Anarchy

by Foxcomm

The hunt for the Vaults continues with Gaige the Mechromancer landing on a primitive, ignored world in the corner of the galaxy. She has enough bullets for the inhabitants, the same is not true in reverse.

2. Weight of a Word

Or 'What have I unleashed?'

—oo000oo—

The next day, Gaige arrived at A Simple Wok, nodded to the proprietor and sat down at a table across from Ozpin and Goodwitch. Fifteen minutes early and they were here. She suddenly felt that if she was an hour early, they might have been here ahead of her. "Miss Crescent, let's get down to business if we shall."

"Of course," Gaige replied.

"The first task I have for you is rather simple. Roman Torchwick has been committing a chain of Dust thefts in Vale. I would like you to discover why. And tell me, of course."

"I'll make sure the little bird sings before his wings are clipped," Gaige stated.

"I on the other hand have something more instructional for you to do," Goodwitch told her. "You are the same age as entrance level students yet your skill couldn't be more different. I would like you to at times demonstrate that ability, show the students just what they are expected of. Be that in hunting Grimm, combat demonstrations, or in field and on campus sparring."

"That is certainly an interesting idea," Gaige muttered, cupping her chin with her metal hand. "Can I come up with a few ideas?"

"Within reason."

"Then I think having some teams of students hunting a 'fugitive' through one of the forest would be a good way to introduce me to them." Thinking on it later, Gaige might have given too large a smile.

"I shall consider it," Glynda said, tapping on her scroll.

"There is a final task, one I think states my confidence in your ability," Ozpin told her. "Are you familiar with White Fang?"

"I've heard of it."

"They're a faunus rights group that has turned to violent methods to get what they want."

"Yeah, no, its just the flag that the violent and the hateful gather around to excuse killing. So what, you want them gone?"

"I want it's leader detained."

"...That might be a touch difficult unless you know something I don't."

"I do not and not for a lack of trying. Which comes to one conclusion, we already know them. There is no one titled as the leader, one of the lieutenants must be calling the shots in secret."

"Ah, destroy the command structure then. I can do that. Will that be all?"

"That is all I have unless you have some great ability to heal all wounds."

Gaige blinked at that before holding her arm up. Taking a knife in her mechanical hand, she slashed her arm deeply. Before either teacher could panic, she wiped the blood away and displayed the wound knitting close in a mechanical fashion before their eyes. "I know what you're going to say, that auras could heal wounds in a similar way. Just that not deeply, not that fast, and that was far too regulated for any natural ability."

"You have a machine that heals you," Ozpin asked a bit in awe.

"Yes. You see, when they took my belt at the precinct, they missed something very important. This." She moved her collar and showed a small, metal square that was grafted into her skin. She pressed a finger to it and grimaced as the lights left her eyes, the lines that went into her skin began retracting to the metal, and it grew bigger. Eventually, it looked like an old scroll, blocky, heavy, and with a screen and buttons on it. "This is what my equipment is all tied to. Programmed into it is a subroutine that grants me amazing healing. So long as my currently equip weapon is fully loaded."

"...I suppose I should question why that rule but I'm still amazed over this technology," Ozpin stated, his coffee mug finally set on the table as opposed to being in his hand.

"Matter of energy and processing power," Gaige stated, placing her echo back to her skin and reintegrating it with her. Again she grimaced as it dug into her flesh but it passed quickly. "And to answer the question you are no doubt wondering, no, no one else can get this off me unless I am dead and no, you cannot get the specs needed to make your own. This is one of a kind." On this planet.

"So that keeps your equipment ID locked to you. Most impressive. Microscopic wires that move through the body like nerves, mild discomfort in applying... That is a HUD on your eyes, isn't it?"

"Yes. It monitors my physical health, my shield, ammunition supply, direction, calls, so on. So really, it is just like a scroll."

"Oh, far from it," Glynda stated. "Even the most experimental of Atlas technology is no where near this advance."

"Miss Crescent, while I am grateful that you are more open than the last time we spoke, who are you, truly, and where are you from?"

Gaige just smiled, her echo fully reinitialized now. "I am Gaige Crescent. I'm from this little place called Eden. It's a small island in between Atlas, Vale, and Mistral."

"...Some how, I don't quite believe you."

Her smile just grew. "Maybe I'm a Ghost, a creation of the net, self-aware and created a body for myself from Atlas tech. Or possibly I'm an alien from this far off planet called Pandora." Neither Ozpin or Goodwitch were amused. "Where I am from matters little, doesn't it? The past irrevocably marches into the present and the present the future. I am here now. I wasn't before and one day, I won't be again. All that you need concern yourself is that I am hunting something, the Vault, and all else is what I do to make things connect in the mean time."

"...Then I have another question. What is the Vault?"

"Now that's the thing, isn't it? Until I actually open it, I don't know. Some friends opened one, expecting treasure, and found a monster. I've opened one Vault and it activated a Warrior, a stone construct that would do whatever it's master commanded. It's master just so happened to command it to kill me so yeah, had to destroy it. I have opened a Vault that had treasure in it. So it contains either trouble or reward."

"Should you be looking for it if..."

Gaige set an eridium ingot on the table followed by a Seraph Crystal. "...Go on, take a look over them."

They each reached out and grabbed an object. "I have never seen a Dust Crystal this pure," Goodwitch offered. "Your technology makes so much more sense now. This...I'm no expert in Dust but this might never run out of energy."

"This refined Dust crystal as well," Ozpin said, tapping the ingot with the spoon and listening to it ring. "This is incredible. And these could be in the Vault? I suppose that could be worth a little trouble. Could I, wait, why would you be a bounty hunter or even hunt for this Vault if you have these? This alone is enough to live the rest of your life without working. Sell the other and it would be in complete comfort."

Gaige stopped moving for a moment before sighing. "Maybe because its all I know to do? I ask that question a time or two a month. I know I don't have to, but I can't stop. Maybe its just the influence of others, the ones that want me to give up and quit that makes me keep going." Gaige reached out for the items, when the Seraph Crystal was in hand, it was transported back into her storage deck units. Getting another look of appraisal from Goodwitch. "...Professor Ozpin?"

"I was just wondering if I could send a sample of this to a friend."

