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Chapter 33: An Offer They Can't Refuse
Late morning sun filtered through the curtains of Team FADE's dormitory and Arctus's eyes fluttered open slowly, blinking his surroundings into focus despite protests from a sleep addled mind that seemed to demand rest incessantly during the winter months which were thankfully drawing to a close. The dominant sound filling the room was his cousins' snoring, the laboured breathing a sign that Felix had probably drunk too much while exploring the Kingdom's nightlife and would most likely be regretting it when he woke up. Beneath Felix's bunk was Eagle, utterly hidden from view beneath the mass of blankets and stuffed animals that buried her. The Bear Faunus shook his head slightly before turning his attention to a weight pressed against him that he was becoming happily familiar with, that of Diamond's sleeping form. Their covers had been kicked down at some point while they slept and the T-shirt she slept in, which Arctus held no illusions about ever getting back, had ridden up, giving him an exquisite view of her toned legs, hips and well defined abs. Reaching down he pulled the sheets over them and draped his arm over his Partners' waist while snuggling as close to her as possible without waking her; unsuccessfully, Diamond grumbled something incoherent while lacing her fingers through his
"Morning beautiful" Arctus murmured, kissing her cheek
"What time is it?" she croaked out sleepily, her voice as husky as it always was in the morning
"About ten thirty, want me to get you a drink?" Diamond merely rolled over and planted a gentle kiss on his lips while hooking her leg behind his, Arctus brushed aside a few stray strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes and rested his forehead against hers
"If they're not awake then just stay here babe" her request was followed by more kisses, feather light against Arctus's lips which were happily returned, one of his hand running through her hair while the other slowly made its' way beneath her T-shirt and tracing her hip, making her moan softly into his mouth. The moment was utterly ruined by the sound of thunderous pounding against the dorms' door
"For Oum's sake dude, every fucking time" Diamond growled, burying her head into her partners' chest. The knocking continued, eventually being enough to drag Felix into the waking world just as the person responsible called out
"FLUFFY COME ON, OPEN THE DOOR!"
"What the fuck Corey?" the Lion Faunus griped as he hopped down from his bunk clad in a vest and his boxer shorts, rubbing bleary eyes and clearly wincing in response to a headache. He opened the door and gave his sister a baleful stare
"Seriously first thing in the morning-"
"It's practically noon" Corvid shot back, rolling her steely grey eyes before catching sight of Arctus and Diamond "And I hope you kids used protection"
"There is nothing that can protect you from me if you don't shut up" Diamond grumbled, voice muffled due to her still being laid face down against the Bear Faunus. Corvid merely grinned.
"Seriously what do you want?" Felix growled, before letting loose a jaw cracking yawn, Corvid turned to Eagle who had finally emerged from her cocoon of blankets
"How much did Fluffy drink last night?"
"A lot….like way more than he should have" the taller blonde shrugged "Seriously I'm surprised he only fell over trying to dance that one time"
"Hey I can dance" Felix defended "I just wasn't expecting Helios to be able to….Seriously, the guy didn't even know how to use a Scroll before he got here. He shouldn't be able to learn new dances that fast"
"Oh my Oum, your crush is feeding into your competitive streak. This is adorable" Corvid laughed, doing something that very few people would ever dare and even fewer would get away with by ruffling her brothers' curly mass of dirty blonde hair
"I don't have-"
"Anyway" Corvid cut him off "I just had a call from Melanie" the atmosphere in the seemed to change perceptibly
"Does she know something?" Eagle's voice was a mixture of hope and trepidation
"She didn't say. She Wants to meet me and Felix as soon possible….so now"
"Right, let me just-"
"No Felix, now" Corvid insisted "Get dressed, you can get a coffee on the way and a shower when you get back. We need to go" Seeing how uneasy his sister was with the situation was enough to snap Felix out of his alcohol-fuelled daze.
"Okay. I'll be ready in five"
"Thank Oum" Corvid sighed, stepping out of the dorm and treating them to one last parting comment as she closed the door "And put some fucking pants on"
Melanie leaned back in her chair, making herself comfortable and tapping well manicured nails on her desk; exuding calm control of her surroundings and an oppressive menace as one of her underlings escorted in the pair of teens she'd summoned, in truth she'd much rather be sleeping off the effects of the previous nights' drinking but business waited for no-one. She nodded to her underling who stepped out of her office without a word and closed the door. Melanie was left to privately size up the Xiao Long siblings as they approached her.
