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I am making no money from this.

Chapter 114: Preparation

During the weeks since the breaches of New Vale, Felix and Corvid Xiao Long had begun appointments with the local branch of Poly-Tech, a smaller building tucked away in a remote and thankfully undamaged corner of the city that paled in comparison to the primary facility based in Upper Atlas. Currently it was early afternoon on a Saturday and the two of them were situated in a small room that bridged the gap between laboratory and doctors' surgery, a small and compact room with a metallic slab of a bed in its' centre; pristine and clinical white walls and floor on all sides and a heavy, unmistakably medical smell permeating the air which clogged Felix's nostrils.

The room offered little distraction from Corvid's screams of pain.

"You're gonna be okay, it'll only last a little longer" the Lion Faunus's voice was strained and wavering as he fought the bile rising in the back of his throat whilst steadfastly refusing to look away or stop offering his moral and emotional support to his sister. The doctor who had been overseeing the procedure had taken a step back and was currently almost pressed up against a wall whilst a pair of robots, Atlesian in design held Corvid in place to stop her from thrashing and clawing at her own face; a worrying series of sounds escaping the automatons as their joints groaned and internal mechanisms were strained to their limits by her unnatural strength until finally with one last whimpering gasp she collapsed backwards onto the bed with trembling limbs and glistening sheen of cold sweat coating her pale skin

"Are you-"

"I think I'm gonna be sick" she interrupted Felix's question as she rolled over and the Lion Faunus gestured frantically to the doctor who reached into one of cupboards lining the white walls of the room and produced a small plastic bucket and handed it over to Corvid who proceeded to dry heave whilst the man spoke

"My sincerest apologies for that Miss Xiao Long, eyes are one of the worst thing to lose even beyond the trauma of the injury itself….there's no connection port the way there is with a limb; it makes the neural feedback that much worse and-" Corvid held up a hand to silence the doctor and quickly turned to Felix, trying to smile despite the shakiness of her voice as she spoke

"How do I look?" Felix looked at Corvid' heavily scarred face and took in the sight; her left eyelid had been recreated with a small skin graft and operation but the source of her misery was what now lay beneath it, the edges of a pale silver Cybernetic eye could be seen where the protruded from behind her skin as the advanced prosthetic adjusted and flickered into life with a pale blue light, the lens expanding outwards until it filled her eye socket and hid the inner workings of the eye from view, readjusting slightly with each movement

"Good as new" Felix grinned, his own voice equally shaky after the ordeal that watching Corvid suffer had been. Corvid rolled her stormy grey eye and Felix tried not stare as the cybernetic mirrored the expression, she then took out her Scroll and used its' camera to inspect the results of her surgery herself and after remaining in thoughtful silence for a moment she held out her hand to her brother

"Hey can you pass me my eyepatch back?"

"Uh yeah sure" Felix shrugged nonplussed as he handed the black fabric over, Corvid slipped it back into place where it covered her new cybernetic

"I can actually see through it" she noted "I guessed I would, it's basically only mesh on the patch itself"

"So you're gonna keep the eyepatch on?" Felix asked

"I got attached to it" Corvid shrugged, her obviously fake smile wavering as she traced the scars that Pantheon's trident had ripped into her face "Besides….I'm still getting used to this, I don't really want any more changes right now"

"Perfectly understandable" the doctor spoke up; he was a middle aged man who had introduced himself to the Xiao Long siblings as Doctor Acacia and had an average build which seemed smaller when compared to the defined muscles of Corvid and Felix; adjusting his glasses he stepped close and crouched down to Corvid's eye level

"If you can just raise the eyepatch for me a moment Miss Xiao Long" he began studying the cybernetic intently "Excellent, if you can just look to the right….and now the left….and up….it seems to be in working order; it isn't causing you any dizziness? Disorientation or a slight 'lagging' sensation? Okay well in that case we'll just schedule a check up for it in a few months time to ensure that it's working as intended"

"I've got a team mate who lost an arm as a kid, she doesn't have to have check ups, neither does my Mum?" Corvid questioned

"As I said, limbs are easier to replace; in many cases they can be simply attached to an existing nerve cover in the comfort of your own home" the doctor explained "Eyes, organs….Oum I know of a Hunter whose entire spine has had to be augmented and still he was involved in the fighting in the Breach, those are a little more involved; and unfortunately more painful"

"So, I'm not gonna have to deal with….y'know, the scream inducing pain?" Felix enquired hopefully

"Unfortunately it's not so simple I'm afraid" Doctor Acacia sighed, both Xiao Long siblings having been designated as his clients and patients allowed him to discuss matters openly in front of them