"...Hand it here." Setting it on the table before her, Gaige set her lunch box on the table and opened it, grabbing one of the tools inside and carefully setting it at the wrist of her metal limb. Machines reached out, grabbing the tool, and attached to it, powering it up. Setting a mat on the table and the ingot on top of it, she careful activated the tool, showing it to be a tiny laser. She cut off a two centimeter thick slice from across the end before removing the cutting laser and handing the small piece to the Headmaster. "That is all you are getting." She arched an eyebrow when it began to ring in his hands just like it would with a siren or other eridian enhanced individual.

"...What could even this little do, I wonder," he asked carefully, holding it up to look it over. Gaige returned the rest of ingot and put everything away. "How close to yourself would this push us?"

"That depends on how competent your scientist are," Gaige told him. "I made this arm myself before anything else. Well, one thing else." She could practically hear Deathtrap purring at that. "That was two years ago, and I have since upgraded it. A friend of mine always wonders how I do it all without help and only one arm."

"...Well, since you brought it up."

Gaige shook her head and clasped her hands in front of her face. "Nope. That little secret stays with me. So, I have my assignments, I suppose there is only one thing left to settle. My price."

"No matter what, I feel we are about to get a very poor deal," Goodwitch muttered.

"Yes. Do you even want Lien?"

"Lien is a sign of respect," Gaige stated. "I, in all honesty, have more money than I could spend in a thousand life times. That's with me continuing to use bullets like I do, too. And it almost all comes from jobs I was hired to do. Okay, a fair bit comes from killing monsters for fun and profit but still."

"You keep using that, monsters, not Grimm."

"Because not all monsters are Grimm," Gaige replied. "Now don't try to sidetrack me. If I do these, what form will your respect take?"

"...That we will pay you is obvious. But instead of all of it being in Lien, would you also take services?"

"Such as?"

"Well, to start with, a base of operations," Ozpin offered. "A place to stay, food to eat, whenever you are in the area."

"...Is that all?"

"For whatever reason, you move about from place to place, never returning to the same spot. You eat, you maybe take some things with you, and then you move on. From your movements, you don't have a place you return to. Am I wrong?"

"Actually, you are, I have a ship I use as a base. You don't exactly see me using normal transit, now do you?"

"We have looked for boats and airships. I have found nothing to indicate anything other than private transportation services."

"I...hold on, I'm getting a call." Reaching a hand up, she dragged the picture of Axton down. "Hey, Axton, how's it going?"

"Good. I just finished up on Argent Four. I can swing by if you need a hand. You know, many hands, light work."

"Hmm. And I do love watching you work, stud. But I haven't found anything I can't handle yet. And you know I never work alone."

"Yeah, never could forget a bandit clan trying to either run away or overwhelm a cute little girl and her robot."

"In negotiations right now, they just found out that I have more money than God so are probably hoping to save a few bucks."

"Eh, why not do it? Not like their money is good anywhere else."

"Its the principle," Gaige said a bit more animatedly. "I'm a mercenary, when I fight for other people, I fight for money."

"Says the little girl that came to Pandora hoping to do some..."

"Axton!" Goodwitch and Ozpin both almost jumped at her suddenly shouting. "Sorry. Axton, you know how I feel about that."

"I do, kid, you think I don't feel horrible about killing Angel and losing Roland?" Gaige was so glad the two before her couldn't hear him speaking. "If any of us deserved to live, it was those two. But just saying that there are no heroes on Pandora and trying to be a complete bastard is a piss-poor way to dealing with your grief."

"Doesn't mean we couldn't have done something different. We..." Gaige turned off the translator and continued. "You heard her screams just as I did. Killing some psycho yelling about stripping flesh and salting it doesn't make me lose sleep. That does. So, now that Roland is dead, there are no heroes on Pandora. Just damaged goods." When he said nothing, she turned the translator back on.

"...Yeah, I'm dropping by," Axton stated.

"What!? Axton, I don't need your help!"

"Not saying you do, kiddo, I know that if the entire world came together to kill you, you could handle it. You just need someone there to help you realize that one, you aren't on Pandora anymore." Gaige actually winced at that. "And two, we're a team and friends. And both of those know that when the other is hurting, their place is right there by them."

"...You're an asshole, you know that right? I wanted to prove that I can handle it all just as well as the others. Me, the cute little girl, the odd one out."

"Gaige."

"I mean look at us, a former marine, a siren, a cyborg ninja, a dual wielding bandit slayer, a guy with a buzzax that explodes and pecks that have pecks. And the cute little girl with the metal arm...and robot that shoots lasers."

"Yeah, and rockets, and lightning and fire, and the bullets that can bounce off walls, and lord help us all, your Anarchy. Gaige, stop trying to distract me, I know you don't have confidence issues. You are probably the scariest among us. Even counting Salvador's breath. You are a woman of science and kickassery."

"Damn it," she grunted.

"Look, it won't be more than a month before I'm there. If you don't got it by then, I'll help. If you do, then just wait for me, we'll hit up a beach or something, and have some fun before heading for home. Maybe that will get you back to normal."

"...I'm assigning you as a target for Deathtrap, you know that right?"

Axton's understanding face suddenly lost it's smile. "Are...you serious?"

"The moment this call is over," she grumbled.

"...Yeah, still coming. Now where did I put that Nuke'em? Tina, where's the Nuke'em!?" Axton trailed off as he started looking for the heavy weapons.

"...Wait a second, Axton, you have Tina with you? Axton? Axton! You are not bringing Tina here! Axton!?" It was too late, she was just talking to a blank window. She sat there for a minute, completely frozen, at the though of what Tiny Tina and her love of all things explosive, and her two 'puppies', a burning, badass skag named Enrique and a phonic kraggon named Jean, will do to the completely unprepared world of Remnant. Was it wrong that part of her wanted to smile?

Coughing into her fist, Gaige flicked aside the communication window and steepled her fingers as she thought about this. "Problem," Ozpin asked.

"Just...a friend coming by. Thinks I'm hurting about something."

Goodwitch suddenly asked, "And who is Tina?

"She..." Gaige tilted her head, looking the two over. They looked nice, classy, mature; those suits certainly were nice. And her school uniform, while comfortable and modified for combat, was neither classy nor mature. "Ms. Goodwitch, stand up please."

"Excuse me?"

"Stand up." She did and so did Gaige. Walking around her, the twenty year old looked her over before settling on her face and hair.

"What are you doing," the teacher asked, using two fingers of her left hand to adjust her glasses. The motions of which Gaige mimicked. When her fingers clicked from touched her palm, Gaige looked to the hand, opening and closing her fingers as she considered something. "What are you doing," Goodwitch asked again.

"I think the better question is 'Who is Axton'," Ozpin spoke up. "And why does his coming here get this kind of reaction from you?"