"You took your time" she noted bluntly
"Stopped off for breakfast" Felix's tone was a clear challenge as the Lion Faunus rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck. Melanie treated him to a small lopsided smirk while internally weighing up the pros and cons of beating the Lion Faunus to within an inch of his life for his constant inability to show proper respect; she decided against it, if only because it was never a good idea to invite Yang Xiao Long's fury.
"So what did you need to see us about Miss Malachite?" Corvid asked, clearly trying to keep the peace as she nudged her brother and gave him a glare, the two of them managing to have a silent conversation through a series of glances and expressions until Felix finally relented and gave up the false bravado. Melanie waited a moment before clearing her throat to ensure she had their attention before answering the question
"I have some intel on the Shadow Cadre-"
"Awesome, where are they? we'll"
"Interrupt me again kid I'll pull those big teeth of yours out" Melanie smiled sweetly at Felix whose jaw snapped shut with an audible click "As I was saying, I have a little bit of info. But I've also got a little problem of my own that needs taking care of, so it's time for you to keep up your end of the bargain" Melanie knew she shouldn't have enjoyed watching the Faunus struggle to keep his temper as much as he she did, but she couldn't help herself, watching people realise they could do nothing only reminded her of how powerful she truly was. Felix took several deep breaths as his fists clenched at the fact progress and the chance to help his partner was being held over his head
"Fine" the word was a harsh hiss, forced through clenched teeth "What do you need us to do?"
"See here's the thing; while I've had my people looking for a missing scientist I haven't been been paying attention to what's going on in my own back yard, now said back yard has a little weed growing in it. Torchwick's crew, he's still managing to run things from inside; you're gonna go do a little gardening for me
"We're not killing anyone" Felix informed her, it was telling that Corvid remained silent; apparently she shared the sentiment
"I wouldn't waste a favour on having a few nobodies put in the ground, the hives are full of nobodies, I'd be no better off" Melanie reached into the top draw of her desk and withdrew a rolled up map of the continent of Vytal, smoothing it out on her desk she tapped a series of small fishing villages to the north, some almost as far as the jagged mountains which Team FADE's first mission had taken them across
"When you bagged Torchwick he must have been coming back from one of these backwater holes. We've had a thorough look around but none of his stuff is there now. I've got a tip off that says he's bringing in goods from the South"
"What, from Vaccuo?" Corvid asked, Melanie's response was a simple snort
"As if any of the big five cartels over there would waste their time with him" she shook her head and indicated to a highway leading from the Kingdom of New Vale to a moderate sized settlement in what was largely deemed a no-go area in the dense forests between the Kingdoms
"There's an old military airship terminal here" Melanie explained "Holdover from when the logging industry first picked up there and the defences weren't built, it was meant for an emergency evacuation if the place was attacked by Grimm. This is where he's bringing goods in, get 'em air dropped in the middle of nowhere then drive 'em into the city to avoid the security"
"So you want us to hit a supply run" Felix surmised "Okay we can do that, when….and what's he bringing in?"
"Now you're getting it" Melanie cooed "It's tonight, three trucks should be coming into the city around eleven; catch them further down the road so there's no interference. Word is that there's a couple crates of imported guns, but the majority of the shipment is Booster"
"The drug?" Corvid raised an eyebrow
"Oh you've tried it?" Melanie asked conversationally
"No we blew his factory up months ago"
"Well done, hasn't slowed him down much. Which means he's getting outside help from somewhere" Melanie fished a pack of cigars from her draws and decided to dismiss the teens "Anyway, you know what your job is. Come back tonight after you've finished and I'll let you know what I've got on your people" she exhaled, the thick smoke blown in their faces serving as a rude yet unmistakable cue to leave. Corvid placed a hand on Felix's shoulder and led her brother out of the office, the pair of them remaining silent as the Lion Faunus's temper continued to bubble and fester below the surface; finally coming to a head when they left the establishment only to find a pair of Black Bear Syndicate members inspecting the Killer Bee
"Oi!" Felix's shout caused them to turn around just in time for the mobster nearest to the muscle car to by grabbed by the scruff of the neck and hurled several feet down the road, they're comrade attempted to intervene only for Felix to step into their personal space, clearly spoiling for a fight
"Just go" Corvid ordered, the mobsters did so allowing the Xiao Long siblings to climb inside the vehicle, Felix letting out a long sigh as he slumped in his seat
"So….nice to see the anger management sessions are paying off-"
"Fuck off Corey" Felix bit out, expression softening "Sorry sis. I just hate this y'know, I just wanna help….how the fuck have we ended stealing drugs to deliver them to the mob?"
