the cops, it was the competition. Blue eyes narrowed as he reached for the cane propped against the wall and stalked passed the shell-shocked gang member, calling to Bordeaux over his shoulders
"Come on boy, walkies"
Felix ducked behind what had once been a bench intended for warehouse staff to package goods with a curse on his lips as bullets raked through the space he'd previously occupied. They'd stuck to the plan, Rusty's Degradation Semblance eating away at the hinges of the side entrance they'd chosen to launch their attack through, the moment the detached door had been kicked loose Lux had used it as a makeshift shield to run far enough into the drugs lab for his Semblance to have the most effect; pure white light which faded to pale gold streamed from the ground floor windows as they were blown out by the auditory shock wave that sounded as though several bombs had been detonated inside, though without the catastrophic effects. The moment that Lux had shouted that they were clear the remaining trio of Arctus, Iris and Felix had charged in with their still ringing under the cover of a Glyph. Then the chaos had started.
"We just wanna talk!" Felix cackled while unloading his twin machine guns, return fire from the gangsters drowning out the threats and curses they replied with. They were moving between rows of benches, using them as makeshift cover. Felix watched Rusty load High-Noon full of Lightning-Dust based stun rounds and spin the pistol in his hand a few times, seemingly out of habit before firing on a pair of young men attempting to flank Lux, one had been carrying a crowbar while the other held a machete; both of them dropped to the floor twitching and unconscious whilst electricity crackled over their bodies
"Not all of 'em have their Auras unlocked!" Lux bellowed back to Felix who paled, he'd gotten so used to training against fellow Hunters that the idea of fighting someone who was barely more of a threat than a civilian hadn't crossed his mind.
"Noted" he sought out Arctus through the mayhem, finding his cousin a few rows away and calling out to him "No plasma" the Bear Faunus seemed distracted by something he'd pulled from the surface of the bench he crouched behind, eyes wide as he mouthed curses to himself before calling to Iris who was currently behind them all
"Cover me!" as he ran from his hiding place to join Felix adjacent were enveloped in the pale blue light of Iris's telekinesis and lifted, forming a makeshift shield which was quickly riddled with bullets. When Arctus took cover once more they were hurled into the attackers, leaving several of their number sprawled on the ground unmoving.
"We have a problem" Arctus held out fist sized Dust crystal of a variety Felix had never seen before, deep forest green in colour with a glassy and reflective surface. He gave a confused look
"It's Eco-Dust" Arctus explained of the still persistent gunfire from the gangsters "The synthesised stuff my Mum developed. This stuff is all over the warehouse and it's highly explosive….If anything hits it" he left the statement hanging in the air as Felix dared to glance around the edge of their cover, seeing that there were indeed several crates that seemed to be filled with the green crystals and that the drug gang were still shooting, seemingly more concerned with the threat to their business than their own safety.
"ARE YOU GUYS FUCKING NUTS? YOU'RE GONNA KILL US ALL!" he bellowed
"Fuck the Hunters! Fuck the police!" came the furious response from a young man with a bandanna covering the lower half of his face who was quickly dispatched by a blinding flash of Lux's Semblance followed by a stun round courtesy of Rusty
"Okay I'm gonna try something. I really hope this works" Felix made to question his cousins' intentions but Arctus waved him off; closing his eyes as he crushed the Eco-Dust crystal in his palm and focused. A Glyph formed on the ground between them and the nearest desk behind them, its' pearly white surface taking on the shimmering green hues of the Dust it was infused with
"I've never managed to get this perfect before, but lets see how much kick this Dust adds" his voice was a strained grunt as something began to emerge from the Glyph, clawed and muscular forelimbs first, followed by an armoured snout
"Holy Oum, you learned to summon?" Felix gasped, he'd seen Aunt Weiss perform some truly impressive feats with her Semblance but hadn't realised just how far Arctus had progressed
"Don't distract me" he forced out, blood beginning to trickle from his snout like nose from the strain. The Ursa clambered from the Glyph in full, perhaps two thirds the size of the monster it was based on but more than sufficient for the task at hand; if gunfire was out of the question a battering ram would have to do
"TAKE COVER!" Arctus intended the shout for his allies but if any of the people currently shooting at them chose to save themselves he wouldn't begrudge them that. The glowing green Ursa construct ripped through everything in its' path as it barrelled towards the gangsters, sending them scattering and simply ploughing into any who failed to escape, blunt force alone more than making up for the fact that Arctus was restraining it against bringing its' fangs and claws to bare. Within moments their opposition was routed, sent fleeing in every direction.