Gaige frowned as she went back to comparing Goodwitch to herself. "Your tailor," she suddenly demanded. At a confused look, Gaige said, "Who and where is your tailor? Do they perform special orders?" Ozpin was grinning as he started to get an idea on just why she was upset. "I don't have long, two weeks to a month."

"I ask again, just who is this Axton?"

Gaige groaned before flicking her hand to Ozpin and then to Goodwitch. They both got a picture of a man in a soldier's uniform standing with an assault rifle raised to rest on his right shoulder. "He's Axton. Complete and total badass and stud and..." Here she did growl. "Once engaged until she broke it off."

"I see," Goodwitch said, looking it over. Twenty five to twenty seven if she had to guess. And in no way was he unattractive, she would say. Too rough and rugged for her, of course but to say a teenage girl, a guy with that much machismo would be almost irresistible. Which suddenly made sense why she was looking her over. Gaige could be called a girl. Glynda was the very definition of the word 'Lady'.

"Miss Crescent, how would you actually like to work with Professor Goodwitch as an aid?"

"Huh?"

"What!?"

"Not full time, of course. You have too much to do. But if you want to appear more mature when this Mister Axton arrives, I'm certain some etiquette lessons could help."

"Shouldn't you ask me before making such offers," Goodwitch asked, not grumbling as ladies don't grumble but not that far off.

"I..." Gaige turned away with a scoff. "That has to be the weakest attempt to lower the price I have ever heard! As if I would fall for that! I'll have you know I am very mature."

"On the battlefield," Goodwitch stated. "Your dealing with Torchwick has displayed that. And if he is a soldier, he has to have respect for your prowess. So I question why you think he might be attracted to me or my style." Gaige turned away before flicking her hand once more, sending a picture of a female soldier with a drawn on snidely mustache, blacked out tooth, eye-patch, and other defacements, so many you could barely see her under it. "Ahem." Gaige groaned before rolling her fingers, erasing her creative enhancements to reveal a woman with neatly combed, red hair tied into a bun, holding herself with poise, wearing a dress uniform, of decent rank if Glynda had guess, without an ounce of bravado. Something Axton, standing right next to her in his dress uniform, did not exactly show.

"That's his mumble, mumble."

"Speak up."

"That's his ex-wife!"

"I see," both Ozpin and Goodwitch offered.

"Well, I can certainly see the comparison, Glynda," Ozpin continued.

"...I hardly see what she sees in him though."

"Hey! Axton is a complete stud and that was the biggest mistake of her life," Gaige nearly shouted.

"...Not a very subtle crush, is it," Ozpin muttered.

"Excuse me, you are mistaking me for some little girl, I don't have crushes. I am well verse in the Double Hs."

"Double H," he queried.

"That after combat comes the 'Hungries and the Hor..."

"Don't explain it," Glynda interrupted. "So you are sexually active."

"Well, not so much as with other people right now," she muttered. "And why are we even talking about this!? How did our negotiations end up putting on display how many people I've fu..."

"You're shouting inside a restaurant," Glynda interrupted, getting Gaige to blush at what she was saying.

"Ahem, right. Regardless, this is seriously off track. Lien, numbers, math, or I'm out."

Ozpin considered it with his eyes closed a moment before saying, "Half a million."

"Torchwick alone is worth almost three times that."

"Then how much would you say this is worth?"

"Hmm. Five point three two million, not counting ammunition expenditure."

Glynda frowned and said, "It would be rather difficult to gather that much for a mercenary. It would be almost impossible to get the council to approve it."

"Then try a different figure," Gaige replied with a shrug.

"Two point seven," Ozpin countered.

"I guess we have nothing further to discuss," Gaige stated, moving away from the table.

"Do you want to help us or not," Goodwitch demanded. "What do you want?"

Gaige stopped and looked back with a grin. "Well, I suppose I can come up with something besides lien. But I'm not going to tell you what it is." Sitting back down, she clasped her hands. "If you can guess what it is, I will confirm it, but all you truly need to know is that it isn't lien but is likely something you won't want to give away anyway. And you will only have to give it to me after our business is complete."

"What kind of deal is this," Ozpin asked.

"The kind where I hold the cards," Gaige stated. "So, how much do you want them dealt with, will you agree to pay an unknown price just to be rid of them? I promise, it is an object, a single object. Plus only a million lien, half paid in advance."

Watching her a moment, the two began to discuss it between the two of them. Suddenly, Ozpin said, "We reserve the right to suddenly ask you to do something. Especially if it involves using your healing tech to save a life."

"Hmm. I wonder what you are planning. Alright, I can agree to that. Call me when you want me to play with the kids. Otherwise, I shall send you reports when I get something. Oh, I'll inspect the room you offered when you call." Ozpin frowned but he did offer it and she never exactly declined it. "I also look forward to working with you as an aid, Miss Goodwitch."

"Now wait a second..."

"Ah-ah-ah, I never said no. I only changed out lien for an unspecified object. Everything you have offered is still on the table. And I still need the address and number for your tailor."

"...I'm going to find you infuriating, aren't I?"

"Probably not once I'm not holding over you two that I have the better end of this agreement, at the moment."

Ozpin glanced to his friend before taking a drink from his cup and said, "If your technology will be of use to us, we will need to be able to create an interface. While I'm sure you would prefer to keep it to yourself, when and if an emergency happens, we won't have time to come up with something then."

"...True enough," Gaige muttered, losing her grin. "That is, if I didn't have a way to extend that to others, either through machinery or other means. Nice try though." Gaige was about to leave but hesitated. "...I'm going to give you fair warning. Once the shooting starts between me and the White Fang, I have no intention of picking my shots. If they are there and they wear a mask, they are going to die. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes."

"I intend to do things to make them afraid. Are you okay with that?"

"So long as innocents don't suffer, yes. Before you get started though, who is Tina and why are you worried?"

"She's..." Gaige sighed. "Tina is one of the unlucky ones. Some bastard sold her and her family to be experimented on. She watched her parents die and it...she's damaged by it. She was able to escape because her mother told her to hide this red rock, a grenade, in her dress. Ever since she has been...fascinated by explosions. She barely remembered her parents for a long while. My friends and I have been trying to help her. Talking to her, letting her vent, playing fantasy role-playing games, helping her care for her...puppy and even got her another, the thing we've been doing the most is just taking her with us and getting her away from...there. She's actually doing better now. She's gotten to the point where she can accept the death of others. She can keep them alive in her games."