"Figures" Felix sighed

"All Cybernetics cause what we call neural feedback when they're first activated, extensive damage to them can also cause this; whilst limbs are the easiest of our products to work with a tail would come under our Faunus specific product line which is still in its' testing stage…." he trailed off, looking away and Felix saw Corvid's eyes narrow, his sister spoke up before Felix could comment

"You're not telling him something"

"Nothing sinister I assure you" Doctor Acacia promised as he met their gaze "It's just that my superiors have informed me that Doctor Arc herself has been working on prototypes specifically for your use….Mister Xiao Long, your Semblance will require extensive additional testing and modification"

"Shit….I'll just melt through a cybernetic when I go Balrog, I hadn't thought of that" Felix grimaced, the sensation of the steel spike that had been fired into his abdomen during the White Fang's attack on the Vytal Tournament beginning to melt as he used his Semblance was a sensation he never wished to experience again.

"Precisely" Doctor Acacia nodded "Which is why Doctor Arc is involved….also the fact that you're a friend of her daughter" Felix tried his best not to be petty or angry, yet he found himself utterly failing as memories of Celeste Lupus with her Cybernetic spine fused to the armour she had worn and Nickel Polendina's hand around his throat both came to mind

"Well let's get started on the tests then….Be careful though, it wouldn't be the first time Antonia Arc's mistakes have nearly killed me"

Hunters patrolling the streets of New Vale with their weapons at the ready had become an even more common sight ever since the breaches, in truth it was an effort to restore the morale of the populace and assure the public that they were safe and protected than an actual imposition of authority. Regardless of this superficiality it still served a purpose; it allowed Hunters who wanted to operate without drawing attention to themselves to do so.

Hunters like Rover and Artemis Tan and Scarlet David-Vasilias as well as their primary accomplice within New Vale Police Department, Fawn Bordeaux. The four of them currently sat around a table outside of a small and quiet coffee shop in a relatively affluent part of New Vale that was perhaps slightly more upper middle class than Rover and Artemis's own home and even here the presence of a trio of armed Hunters and a police officer raised no suspicions. The presence of Tuscan, babbling happily as she waved and returned smiles to strangers may have paid a large part in this; though in truth the toddler had been brought along simply because her parents had refused to let her out of her sight since learning of exactly who and what Kafsi Asteri's murderer was; both members of Team GRAP having contacted their friend and former team leader Gangrel Slate and unleashing their unreserved vitriol upon him for withholding what admittedly incomplete information he had been privy to.

The weather inside the Hive Towers was regulated, yet Rover felt a distinct sweat prickling along the back of his neck and temples as he prepared to broach the subject that had brought them here; fully aware that it would set into motion chains of events that could not be undone and that if mishandled could have disastrous consequences; more than that it was a course of action that he was certain that one of their number was still not entirely committed to.

"So….we were digging through the files that we managed to scavenge from what was left of Kafsi's hideout" the Husky Faunus began "We think we've got a way to take Torchwick's lawyer out of the picture"

"You think you've got something on Ignatius Silvertongue?" Scarlet arched an eyebrow, yet his vibrant green eyes were hopeful "I'm listening"

"We were looking at his connections to Torchwick too much" Artemis explained "He had other clients"

"Clients with drug problems and a few cases of sexual misconduct that Silvertongue was a little too closely involved in" Rover grinned savagely "We've got documents that make it clear that he was paying bribes on his clients behalf. Even if charges don't stick, we can force him out into the open….which exactly where Torchwick doesn't want to do business"

"So we force Torchwick to drop his main defence against the law and the move in while he's scrabbling to find a new way to cover his ass" Scarlet almost purred with satisfaction at the thought of seeing the man who had helped so many criminals escape justice brought low "Just let me be the one to do it, we've got history and I deserve this" all present at the table shared a chuckle at the vindictive comment, with the exception of Fawn

"So then what, once you've got Torchwick exposed what're you gonna do?" the floppy eared Mastiff Faunus demanded in a low and threatening tone as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her seat, expression demanding.

"You know what's gonna happen Fawn" Rover breathed out, truly unhappy with the compromise that this part of their plan necessitated but accepting it

"I know" Fawn growled, eyes narrowing "But I wanna hear you say it….I wanna hear you say you're gonna cut deals with a murdering drug dealer"

"We're not happy with it either Fawn" Artemis attempted to console her "You think I want my daughter growing up in a city where people like-"

"Save it Missy" Fawn spat coldly "Don't play the 'I'm a parent, you wouldn't understand' card, you're doing it; that's all that matters at the end of the day"

"What do you want us to do?" Scarlet demanded, he had lost a team-mate and a partner whom he considered a brother in the same battle that had claimed his left hand; and in which Team GRAP had lost their fourth member, he was prepared to argue that everyone present understood grief and loss as much as Fawn did and that her petulant attitude was gaining them nothing.