"So now what?" Felix panted as Iris, Lux and Rusty made their way over to them
"My stun rounds hurt like a bitch but it's easy to wake someone up after, pick one of these here scumbags and we'll see if they talk" the only experience Felix had with drugs was occasionally buying weed from Amethyst Wukong that he suspected she in turn purchased from her Aunt Melanie, this left him struggling to decide which of the prone gangsters scattered across the warehouse floor looked as though the might have the information they needed. He was spared having to make the decision by Arctus tapping his shoulder and holding up his Scroll, showing him that Diamond was calling
"Hey"
"Hey, okay first off big guy that was cool. Really cool dude. I can see you from where I am" It was testament to just how valued his partners' opinion of him was that his face reddened slightly even in their current circumstances. Diamond continued
"I can see two guys heading your way, one human one Faunus. The redhead human's wearing all designer and just has that vibe of being the one in charge
"Got it" Arctus noted with a nod as he wiped blood from his nose with the back of his hand and ended the call before addressing the others "We've got company. Diamond thinks the redhead looks import-" they were cut off by a door being kicked from its' hinges overhead. Their attention was drawn to a gangway above them, far enough off to one side of the warehouse to have been overlooked in the skirmish. Two men were looking down at them, a somewhat chubby canine Faunus with floppy dog ears atop his head. The second was clad in a trench coat and regarding them with a mix of fury, suspicion and begrudging respect as he leaned on the cane he was clutching
"You guys have got some balls, I'll give you that. I'm gonna enjoy cutting 'em off. And you, chick at the back, I'll think of something to cut off of you"
"We want a name!" Felix called up to the redhead, keenly aware that he was the sort of individual who would capitalise on any sign of weakness "We want the name of the Faunus you bought a truck from!" he was rewarded with mocking laughter and slow clapping
"You come into my house, trash the place, beat up my guys and then think you're gonna question me like I'm some ass-hat you picked up off the street? Bitch I'm Rhodium Torchwick" with that he pressed a hidden button on the side of his cane, the shaft retracting upwards onto itself to reveal a long, thin sword
"Of course it's a pimp stick" Felix sighed as he shifted Hack and Slash to their own sword modes. Rhodium Torchwick leapt over the balcony and landing in a crouch, giving them a 'come here' gesture with his empty hand. Felix readily complied, his friends not far behind him.
"Come on, come on drop him for Oum's sake" Diamond hissed through clenched teeth as she watched the situation unfold through the scope of Lex Talionis. The three members of Team CLIR inside the warehouse were locked in combat with the Mastiff Faunus while Felix and Arctus engaged the sword wielding redhead. The sniper was currently using her Semblance to perch on the outside wall of the multi-story parking lot, eagerly awaiting the moment she had a clear shot. She had no intention of murdering even a drug baron in cold blood 'But' she thought cruelly to herself as Arctus narrowly avoided a slash at his face 'He doesn't need both of his knees'
"What's happening in there?" Corvid demanded frantically
"There's two guys left but Oum they can fight" Diamond admitted as the Faunus sent Lux staggering back with a knuckle-duster adorned fist; his only reward was Rusty's fury. The Vaccuan gunslinger tackled him to the floor and unleashed a maelstrom of punches down on his face, reducing it to a bloody mess until Iris wrapped her cybernetic left arm around his shoulders and pulled him back
"One guy left" Diamond amended without taking her attention from the scene unfolding inside
"We should be in there helping" Eagle grumbled as she shuffled agitatedly from behind her
"I know" Corvid admitted "But trust 'em, they'll be okay" the Mistrali sniper tuned the girls still inside the parking lot out as she watched on tenterhooks, the redhead was putting on an impressive display of acrobatics as he weaved between five opponents at once, trench-coat whirling around him. It was for nothing though as whoever their opponent was he eventually found himself overwhelmed, a lunging stab at Arctus was parried aside by a Glyph conjured over his forearm like a shield and answered with a kick to the chest that sent the man stumbling backwards, an attempt to leap aside proved futile as Iris had managed to recover enough to use her Semblance effectively once again; he found himself pinned in place by an unseen force, faint blue light engulfing him. The fight was ended when Arctus created a series of Glyphs several feet in the air which Felix ran along, leaping downwards and delivering a brutal haymaker to the jaw. Diamond was about to tell Eagle and Corvid the news when something caught her eye in the distance; several cars were approaching, black unmarked sedans and while she couldn't be sure in the darkness she suspected that they would have tinted windows, growing up in the cities she did she knew unmarked police vehicles when she saw them. She made to reach for her Scroll and tell her friends that they'd had the misfortune to raid the drugs lab at the same time as the local law enforcement when she was once again halted, by a realisation that was if possible, even worse. There was golden lightning weaving between the cars and heading their way at an impossible speed
"Eagle, Corey we need to-" she didn't finish her sentence as she leapt back inside the building. Rover Tan was already there waiting for her, mask removed and wearing a disapproving scowl, leaving Diamond wondering just how fast he was exactly.