"...So you do have a heart," Ozpin said softly.

Gaige bristled at that and rounded on him. "Tina is a master with explosives and a master beast trainer! Having Tina along is some of the best support a Vault Hunter can have! Don't mistake this for anything than... You're not buying this, are you?" Both adults just gave the smallest of smirks. "...I'm feeding you to Enrique and Jean when they get here. This is my account, have the half million transferred over by the end of the day." Nothing further to add, she turned and left.

—oo000oo—

Tinkering with her belt-fed Blasster assault rifle, cleaning the parts while also checking for damage, she barely glanced at the bank deposit notice her ECHO gave her before setting the belt into place and slapping down the lid before placing it on the harness on her back. Picking up her Badaboom, she aimed down from the rooftop she was on to the warehouse door of a White Fang outpost. "Knock, knock, you slaggin' bastards." She probably would've come to blows with these idiots sooner or later but it was always nice to do so when getting paid for it. Even if that money was no good off planet. Meh, she would probably give it to Junior or someone.

BOOOOM!

The six acid rockets slammed into the door and ate away at it, opening the way. Jumping down, Gaige grabbed her Blasster while also getting her Grog Nozzel ready to take up for something special. Aiming at the first White Fang idiot, she squeezed and three shots fired. Probably two too many but anything worth shooting is worth shooting thrice. There weren't that many people here, just eighteen. And sooner or later, someone would do what she needed.

Trying to shoot someone that had taken cover behind a generator, she didn't notice the machine gun being aimed at her until the first burst hit her. Even with her shield taking the blow, it knocked her aside. Must've been a big caliber. Didn't matter. Turning to it, she squeezed and didn't stop until the gun was scrap and the wielder cooked ground meat.

Hearing pants and a terrified scream, she spun around to see someone running. In an instant, Grog Nozzel was in her hands and she fired, putting the 'bullet' into her arm. Probably some dumb kid that had little idea what she was getting into. Didn't matter now. Grabbing the Blasster once more, she went back to clearing the outpost. Wouldn't take much now that she had her runner. "Chain Lightning!" Wasn't long until they were all dead and once they were, Gaige tossed a small package to the ground and set it to detonate. Walking back out, she set her ECHO to track the bug she shot the runner with. She was running away from the docks. Hopefully, it was to another base and not to a doctor. Summoning her bike and driving away, she didn't even look behind her as the warehouse exploded.

—oo000oo—

"What happened," a commander of the White Fang asked as a soldier from the docks outpost was held down and another tried to dig out the bullet in her arm.

"I have almost no idea," she said through gritted teeth. "Everyone is dead, that I do know! Just all of a sudden with no warning, a massive explosion hits the doors and splashes acid everywhere. A guy just ten feet from me fell to the ground and starts screaming. Then...someone just walks through what's left of the door and starts shooting. Someone got to the Fifty and starts shooting her and she just ignored the bullets before shooting them. Everyone was on fire and lightning and, GAH, fucking hell! Can you be a little careful!?"

"This damn thing has claws in it, it's a bitch to get out... I got a good hold on it, this is gonna hurt."

"Just get it out! ...FUCK!"

Ripping it out, he was about to throw it away when he paused and asked, "What kind of bullet is this?"

"Let me see that." The commander grabbed it and held it close for inspection. "...Its a dust damned tracking bug! That bastard let you run!" Running to his office, he activated the PA system and called out, "Our position has been compromised! Effect the burn of the base and scatter!"

—oo000oo—

Gaige looked up to the speakers while stepping pass the three dead guards. Maybe it was because of all the time she lived on Pandora but she felt like taunting them. Going to an intercom jack, she connected to it and overrode his commands.

—oo000oo—

"Too late for that, jackass," came over the speakers. "I'm already here. Tell me, did you truly think that you can inspire terror and there would be no consequence?" Looking up from where she was trying to bandage her arm after quickly being abandoned by the others, Jessica Manning began to shake in fear. "Someone, somewhere, was going to decide to hurt you back. Click. To inspire fear in you that you try to inspire in others. Clink, clink, clink. Did you really believe that superiority could be gained by blowing up a bomb in a store? Or that humanity would allow you to kill them all? CLACK! No, not a chance in all hell. I mean, when has humanity ever just rolled over and die? Well, I've reloaded, guess its back to killing you asshats for fun and profit. Be seeing you soon. Oh, before I go, allow me to introduce my friend. Deathtrap."

—oo000oo—

Killing the intercom, Gaige picked the Blasster back up and summoned her partner. "Get 'em, babe."

Grrrr!

—oo000oo—

Jessica ducked down and tried to hide, to block out the sounds. Gun shots, screams, rending of metal, breaking of concrete, explosions. The worst though were the moments of silence as whoever that person was hunted down more people only for it to start back up again when she found them. They wouldn't all die, some had to escape by now, running for their lives and leaving the rest for dead. And fear would spread, just like the voice told them it would. Grunts and screams coming closer now. Bang! Much closer, oh grimm, there were almost two hundred members in this base. Brat-ta-tat-ta! How can one person cause so much death?

"Get h-ragh agh AH!" The smell of overcooked flesh was sickening.

"Fall back, fall back!" She looked up to the door to see someone running in before his face was just gone, blown out from the back. Falling to his knees and twitching as electricity course through his body and burned it away. And right behind him stood the woman, holding this large handgun. And she was looking right at Jessica.

"I'm dead..." There are moments where you come to that horrific realization. That your choices led you to this instant and nothing you can do will stop it. Some struggle despite this, others surrender to the inevitable. Jessica surrendered. She didn't move, she didn't resist, she just watched and cried.

Gaige stepped inside, over the ashed remains, before reaching down and picking up her tracking bug. Pocketing it, she just tilted her head at Jessica as if trying to decide what to make of the bird eyed faunus before crouching down. Watching her for a second, Gaige finally spoke up. "Look at your friend right there." Against her will, Jessica did glance to it. "Now look at me. Do you know who I am?"

"No."

"Do you ever want to find out?"

"No."

"Do you think if I ever see you again, I will let you live?"

"No."

"Get rid of that ridiculous mask and run. You run back home to your family and you beg them for their forgiveness. If you ever pick up a gun again, I will find you. If you put that mask on again, I will find you. Do you think I don't have the time and the patience to do that?"

"You do."

"Run."