"I know it sucks….But I Mala-might have an idea"
"That was abysmal" Felix sighed, finally starting the engine. Corvid folded her arms and pouted
"Do you wanna know the plan or not?"
"Fine I'm listening"
It was dark as the Killer Bee prowled along a single winding stretch of road beyond the Kingdoms' defensive walls; the only sounds filling the vehicles interior were the roar of the muscle cars' supercharged engine and the patter of the light rain against the wind-shield. Team FADE sat in tense silence as they approached their destination, Corvid's plan had been hard to sell to Felix's team-mates, Diamond especially having an instant distrust of anything involving the drugs Torchwicks' crew were bringing in; the deciding factor had been blunt assertions from both Felix and Eagle that they would be acting with or with out the support of Arctus and Diamond.
"Is that them?" Eagle asked nervously indicating to a light at the side of the road further ahead
"Yeah" Felix nodded, bringing the car to a stop behind the white van already waiting for them
"Let's do this then" Diamond breathed out "As much as want Booster off the streets, I'm still worried about this"
"Me too" Felix admitted before climbing out of the car and making his way to the passengers' side window of the van where Lux was situated, Iris being the one driving
"Hey, Corey and Rusty are in the back….We're definitely doing this then?"
"Haven't got a choice now, everything's been arranged" Felix shrugged "How did you manage to get a company car for this?" the Lion Faunus gestured to the side of the van which was emblazoned with the logo of Lux's fathers' construction company, the purple haired teen merely grinned
"Told my Dad I was taking an off the books mission involving a drugs bust" Lux chuckled at the disbelieving looks he was getting "What can I say, my dad hates drug dealers with a passion. He poured me a drink and told me to go knock some heads" the conversation was cut short by the sound of the rear door of the van opening and the remaining half of Team CLIR disembarking, Felix turned to his sister
"Where's-"
"It's taken care of. Don't worry" she assured him
"Hey….where's the Omega Wing?" Eagle asked
"Still not quite finished" Corvid admitted begrudgingly "About ninety five percent, I don't wanna risk it though….We don't need a mishap tonight"
"Agreed" Diamond breathed out, rolling her shoulders back and mentally preparing herself for what would no doubt be a difficult fight
"So how're we doing this?" Felix asked quietly, happy to default to Corvid's leadership. She pulled out the secondary weapon she'd been relying on in its' pistol form and thought to herself for a moment before speaking
"Trucks are gonna be coming in single file. I stop the convoy and when they react Lux lights 'em up then you, Eagle and Rusty follow us in and deal with Torchwick's crew"
"What about me?" Arctus asked
"I want you covering people with your Semblance" Corvid answered calmly, clearly having thought out her plan of attack beforehand "Diamond take position and snipe, leg shots if you can just in case anyone doesn't have an Aura. Iris you know what to do" the telekinetic member of Team CLIR nodded silently before drawing Venus Rising and resting the head of the oversized mace on the ground.
"Um, guys….I can see headlights" Eagle warned them, her apprehension evident
"Well" Corvid exhaled, cracking her neck as she shifted her pistol into its' sword form "Time to go be a mother trucker" with that she strode forwards with a determined scowl on her face directly into the first of an oncoming trio of trucks. Horns blared and tires screeched on wet tarmac as the driver attempted to avoid the young woman who'd seemingly wandered in front of the vehicle. Corvid braced herself arms folded across her chest, activating her Semblance as the truck failed to swerve aside and ploughed into her immovable form, the sounds of warping steel and shattering glass filling her ears.