"The right thing" Fawn shot back without hesitation "You're Hunters, you can do things that the police can't. You know who and where the problem is….just go and solve it, you don't need to cut deals with-"

"We're not going to murder Rhodium Torchwick on your behalf" Artemis stated flatly in a tone that brooked no argument "It's not what we're about and it's not what Brindle was about….If that's what you want then we can't help you Fawn, but if you actually want justice for your big brother then work with us" it pained the feline to see just how obvious it was that the younger woman was considering standing up and walking away before she finally spoke through clenched teeth

"What are you proposing, exactly?"

"With all the charity work Torchwick is having his crew take up….we think there's a chance he might not know exactly who his business partner is" Rover explained

"He's a scumbag who sells Booster and coke to kids but in his own twisted way, he loves this city….it's his home" Artemis added

"So you're gonna appeal to his better nature?" Fawn scoffed incredulously

"No, we're gonna appeal to his ego" Artemis countered "He murdered your brother because your brother infiltrated his crew….imagine what he'd do to someone who smiled in his face and tried to have his city destroyed by Grimm behind his back" the thought gave Fawn pause, she had never truly considered Torchwick as a person with his own clear motives and beliefs; to her he was simply a monster and an effigy to pour all of her grief and hatred into.

"So we're gonna let Scarlet handle his lawyer, catch him off guard and let him know exactly what his drug supplier has been doing and exactly why Atlas wants him dealt with; then we're gonna offer him terms" Rover said, Artemis quickly following on

"He helps us set up Ozymandias and his escaped Atlesian science project; in exchange we don't bury him under the mountain of evidence that he thinks we have….on top of that, he can run his legal front businesses but if we get word of him running drugs again we're gonna shut him down"

"He's not gonna stop just 'cos a Hunter said some words to him" Fawn huffed

"No, he won't" Artemis admitted casually "And when he does return to form, he's all yours….on the understanding that he gets turned over to the police, he gets a trial and a sentence. Not an execution in a back alley"

"Do we have a deal?" Rover asked hesitantly, dreading what the answer could be. Fawn's knuckles clenched and her co-conspirators could imagine the thoughts running through her mind as she weighed the life of her murdered brother and the uprooted and shattered lives of his wife and children against those who would be harmed if Ozymandias Eldritch was allowed to go unchecked. Finally she spat out a single word as though it were poison

"Deal"

Whilst Felix and Corvid were being treated at the New Vale Poly-Tech facility Arctus and Diamond were finally preparing to leave the campus of Halo Academy, the pair had allowed themselves to oversleep and even upon waking up had found themselves with little motivation to leave their bed, the option to simply remain as they were and spend the morning wrapped around each other an enticing one. Eventually however they had left Team FADE's dormitory and made their way to the canteen for a late breakfast before preparing to leave for the day; planning to use the free time afforded to them by the reduced amount of written assignments being given to them to help with the reconstruction efforts in the city and perhaps go on an impromptu date later that evening.

They had come to a halt on the way to the main entrance of the academy, an offhand comment from Arctus had earned him a kiss from Diamond which had progressed to the point where the silver haired sniper was pressed against the wall of a secluded and empty corridor; the two of them kissing fiercely whilst Arctus's hands had made their way below her shirt. A sound of frustrated disappointment escaped her as the Bear Faunus came to an abrupt halt, pale sapphire eyes widening before he quickly retracted his hands and a moment later Diamond understood, having heard the sound of approaching footsteps that had caused him to stop

"Dude how did you even convince me to do this here?" she chuckled, voice low and husky; Arctus merely gave her an exceptionally cocky look although whatever reply he intended to give went unsaid as the footsteps drew nearer and the people responsible for them came into view. Roughly half a dozen individuals wearing lab-coats followed by a small group of Atlesian Knights of a newer model, the robots carrying several heavy containers of what Arctus and Diamond assumed was equipment of some kind though it was the familiar figure at the lead that caught their attention; the long white coat of an Atlesian Specialist worn with ragged ends which stood in contrast to the gleaming medals and decorations at her breast, a pair of broad-bladed and curved swords slung across her back, Cybernetic eye to replace the one taken by the Cult of Taurus and a Mohawk of electric blue hair

"Donner?" called out to her in plain confusion

"Baby Slate" she greeted with a wave, though her expression faltered for a fraction of a second as though she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have before she gestured for her companions to continue ahead without her, Arctus and Diamond watched them leave

"What're you doing here?" Diamond asked, trying to keep the suspicious edge from her voice.

"Sorry kids, classified" Donner sighed "Come on you know I can't just show up and talk about Specialist business"

"Even when you're putting students at risk?" Arctus demanded "Seriously?"