Jessica ran. Faster than ever before. Longer than she thought possible. She ran through half of Vale, throwing that mask away somewhere she couldn't remember if she tried. She found her parents home and pounded on the door in desperation. Her mother opened the door and pulled her inside, asking where she had been. She didn't say. Her father asked her what happened to her. She didn't say. Eventually, they took her to the hospital to have her arm looked at. The doctors patched her up but she heard them say to her parents that they had to report all gunshot wounds to the police. A detective came, he seemed nice. His eyes weren't like her's. Her eyes were cold, critical, always looking for the best way to kill you. His were warm and open. "Miss Manning, I am detective Ross Syllabus. I need to ask you a few questions. You're parents tell me you left just over a month ago, can you tell me where you were? ...Jessica?"

"...I fell into a bad crowd," she muttered. "I thought..."

"Thought what?" She didn't answer. "...Do you know who did this?"

"No."

"Can you describe them?"

"No."

Jessica's mother rested a hand on her shoulder. "Did you not see them?"

"...I did."

"What did they look like," Detective Sullabus asked.

"Death. They look like Death." The detective sighed but nodded and stepped away.

A little later, she could hear her father speaking to the detective, wanting to know what happened. "Sir, if I had to guess, I would say she became part of a gang, something that draws in angry teenagers. And that gang was just destroyed. Since there is no bullet, I'm going to say someone took pity on her and told her to run. The only thing that bothers me is that there has been no reports of violence beyond a single case of arson yesterday."

"So, what? You can't do anything!?"

"There isn't much I can do now sir but there is plenty you can do. She'll want to talk eventually. You and your wife just needs to listen when she does. Here's my card, when she's ready to talk, I'll be able to find the one responsible."

After that, Jessica was returned home but it was all a blur to her. Dinner came and went. When she laid down to sleep, she finally showed something. She couldn't stand the silence and turned the radio on. Shortly after, her father walked in, "Little Dove, you won't be able to sleep if you have this so loud."

When he reached for it, she almost shouted, "Don't turn it off, please! ...I can't stand the quiet."

Stopping and looking to her, he turned it down some a moment later and sat on the bed. "What's wrong, Jessica? Why are you scared?"

She looked away before muttered, "He was wrong, the one responsible was me."

"No, it isn't, Dove, it..."

"I joined White Fang," she admitted, making him freeze. "Even after you warned me to stay away, I still went to them. And... I'm sorry, daddy, I thought I was going to make things better. Even when I..."

"Don't say it," he interrupted, his voice soothing. "What happened?"

"...Someone hired someone, they were monstrous. I was at this outpost, where we could be sent to... Then she came. She killed everyone there but me. She shot me in the arm with a tracker when I ran. And she followed me right to the base we had been sent from. They pulled the bullet from me and... and she showed up again. I was abandoned in the medical room when they realized what the bullet was. Then she spoke over the intercom, said that she was hired to hurt us back like we had been hurting people. That terror never leads to peace. She stopped talking and started shooting any that stood against her. Daddy, two hundred White Fang members were there and she... She tore through them like they were paper, not worth true notice. When she ran out of people to kill, it got so terribly quiet. And then it started back up. I don't know how long it lasted but after a while, someone ran in to escape and she shot him in the back of the head. And stared right at me...just how I had seen the old members of White Fang look at the people they were hurting. Like I was nothing. And then she told me to run. To go home and never put on the mask again. So I, I..."

"Hush, Dove, its over now," he said, hugging her and petting her hair.

"I'm so sorry," she cried.

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes I do, if I had just listened to you, I never would've been there!"

"Dove...if anyone is to blame here, it is the White Fang. You made a mistake, they knew exactly what they were doing and that it would inspire someone to stop them. The only thing you did wrong was make a bad choice. Go to sleep, I promise things will be better in the morning."

"...Are you going to tell Detective Syllabus?"

She had to wonder that. White Fang was identified as a terrorist group, it was a crime to join or give it aid. So even if the attacker could be arrested, the police might just be told to let her go. "No," he told her, easing some of the tightness in her chest. "There isn't a point anymore. Its over. Just sleep." She nodded and closed her eyes, tomorrow was another day. No more fighting, no more fears.

—oo000oo—

The following morning, Professor Ozpin was raptly watching the news. Last night, someone had made an anomalous phone call to the police to tell them that in the abandoned bunkers on Vale's north side was a White Fang base that was gearing up for a major operation. Taking the warning seriously, the police prepared a raid on the compound with the aid of a few hunters. They needn't bother with the heavies. While the caller told the truth about the base, everyone inside it was dead. Killed within hours of the call. Many were killed by gun fire that left electrical burns, some seemed to have been set on fire at the same time as receiving them, then there were the ones that were cut apart by something strong enough to put claw marks in the stone walls. All told, one hundred, seventeen bodies were found, a further seventy nine were possible, if the blood and piles of human shaped ash were to be believed. The most disturbing was the person nailed to the wall wearing the commander's mask and above him the words 'Examples, not Prisoners' were carved. That wasn't being shown on the news, only that a raid was conducted on the White Fang base, hundreds of weapons and pounds of dust was discovered, documents and maps were obtained, over all a major loss for the terrorist group. Positive spin.

Ozpin wanted to say he expected this but who could possibly expect this? Hearing a chime from his scroll, he looked at it and found a message. Do you want me to stop? He glanced over to Glynda but knew his answer.

No.

Strange to think one word is all it takes to condemn people to death. Made him wonder how Gaige handled killing so many.

—oo000oo—

"Hitting the bottle kinda hard, aren't you, Red," Junior asked from the bar next to the red faced Gaige. She came in last night and hadn't stopped drinking.

"Gonna stop me," she asked, looking to him before scoffing when she saw he wouldn't. "...Hey, Junior, you ever start something, thinking it would be no different than something you've done a hundred times before only it isn't?"

"That what causing this?"

"Hey, shut up," Gaige growled before taking another drink of whiskey. "...Bunch of dumb kids too drunk on hate and anger to know they're the bad guys. I almost miss home."

"Why?"

"Huh, oh, yeah, Pandora has a bit of a bandit problem. Completely fucked up in the head! I don't feel anything about killing this axe wielding psycho screaming about stripping flesh, salting the wounds, and riding bicycles made of meat. Yeah, they say that. Yet a bunch of brats that think they have a raw deal get thrown at me like...I don't know but many weak things, by some evil bastards and..."

"...So...you gonna stop?"

"Fuck no! Whether I like it or not, they are still hurting and killing people!" She scowled but dropped her head to the counter. "Please tell me you have the location of a bounty."