"Holy shit" Diamond mouthed, she and Eagle being one of the only people who'd never seen Corvid's Semblance in action before were left stunned as she simply let the truck hit her, only for its' entire front end to crumple and bend around her as it was forced to a screeching halt; the second and third trucks of the convoy desperately swerving to avoid the first; as they came to a stop the air was filled with the shouts of the men and women within the vehicles as they leapt out, weapons drawn
"Lux!" Corvid bellowed, her partner needing no further instruction and sprinted towards the loose formation of enemies, body being lit from within and the air being filled with a high pitched whining noise which grew to a deafening crescendo as he unleashed his Flash-Bang Semblance. The other Hunters, having been warned in advance, had closed their eyes and covered their ears to give themselves some measure of protection from the onslaught, Torchwick's goons had not been so lucky and several of them were either currently on the ground clutching at their eyes and ears in agony or staggering around disoriented; this wouldn't last long and Corvid chose to capitalise right away, rushing to the nearest gangster and sending them to the ground with a running haymaker while calling out to her allies
"Show 'em why we're All Stars….Smash Mouths!"
"You heard the little lady!" Rusty barked as he charged into the fray, his revolver 'High Noon' already in hand and returning fire to the mobsters who had chosen to risk shooting while still blinded, his rounds hitting hands, shoulders and legs with cruel efficiency. Team FADE and CLIR found that their victory would not be as easy as first thought when another dozen or so mobsters leapt from the rear of the third truck in the convoy carrying weapons of far greater destructive force than the pistols and shotguns the goons they'd been dealing with were carrying. Arctus, Diamond and Iris had been hanging back as instructed and the Bear Faunus's eyes widened in shock as one of the new attackers calmly levelled a grenade launcher and fired in Lux's direction; a hastily constructed Glyph bore the brunt of the blast while Diamond aimed and fired Lex Talionis, revealing that the gangster hadn't unlocked their Aura when they fell to the floor clutching a wounded their upper arm; another gangster made a panicked dash for the weapon, only to be knocked aside by Eagle who ran and swung her shield in a wide arc; who in turn needed to be covered from heavy machine gun fire, another of Arctus's Glyphs flickering in front of her as bullets pattered harmlessly against its' surface. The gunman was tackled to the ground by Felix, the Lion Faunus hadn't drawn Hack and Slash instead he simply beat the man unconscious with a flurry on punches to the face. Arctus watched on from the sidelines, fighting the urge to draw his sword and run into the battle he shot a glance at Iris
"Where the hell are they getting guns like that from?" Iris was partially distracted, having detached the drone that formed the head of her mace and extended the shaft into its' staff form; her Semblance was controlling the drone while its' cameras fed a constant stream of images to her Scroll, images of the contents of the trucks; countless crates filled with all manner of weapons and ammunition. Frowning she mentally propelled the drone towards the next truck in search of what they came for while managing to spare enough attention to answer the question
"You're joking right? Go outside of any major city and you can find big guns, usually it's obsolete parts from a defence system that's-"
"ARCTUS! COVER FELIX!" Diamond's yell cut the conversation short, the Bear Faunus flung a Glyph between Felix, who'd just choke-slammed a gangster into the ground and the man aiming a crowbar at the back of his head, the brief moment it bought was enough for Felix to disable him
"I can't keep track of everyone" Arctus admitted with a growl, then an idea struck him and he withdrew a Fire Dust crystal while conjuring a smaller Glyph in his free hand "Diamond cover me a sec" then he focused, trying to block out the sounds of the ongoing battle until the blazing red Beowolf emerged from the Glyph, growing to the size of a large dog as it leapt to the ground
"Dude, what on Remnant-" Diamond mouthed out only for Arctus to give her a wink that would have been infuriating from anybody else then turn to his construct