"You kids again; first the exclusion zone and now a drug bust. The curriculum clearly isn't what it used to be"
"Hey we're here for pretty much the same reason you are" Corvid defended "We're not here to buy that trash"
"I know. Huntsman David-Vasilias was monitoring the cameras that the narcotics division have had set up in here for months while they build a case. A little tip, if you have time to survey the area beforehand, do it properly" the three girls looked abashed, nobody had even considered that there may be cameras at work
"My nephew is in there isn't he?" Rover demanded
"Yeah, but he's okay though. They've got it-"
"Wait here" Rover interrupted Diamond "I'll be back to take you to the academy and you can explain yourselves there" before anyone could argue the Husky Faunus vanished in a burst of crackling golden light. The three Huntresses regarded each other in numb silence for a while before Eagle spoke, her voice a nervous squeak
"So, how much trouble are we in?"
Rhodium spat out a mouthful of blood that contained a tooth, his head snapping to the left and fedora being knocked from his skull as Felix's right fist connected with his jaw. He was released from whatever force had been restraining him and swayed on his feet, staggering a few steps before collapsing to his hands and knees, vision swimming in front of his eyes.
"Okay boy, you're not bad at roughing people up. I might let you work for me" he spat out another mouthful of blood and saliva "Then again I might saw your fucking hands off with your own tool"
"You mean these?" Felix had drawn one of his swords and pressed the blade firmly under the chin of the kneeling and defenceless man in front of him "I want the Faunus you bought a truck from. Their name, where to find them, everything"
"Try the yellow pages" Rhodium sneered, only to receive a kick to the gut from Rusty that left sprawled on the floor wheezing
"That fucking important to ya is it?" the redhead managed to gasp out between coughs "What are you the repo guys?" Felix glowered down at him, before a thought occurred to him in a stroke of what he would later describe as genius
"Don't worry about who we are, worry about what Miss Malachite is gonna do when she hears you're covering for him"
"What?" the drug dealer attempted to cover the sudden worried edge to his voice with a vicious tone
"Word is the guy who sold you a truck is part of the same crew that caused trouble on Patch a few months back, y'know the trouble where her niece got glassed in the face. Can't imagine Miss Malachite is gonna be as gentle with you as we have"
"Is that what you call knocking my fucking teeth out" Rhodium spat before relenting, clearly desperate to be spared the wrath of the one true crime boss in the Kingdom of New Vale "You're probably too late anyway. When the guy sold me the truck he said he was leaving town"
"Where?" Arctus demanded
"You think he told me?" the ginger gave him a bitter laugh "The bug girl he had with him, weird chick….kept zoning out like she wasn't even in the room, she called the big guy with the toe-beans Onyx"
"Anything else?" Felix punctuated with the request by pressing the chainsaw blade still under his captive's chin a little higher. Rhodium flinched as he spoke
"Oum's sake, I don't do small talk with fucking car salesmen….Look I heard one of them say something about a Shadow Cadre, means nothing to me, if it's a crew I've never heard of 'em"
"I think that's all he knows" Iris murmured from behind Felix, the Lion Faunus chanced a glance over his shoulder and saw that she and Arctus were covering Rhodium in case he tried anything, the Bear Faunus's nose having finally stopped bleeding. Rusty was currently checking his boyfriend for any lasting injuries following the punch that had split his lip
"So what do we do with him now?" Arctus enquired, hearing this the redheads' eyes narrowed
"You've got yourself into something you can't get out of now-" the gloating was brought to a forceful and abrupt halt when the main entrance to the warehouse was kicked from its' hinges and over a dozen police officers in full riot gear ran inside, a Huntsman that the members of Team CLIR instantly recognised leading them. Crashes and heavy footsteps informed them that the other exits had been similarly covered
"Everybody on the ground now!" the furious demand came not from Scarlet David-Vasilias or any of the police officers accompanying him, instead the members of Team FADE and CLIR inside the warehouse turned their attention to the Mastiff Faunus that had been forgotten since Rusty had dispatched him. Specifically their attention was drawn not to the blood leaking from his split eyebrow and clearly broken nose as one might expect, but to the badge he held in his hand; gleaming gold and bearing the insignia of New Vale's police force
"I'm special agent Brindle Bordeaux of NVPD Narcotics division, on the ground and drop your weapons right now!"