"Okay whatever you think you know about-"

"We know about Doctor Eldritch being in New Vale, we know about Project Legacy and we know about Pantheon, the Grimm that escaped from project Snare" Diamond cut her off; Arctus's tone was harsh as he followed on

"Seriously, one of my cousins lost an eye to Pantheon and another one was nearly killed by Nickel Polendina or whatever she's calling herself and my Dad is still doing shit like this?" he demanded "I get it, they're a threat but does he have to have his people set up here?"

"You knew it was dangerous when you decided to be a Hunter" Donner stated simply, her own tone becoming cold

"We signed up to fight Grimm and we'll do that!" Arctus shot back "But we didn't sign up be constantly lied to, kept in the dark and used! You being here paints a target on-"

"Nobody knows we're here and if you shut up it might stay that way!" Donner snarled back "Don't think Commander Slate makes these decisions lightly kid 'cos he doesn't; we're all trying to make Remnant a safer place

"Then let us help for Oum's sake" the Bear Faunus demanded in exasperation

"Absolutely not" Donner shook her head "Project Legacy already killed an Atlesian Specialist and Eldritch is all kinds of dangerous….I shot him in the head with Chiffon's death-ray and it didn't kill him" that silenced both Arctus and Diamond's objections, the idea that the scientist was such a capable opponent and not merely the mastermind behind the scheming hadn't occurred to them

"Just….tell us something, we need to know what's going on" Diamond implored.

"Fine" Donner sighed, taking a moment to sort the information that could be given from that which needed to be kept hidden in her mind "Commander Slate's old Team-mates have a plan to use Rhodium Torchwick to force Eldritch out into the open; they'll contact me when they're ready to make a move and bring him down. The scientists are here for research purposes-"

"Pantheon?" Arctus surmised

"And the other one from the Breach a couple years ago….two sentient Grimm in three years, both of them leading attacks that breached a Kingdom, both of them using actual tactics and planning. The scientists are going to be investigating attack sites and seeing what they can learn"

"You think that Pantheon and Phobos could be the start of something bigger?" Diamond asked, the notion utterly horrifying

"I think that Remnant is getting more complicated and whatever Eldritch is planning can't be allowed to happen" Donner answered simply "Now I've gotta go and report to Goodwitch….is she as scary as I was warned about?"

"Worse" Arctus chuckled, making to leave before adding "Hey….if you speak to my Dad can you pass on a message? Just tell him I wanna talk whenever he's available….I hate being on bad terms with him"

"Sure, I'll do that. I'll let him know he's got a bonehead who doesn't back down for a son….he'll be so proud" with that Donner left, Arctus's good natured retort following behind her; inwardly she winced as she wondered just how much Team FADE would try to involve themselves in what was to come. If they learned that Pantheon was being contained within the academy they called home there was no telling what they might do

"Touch that dial and I swear I'll rip your arm off and beat you with the soggy end!" Nickel threatened as she jabbed a finger in the face of the gang member in the drivers' seat beside her before promptly going back to singing along to the song that her clearly unwilling companion had been about to turn down.

"Torchwick better be paying me double for this, he told me it was an Oum-damned basic pick up job….got me going out into the ass end of nowhere, sneaking passed military bases and into Grimm country and shit" the driver grumbled before turning to Nickel and fixing her with a truly loathing sneer "Got me working with yo' crazy ass"

"Bite me" Nickel rolled her eyes behind the heart shaped sunglasses she wore, distracted from the radio by the complaining. Despite the mans' complaints Nickel's plan had been a complete success which had been achieved without a single casualty; two trucks and a small contingent of thugs and gangsters tasked with providing assistance, all provided to her by Rhodium had been led out of the capital city and towards the so called 'Front line' where New Vale's territory ended where they had managed to slip through the net formed by military outposts and make their way towards the Jagged Mountains. From there Nickel had simply retraced the steps she had taken the last time she had been in this bleak and forbidding region, eventually finding what she sought; the twisted and blackened remains of several of Atlas's remotely piloted, transforming fighter craft known as Baba-Jaegers. Her accomplices had watched, impressed yet steadfastly willing to admit it as they watched the now platinum haired girl begin dismantling the wrecked machines into smaller parts to make them easier to transport, tearing Atlesian steel apart with her bare hands as thought it were paper. The sounds had, almost inevitably attracted the Creatures of Grimm which Nickel had proceeded to obliterate with lazy disinterest before returning to her task and having the thugs begin loading the salvaged components into the trucks; the truck she was travelling in held the majority of the Baba-Jaeger wreckage whilst most of Torchwick's associates travelled in the second, riding with Nickel being something which none of them were especially keen on subjecting themselves to.