"Now go!" The blazing Grimm silently bounded over to where Felix was holding his own as best he could, Aura flickering visibly as the mobsters showed far less restraint in their attempts to remove the threat than the Hunters were. The Lion Faunus stared at the construct in confusion before turning to Arctus, his expression silently demanding an explanation
"Power up" Arctus explained "Go Balrog!" Felix looked at the Grimm once again, before shaking his head and mouthing back
"Not here"
"Oh you've gotta be-" Arctus trailed off before turning his construct on a mobster readying what appeared to be a rocket launcher, its' footfalls made no sound and they were given no warning when the burning Beowolf simply exploded, hurling them several feet into the air. Arctus turned to Diamond with a smile "Told you I'd find a use for that"
"I've got all the evidence we needed, phase two of the plan is starting now" Iris informed them, Diamond was about to congratulate her until she saw another of the seemingly impossible amount of attackers sprinting towards the trucks
"That one's making a break for it"
"No she's not" Iris answered bluntly as she held out a hand and turned her Semblance on them, the woman found herself hurled into the air and then several feet down the road with the power of telekinesis. Iris then grit her teeth and turned to Diamond and Arctus "I'm gonna make sure they don't reach the trucks which means we're probably gonna get swamped, cover me" with that she focused herself, hair whipping around her body and asphalt cracking beneath her feet as her Semblance was pushed to its' extreme and all three trucks were hoisted into the air simultaneously
"Whoa" Arctus breathed out, struggling to think of anything else that could be said. As predicted those gangsters not already dispatched turned their attention to Iris, Arctus shielding while Diamond returned fire; Corvid, Felix, Eagle, Lux and Rusty taking advantage of their distraction and taking them down hard until a sound familiar to all them began to fill the air
Bull-Head engines
"Drop your weapons and get on your knees with your hands behind your heads! We have you surrounded!" the voice that bellowed from above them into a megaphone was that of Brindle Bordeaux, the Mastiff Faunus leaning out of the lead of a squadron of Bull-Heads while the sirens of approaching police cars could be heard in the distance. The mobsters looked nervously to one another before their resolve collective shattered and they obeyed the order.
Exactly as planned.
Several cables were deployed from the Bull-head above, which Officer Bordeaux used to make his way to the ground, flanked by several armed officers in full riot gear. Corvid approached him, casting a glance to her team as she did so
"Iris you can drop the trucks now. Lux, Rusty make sure she's okay" with the all clear given Iris allowed several tons of steel to crash to the ground and allowed herself to stagger forwards in exhaustion, her team-mates catching her and walking her to the van they'd arrived in. Corvid watched all of this before addressing the narcotics officer she'd enlisted as part of her plan
"You get the photos?"
"Yes we did, over half a millions' worth of Booster, a lot of weapons and they were caught red-handed. This is all gonna be destroyed before it can fall into anyone's hands" he held out a hand for Corvid to shake "Good work Xiao Long, very good work" the moment was ruined by one of the mobsters, who was currently having their hands cuffed behind their back, calling out
"Hey Dough-Boy!" the name made the colour drain from Brindle's face "Hey Bordeaux! Hey, I'm talking to ya, ya mutt! Ya know the boss is gonna kill you for this right? You're dead, your wife is dead, your kid-" the tirade ended when an officer brought the butt of their rifle down against the gangsters' temple
"Get these ass-holes out of my sight, medical attention then the cells" Brindle spat before turning to Corvid "I'm still gonna need your team to come down to the station with me, strictly for paperwork. This can't be totally off the books" Corvid nodded in understanding
"Fine, I'll come and Team CLIR will be in the car; they go home though" she indicated to the first years
"Corey-" Felix's objection was cut short when Corvid leaned in and whispered in his ear
"Go to the Bear and tell Melanie that the Narcs who went deep cover on Torchwick knew about the shipment. She still gets most of what she wants" her smile turned mocking "Tell her from me that nobody is gonna be getting as high as a Mala-Kite on Booster for a while" Felix in his exhaustion struggled to contain his laughter
"Yeah, don't worry I'll be sure to pass the message on" with that he turned and indicated for the rest of Team FADE to follow him to the car.