"Oh my Oum" Lux whispered "You beat the crap out of a cop, we are so screwed"
"Guys" Felix hissed as he dropped to his knees and placed Hack and Slash in front of him "We should do as he says. The others began to follow suit when a streak of golden lightning entered the warehouse
"Glad you could join us Huntsman Tan" one of the police officers snorted
"I was dealing with the other three and securing their getaway vehicles. Are the criminals in this city the only people who case their target before entering?" Rover retorted, the crackling side effects of his Semblance still dissipating as he did so
"You better not have touched my car-"
"Be quiet, I'll deal with you in a minute" Rover growled before turning to newly revealed undercover officer "Misunderstanding. These kids aren't a rival crew they're students from Halo"
"Bullshit" Bordeaux spat
"I can confirm that" Scarlet spoke up "Some of them have shadowed me on missions. My husband is a member of staff at the academy, I recognise them"
"Well this is fascinating and all" everyone's attention was turned to Rhodium Torchwick who'd been momentarily forgotten. The redhead has recovered his fedora and was currently twirling it between his fingers, a deep magenta glow expanding from his fingertips to encase the accessory
"Back on the ground scumbag!" one of the police bellowed, Rhodium continued as if he hadn't heard them
"The thing is though chaps, I really have no interest in spending a night in the cells and seeing as I haven't been read my rights yet, or actually detained for that matter….well, bye" with that he threw the now glowing fedora towards Felix with a flourish and there was a split second where those with experience of Semblances seemed to realise what was going to happen
"EVERYONE DOWN!" Felix wasn't sure who it was that screamed the order, he wasn't even consciously aware of leaping to his feet and activating his Semblance until after Rhodium's hat exploded with the force of the drug lords' own Semblance. As the explosion met the volatile Eco-Dust crystals the warehouse erupted into flames which the Lion Faunus struggled to absorb while being flung back by the concussive force, his back connected with the glowing surface of a truly gigantic Glyph courtesy of Arctus, Felix didn't have to look behind him to know that his cousin was suffering the consequences of such a show of power. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the lightning that accompanied Rover Tan darting in and out of the building as he evacuated police officers and unconscious gang members alike lest the students fail to halt the destruction. Nearby Iris could be seen, eyes and fists glowing with azure light as she ensured that roof wasn't brought down on top of them. Eventually the heat, light, deafening noise and wave of pressure subsided allowing the Hunters to lower their guard and peer through the clearing smoke. Rhodium Torchwick had vanished.
"Six months of undercover work for nothing" Bordeaux roared, turning his wrath to the students "All of you are under arrest for tampering with-"
"I don't think that'll hold up if court if you try and force the issue" Rover cut him off. The brief moment of relief and adrenalin fuelled giddiness Felix allowed himself to feel was crushed mercilessly by the Husky Faunus's next words
"Regulations say that student Hunters involved in crime scenes are to be remanded into the custody of the head of their Academy. Scar….Take 'em to Goodwitch"
If Felix were honest he would rather have just been arrested.
Authors Notes:
Weekly updates are back in effect.
Since the premiere is tomorrow I do what I did with Vol.4 and add little episode reviews into this section; since I'm posting weekly rather than daily it might work out better.
I'd like to give a MASSIVE thank you to TigersAndR0sez for the fan-art they continue to produce, especially the artwork of Team FADE themselves used for the new cover of this story (Excited squealing noises were made when I saw it)
Now let's summarise:
If you haven't spinning heel kicked them in the face or suplexed them 'By accident' are they even your real cousin?