"Not yet but shortly."

"Its been three days," she protested.

"And I am working hard but these are people that are desperate to not be discovered for the same reason you are looking for them."

"Grrr. Fine! But I'm going to drink myself into a stupor and when I wake up, you better have something. Preferably a real asshole that absolutely deserves to die!" Skipping the glass, she grabbed the bottle and started drinking right from it.

"...Good thing that isn't the expensive stuff."

"Even I'm not that musch of an asshole," she groused. Before her head fell to the counter, out like a light.

"...That took long enough. Ladies, if you would be so kind as to help Red to the back room to get some sleep?"

"Sure," the twins said, taking an arm each and pulling her away.

—oo000oo—

Hearing groaning many hours later, Junior looked to the side and found Gaige walking over. From the look of complete misery, she had already worshiped at the porcelain alter. "Hey, Jerry, prepare a Harry Hangover."

"Yes sir," the bartender replied, grabbing several things and mixing them together in a glass.

"Afternoon, Red, sleep well," Junior asked, motioning beside him.

"No but thanks for the bed." She looked up and grimaced at the glass of red...stuff put before her. "What's this?"

"Harry Hangover, ma'am," Jerry told her. "One shot of vodka to ease the stomach, two eggs, tomato juice, half a cup of milk, salt, and water. Taste disgusting but it helps with hangovers."

Gaige dropped her head to the bar but reached for it. "Junior, you're too good to me, if you also have some asshole that needs to die, I'll kiss you and give you a fifty thousand lien tip."

"You're a tad too young for my taste but I may just take you up on that later," he said, widening his scroll, opening a document, and setting it on the counter next to her. "So, he isn't worth much officially but some in certain circles want this man dead real bad. The people the victims worked for will pay a hundred, thirty thousand for him dead." Gaige took a drink and shook her head from the taste but still picked the scroll up to read it. "A man has been raping and killing, hmm, shall we call them workers?"

"Hookers is fine, I'm not exactly sheltered."

"Very well, someone has raped and killed seven hookers across the city over the last three weeks. Someone got a picture of a guy that was seen with three of them so they're certain he's the one. No name, no address, nothing known..."

"Adrian Lore, transient, last seen in Vacuo, has a strong hatred for 'kari', adulteresses and temptresses, has been caught attacking women in 'scandalous' clothing in Mistral. He ran away before some very angry brothers, fathers, and husbands could hang him by his entrails and feed him to grimm. That's really what they were going to do. One girl, six years old, needed surgery to be able to speak again. For wearing shorts."

"...How the hell do you know all that," Junior asked, having seen her set his scroll back down without ever shifting through it to find the information.

"I'm good and let's leave it at that. Go ahead and check if you want, I'm looking for Lore now." She finished off the glass and turned around, appearing to be watching the dance floor but not actually seeing it.

"...Adrian Lore...Vacuo...Mistral... Good lord, this man is scum," Gaige heard him mutter, making her smile. "That's definitely the guy."

"Anything in particular that someone wants done with him before he dies?"

"They'll pay extra if you either bring him to them alive or make a video of you removing his manhood and then killing him. I'll have to submit this information to them so they can confirm it. After all, just anyone can kill some random guy and claim it is the one."

Gaige nodded and said, "Wait ten minutes after I find his location, I don't want anyone else getting this piece of shit first and I'll make them a video they can go to sleep to every night."

Junior glanced to her and began to smile. "Dust, I love working with bounty hunters."

"...Hey Junior, some blond bombshell is heading this way and she is looking right at you."

Instead of being happy like Gaige expected, he groaned and turned around to face her with a grimace. "Hey Blondie. Please say you're not gonna trash my place again."

"Whoa, what now," Gaige said, hangover forgotten at the threat to her new favorite bar stool.

"Hey Junior," the blond said with this wide grin. "Move over shorty, I need to speak with him. Hey, Jerry, mind making me a..." Everyone paused as a red shotgun was shoved into Blondie's stomach.

"...You know, I come to places like this to get away from trouble," Gaige said, standing up and walking forward, forcing Blondie back. "But someone like you, that is what you're always looking for. Well, if that's what you want, you found it, top heavy. Because clearly, we're both packing guns." When she felt she was far enough, Gaige stepped back and placed the Heartbreaker on her back while resting her hand on the Greed. "Oh, and when you call me shorty, you better say Miss Shorty. Or maybe you'd rather be dead?"

"...She's not on your payroll, is she Junior," Blondie asked.

"Nope. Red, meet Yang Xiao Long. She's been coming here for a bit whenever she wants information. Unlike you though, she just threatens me and my employees to get it instead of following the rules. Blondie, meet Gaige Crescent. Treasure hunter, mercenary, and bounty hunter. Four days ago, she tried to put a bullet in the head of a rather wanted felon. Tonight, she planned to go out and do the same to another. She favors swift, merciless justice over the slow, weak kind. She has apparently made my club her hang out and she's also nursing a hangover. Now, Red, Blondie, before the both of you try to redecorate my club with each others' blood, let's all just take a seat and relax." Junior motioned to two stools that placed him in the undesirable position of being in between them.

"...If she behaves, I don't have a problem," Gaige muttered, stepping back but not removing her hand. Moving back far enough, she retook her stool and waited.

"...Yeah, I guess I can wait a minute or two for this." Yang sat down in the other stool, Gaige turning the whole time to keep her in sight. After a moment Gaige pulled the Greed and set it on the counter.

"Jerry, whiskey," Junior ordered.

"Yes, sir... For them or you, sir?"

"Me."

"Double, on the rocks, coming up."

"So, Blondie, what are you looking for?"

"A couple of things," she stated, no humor in her voice anymore. "Rumor has it that the raid on White Fang this morning didn't take any prisoners. I want to know the truth. I've also heard something about someone murdering women."

"You have to be kidding," Junior groaned, even Melanie and Miltiades looked disbelieving. "...No, it is not worth the trouble."

"Oh really," Yang said coyly but froze when she heard a hand being set on the Greed.

Junior was growing paler by the second and when he got his whiskey, he didn't sip it. He just picked it up and set it back down empty. "Melanie, Miltia, could you get the boys to clear out the club. And Blondie, the truth is rather vague on that raid right now. Red, please don't destroy my place."

"That would defeat the purpose of me standing up to Top Heavy." She barely registered the changing camera images to the top right of her sight until it stopped on one and enlarged the picture. "Crap."

"What?"