The four first year students fought to keep any trace of their shared uneasiness from their faces as they were escorted towards Melanie Malachite's office. When the Mafioso within gave her permission they entered and two of the four Hunters were taken aback by the sight of an unexpected second person in the lavish office. She looked far more professional and frankly imposing that the last time Arctus and Diamond had seen her, black leather boots and gauntlets in contrast to a stark white uniform featuring a coat with twin tails that reached to below her knees, pristine plating over her chest, upper arms and wrists and a pair of blades hanging from her waist, a sabre and short sword. Special Operative Kafsi Asteri's golden eyes narrowed at the sight of Team FADE
"What is she doing here?" Diamond demanded, venom creeping into her voice at the sight of the Specialist, from what admittedly limited information she had on her Diamond could already surmise that the older woman's way of thinking was anathema to her
"You know her?" Felix asked, he would have to wait for an answer as Kafsi herself simply disregarded them and turned to Melanie Malachite who had been watching them with some amusement
"I told you not to involve these children-"
"First of all" Melanie drawled out, turning and meeting Kafsi's gaze; it was a credit to the specialist that she didn't flinch under the scrutiny "Nobody tells me anything. You can ask, politely. Just 'cos I know your boss doesn't mean you can come in here and give orders"
"In Atlas the proletariat know their place" Kafsi's words were cause for wide eyes and disbelieving glances all round; both Diamond and Melanie seemed to be struggling to contain their anger until Felix spoke up
"Okay, can somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on here?" Melanie beckoned Team FADE come closer, as they did so she stared at them intently, her suspicion evident as she indicated towards Arctus and Diamond
"I don't know these two. Where's your sister"
"My team" Felix answered dismissively, trying to disguise the fact his heart was hammering in his chest at the lie he was about to tell to one of the most prominent gangsters in the Kingdom "And Corey had to go file some paperwork with the police-"
"You were caught?" she demanded, Felix tried to look apologetic
"The Narc that worked his way into Torchwick's crew turned up with a lot of support. We managed to pass it off as us acting on an anonymous tip. So we couldn't bring you the Booster but Torchwick isn't selling it either….Hell he lost a lot of guns and people tonight as well" Melanie seemed to consider for a while before nodding in acceptance
"I can work with that, not bad kid. you're no Yang but if you wanna make more money than those Scavenger Guild fucks are paying then I might be able to find a job for you" she took a moment to smirk at just who disgusted by the idea Felix seemed before continuing "Anyway, you kept up your end of a deal so-"
"Malachite I must remind you that-"
"I must remind you" Melanie interrupted Kafsi and rose from her chair, stepping into the Specialists face "That you are in my house. I'm not my uncle, I don't tolerate disrespect"
"This is a mistake. I'll be reporting to my superiors" Kafsi finally looked away and Melanie gave her a derisive snort before turning to Team FADE
"So, full disclosure; I may have told a little white lie when I said I'd start looking for Antonia Arc"
"What?" Eagle's voice was a mix of fear, desperation and anger that was almost painful for her friends to hear. Melanie merely grinned "Because I was already looking for her. See Special Operative Asteri here came to me about a week or so before you did and told me that Atlas are making me an offer I can't refuse. Comply or vanish. But see the thing is, I don't like working for free so when you came and asked me to do something I was already being forced into….well, business is business" Team FADE shared a series of glances, each of them clearly angry at the deception but silently agreeing that the sting of being played would be worth it in exchange for information that could bring Antonia home safely
"Okay fine" Eagle muttered "What do you know about where my Mum is?" Melanie returned to her seat and made herself comfortable
"I don't know. What I do know is where the Shadow Cadre were; they hit a scrapyard I have some money invested in"
"A scrapyard?" Eagle was momentarily baffled, Melanie continued
"They turned up and roughed up the staff; the fuckers came with a shopping list of parts they wanted, turns out we had most of them lying around"
"Parts?" Arctus's eyes widened as the dots connected and everything seemed to instantly make sense to her "The laser batteries they stole….they need parts to get them working!"