Eagle adding more weights because she saw Iris, showing off because her gay little heart can't take the pretty girl being near her. My poor useless lesbian child.
"Pot. Kettle. Sexually frustrated" We are all Corvid Xiao Long.
I keep dropping hints about the Centenary Festival, all I'm going to say is "Vol.3".
I feel like I had to show Corvid freaking out and having that little breakdown there, she's a bad-ass but she just realised that her brother is out in the real world with her now and people die when they are killed.
Yes I dropped a Torchwick cliffhanger, even more so when you consider that in The Downward Spiral there was no ambiguity in Roman's death; he was wearing an Aura dampening collar and shot point blank in the chest with a sawn off shotgun, Neo saw him die.
Antonia Arc, Eagle's mum and Professor Polendina's old assistant. She helped make the Aura regulator in Rover's chest that stops him from fading into nothing and then somehow mad it possible for him to have kids….if only she put as much effort into raising her own daughter.
Also, Scarlet David in a Neo Noir crime thriller type setting….that's a whole new story that if anyone wants to write they should do.
Dust infused hard drugs, there was a throwaway line from Professor Polendina in The Downward Spiral about it it being a rough starting point for a combat drug for Atlesian soldiers. What if I told you that the whole 'Booster' concept and Rhodium Torchwick was actually me sowing the seeds for things that will happen when Team FADE are in their third year.
"Stay safe dude" "I'll be fine I've got you watching my back" followed by someone else assuming that they're dating, I love Diamond Dust.
Rhodium is basically a more mafia themed version of Roman who hasn't had their arm twisted by anyone plotting world domination.
Even 'Dunwitch' the supplier being mentioned is a name drop for something that will become relevant later on.
The idea of Hunters being so used to fighting Grimm and other Hunters that they forget that regular people are frail and squishy in comparison and almost tearing people apart without realising is something I'd like to see addressed more often.
Weiss Schnee's Eco-Dust haven't actually mentioned it since Chapter 04. It's basically rocket fuel which is why we saw Arctus use it to charge up the first ever summon we've seen him perform; he's like Weiss in canon, just not a level where they can conjure things freely yet.
'He doesn't need both of his knees' You don't fuck with Diamond Sustrai-Black's favourite dumb-ass.
Because of course Team FADE and the police hit the same criminals at the same time.
Uncle Rover is getting real sick of his idiot nephew and his idiot friends reminding him of his own idiot team leader back in the day.
Now Melanie Malachite doesn't know about the Shadow Cadre or that one of them started a bar fight which resulted in Amethyst Wukong, her niece, catching a pint glass in the face; but Rhodium Torchwick doesn't know that.
Team FADE got what they needed. Up until now they've never actually heard the Shadow Cadre referred to as such, now they have a name.
Ha! undercover Narc, weren't expecting that were ya?
Rover and Rhodium should have a conversation sometime, both of them are utterly done with their colleagues shit.
Rhodium, unlike his Dad has unlocked his Semblance and it basically makes him Gambit from X-Men….Also I call the Semblance "Badda-bing Badda-boom" just 'cos.
Oh dear, oh dear; good luck explaining that to Glynda, or (Spoiler alert) your parents.
Thank you to Fluffyfirefly, FleetOfWarships, ShadowWolf, Ferrous, Fluffyfirefly and ShadowAlex2000 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Corvid's puns are fun, they have a more brutal edge to them than Yang's.
Yeah I'm gonna try and make the Shadow Cadre less evil and more 'Forced into a corner by circumstances' giving them a moral code makes sense, especially when we finally get the full reveal of their backstory.
Helios is probably going to be calmer now he's got Ren and Nora practically adopting him, if you didn't pick it up in Forever Fall he's homesick, he misses his family and Anima.
Also yeah, Ren and Nora never had children but every student they taught is their child.
Battle Cat has been confirmed but don't expect it for a while.
Eagle Arc learned her sneaky from Nora, people forget Nora can be sneaky. Remember when Jaune had her put her headphones on so he and Ren could talk; Nora put them on but didn't plug them into anything.
The Shadow Cadre seem to have a raider mentality but they don't take prisoners, like they'll steal your shit but there's a line. They've also actually avoided killing thus-far.
Yang being pissed at her kids for getting into a fight with the mob in a bar….may I direct your attention to the Yellow Trailer.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.