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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 79: Ominous Revelations
Antonia Arc sat alone in her penthouse suite apartment set atop the company she'd built into something beyond even Geppetto Polendina's imagination; her home suddenly feeling far too large and too empty for her as she sat on her sofa staring a picture of her family taken during much happier times, its' frame nestled between a pair of wine bottles whose contents had been consumed the night before; a feat she was currently suffering for which only added to her woes.
"Oz you bastard" she hissed as she screwed her eyes shut, refusing to shed tears over the man she'd thought may have been something special and had at the very least been considered among her closest friends, what scant few she could be said to have.
It was currently late Saturday morning, the day following the beginning of the Vytal Tournaments' doubles round which had coincided with the decoy Poly-Tech shipment to what anyone looking at the relevant documents would be led to believe was the almost mythical 'Toybox' site. A report from Winter Schnee had informed Antonia that the White Fang had indeed taken the bait, all but confirming the involvement of Professor Ozymandias Eldritch; the weaponry many of the Faunus insurgents wielding being manufactured by Poly-Tech subsidiary companies. The true horror and depravity of the man that she had allowed into her company, her life and her bed was revealed when Winter had sent a Hunter team to the mans' home to apprehend him; only to find that the emergency services were already on the scene and the entire tower block that the Professor resided in was aflame, the colour and ferocity of the fire making it undeniably clear that this was a deliberate effort to destroy the building. It would foolish to assume that the arsonist was anyone other than Ozymandias attempting to destroy evidence and cover his tracks; the callous action had resulted in more than one fatality and so murder would be added to the ever expanding least of crimes he was to be punished for. After concluding her briefing with General Schnee Antonia has been left in something of a stunned trance, desperately finding things to occupy herself in a bid to stop herself from thinking about the situation. After personally changing the authorisation codes for every single Poly-Tech site across Remnant to ensure that Ozymandias wouldn't be able to supply the White Fang with any more weapons she wrote to Penny, alerting the android who considered her something of a surrogate sister that it would best if she had her systems checked over as soon as possible considering that Ozymandias was the last person to perform any in depth repairs or maintenance on her, then she sent out memos to every security firm Poly-Tech had dealings with warning them of the danger that her former employee posed and found the name of the truck driver who had been unwittingly used as bait; promptly transferring a sum of Lien that could best be described as mind-boggling into his bank account for his troubles. Following that however Antonia had simply drunk to dull the emotions she couldn't begin to process and had continued to do so until long after the sun rose.
"My Oum I've become Qrow" the laughed to herself bitterly as the realisation hit her, the room spinning as she repositioned herself causing her to lurch forward violently. Steadying herself she reached for Scroll and swiftly brought Qrow Branwen's contact details onto the screen; as she thought about the debatably former functioning alcoholic who had fathered her child she began to entertain the idea of asking him for help, Qrow often traded favours with General Schnee after all, one of those favours had been the supercomputer and Remnant-wide surveillance system she had helped put in place for him; if Ozymandias had gone to ground then Qrow could conceivably be one of the most well equipped people to find him. Antonia stared at the screen for a while longer before finally slumping back on her sofa and deciding against it; it reeked of desperation. From Ozymandias and Qrow her mind wandered, almost against her will to thoughts of Eagle and Antonia took her Scroll, once again unable to bring herself to call the subject of her thoughts; she hated that she had pushed her daughter away for more than she hated the idea of her being in a relationship with one of the Shadow Cadre, or whatever they were calling themselves these days. After staring at the screen for an indeterminate amount of time Antonia finally managed to begin typing a text message; after the words 'I wanted to apologise' appeared on the screen a combination of her own reduced inhibitions and the fact that it was simply easy to write the words than say them aloud seemed to take charge and the entire message had been typed and sent without further hesitation, it was only as minutes ticked by without a response that worry and doubts began to seep in once more. Distraction eventually came in the form of an alarm which caused her eyes to widen; instantly sobered she frantically tracked down the tablet responsible for the noise, disbelief quickly giving way to terror as she realised what was happening.
"Oh Oum no" she whispered before sending an urgent message to her chief of security, ordering him to mobilise his best and await further instructions. Then she contacted Winter Schnee, making no effort to make herself presentable; there was no time. The Toy-Box had been breached and this time it was not a decoy.
Eagle Arc's brow furrowed with intense concentration, crimson eyes focused and a small screwdriver that she would have need of soon enough clamped between her teeth as she worked; deft fingers working with a skill and delicacy belied by the impressively defined muscles of her arms, back and shoulders which were left on display by the tank-top she wore
"You keep staring at her and you're gonna take your fingers off" the gruff voice of Onyx Ursabane snorted
"Be quiet" Hellion snapped, adding a barely audible "I can't help it" a second later. Eagle was grateful for their presence despite the deep blush that coloured her cheeks; while she could and routinely did hurl Sentinel around by hand that feat was made easier by stabilising mechanisms in her own armour, dragging the damaged automaton down into Atlas Academies' workshop was a task that she had wanted help with and her own Team-mates had been unable to do so; Diamond still being fast asleep whilst Arctus gently and carefully extricated himself from her whilst apologetically explaining that he needed to travel to Schnee Manor; Felix was simply absent and Eagle hadn't seen her partner until she found him in the canteen grumbling to himself and working out a crick in his neck that he claimed was due to sleeping in a weird position. Hellion had come to her aid and brought Onyx with her, the lumbering Puma Faunus was more than happy to help and claiming that he was heading to the workshop anyway do fix the dents that Nyanza's spine and shoulder blade had left in his weapon; Hellion was nominally there to work preprepared Dust crystals into a fresh batch of throwing knives but was finding it harder and harder to concentrate
"Hey Hellion" Eagle paused and removed the screwdriver from her mouth so that she could speak clearly "Can you come and hold this for me a sec?" the Dragonfly Faunus downed her own tools without hesitation and made her way over, naturally using the task as an opportunity to be as physically close to Eagle as possible and pressing herself against the blondes' muscular back whilst reaching over her shoulders to hold the panel that Eagle needed kept out of the way.
"Th-thanks" Eagle stammered out, blushing an almost incandescent shade of red as Hellion gently kissed her freckled shoulder and Onyx merely chuckled at the flustered Huntresses expense before returning to repairing Jotun Fang. Eagle took a few seconds to focus herself, almost melting into the comfortable warmth of her girlfriend pressed against her, then she resumed work on the work on the many connections between Sentinels' main body and the newly reconstructed cranium. After several minutes of intense focus, interspersed with several mumbled words that took the place of actual profanities Eagle stepped back and began the panels that had been removed back into place
"Is he….healed?" Hellion asked, words like repair seemed unsuitable for something which seemed so lifelike.