"I just found Adrian Lore's location," she said, flicking it aside before focusing only on him. "How do you want to play this Junior?"

"I don't want my club destroyed."

"...Because I like you I'll only charge you twenty thousand to do this. Come on, Top Heavy."

"Come with you where," Yang asked.

"You want to know about who is killing women here in Vale, as it so happens I do know who and I just found where he is at. Since you are asking about him, I imagine you want to find him too. Well, I'm not letting someone else get him without me and since the fastest way to get you out of here is to take you with me, that's what I'm going to do."

Yang began to smile, "Aw, thanks, Shorty..." Gaige was up and Greed pointed at her head. "...Miss Shorty."

"Better."

"You know, I'll just call you Red."

"Fine, whatever, now come on." Gaige headed outside, calling back, "If you can't keep up, I'm leaving you behind."

Yang looked after her and said, "She have a problem?"

"Possibly, better hurry though," Junior told her. When finally Yang ran outside, he let out a sigh of relief.

—oo000oo—

Yang got out to see Gaige sitting down on this bike that wasn't there when she entered. Jumping on her own bike, Bumblebee, she looked over to see Gaige pull off her hat and set goggles over her eyes. "So, what's this guy's problem?"

"He's a whore hater.

"...And?"

"No and, that's it. He hates women and especially any woman that dresses like a hooker." At this, Gaige pointedly looks to Yang.

"...What?" Gaige just started the engine to her bike and drove off. "Hey, what did you mean by that!?" Starting Bumblebee, she drove after her still shouting about what she meant.

Yang was somewhat surprised that she had to push to keep up with Gaige. Despite the heavy look of the bike, it weaved between traffic and had great go to it. Yang was starting to enjoy the drive until she noticed where they were headed. "Hey, slow down! Stop, STOP!" Gaige glanced back behind her before squeezing the break, stopping in sight of ghetto. "Don't you know what's up there?"

"Yes. My bounty."

"That's not what I meant. Look, I don't hate faunus but even I know that two human girls aren't gonna be welcomed there."

"And that's exactly why no one has caught this asshat. No one observes there, they're afraid to go there, and frankly, they just don't give a shit about it. Now I'm going in there, I'm going to find Lore, and I'm going to twist him into a pretzel. Now either follow or go away." Revving the engine, she took off down the road. After a moment's hesitation, Yang followed.

The difference between this part of the city and the rest became apparent the farther in they drove. Streets less clean, buildings less cared for, and almost everyone that was still out was faunus. Yang couldn't help but notice they stood out. Gaige didn't give a shit. Slowing down only to reconfirm his location, Gaige continued on regardless of the attention they were getting. And she stopped shortly after turning because of a group wearing mask were blocking the road.

"Well, well, well, what have we here," the only one there wearing the full White Fang uniform asked.

"Two lost looking chickadees, as it appears to me," another stated.

"Get lost dipshits," Gaige told them. "...Though not you," she said, pointing to the one in the uniform. "I'm looking for someone and he could only be around here with the aid of White Fang."

"Hah, do you hear this human," one of the other members asked. "Like we're just gonna..."

Bang, bang, bang!

Three shots fired, three knees blown out. Kicking out the stand for her bike as the rest of them scattered, Gaige walked to the three that had spoken. "Adrian Lore, serial killer, he's hiding out around here. What did he promise the White Fang to be allowed to stay?" When one of them told her just what she should go do with herself, she stomped on his wounded knee. "Last chance." Yang watched in growing horror as Gaige took the Greed and pointed it at their chest and after a moment, fired. She stepped away as the body burned to ash, leaving the mask whole. Pointing the gun at the next person, she said, "What did Lore offer the White Fang?"

"...Fucking bitch, he promised that if we gave him safe haven, he would leave us alone and kill the humans," the uniform wearer stated.

"And what other aid are you providing him?"

"Go and find out."

"Alright." She stepped back to her bike and backed away before shooting him in the head, getting an explosion of lightning that burned the both of them to ash as well. "Let's go."

"...You didn't have to do that," Yang muttered.

"What did you think they were going to do with us if they could, hmm? Slap us on the wrist and tell us to go home? The best you could have hoped for is to be killed outright instead of tortured and raped."

"But you didn't have to kill them!"

"Really?" Gaige pointed the Greed over Yang's shoulder and shot again, shooting off the hand of a person pointing a gun at them. "Go home Blondie, this is dirty work not meant for you." Not waiting, she took off, leaving Yang behind. And she growled when she still followed. "Why are you still here?"

"The best way I can keep you from killing them is to knock them out before you do!"

"...Fine, just don't blame me if you get shot!"

A few minutes later, they came to a three story building. Gaige stopped half a block away and pulled out the Greed. Removing the spent rounds, she reloaded it and snapped it shut. Next she pulled out her Heartbreaker and did a quick check of it. Finally she grabbed her Badaboom and put a magazine in it.

"Holy shit, what is that," Yang demanded.

"Called the Badaboom," Gaige stated. "It fires a missile that launches seven missiles that explode in a burst of acid. I intend to use it as a door opener. If you are going to stop me from killing the people inside, I suggest you get started." She pressed down on the bike side and it unfolded into a sidecar that she set the Badaboom in.

"How do you know that there aren't civilians in there?"

"Because I'm a genius," Gaige stated, looking at her. "Across the street, that stop light, and that business, what do you see?"

"What? I don't know..."

"Cameras. Security cameras to be precise. All this time I have been using those to keep an eye on this building. In the last five minutes, seven White Fang members have ran in. Thirty seven minutes ago, Lore went inside and hasn't come out."

"How do you know!?"

"That would take too long to explain." After shutting down the three cameras, Gaige held up her metal hand, and suddenly digistructed a surveyor, a design she stole from Wilhelm. It flew off and circled the house, transmitting the image to Gaige and Yang's scroll. "Pull out your scroll." Yang did and was further shocked by the image she was seeing. "There is a backdoor, no surprise, already checking for the best angle of it to make sure he hasn't left. Your best bet is to double back to this alley and go through that door. I imagine it is barred but you won't let that stop you, will you?" The camera shook before the image changed to show the roof of the building. Men had gotten on it and tried to shoot down the drone. Instead of shooting back, it merely aimed a laser at the roof top.

"What is that supposed to do," Yang asked, looking to Gaige to see her picking up the Badaboom.