"Checkpoint" the driver announced as he turned the music down, the explanation sparing him from the androids' anger; with the perimeter wall still damaged additional security had been put in place at each of the major thoroughfares in and out of the capital city; whilst these guards chose to let the vast majority of vehicles pass them without incident the thug reasoned it would still be wise to not draw the attention of people who could legally stop and search their vehicles, considering their cargo

"Whatever" Nickel huffed, slouching in the passengers' seat as if sulking. Glowering at the security forces from behind her sunglasses as they passed through the perimeter and into the capital city; driving through streets lined with factories and warehouses whilst the gargantuan Hive Towers loomed in the distance, flocks of airships and the huge outlines of the cities' aerial platforms filling the sky above them.

"So….what're you gonna use all that stuff for?" the driver dared to ask "I mean we went out into Grimm country for it, so it's gotta be important right?"

"Art project, duh?" Nickel retorted in a voice that made it clear that the man was an idiot for ever expecting an honest answer

"Whatever, bitch" his muttered reply earned him a swift and open handed slap around the back of the head that sent the truck veering as the driver nearly lost control; as the vehicle swerved into the road, nearly hitting a trash can Nickel's eyes widened; her faster-than-human reflexes allowing her to catch sight of something that burst from a hole ripped into the side of the trash can and scuttled into a darkened alleyway, the thing was almost entirely bone white and had a body that vaguely resembled a centipede, carrying itself on countless pairs of malformed inky black legs. It's tail end was jagged as if it had been broken off somehow whilst its' head featured a single eye set between a trio of jagged pincer like protrusions.

Nickel scowled to herself as she contemplated barrelling out of the truck and after the thing, but was forced to accept that it would be unwise. She would have to kill Torchwick's goons which would cause the mobster himself to become more suspicious than he already seemed to be.

Instead she resigned herself to simply informing Ozymandias that Pantheon's living Trident was still alive and lurking within the city.

Syneffo launched a series of spinning kicks which were blocked with ease, as was the elbow strike which she intended to use to close the distance between her opponent and herself; instead she was merely parried and sent staggering away before a powerful palm strike landed between her shoulder-blades and sent her sailing forwards, landing face down on the ground of a small clearing in the woods beyond the Rose family home, a sound of pure annoyance left her lips as she rolled onto her back and leapt to her feet.

"You're getting angry and it's costing you your concentration" Helios noted; Syneffo paid her brothers' words no mind and simply charged stopping short of the jab that would have halted her momentum and unleashing a devastating aerial spinning kick which Helios narrowly avoided; the moment she landed Syneffo made to drive her knee into his ribs only to be blocked before using her momentum to begin a deluge of punches, palm strikes, chops and elbows which her brother began blocking and parrying as he responded in kind; the air around them trembling with the force of their blows until finally, after dozens of exchanges had passed between them Helios threw Syneffo off balance and delivered an open handed chopping blow to her jaw. The Younger Nikosi staggered sideways, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth before she collapsed to her knees and held herself up with one hand; keeping herself from collapsing entirely as she massaged her cheek with the other

"I thought we were sparring?" she made no effort to hide the accusation in her tone before spitting out a mouthful of blood and wiping her chin with the back of her hand

"We were" Helios countered calmly "Then you tired to crack my skull with that kick….You were losing your temper" Syneffo said nothing and merely returned to her feet whilst wearing a dark expression as she continued to massage her bruised jaw.

"Something is bothering you" Helios declared with a sigh and a worried glance "I thought you'd be happy….you unlocked your powers?"

"And I can't use them" Syneffo countered, her fist lashing out at a nearby tree "I was unconscious for days after I used them, I had no control and I haven't been able to do it since"

"Patience Syneffo" Helios said gently "It will come….You have Ruby to teach you-"

"She's barely even doing that!" Syneffo shot back vehemently "She's more concerned about finding a buyer for her home and stripping away all the improvements that they've made to it….all these trivialities when there are bigger things at stake, it's infuriating"

"Syneffo….calm down" Helios placed his hands on her shoulders and met her gaze "You will learn in time; you are not the only Silver Eyed Warrior and you are not the head of the Nikosi….you don't need to carry the weight of all of Remnant's problems"

"I just….I hate this place" she admitted with a sigh "I hate the Kingdom and I want to go home"

"Then go, nobody will judge you" Helios said simply "Speak with Ruby and she will send you back to our lands"

"I can't" Syneffo answered him sadly, silver eyes looking away from him "Even when my training with Ruby is complete I'll be expected to attend one of the academies the way you have….how did you do it Helios, how did you learn to love this place-"

"The academies are different" the older Nikosi shrugged "They're not so lonely"

"Is that better? The Kingdoms breed weaklings and vapid imbeciles….I've heard enough of them-"

"You're starting to sound like a conqueror" Helios's tone had an amused edge to it that quickly faded "Remember that this Kingdom is my home now" Syneffo scoffed but finally relented; knowing that she would achieve nothing by angering one of the few people in New Vale whose company she enjoyed and the only link she had to her culture