"We'll soon see" Eagle murmured her tension evident in her voice, prompting Hellion to gently hold her free hand as she reached under a while hidden panel to flip the master switch for her droid; Sentinels' body lurched forward and its' singular optic glowed with a faint light whilst several odd mechanical grinding noises could be heard from within; after several seconds of waiting with baited breath Eagle let out a yell of joy as Sentinels' cyan optic flickered into life, bright as ever
"Doot doot, doot da doot, doot?" the chirps and bleeps having a distinctly questioning tone as the automaton stretched its' clawed arms as if waking up from a deep sleep
"Missed you too buddy" Eagle smiled, suddenly struggling with a lump in her throat as she gently patted the gleaming cranium of her loyal droid.
"Thank you" she turned and planted a kiss on Hellion's cheek, Hellion respond by wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling the slightly taller woman down into a slow kiss which ended only when one of the small smattering of other students working on their weapons on a late Saturday morning wolf-whistled at the display
"Who was that?" the Faunus demanded viscously "Stand up so I test the sharpness of the new batch" she pointed at her freshly finished pile of knives, relenting after a moment when nobody spoke up; Onyx could be seen doubled over with silent laughter nearby
"Come on, we can go….unless you wanna stay and help Onyx?" Eagle offered, gently tugging at her arm as Sentinel made his way down from the workbench he had been placed on, hitting the ground with a heavy thud
"Let's go" Hellion sighed, keeping her arm around Eagle "Oh and I think you've got a message, I felt your Scroll vibrate a minute ago"
"Oh thanks" Eagle had been so focused on repaired Sentinel she hadn't noticed; as they left the workshop with the droid trundling along behind them. Reaching into the back pocket of the old and worn jeans that she wore when doing potentially dirty work she retrieved the device and opened it, frowning slightly when she saw that it was a message from mother whom she hadn't spoken to since the fallout of telling her that she was dating Hellion. Her expression soon changed however when she opened the message
"Oh….Oh" she came to a halt, Sentinel narrowly avoiding a collision with her legs
"Something wrong?" Hellion asked
"Not wrong, just weird" Eagle answered distractedly as she reread the message again a few times, seeing Hellion still waiting expectantly she explained "She wants to talk and try and patch things up….at least I think, there's a lot of typos here"
"Then you should go and talk….I know you miss being able to talk to your family" Hellion looked away for a moment, adding "I don't want to be the reason you can't" Eagle stepped close and gently took the Dragonfly Faunus's hands in hers and kissed her forehead gently whispering
"I'm with you; nothing's gonna change that….Yeah, I love my family and I hate being on bad terms, but I'm not gonna be shunned and bullied into doing what they want. If they can't accept you then they can't accept me"
"If you're sure" Hellion murmured, resting her head on the blondes' shoulder
"I am" Eagle assured her "You're still allowed to tournament matches right….I'll tell my Mum to meet us in Freiheit at the stadium when Team CLIR are fighting, she'll be able to change her plans. I'll meet her and talk but I want her to meet you as well" hearing this Hellion gently wrapped her arms around Eagle and kept her close; silently proud beyond words that the flustered and easily bested warrior she'd first encountered on a battlefield was growing into something truly amazing. They held onto each other in the hallway in peaceful silence, both losing track of time until a voice sneered at them
"What neither of you have got dorms?" Eagle turned and saw that the voice belonged to Cinnabar Blaine, Diamond's ex whom they had no encounters with following their defeat of Team FADE in the tournament. Cinnabar's bravado was soon shattered as Hellion made good on the threat to test the sharpness of her latest throwing knives, the projectile in question proving to be exceptionally sharp as it whizzed by his ear and sunk into the wall behind him; a slew of curses from the former raider following it.
Arctus let out a jaw-popping yawn as he stretched and made himself comfortable. It had been a long, but admittedly thoroughly enjoyable night in which he got very little sleep and he was now suffering for it with a pounding headache, eyes that burned and itched and struggling to stay awake. The message he had received from his mother had been polite but firm, he was needed at home as soon as physically possible for reasons that were not disclosed but from what he could infer seemed to be incredibly important. His first task upon arriving had been to help his Grandfather take his suitcases to the room that had been prepared for him; the fact that Bjorn Slate had arrived grim faced and in the company of a heavily armed security detail filled the younger Faunus with a sense of foreboding
"I CAN'T BELIEVE GRANDPA'S COMING TO LIVE WITH US THIS IS GREAT!" Athena-Jade all but cheered as she streaked into room with nothing but boundless enthusiasm for this development. The barking of scruff, the ageing but perpetually energetic mastiff preceded the arrival of Bjorn himself, who was lazily scratching the dog behind its' ears as it bounded around hi, tongue lolling out of its' mouth and Weiss who gave her daughter a reproachful look
"One day you're going to run in the house, fall over and hurt yourself"
"But Aura though?" Athena answered simply with such naive conviction that it was utterly impossible to be mad at her. Sighing with a soft smile Weiss set down the tray of drinks she was carrying and handed Arctus a strong coffee
"Here, you look exhausted"
"Thanks Mum….so what's the big emergency, how come Grandpa's moving in?"
"There are a couple of things we need to talk about" Weiss started, looking over to Bjorn and silently asking for permission to explain on his behalf before continuing "Bjorn will be staying with us for a while because his safety can't be guaranteed in Lower Atlas any more" the words hit Arctus like an icy wave and woke him up far more than the coffee could ever hope to
"Grandpa why wouldn't you be safe?"
"White Fang?" Arctus breathed out, knowing the answer before his grandfather nodded
"Aye" he lamented "Got a call while I was working late last night; the gas station's been shot up and the kid on watch duty's got rounds in their legs and back….I'm not one for running but I'll be damned if I sit there and let someone else take it for me" Athena-Jade looked horrified, her sheltered life within the echelons of Upper Atlas exposing her to nothing more severe or extreme than the occasional older schoolchild repeating their parents ignorance had left her with no point of reference for what she was being told. Seeking some sort of guidance she looked to her older brother and saw that Arctus remained calm and determined; Athena crossed her arms and pouted, making herself as appear as menacing as she could at eight years old.
"I'll keep you safe Grandpa, I'm gonna be a Hunter like Mum, Dad and Arctus"
"Well thank Oum for that" Bjorn wheezed out between barking laughs "I thought I might have some trouble there; I'll sleep better knowing you've got my back" hearing his Grandfather go along with the idea was too much for Arctus and he had to force himself to not spray hot coffee everywhere as he laughed, eventually coming to a stop when he saw that Weiss still looked concerned
"Hey Mum what's up?"