"That's why the kidnapped my Mum!" Eagle exclaimed "They need her to make weapons for them"
"So if we can figure out what else they need then we can-"
"You can inform those actually qualified and capable" Kafsi interjected "Arc if you wish to see your mother safe again then do the sensible thing and stop interfering" the callous and almost bored way Kafsi spoke was enough to infuriate Team FADE, Diamond looked more angry than Arctus could recall seeing her, everything about the specialist seemingly tailor made to offend her; Felix's tail swished agitatedly behind his back as he took a single step forwards only for Eagle's hand to clamp down on his shoulder, her face resolute
"Don't waste your time on her, she's just a playground bully with a uniform. We've got what we need" with that she steered her team towards the door, hoping to be out of the presence of such cold-hearted people as soon as possible; that hope was reduced to embers when Melanie called after them
"Oh and kids, don't worry about the Booster. I've got someone in the evidence room ready to pick it up for me. I only need a sample" Diamond came to a halt, her team-mates stopping when they saw she'd broken away and was already stalking back towards the mobster
"You need a sample for what?" Diamond's tone promised danger, yet Melanie seemed to wilfully ignore the threat as she continued
"I can't find Torchwick's supplier, so I'm gonna get reverse engineer it; it's too good of a product to not get in on-"
"YOU BITCH!" Diamond shot forwards, all sense of self preservation forgotten as her hatred of the drug and anyone who sold sent her into a blind fury, her clear path towards Melanie's desk was brought to a halt as Kafsi unsheathed her short sword, the blade finding its' way beneath her Diamond's guard and being pressed against her neck
"Understand this, I don't care about Antonia Arc and I don't care about New Vales' junkies. I'm here for my career, which would be stained less by killing you than it would be by letting an informant be-" Kafsi never finished her sentence, instead she was forced to fling herself to the ground as a bolt of glowing pale blue light tore through the space she'd occupied. Kafsi, Diamond and Melanie all turned to see the source of the attack; Arctus was stood with Gefroren-Erbe in hand in its' rarely used plasma gun form, barrel smoking. Kafsi looked from the weapon to the hole blasted into the wall, its' edges molten and glowing. Her next words came out in a strained hiss that lacked any of her usual authority
"I will see you hanged for this" Melanie, seemingly in a state of shock that mirrored the condition of Team FADE, including Arctus himself regarded the situation and gave a single order
"Get the fuck out of my office" the teens hastily complied and all but ran out of the establishment in fear.
The Killer Bee came to a stop inside Halo Academy's on site parking facilities. Team FADE had managed, against all odds, to secure a flight back to the campus that would accommodate the car; though the journey had been far from pleasant owing to the oppressive silence and tense atmosphere between them, the radio hadn't been turned on leaving each of them with nothing to distract them from their own thoughts. As Felix killed the engine and clambered out the car his team-mates followed suit, Diamond swiftly making her way around to the drivers' side and grabbing Arctus's arm to get his attention; watching the pair of blondes continue on without them she met his gaze, concern evident in her cherry red eyes
"Can we talk for a minute?"
"Yeah sure, what's up" Diamond took a moment before answering, pacing somewhat agitatedly until she was sure there was nobody else within earshot then turning to him and demanding
"Dude what the fuck was that back there?"
"She pulled a sword on you so-"
"So you used an illegal weapon on her? Dude, do you have any idea how trouble you've just gotten yourself in?"
"What are you even angry about?" Arctus demanded "We're partners, I had your back. It's what I'm supposed to do"
"And I'm trying yo have your back!" Diamond shot back, rapidly becoming infuriated by the fact Arctus just didn't seem to understand "But you just attacked an Atlesian Specialist, that was beyond reckless-"
"What and rushing the Mafia Queen of New Vale wasn't?" Arctus asked incredulously; Diamond grimaced, well aware that her own actions had been ill advised
"She's gonna start selling booster, she's gonna be able to sell more than Torchwick could and kids are gonna die because of it Arctus and we gave her everything she needs"
"And as fucked up as that is I'm not gonna let something happen to you because of it Diamond, I love you!" the words were out of Arctus before he could stop himself and hung in the air for a few moments, the parking lot being deathly silent before Diamond shook her head
"Don't you dare" her tone was harsh "Don't you dare try and play that card just because we're having an argument Arctus" the Bear Faunus recoiled as though he'd been slapped at her words
"Babe, I-"
"Don't babe me" Diamond cut him off, turning on her heel "Y'know what Dude. I'm trying to keep my partner safe; if this relationship is making us act like idiots and stop us from doing our job then maybe we need to rethink it. I'm going to bed" as she left Arctus stared after her, utterly numb as the reality of what had just happened sunk in.