"I won't tell you to learn to love this place….it clearly isn't meant for you" Helios sighed draping an arm across his sisters' shoulders and leading her away from the clearing as he considered how to help her overcome the problems she was clearly struggling with "Pick something that you miss from home"

"Mother….all of our people….your hounds" Helios frowned

"I miss them too but there's nothing I can do to help with that" he admitted

"Everything here feels like a prison, it's too small" Syneffo shrugged "And none of the food tastes right"

"Now that I can help with" the older redhead chuckled, looking up at the sky to make a rough estimate of the time "If we head into the city we can get fresh meat and a tent….it won't be exactly the same but it'll be something"

"You want us to make a camp?" Syneffo raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at her lips

"I presume that the a member of the Pathfinders can make a campfire?" Helios's voice was teasing "We'll set up somewhere quiet where you won't be bothered and you can forget about being a Silver Eyed Warrior and everything else that's bothering you for a while"

"Thank you" Syneffo murmured before playfully elbowing her brother "I knew there was a reason I came to you with my problems" Helios merely ruffled her hair

"I may call Felix and ask if he wants to join us"

"Then get two tents" Syneffo countered with a grimace "And invite Nyanza as well….the idiot cat is endearing in his own way"

"I am going to pretend for the sake of my sanity that I never heard that" Helios countered gruffly; whilst he knew that his partner has happy in his long distance relationship with a student of Haven Academy the idea of his sister taking a liking to the feline was something he simply refused to acknowledge. Syneffo stuck her tongue out and the bickering continued between them, simply two siblings who for a few hours at least didn't have to worry about any conspiracies or threats of monsters and madmen who wished to use them.

"You're not looking so good, you okay Fluffy?" Corvid observed as she and Felix waited outside of the New Vale branch of Poly-Tech, the building whilst pristine and impressive from the outside failed to convey the true breadth and depth of the technological advancement that took place within, appearing to be simply another factory in an industrialised part of the city.

"Not feeling too great" the Lion Faunus admitted "That really took it out of me" Felix's skin was ashen and afflicted with the dry flakiness that accompanied overuse of his Semblance whilst his eyes had dark rings around them that had not been present that morning and his entire body language spoke of clear exhaustion and discomfort, every muscle aching after the test battery he had been put through following Corvid's own procedure

"You should've spoken up" she sighed, partially distracted as she took pictures of her own face with her Scroll with her eyepatch raised to display her new Cybernetic; whilst she was far from vain she still found herself unable to look away from the images for a moment before she finally sent the photos to both Blake and Yang, taking another pause to consider before sending them to Onyx as well, sure that the Puma Faunus would find a way to assure her that her scarred face was beautiful and sure that she herself would almost believe it for a while.

"Yeah I know" Felix shrugged "But I just wanna get it done y'know….just making the decision to come here scared me, I don't wanna drag this out" Corvid nodded in silent understanding; the experimental nature of Poly-Techs' Faunus specific prosthetics combined with Felix's own Semblance and the unique interaction that any cybernetics would have with his body meant that he had been required to push his Semblance to its' limits in a controlled environment whilst Poly-Tech doctors and researchers took notes, entering his Balrog state so that they could measure the maximum temperature that his body reached, trying to gauge just how far his invulnerability in said state went and monitoring his Aura to measure any fluctuations.

"Get some rest when we get back to the academy, have a Lion down-"

"You've used that one" Felix interrupted, Corvid merely shrugged

"Yeah well, I've been too busy to think of new ones….exams are in a few weeks"

"You'll do fine, you know you will" Felix assured her

"Thanks Fluffy" Corvid paused as a thought occurred to her "Hey, what's Eagle actually driving I haven't seen her car?"

"Me neither" Felix admitted, whilst his partner had offered to pick him up he has thus far not seen the car that her grandparents had bought for her to congratulate her; Eagle having thus far kept it at the Arc family home whilst she worked on it. The two waited for a while longer until eventually the sound of clunking shuddering engine made its' approach

"Oh that poor girl" Corvid mouthed as she covered her face with her hands and made a truly valiant effort not to laugh

"Knock it off Corey" Felix insisted, giving a sympathetic wince at the condition of his partners' vehicle as it neared "It's a piece of shit….but it's her piece of shit" the small car with its' rounded frame pulled up beside them, black smoke spewing from its' exhaust; in truth Eagle had already made a start on improving the car, it's engine no longer vomited fumes from beneath the hood as it ran and a roof rack which had clearly been modified to allow Sentinel to take up a firing position atop the car had been fitted. As the drivers' side window was lowered Eagle was revealed to be wearing an absurdly wide smile

"Hey guys, I still can't believe my Grandparents bought me a car; isn't it cool? I'm calling it the Lightning Bug"

"Yeah Eagle, it's cool" Felix grinned, his partners' enthusiasm was infectious and he had no desire to take away from her obvious happiness.