"The other thing we needed to talk about….and I want to stress that nothing has been decided and nothing will change unless both of you agree with it"
"Uh huh" Athena-Jade leaned forward in her seat, intrigued at being treated so much like an adult all of a sudden.
"Your father and I….well, there's a child that the White Fang used in attack, a little girl. Arctus you know what I'm talking about" Weiss paused and Arctus nodded in understanding, whilst he hadn't seen the child that Cult of Taurus had sent to the gates at Gerat-Handlung he was aware of her existence "She's currently in protective custody on your fathers' ship because she might know something and she doesn't seem to have any family who aren't in the White Fang….we were giving serious consideration to adopting her and giving her a better life; but again I don't want to force this on either of you"
"What happens if we say no?" Arctus asked, forcing himself to visibly shiver as his own mind provided several gruesome possibilities "Because if it's a choice between keep her safe here or send her somewhere where the White Fang can get to her then we haven't got a choice, we keep the kid safe….I'm just putting it out there, don't let my opinion be a deciding factor though"
"Why ever not?" Weiss demanded, confused and a little concerned
"Mum I'm a student at Halo….I know this sucks to say out loud but I don't really live here any more. I live in New Vale and come home for the holidays-"
"Arctus this will always be your home and you always be a part of this family" Weiss assured him firmly, seemingly holding back tears
"Come on Mum y'know I didn't mean it like that-"
"I'm with Arctus" Bjorn growled "Not sure if it's my place to speak up as a guest here but the boy's right….This new Fang, I don't recognise anything of what we stood for in 'em; I dread to think what they'd do to a little girl if they thought she'd told the military anything"
"More than that" Weiss murmured "Gangrel's worried that if she's put in care there's a chance that she'll just be radicalised"
"It's not a stretch all things considered" Bjorn noted; spending a large part of his sons' childhood in prison was something he considered his greatest failure and the violent and angry twelve year old with a head full of militant rhetoric he'd been reunited with at Sienna Khan's orphanage would serve as a constant warning of the price of failure.
"So AJ, what do you think?" Arctus prodded gently "Ever thought about having a sister?" Athena-Jade remained silent, sapphire eyes narrowing in concentration as she pondered on something
"How old is she?" the question took everyone by surprise "She can't just come in here and I'm still the youngest, that's not fair at all" her unique way of looking at the situation once again got a round of laughter from those around her
"She's six years old, younger than you" Weiss answered, still chortling
"So then you get to be the cool big sister" Arctus added, these seemed to be magic words that made Athena-Jade's eyes widen and a toothy smile much like his own to cross her face; a single word falling from her lips with unimaginable conviction and gusto
"Yes!"
"Athena" Weiss warned, not wanting to raise her daughters' hopes to unmanageable levels "This little girl; she's been through a lot; I need you to understand that she might be hard to make friends with, she might not want to make friends at all for a while….she might get angry or sad and not be able to help it"
"But she's gonna have the best big sister in all of Remnant" Athena answered earnestly, setting herself a mission and just like her brother or her father she was going to be a Huntress and complete her mission.
"Kids never know what they're getting into" Bjorn lamented as he chuckled darkly "That's why everyone tries to recruit 'em"
"Are you sure you're okay with this Arctus?" Weiss prodded "There's doing thing because of duty and then there's family-"
"We'll manage" Arctus smiled "It's probably gonna be rough at first but we'll manage….'cos I'm the best big brother in all of Remnant, right AJ?"
"Exactly!" Athena answered with a bright smile.
"Then I'll tell Gangrel that it's decided; he wanted to be here to have this talk in person but….well the White Fang launched over thirty attacks last night-"
"He's busy, he's where he needs to be. I get it" Arctus nodded in understanding; any of his usual lamenting Gangrel Slate's intensive work schedule and lack of time with his family was disregarded, the safety of the Kingdom as a whole was at stake and Arctus would not put his own wants above that.
"Exactly" Weiss breathed out "But I want you, both of you, to know that I'm incredibly proud of you and I know that he is as well".
"He's in there sir, processed, checked and restrained" the Specialist whose face was hidden behind a visor informed Gangrel Slate as he stalked towards the room that would host the interrogation; she didn't salute her captain but no offence was taken, such displays were infrequent on the Gespenst.
"Good work Stone" the hulking Faunus replied, as Gangrel drew closer Stone whispered, her tone conspiratorial
"Sure you don't want us to make sure he….falls over a few times on the way back? I mean it was your-"
"No" Gangrel answered bluntly. He desperately wished to be able to honestly answer that they didn't stoop to such lows but Gangrel knew that he had personally lost his composure with more than one suspect and the fact that such abuses of power still took part in the supposedly reformed Atlas, with himself as a participant, sickened the Faunus and made him question everything he stood for. He pushed all of those doubts and concerns to the back of his mind and steeled himself, entertaining a dozen different approaches to what would happen once he opened the door before him, each based on the preliminary reports he'd received from the police and his own agents. With a slow exhale he dismissed them all, instead he decided to simply speak to the man as one father and member of the White Fang to another and opened the door with a mechanical wooshing hiss.
"Hello Mister Scylla, let's have a chat"
"Fuck you, you human loving traitor cunt!"
"Pathetic, try harder" Gangrel shot back in a dull monotone, disregarding the opening salvo of insults before crossing the room with the echoing crack of his teleportation, reappearing opposite his prisoner and making himself comfortable at the desk which served as the only piece of furniture in the windowless room. Vermilion Scylla had been stripped of his White Fang uniform and instead wore a simple grey jumpsuit, one sleeve of which had needed to be cut away to accommodate for his bulky pincers whilst the other was notably empty; the mans overall appearance could best be described as broken and dishevelled.
"So you gonna kill me if I don't talk, huh traitor? Gonna kill me like everyone else who didn't abandon the cause to fuck a human girl, you son of a bitch?" he was rambling now, his desperate attempt to seem strong in the face of his captor only serving as proof that he was at his wits end and close to snapping.
"If I was going to kill you" Gangrel growled leaning into Vermilion's face "It would be because that student who would have been caught in your little attempted suicide bombing was my niece….and even then it would still be after you've talked"
"I'm not tell-" the Crab Faunus fell silent and flinched when Gangrel's cybernetic fist impacted with the desk they were sat at; Vermilion held in place by shackles around his ankles and remaining arm.