Authors Notes:
I can already hear the mob of villagers with torches and pitchforks coming. I embrace it.
I've already got Chapter 34 planned out but I might take a break for a week after I write it just to stop myself from getting burned out.
Anyway let's summarise:
I think the way the different members of Team FADE sleep reflects their characters a little, Felix sprawls and snores, Arctus and Diamond snuggle and Eagle is cocooned in blankets and buried under a mountain of stuffed animals.
Also yeah, Diamond has lady abs.
"There is nothing that can protect you from me if you don't shut up" Diamond is many things, a morning person is not one of them.
Headcanon Helios can dance. If you've seen the scene between Damien Wayne and Beast Boy in that Teen Titans animated movie, the scene at the carnival….I'm imagining Helios and Felix dancing to be a little like that, but gayer.
Felix really does need to stop trying to act hard in front of Melanie, he's gonna get fucked up.
So Torchwick's hook up for the Eco-Dust he uses to make Booster is coming from outside of New Vale, and we know it's not Vaccuo.
Remember that Diamond is the only one who's really seen what the drug Booster does to people first hand, the rest of them dislike it on principal, she hates it.
I promise we'll see the Omega Wing again before the end of this Volume.
"Mother trucker" that is all.
Yeah Corvid's Semblance is at least as OP as Felix's. She just stopped a moving truck by standing in front of it and letting it hit her.
Yes I made a Smash Mouth pun. No I don't feel shame.
Here's the problem that Hunters have when fighting civilian criminals, they can't go all out without risking killing someone; they work best against Grimm and other people with unlocked Auras, otherwise it's like using a broadsword when you should be using a scalpel.
So Arctus's new Fire Dust infused summon has two uses; remote explosive or he can use it in a support role and power up Felix's Semblance.
Felix was in the right for not using it there though, he would have broken someone in half if he'd gone Balrog.
Corvid arranged for Bordeaux to hit the drug shipment at the same time as Team CLIR and FADE, they keep up their end of the bargain to Melanie but at the same time keep the drugs off the street.
Problem is of course that Torchwick's crew know Bordeaux.
I told you Kafsi would be back, bet you didn't think it'd be here though.
And it's schemes on top of schemes this chapter. Melanie basically played Team FADE by making them promise a favour for something in return that she was actually going to do anyway. Kafsi had already strong armed her into working for Atlas Intelligence.
You didn't really think Melanie Malachite was gonna get played by a bunch of teenagers did you?
So yeah Kafsi really is a bitch, think of her as the consummate Slytherin, in the worst ways.
Also, a throwaway line from Ironwood in Vol.3 to Qrow "If you were one of my men I'd have you shot" basically confirms that Atlas does indeed have the death penalty. If Arctus was anyone else Kafsi's threat might actually have had some weight behind it.
Arctus and Diamond's argument was actually originally going to be a lot worse, but I genuinely couldn't write it without it seeming OOC; the crux of it is that they're both super ready to protect their partner without considering that their partner might jump in and do something stupid to protect them
All I can really say is; don't worry.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, FleetOfWarships, CanadianCavalier, TigerRose, ShadowAlex2000, Arkanes Shippou, Unstoppable Cyborg, Ferrous and FluffyFirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.
Also thank you to Boodawg for giving this story it's 200th review on FF Net on an earlier chapter.
Oh please if pining and snogging was enough to distract teenagers then nobody would ever graduate. Give the kids some credit.
The funny thing is I don't even really have a back muscle fetish. I'm just catering to the lesbian readers from Tumblr.
I gave Eagle and Hellion the ship name "Tamagotchi" after those little cyber pet things, because of Sentinel and Marauder (Also Ganymede would work for the same reason and an extra Overwatch reference since Sentinel was partially based on Bastion) SumoSnipe has offered 'Broken Wings' and 'Flights of fancy'.
I love how much everyone enjoys shipping my OCs, also I'm really glad as a straight person that I'm doing my LGBT characters justice; seriously to my LGBT readers, if I fuck up then tell me.
I'm glad I managed to make your weekend a little better.
And as for Eagle and Hellion….without giving too much away; yes.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.