"I've got so many plans to make it even better, it's gonna be awesome; Fluffy you'll help me out right?"

"Of course" Felix grinned widely, the question needing no thought at all. He and Corvid climbed into the car; the older Xiao Long sibling pretending to pout as she was consigned to the back seat of the car which shuddered as it lurched into motion. After a while Corvid leaned forward and broached a subject that she'd been mulling over for weeks

"Hey, I need to ask you two for a favour" she was apprehensive despite Felix's nonchalance

"Sure what's up?"

"Look….I'm gonna be leaving Vale soon…..I need you two to check up on Great Uncle Qrow for me; I'm worried about him" the question caused Eagle and Felix to share a tense look for a few seconds before Eagle finally answered

"He lied and he kept stuff from us Corey, important stuff….after my Mum hiding who my Dad was from both of us for so long, both of them kept things from us"

"I know Eagle, I do but-"

"But I'll do it" Eagle sighed, clearly still not entirely forgiving either of her parents "He's family and I wanted a Dad for so long….he gets one more chance, but no more secrets"

"That's fair" Corvid accepted, what little she could see of Corvid's face had hardened and the hurt in her deep crimson eyes was clear; she turned to her brother "What about you Fluffy?"

"I'm with the Eagle" Felix answered simply, arms folding across his chest as his spoke "Arctus is pissed off about this is as well….hell Dee pretends nothing bothers her but we all know better"

"I'm not asking you to forgive him Fluffy-"

"I know" the Lion Faunus sighed "Look I got beaten half to death and thrown through buildings, that's not even the part I'm bothered about….it's the going into things blind because someone else just decided that they knew better. It's gotta stop. But yeah, I'll go check on him"

"Thank you" Corvid breathed out "And I get that you're angry, you really think I'm not?….But he's just in that house alone, dealing with reports of Grimm attacks and all of the worst stuff imaginable with everyone hating him and avoiding him; I'm just worried about him"

"Okay yeah" Felix sighed again, a distraction coming in the form of his Scroll vibrating; he opened the device and read the text message with a smile slowly spreading across his face

"What's Heely saying that's got you smiling like that?" Corvid gave a knowing smirk, Felix merely rolled his eyes

"Are you two doing anything tonight?" he asked, Corvid looked out of the window at the setting afternoon sun, taking a moment to work out how much time she would need to get ready

"Team CLIR have been studying all weekend, we're going out tonight….I might meet Onyx later" she answered, Felix had the decency to not torment his sister for her ongoing relationship or lack thereof with the Puma Faunus; whether they were officially a couple or not it was obvious that they cared deeply for one another.

"I know Hellion and Carcharodon are out on the Broken Coast, I think they're still looking for any usable parts from other ships; they're gonna be busy all weekend"

"Wanna come camping with me, Helios and his sister?"

"That would be cool, I always wanted to do that as a kid" Eagle admitted, Felix being painfully reminded that his partner had been sorely lacking in friends before coming to Halo Academy

"Sounds like a plan then" he grinned "Let's drop Corey off somewhere and pick up some marshmallows"

"Can I get you a drink?….Or a hooker, or literally anything that will get that fucking frown off your face" Junior taunted the ageing gangster lounging comfortably in the chair within the spacious and dimly lit office of his manor which had been built into the upper echelons of one of New Vale's largest Hive Towers. Across from him Fawn Bordeaux maintained her sour expression and refused to rise to the bait

"You know why I'm here Xiong"

"No I really don't dear" Junior snorted "The only one of your outfit that I had any regular contact with was the Atlesian-"

"Kafsi's dead" the Mastiff Faunus declared simply

"That she is" Junior nodded "Would have been nice to be kept in the loop but, being on the council I did get to have a look at some very nasty damage being done to the Hive Towers….gonna cost a lot of Lien to fix that lot, but I did get a good look at what killed her though"

"The Atlesian terrorists' accomplice"

"And there's a lot that's not being said there isn't that right?" Junior noted in a conversational, almost bored tone before adding "And after she dealt with the Atlesian, Kafsi….that Faunus boy she was knocking around, between you and me it'd almost be a good thing if she'd finished him off; 'cos then we'd have Yang Xiao Long herself just tearing buildings up by their foundations and we could all put out feet up….Still on the bight side, I got a nice new toy out of it" the mobster reached into his jacket and produced a familiar pistol with a short barrel and chunky design. Fawn struggled not to flinch as Junior aimed Aegis Thunder squarely at her chest from across the table and let out a low chuckle.