"I did some research" the Bear Faunus noted almost conversationally "Vermilion Scylla, born in Port Rauchwasser, Eisenstadt Vierte; forty years old, missing presumed dead ever since Adam Taurus took control of Lower Atlas. You would have been eighteen when Vale was attacked and the war started"
"What are you getting at?" Vermilion demanded hotly
"You're not one of these kids that the new High Commander's brainwashed. You remember the old Fang just as well as I do. Fighting to make a better world for your kids I can respect, I really can….but are you really gonna sit there and tell me this is what we stood for? Gonna tell me Adam would have supported this?" Gangrel waited for a second, timing the delivery of his punchline perfectly "I know Coral doesn't"
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO HER? WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER? WHERE-"
"She's safe" Gangrel answered simply, cutting across the explosion of panicked fury
"YOU SICK FUCK YOU'RE GONNA USE HER AS-"
"She's safe" Gangrel repeated forcefully "And she will continue to be safe. Unlike you I don't use kids as weapons or sell them to fucking psychopaths….Do you even know what the Cult of Taurus used her for?" Vermilion remained silent except for a low whimper that escaped him and Gangrel found him grabbing the man by the neck, suddenly incensed by the display of cowardice
"I swore when I came in here that I was gonna do this by the book" he pulled Vermilion as far forward as he could without breaking the chains holding him in place "But if you don't look me in the eye and give me an answer I'm gonna crack your skull. Did you know what they needed your daughter for?"
"The Commander said that she was going to serve our people….I thought that they were gonna train her to be a fighter-"
"They used her as bait" Gangrel told him, watching the way his eyes widened in shock "They had her get the security guards come to the front get so they could shoot 'em then they took your daughter and made her watch someone be tortured to death. When she was found she was soaked in other peoples' blood!" he hurled the man back into his seat, the Crab Faunus was now openly crying, through his tears he managed to ask
"What do you want from me? I don't know any plans, I'm just a guy, I-"
"I want names and locations of the High Commander and the Cult of Taurus. She launched an all out offensive last night, how does she follow that up?" Vermilion paused for a moment before the cracks in his mental defences became too much
"The Cult are going to report back to her in person….she'll be doing a victory lap; rallies and speeches to the biggest cells-"
"A recruitment drive" Gangrel mused "Not too different from Adam after all….name?"
"Why does it matter?" Vermilion waited for a moment, seeing that Gangrel was still staring at it him, demanding an answer he found his urge to resists rekindled, if only a little "Okay so you kill the High Commander, then what? Who's gonna really make sure the Faunus don't get fucked over? The Coalition are a joke, they're all bought and paid for by the Kingdoms! The Faunus are our own nation within Atlas and we've thrived under-"
"In Atlas maybe" Gangrel noted, choosing not to bother arguing with the mans' flawed logic "But you're not living in Atlas. Coral let some things slip and I know that you have a settlement somewhere that we haven't been able to find….Your daughter looks underfed, so do you and so do a lot of the Faunus we see in this New White Fang; I think you're starving Scylla. I think your leader is so focused on the war effort that she's forgetting that her soldiers are actual people"
"SO WHAT? WE'RE GONNA DIE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! YOU'RE ATLAS, DON'T TALK LIKE YOU'RE STILL ONE OF US!"
"Let's not pretend that this is about your principles Scylla" Gangrel countered "We both know why you're holding back, you're scared"
"OF COURSE I'M SCARED!" he all but screamed "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE CULT OF TAURUS WILL DO TO ME IF I TELL YOU WHERE TARTARUS IS?"
"I'm sure your daughter can give me an idea, she's watched them work" the Bear Faunus countered, utterly devoid of sympathy "That being said, you're currently in one of the most well defended prisons on Remnant and talking to the head of the Specialist Branch….It's in your power to make sure that no Faunus ever has to worry about them again, just talk" Vermilion Scylla's breathing was erratic for a moment Gangrel almost entertained the notion that the man had swallowed some sort of poison that had been missed when searching him, then finally he spoke.
"The Cult of Taurus don't have names, don't ask me about it all anyone knows is that they just don't….the High Commander's called Celeste Lupus"
"And your base?"
"For Oum's sake there're kids there!" Vermilion snapped "If I tell you it'll be an air-strike and-"
"I only need Lupus" Gangrel growled "I know you won't believe me when I say that I wouldn't do it on principle but ask yourself, what would I actually gain from it?" finding himself unable to answer the question Vermilion visibly crumpled
"Tartarus is in Upper Eisenstadt Siebte, the military bases on the outside of the mountain….when they were abandoned after the war some White Fang who never managed to evacuate moved in. We've got no food production, we're just trading with other places to get by-"
"And a few months ago Lower Eisenstadt Siebte was sealed off" Gangrel finished, remembering that Arctus had taken part in the mission to do so. The Scavenge Guild bodies that his son had found now made perfect sense, the White Fang in Tartarus had to be the sole group able to loot the ruined city if they wished to survive; regardless of whatever psuedo-religious rhetoric their leader disguised the fact with.
"Thank you" Gangrel murmured as he rose to his feet "I'll see to it that the information you've given is considered during your sentencing….might be able to get it down to just one life sentence" as he made his way towards the exit Vermilion called after him
"What about Coral? What's gonna happen to my daughter….I've already lost my wife, please, please keep her safe!" Gangrel nodded, he'd heard nothing from Weiss yet but considering the jamming signal his ship emitted that was unsurprising; the Bear Faunus made the one promise that he could keep
"Whatever happens she'll be safe and cared for" with nothing more to be said he left the interrogation room, mind buzzing as various ideas for how to deal with the New White Fang with as little bloodshed as possible took root in his mind, only to be interrupted by his Scroll; the fact that someone was able to contact him on it here giving him a clear indication of who it would be
"Winter" he greeted his sister in law upon seeing that his guess was correct "I just got intel on the Fang, big stuff-"
"File a report, normal comm channels are too slow for this" Winter all but barked "Intruder at the Toy-Box; I want Specialists on site now"
"Understood. I'll send someone immediately" Gangrel ended the call, a chill running down his spine at the thought of the kind of horrors that could be unleashed if someone were to rob the proverbial graveyard where dangerous technology and secrets went to die.
Hellion had returned to Team GORE's dormitory following being summoned by Carcharodon; it seemed that the Shark Faunus found their defeat in the Vytal Tournament to be no reason to relent in their extreme, bordering on excessive training regimen; quite the opposite he instead wished to push both himself and those under his command even harder. With Hellion thus preoccupied Eagle had returned to Team FADE's dorm; the freshly repaired Sentinel in tow. Currently she was playing fetch with the droid whose presence she had sorely missed whilst relating the mornings' events to Diamond, Felix and Arctus being absent for their own reasons.
"You want us to come with you to the stadium we all will" Diamond assured her, pausing for a moment before adding "I mean if you're going when Team CLIR are competing we'll obviously be there anyway but y'know what I mean right"
"Thanks, it means a lot….I just really want my Mum to see how great Hellion really is; that all of Team GORE aren't as bad as she thinks they are"
"I know it means a lot to you" Diamond paused, trying to find a way to phrase things that wouldn't admit her friend who had far less experience in relationships than she did "But I'm just saying it's not the end of Remnant if she doesn't. She'll come around and come to terms with who you're dating even if she doesn't like it"
"Would you be saying that if your parents hated Arctus?" Eagle retorted, Diamond merely shrugged
"I mean it'd suck but realistically my Dad never like my ex-"
"Oh we ran into him earlier" Eagle noted "Still a total jerk"
"Yeah I didn't think I hit him hard enough to lobotomise him" Diamond snorted prompting Eagle to break into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, the unshakeable tension she'd been feeling since replying to her mothers' text message suddenly lessened just a little. The moment came to an end when there was knocking at the dormitory door
"It's open, come in" Eagle called; the door opened revealing a thoroughly exhausted looking Corvid Xiao Long
"Hey Corey" Diamond greeted "If you're looking for Felix he's either still cleaning the Killer-Bee or he's already headed out"
"He seemed really bothered about something this morning" Eagle noted "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah, yeah we're good, Team CLIR just had a rough mission last nigh" Corvid let out a yawn and both Eagle and Diamond shared concerned looks at just how unfocused her steely grey eyes seemed and the way she almost swayed on the spot from tiredness
"Corey come and sit down, you look dead on your feet" Diamond offered bluntly; Corvid did so without complaint
"Anyway, I wasn't looking for Fluffy I was looking for Eagle" Corvid continued as she sprawled out on the blondes' bunk beside her "I hate asking for favours like this but it's an emergency….can you call in a favour with your Mum? I need a rush job on a cybernetic limb"
"We're not exactly really on speaking terms right now" Eagle murmured before a thought occurred to her and made her jolt upright "Wait a limb, is Iris okay?"
"Iris herself yeah" Corvid growled "White Fang pretty much split her prosthetic down the middle though. She's got all the specs for the arm but-"
"A rough mission last night?" Diamond stared at the older Huntress in disbelief "You went up against the White Fang!"
"And we all came home" Corvid mumbled back sleepily, just being laid on a comfortable bed enough to cause her to slowly drift off "Eagle can you help out?"
"Sorry" the blonde shook her head dejectedly "I don't think there is a way to 'rush' a cybernetic, even with the specs already on hand….if you're wanting before the tournament it's just not enough time"
"Fuck" Corvid hissed before sighing "Looks like it's me and Lux again"
"When is your match by the way?" Diamond asked "Eagle need to know….Corey?" hearing no response Eagle went to gently prod her only to stop when she heard the slow and even breathing emanating from her
"Um, she's passed out" she informed Diamond "You think she's okay?"
"I think it's just exhaustion" the snipers' cherry red eyes were concerned however "But y'know what Corey's like, she's gonna beat herself up over Iris getting hurt"
"Think there's anything we can do?"
"Not really" Diamond admitted with a sigh "If she wants to talk she will"
"Yeah I suppose" Eagle mumbled before gently pulling her blanket from under Corvid and tucking her in as best she could.
"Think this is a little excessive?" Donner asked as she and Chiffon strode towards their target; almost the entirety of the security team of the Poly-Tech main office alongside them whilst every entrance to the building was being watched by an experienced and well armed Atlesian Specialist, each of whom was commanding a small squad of the latest model of Atlesian Knight.
"Not at all" Chiffon answered bluntly "He might not be a Hunter but with what he's got access to down here he doesn't need to be" the thought was sobering and the two veterans continued to lead the security force, numbering several dozens of armed men and women towards their target. What few people within Atlas knew was that the construction of the Hive City forming its' capital had been modified to accommodate Poly-Tech; normally the space between the floor of one level and the ceiling of the level below was filled with things such as the Kingdoms' power grid, air recycling, signal boosters for Scroll reception and other such important infrastructure. The entire space between Poly-Tech and the level below however played host to the catacombs filled technology deemed too dangerous to be allowed into circulation spoken about it hushed tones by conspiracy theorists and known as the Toy-Box.
"How big is this place?" Donner demanded, curved swords held in a white knuckled grip as they made their way through countless corridors, each lined with a reinforced blast door marked with the project name of whatever was held behind it
"I'm a little concerned that all of these are still closed" Chiffon growled, voice lowering to a whisper as he added "I know what Project Styx is and why Slate had sealed away….if Eldritch is ignoring that then what have the White Fang got him looking for?"
"Doesn't matter, he isn't leaving with it" Donner hissed, sole remaining eye blazing with hatred for the Atlesian citizen who would aid the terrorists responsible for her missing eye and so many deaths. A moment later Chiffon held up a hand in a gesture that brought the guards to a halt, a sound nearby confirming his suspicions; Ozymandias Eldritch was nearby and a quick flurry of silent hand motions sent roughly half of the security firm scattering through the corridors whilst making as little noise as possible as they moved to surround their quarry with Donner leading them. Chiffon then gripped the esoteric weapon he wielded, most often described as a death-ray by his fellow soldiers before mentally counting down and leading his own contingent of guards to meet the traitor head on
"Eldritch!" Chiffon bellowed as he caught sight of the spindly and ageing man whose glasses, turtle-neck sweatshirt, posture and overall air of feeble harmlessness stood in stark contrast with the threat he was known to be. Ozymandias peered at the Specialist and the guards accompanying him, then over his shoulder to where Donner and her own forces were cutting off his escape before he could flee
"On the ground! Legs apart, hands behind your head, right now!" Chiffon barked, the scientist remained silent and steadfast; his non-compliance enraging Donner who spat
"You're charged with treason, espionage, terrorism, arms dealing, arson and murder. Get on the ground right fucking now before we put you on the ground!" Ozymandias still gave no response, merely closing his eyes. For a moment the air seemed to shift in some impossible to articulate way but Chiffon knew his target had no Semblance or training to speak of, he nodded to the security guards around him who readied their weapons
"Cuff this bastard and bring him in" adding, as his gut feeling all but screamed in protest "Be careful….something seems off" seeing Chiffon's force move in and begin to surround Ozymandias Donner ordered her own to do the same
"ON THE GROUND! NOW!" Donner bellowed as Ozymandias was enveloped on all sides by men and women wielding rifles and Dust infused batons that would double as a taser when used
"I think not" Ozymandias voice was distorted, echoing unnaturally and changing pitch and speed as it did so, like a record broken to produce horrific effects; his entire body was suffused with a vibrant and poisonous green light which shone from his eyes; Chiffon had the oddest impression of the light being an Aura that had somehow become diseased and rotten before he watched the scientist produce a single scalpel, the whole time wearing a sinister and inhuman smile.