"You're not going to fire it" she said coldly

"Well obviously not, you daft bint" Junior snorted "It's a nifty little toy but I'm not gonna start shooting random police officers with it just 'cos I can….now, what did you actually come here for? It's getting late"

"You were right about the others" Fawn answered with a grimace "Kafsi and the Hunters….they want to cut deals with Torchwick to get to this Atlesian scientist"

"Ah" Junior grinned savagely "And you want to know if my offer still stands?"

"Does it?"

"Is my niece still dead?" the mobsters' expression turned murderous "Of course it still fucking stands; you want Torchwick dead fine….but you bring that son of a bitch to me alive so I can be the one to do it. After that; fuck I love this city whether you wanna believe that or not, you seem like a good cop, one of the few"

"You'll give me the honour of being your enforcer?" Fawn sneered

"Crime's always gonna exist, you may as well grow up and accept that part right now. Work for me and we'll make sure that it stays contained; everybody stays on their turf, no kids have ODs, no innocent people get caught in crossfires and all the dirty business gets done in private where it doesn't make New Vale look bad to investors….there's a Vytal Tournament coming up after all" Junior paused for a minute before adding with a grin "And to top it all off, we both get filthy rich. You in?"

"I'm in" Fawn nodded with an utter lack of remorse "So how do I handle the Hunters?"

"Carefully" Junior said simply "Play along with 'em as long as you and if we're lucky we might be able to pull this off without having to dispose of 'em….I've never liked having Hunters whacked, it's messy business"

"Quietly and without alerting suspicions, got it" Fawn nodded before rising from her seat and walking away.

'She wasn't betraying them' She told herself that much with utmost conviction 'They had betrayed their duties by compromising, she was simply seeing a murderer brought to justice'

Authors Notes:

Okay, another chapter done.
Sorry if this volume feels like it's having a slow start; trust me when I say that it'll make up for it in the finale.
Also it would be remiss of me to neglect to mention that THE VOL.7 HYPE TRAIN HAS ROLLED INTO THE STATION! ALL ABOARD!

Not much to say here so let's summarise:
Yeah, Corvid getting her new eye was painful….but she's got it now.
She probably decided she was keeping the patch as soon as the twins told her that it looks cool.
Yes the Doctor was throwing shade at Oobleck about his back.
Yang's Semblance doesn't involve her actually setting on fire like Felix's does and when I gave Yang her 'Aura Flamethrower in Downward Spiral I limited her to only being able to do it left-handed.
So yes Felix is going to get a tail with some upgrades, no it won't be a gun….I've got something special planned.
Felix has earned the right to be bitchy about things.
Okay I know that Tuscan should be able to talk by this point….I'm thinking of making her non-verbal; it won't be a massive plot point, just a background detail.
I was honestly tempted to turn the line about the lawyer's other clients into a sly jab at Vic.
I think you all at least suspected that Fawn was going to become a problem by this point.
Rover, Artemis and Scarlet gave her the best deal they could.
So, there's another capable Hunter in New Vale; Donner is not to be overlooked….remember that her and Chiffon are the only people who've actually face Ozymandias and not been shredded with a scalpel.
So Arctus and Diamond (And therefore everybody else) knows that Donner is here and they knew that she brought a research team….they still don't know about Pantheon.
"I'll rip you arm off and beat you with the soggy end" is actually a threat one of my aunties used to use.
So Nickel's now got plenty of material to use as a starting point for her new weapon.
Flesh-seeker didn't die when Corvid broke it in half.
Syneffo is really struggling in New Vale, living away from the Tribes is just not for her and she's got a lot of weight on her shoulders.
Helios is trying to be a good big brother.
Syneffo thinking Nyanza is cute is just funny to me….I don't ship it and neither should you.
Sorry but as it stands the Lightning Bug is indeed a piece of shit.
They're Hunters, the violence comes with the job; the lying is just uncalled for.
I'm still imagining Junior as Karl Urban.
I mean he's not exactly wrong….If Nickel had actually killed Felix there would be no stopping Yang.
And now Junior's got Aegis Thunder; you know he wanted that gun ever since he saw Kafsi get rid of Vert's body with it.
So now it becomes a question of who gets Torchwick first; Rover & Missy, Fawn & Junior or will Ozymandias just decide to kill him and cut his losses….and that's not forgetting that Foggy knows that Corona is still alive.

Thank you to SumoSnipe for the review on the last chapter.
Oh Team GORE are going to do plenty of wheeling & dealing and scavenging.
As for machine shops and boat houses that aren't affiliated with the Scavenger Guild?….Team GORE have fucked with both Torchwick's crew and Malachite; whose businesses now belong to Rhodey as well, anywhere dodgy enough to do those kind of deals is probably not somewhere they should be hanging around.
We're gonna have at least one fun conversation with Penny this volume, she and Nickel haven't officially met after all.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.