Then the massacre started.
Chiffon had no way to describe what happened around Ozymandias other than to say that time confirmed to the mans' will. Bullets hung in the air motionless until he avoided them, his own blows were propelled to devastating momentum and velocity which sent security guards smashing into walls in sprays of blood, leaving bodies with injuries more consistent with being hit by a truck; limbs were crushed, shattered or torn free as he parried blows and his simple scalpel was transformed into a weapon of obscene destructive force as it was hurled through heads and torsos three at at time only to float as time and therefore physical forces ceased to act on it until Oz recovered it and began slashing at the nearest guard to him in a gory display which followed the same sickening parody of physics as the rest of the slaughter, hiding Ozymandias from view and leaving on the distorted sounds of screaming until one of the guards tried to flee only to be dragged back into the one sided battle and promptly dismembered. Swallowing the bile that rose in his throat Chiffon aimed his weapon and fired, only to watch on in horror as the bolt of destructive light slowed to a crawl, a nexus of glowing death within which individual particles could be seen flickering in and out of existence; Ozymandias grabbed the nearest guard to him and simply hurled them into the path of the attack, their body hit the ground a smouldering and charred heap. the edge of the dinner plate sized crater in their chest cavity still glowing a fiery orange
"NO!" twin screams of rage issued from Donner and Chiffon as they rushed into combat, desperate to do something; anything that would halt the tide of destruction that Ozymandias Eldritch had somehow become. Chiffon watched as Donner unleashed her Semblance, her eye and hair glowing with a blinding electric blue energy whilst her skin became translucent with stormy tone undulating beneath its' surface; lightning composed of pure Aura crackled both within and around her before she plunged her scimitars into the walls of the corridor and unleashed a burst of raw power with a thunderous boom. Ozymandias's corrupted Aura rippled and for a moment his skin appeared burned, red, raw and shining before it healed in less than an instant; the proof had been there though, he could be injured or slain. The mad scientist himself however responded with speed and fluidity that was unsettling to watch, crossing the ground littered with the dead and wounded in a moment and leaving the walls slick with yet blood as he slashed at Donner's thighs in a wide arc; sending her tumbling to the ground howling in pain. Chiffon closed the distance and made to swing the butt of his weapon at Ozymandias's skull, reasoning that he would have more openings and risk less friendly fire if the man were dazed, Ozymandias and delivered an open handed blow to Chiffon's sternum that sent the veteran flying backwards, weapon flying from his grip and the sound of his own ribs breaking clearly audible before he was left dazed and stunned when he collided with the far wall of the corridor, cracking its' surface with his impact. Ozymandias however was clearly not finished with him and began stalking towards him; the same warping of time that fuelled his impossible strikes aiding his movement, the scientist seemed to flicker out of existence and reappear markedly closer every few steps
"I do this without malice" Ozymandias's voice echoed and shifted as she spoke "But those who fail to appreciate the world I seek to create simply have no place within it" Chiffon struggled to breathe, blood trickling from his ribs and by the agonising stabbing sensations in his chest he guessed that his own ribs has punctured his lungs, with what little strength he could muster he reached into one of his many pockets for a grenade, anything loud enough to serve as a warning to those Specialists above watching the exits. He knew that it would most likely be nothing but a futile gesture against Oz himself but the grizzled Huntsman refused to roll over and accept his death. Ozymandias drew close and Chiffon was sure that he was slowing himself on purpose, drawing out the fear and pain so as to relish it more. Then the distinctive sound and flash of light of his own Death-Ray filled the corridor and before he blinked the spots out of his vision Chiffon herd the metallic sound of a scalpel hitting the floor. Looking up pushed the limits of his constitution once again; a portion of Ozymandias's skull was simply gone, embers falling from his facial hair and jaw hanging slack albeit at a lopsided angle, the top of the lower jaw, left cheekbone eye socket and a portion of cranium being simply absent and the flesh and bone around the wound burned black. Then the unthinkable happened and Ozymandias's Aura rippled and flickered into life before the man spoke in the same inhuman tone as before, words barely affected by the destruction of a portion of his mouth
"Time heals all wounds" with that ominous statement and an unnatural shifting of the air he vanished, allowing Chiffon to catch sight of a wounded Donner who had crawled on her belly through the gore to clutch at his weapon and fire; the sight of his long time ally and friend in such a condition focused his mind more than the generic and faceless horrors of battle that he'd been trained to desensitise himself to could ever hope to; he swiftly opened a comm channel to another Specialist, making sure his words were clear despite the pain that lanced through his chest with each breath
"Code black! I repeat code black, evacuate everyone and secure the perimeter! I need medical evac….contact Commander Slate, we have a situation here!"
Felix had spent a sizeable portion of his morning cleaning out the interior of the Killer-Bee; as much as he had enjoyed what had transpired in the vehicle the night before and wanted to repeat the event somewhere with more space and privacy, that did not mean that the Lion Faunus had any intention of leaving his beloved car so sullied. After completing this task he had travelled once again to the settlement city of Freiheit, taking an airship along with students who were either competing that evening or wished to find good seats early this time rather than drive and waste several hours each way. While he would most likely visit the tournament and the larger festival if he could convince his team-mates and the rest of his social circle to join him that was not why he had came; he was here to speak with his Great Uncle Qrow who was currently staying at a hotel in the city so that he didn't have to travel to and from the Atlesian capital every evening to perform his duties as an announcer.
"Vaccuan food, Atlesian beer….this combination alone makes me wish the two Kingdoms would get their heads out of their asses" Qrow opined as he set down a tray which held a pair of well stacked plates and two pints of dark, oddly crimson ale; Qrow's expression flickered as a thought occurred to him "You're not driving tonight are ya?"
"Nah….not worth risking the paint job" Felix chuckled as he took a swig
"Of course that's what you'd be worried about" Qrow sighed "So what's up kiddo, you look like something's bothering ya?"
"Just needed to talk to you about some stuff" Felix shrugged, pausing as he took his first mouthful; Vaccuan food tended to have a distinctly smokey taste to it that wasn't as overpowering as say the spices used in Mistrali cuisine
"I heard Corey had a run in with the Fang last night" Qrow growled, crimson eyed showing something almost murderous for a moment before he continued "If this is you coming to me asking for help finding 'em so you can pull a repeat of last year, trying to solve the whole problem on your own then the answer's no"
"It's not that" Felix assured him, shuddering before giving a rare display of vulnerability "Look I'm a Hunter and I'll do my job but honestly if I never see those sickos again then good"
"Okay then, go for it"
"You had a run in with Nikosi last night" Felix's tone made it clear that this was not a question, Qrow sighed
"Eagle tell you about that?"
"Eagle got dragged into this as well?" Felix demanded angrily before forcing himself to control his temper "No I know about it because Helios's little sister called him early this morning talking about basically running away from home if needs be so she can come and train with you….Uncle Qrow, what the fuck man?"
"Oum damn it, of course you're dating her eldest" Qrow grumbled under his breath before adding "Don't worry about it Fluffy, I made the kids' mother an offer, it got turned down….your boyfriends' sister will calm down in a day or two"
"Really?" Felix demanded with a raised eyebrow, struggling to keep his tone civil enough that it wouldn't draw attention the other patrons of the bar they were in "It sounded serious, she was talking about being some living anti-Grimm weapon because of her eyes. I would have just passed it off as her getting drunk at the festival; but she mentioned you by name and the only people I can think of with silver eyes are Aunt Ruby and the twins" Qrow silently cursed his own misfortune, of course Syneffo would go to her brother for assistance, of course Felix would have been with him at the time and of course Yang's son would have a sharp mind and absolutely no idea when to quit
"Fluffy" he cautioned "I can't tell you. There are some secrets that I have to keep; I'm sworn to silence and that's just the way things are-"
"Right like you swore to silence about Eagle, that worked out so well!" Qrow clamped down on his immediate instinct to respond with anger, instead letting out a sigh and visibly crumpling under the weight of his own decisions
"You're right, I had that one coming" he admitted with a sigh "But it doesn't change the fact-"
"Oh fuck off!" Felix snapped "Just stop Qrow, you can't keep doing this; just coming into peoples' lives and causing havoc and then just standing back, acting all high and mighty talking about the way things are….you might have been a legend once, but that's over now you're just an old man" Qrow screwed his eyes shut and exhaled whilst mentally counting to ten; his great nephews' tirade had stung more than he had thought possible
"You done Fluffy?" he eventually asked, trying to keep as much of the venom out of his voice as possible.
"Look, I'm sorry I snapped" Felix muttered, running his hands through his messy golden mane "But I-"
"No you were right" Qrow admitted "Especially about the last part, I am old….that's why I need to train the Nikos girl; Ruby's gonna need all the help she can get when she takes the job on"
"What are you talking about?" Felix demanded, Qrow seemed to consider giving him another non-answer before finally speaking
"What I'm going to tell you is so far above secret that there is no official classification for it….I never really retired Felix and the things I deal with are genuine 'Fate of Remnant' deals. I need your silence"
"Okay" the Faunus nodded, head suddenly buzzing as countless thought contributed to a fog of confusion; Qrow took the opportunity to finish his ale in an effort to fortify himself before going on
"The short version is that a lot of old fairy tales about magic are or were real, a lot of other myths have been deliberately suppressed because of the truth in them and everything people think they know about the Salem conflict is a lie orchestrated to stop the public from going into a panic that would have Grimm running through the streets. I'm a member of an organisation that protects the secrets and therefore protects Remnant" were he a few years younger and less experienced Felix would have assumed this were some kind of joke, one of Qrow's elaborate tall tales being delivered as a prank; as it was he saw the weary look in the older mans' eyes and instantly knew that this was real and he had just found himself part of something much bigger
"You look like you don't know which question to ask first" Qrow noted "So let me ask you one….what was Salem? Not who, what?" Felix cocked his head suddenly confused
"She was the woman who modified Doctor Merlot's technology and controlled a Grimm army, she was trying to take over the world-"
"Lies" Qrow shook his head "All of it, I should know I helped spread them. It wasn't her unique Semblance working in tandem with banned technology; Salem didn't even have a Semblance because she wasn't a person….Salem was a Grimm"
"What?" Felix gasped "That's not possible?"
"The more people who think that the better" Qrow growled "Grimm hunt in packs, different species can co-ordinate, you've seen it happen?"
"Uh huh"
"That's because Grimm have a hive mind, all of them are connected" he explained "Currently it's shattered and broken, only small localised threats led by a single Alpha Grimm. Salem was the manifestation of the entire Grimm Hive Mind; she had memories of before she was ever truly conscious….she knew the legends like the four Maidens were real, she was trying to unite the four and remake Remnant in her image with their power"
"Holy shit" Felix breathed out "That's what my parents were up against?"
"It's what we were all up against" Qrow nodded "Ruby used her silver eyes and the help of a boy named Oscar Pine got rid of Salem though….ask Whitley Schnee about Oscar sometime"
"But if Salem's gone" Felix tried to get the conversation back onto its' original topic; something safe and easy to process "Then what do you need another Silver Eyed Warrior for?"
"Because of what you described fighting in the Breach last summer" Qrow answered simply and Felix's navy blue eyes widened
"Phobos?" he whispered the name of the terrifyingly intelligent Beowolf, somehow gifted with the power of speech "You think Phobos was another Salem?"
"I think it was a sentient Grimm that could co-ordinate and lead an attack" Qrow stated flatly "That points to the Grimm Hive Mind healing from the effects of Salem's removal from it….I don't have all the answers Felix; but something's coming, I can feel it"
"Then how do we help?" Felix asked quietly "Team FADE were the ones to stop Phobos, we're capable how do we help"
"By training" Qrow answered "This isn't me treating you like a kid and saying I'll tell you when you're older; this is me speaking from decades of experience and telling you that you're good but you're not ready yet. I have two Maidens and teams of seasoned veterans on standby, you need to train"
"Uncle Qrow-"
"Fluffy you got lucky in the Breach and you know it. Arctus could have died" that made Felix halt, the thought of the scar stretching from his cousins' left shoulder to right hip and the memory of the Bear Faunus bleeding out in the making the point more clearly than anything else.
"Does Corey know about this?" Felix asked eventually
"Not yet, although I've been considering bringing her into the circle once her team graduate….provided Yang doesn't kill me in my sleep for it" Felix sat in silence for almost a minute
"So now what?" Qrow looked at him and sighed
"Now you let me worry about all of this; go back to training for the tournament, enjoy your weekend, do your assignments….This isn't something you can help me with"
"Yeah, yeah sure" Felix mumbled "I'll tell Eagle you said hi" he rose to his feet, uneaten food forgotten about as he left the bar in a daze and searched for somewhere quiet to contemplate everything he knew, realising that whatever happened nothing would be the same after this.
Authors Notes:
Well this was fun, got some things that I've been wanting to do for a while done and if it felt like a tone shift during the last two scenes then good; we're still building up towards the second year crescendo but I'm also laying the groundwork for third and fourth year whilst showing the through-lines of this entire story….trust me I'm not just throwing ideas at the wall here, I knew who the antagonists for each three volume arc were going to be and how it would tie together before I even wrote the first chapter of this story.
So first update of 2019, I hope everyone's year goes well.
If I haven't posted it already I should have a one-shot focusing on Winter Schnee up soon; in the meantime go read my one-shot "Jiminy Cricket" if you're a fan of Penny or Tock.
Anyway let's summarise:
Poor Toni, she doesn't have the best of luck with people.
Yes Oz used Dust to burn the entire apartment complex down, just to make sure Atlas can't follow his tracks.
So the White Fang, provided Oz can't or simply doesn't feel like bypassing the new security; now have a limit on their weapons.
I mean calling in Qrow isn't exactly a bad idea.
Eagle and Antonia reunion…..when?
Eagle is a buff distraction.
Damn, Onyx fucked Nyanza up so bad that it dented the damn axe he hit him with.
Sentinel is back; you're welcome….I've missed him too.
Seriously, drunk typing….so many mistakes.
Cyberpet is an adorable ship and I love writing it.
Cinnabar is still alive and still a dick.
Bjorn is back at Schnee Manor….and this time he's not "The help" like he was in Downward Spiral.
Any scene with Athena-Jade in it is golden.
But Aura though? I swear to you dialogue just comes into my head, fully formed with no effort when writing AJ, she's a treat.
Arctus never actually met or even saw Coral; considering that he and Diamond were inside the factory whilst Felix and Eagle were in the battle outside Coral never saw him either.
Seriously knowing that her oldest has pretty much moved out and that it kinda happened without anyone really realising must have hit Weiss hard.
Bjorn has a lot of regrets.
Cool big sister Athena-Jade, nobody is ready.
So it's confirmed, it's official, it's happening; Coral is gonna be moving in with the Slate/Schnee family.
Yeah I mean when Gangrel punched Raffia in the face that time, it's easy to say that he deserved it but at the same time it was still an abuse of power.
I imagine Gangrel doesn't need to get angry to be terrifying; he's a six foot eight Bear Faunus who can teleport and a Specialist, he just exudes bad-ass.
Coral's dad has been missing presumed dead for over half his life; that's a level of dedication to the cause.
Canon Adam is a scumbag, Downward Spiral Adam was still a scumbag but he did have a couple of hard lines; "No kids" was one of them and he killed his own people for crossing it; another line was torture, he did cross it occasionally but I do find it amusing that the very existence of the Cult of Taurus is a contradiction of his beliefs.
Papa Scylla didn't ask questions; if you live in Tartarus and Celeste says "Gimme" you give.
Recruitment drive after a victory, exactly what Gangrel said last chapter that Adam would have done; the only difference being was that they attacked on their own terms rather than taking bait.
I mean it's sad to say but the argument that the Coalition are bought and paid for has some weight behind it….I mean the head of the Atlas Branch just moved into Schnee Manor and is related to the Schnees by marriage, Blake's the head of the New Vale branch and she's an old school friend of a Schnee; it doesn't look good from an outside perspective.
Gangrel just hitting him from every angle until he cracked there.
Nice little titbit there, as strong as the White Fang looks under Celeste her home base is barely holding together; they have no real infrastructure or means of supporting themselves and it was most likely exploiting that insecurity that allowed her to rise to prominence in the first place.
You Carcharodon would be straight back to training without pause after a loss like that.
Diamond has a point kids.
Corvid and Lux confirmed for the doubles round….I have plans.
Atlas in the Downward Spiral had at least one secret weapons cache hidden out in the middle of nowhere, now they use a hidden basement under Poly-Tech, half of their dangerous shit is a joint effort between them anyway.
Just for no reason other than I know somebody will ask "Project Styx" was a biological weapon.
That fight scene was fun to write, it was based on the Batman fight scene from the finale of Titans and a post I saw about Batman basically being a Cryptid in Gotham, his movements are utterly unnatural and everything about him is just wrong somehow; that vibe combined with the Wizards' ability to distort time felt like they'd make for something utterly horrific….and then I threw in a scalpel for good measure.
We all know that Oz hears voices….he's evil but he's pragmatic not a sadist like the Cult; so why would he be dragging out fear and pain?
"Time heals all wounds" admit it, that's bad-ass.
So now the question is, did Oz find what he was looking for before the Specialists found him.
Just because he sucked dick in that car doesn't mean he's gonna treat it like a back alley
Okay I imagine that Team FADE's dorm has had its' fair share of arguments about whose Kingdom has the better food.
Syneffo just took the lid off of a whole world of secrets without meaning to.
Downward Spiral was planned prior to Vol.4 so Qrow's Semblance isn't his bad luck in this, he's just unlucky.
Felix is pretty damn smart and don't forget it.
Felix is also really, and understandably, bitter towards Qrow.
So y'know in Men In Black where Will Smith just gets everything dropped on him and ends up sitting at a bench for a whole day trying to make sense of shit….yeah that just happened to Felix.
You don't really think Atlas would let the truth about Salem get out there?
Had to recap on Salem's origin because not everyone reading this had read Downward Spiral and we got canon Salem origin in Vol.6.
And there it is, Phobos is the start of the string that's going to connect the entire four year story of FADE, Ozymandias; who worked on Project Snare is the next piece of the puzzle.
You know Qrow started thinking about hiring Corvid the second he heard about her refusing the offer of joining the Specialists if he hadn't already.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander, iSassenach, Ferrous and FluffyFirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.
Lol Fluffy was never gonna let anyone else use the back-seat of his car….it'd be like defiling holy ground.
Yeah, sending Ruby might have been a better first contact, but even Ruby is gonna take some time to cross continents and the Nikosi are nomadic; he saw the chance and took it….and promptly failed.
AJ was easier to convince, just tell her she gets to be as cool as Arctus when she's the older sibling.
As you can see, you were right to be worried.
Don't worry, we've got more Team CLIR coming up….after it's important for what I've got planned that they at least get through to the singles rounds.
Glad to know people enjoyed the Battle-Cat scene.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.