"Guidance laser." A whoosh of air and seven missiles flew into the air and came down on the roof, exploding in a green cloud. "Time to start Blondie." Gaige got off her bike and started for the door, taking her time. Once she was across the street from it, her drone came to her and hovered, putting a laser on door and six of the windows. "Boom." They all exploded and melted the frames that held them. "Good boy, Deathray," she said, patting the drone on the 'head' before it digitized and returned to her arm. Pulling out the Heartbreaker, she walked in. Hearing a survivor yell as he charged her, she shook her head and fired at them. No discipline. You never yell because you give yourself away. Suddenly grabbing a silent member trying to get her from the side, she slammed them into the wall and shoved the barrel of the Heartbreaker into his mouth. "Lore." Nothing more needed to be said, the man frantically pointed down the hall to the stairs. "Which floor?" Three fingers held up. After a moment, she pulled off his mask and stared into the scared eyes of a boy. "If I ever see you among the White Fang again, I will..." She pulled the Heartbreaker around to the side and fired, shooting someone in the head and making them explode in electricity. "I will do things to you that will make you wish I killed you like these stupid fucks. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Do you think I won't?"

"I think you will."

"Get out of my sight." She watched him run away and took a deep breath. It smelled of burning flesh, a smell she had long since gotten used to. While electrical attacks smell of ozone, the Heartbreaker was still a fire weapon. There were no corpses left behind by it, just charred scraps of meat and ash. Turning back to it, game face reapplied, she stepped forward.

—oo000oo—

Yang got inside before Gaige blew in the front of the building. Punching out any that she came across, she counted that the number of White Fang members she met at thirteen. A large number for just an safe house for some killer. What had she stumbled into? Hearing a shotgun spurned her to move faster. These people wouldn't thank her but each she dealt with first would live another day. Knocking out three guards, she opened the door they blocked and found a woman holding a little girl, a human about three or four, a knife to her throat and gag in her mouth. "...Down stairs is a woman that is killing everyone she finds. Do you think having her will save you?"

"Yeah, because you won't let anything happen to this little brat!"

"She's getting out of this. Are you?"

"You think you can intimidate me?

"Personally, I don't think top heavy here could intimidate anything without a dick between their legs," came from behind Yang, getting her to sigh. "Well, well, well, I would like to say I was surprised to find out that the daughter of Sato of Sato Industries was here but then that would imply I didn't think White Fang had her anyway."

"I'm getting out of here!"

"Sure you are." Gaige was leaning against the wall on the direct opposite of the hostage taker.

"I mean it, I'll kill her!"

"And I believe you." Gaige had neither the Greed nor the Heartbreaker out. This was a gold and blue revolver with a stylized Rex on the barrel. She turned around and aimed through the wall. "Let the girl go now and I'll let turn you over to the VPD whole and unharmed."

"Are you fuckin..." BANG! The woman trailed off and looked down, already going into shock, at the hand holding the knife being blown off at the wrist. "...M-My h-hand."

"I warned you," Gaige stated, walking around the wall she had shot through and took the girl from them. Pulling the gag off her, Gaige smiled and said, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I want to go home," she said in a weak, scared voice.

"And I want to take you home. Blondie," she said in a kind voice. "Would you be so kind as to restrain this woman. We'll leave her and the others for the VPD to collect."

"You shot off her hand," Yang muttered.

"Hands are what separate people from beast. A person that can only hurt with their hands doesn't deserve them. Hey, if you want to keep your other hand, tell Miss Top Heavy here just what you did with the other hostages you have taken," she said, looking down at the fallen White Fang member. When she didn't, Gaige pointed the Rex at her.

"...We give them to Lore. He...plays with and kills them once we get the ransom." The horrified look on Yang's face was not what Gaige truly wanted to see.

"The services Lore provides to keep the White Fang from killing him," Gaige summed up. "They provide him a safe haven, he provides a special set of skills." You wouldn't be able to tell from her face that she was cursing herself for letting that one get away. Every last one of these fucks deserve to be punished.

"...I think I'm going to be sick," Yang muttered.

"Be sick later. I want this woman to live a very long life so you need to restrain her and stop the bleeding. The shock won't stave it off for long."

"...Okay." Yang knelt down and took the restraints that were on the girl and pulled them tight around the arm. "What about Lore?"

"Dealt with."

"Dead?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to. VPD is already on their way, they will be here in ten to twenty minutes so I suggest you leave unless you want to explain your part in this. I am a registered bounty hunter, are you?"

"No, just a Huntress in training."

"Then you better run. Get back on your bike, get several blocks over bat out of hell fast, and then just cruise, slow, calm driving. Cops won't even look at you as they pass."

"I..."

"Go. You can deal with this among friends and loved ones. Now is not the time to wrestle with how evil the world can be."

"...No wonder you are so jaded."

Yang finished restraining the woman and ran out while Gaige just walked out, still holding the girl. "So, what's your name?"

"Marigold."

"Gaige. Gaige Crescent. As in crescent wrench."

"...What color is Gaige?"

"Hehehe, well, I would say steel grey."

"Oh. What's that smell?"

"They burnt dinner."

"Oh." Marigold started to look away.

"Hey, maybe you can tell me something. I've always wonder how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. Can you help me figure that out?" That stopped her from looking away.

"I'll try."

"You know, you're very calm about all this."

"I'm tired. There was this man, he really scared me with how he looked at me. He's not going to find me, will he?"

"No. That man will never hurt anyone again. Now, about that woodchuck."

"Okay. What's a woodchuck?"

—oo000oo—

Ozpin found himself once again watching the news. "We're live on location here in Vale at the site of another White Fang outpost that has been taken apart. Sergeant Wilde, can you please explain to our viewers just what this location was to the White Fang?"

"Yes, Ms. Judith. This location was the White Fang's hostage center. They would kidnap individuals, usually the children of the influential or powerful, and keep them here. Once the ransom was paid...they would kill the hostage. I cannot say yet whose choice this was and why."

"I understand that a hostage was here and they were rescued?"

"Yes, there was, though we cannot release yet the identities of whom and..."

"Marigold!"

"Daddy!" Officer Wilde turned to look as a father crossed the police line to take his daughter in his arms.

"...Right, even still, we cannot release their identities."

"Fair enough. What about the rumors that this was done by a Huntress?"

"A...huntress was involved yes. She would prefer to remain anonymous"

"Thank you for your time, Sergeant. This is Judith Car... Wait, I think I see the Huntress now. Ma'am! Can we have a word please!?" They ran over to Gaige as she pulled her hood on and got on her bike. "Miss, can you tell us what happened inside?"

"...No comment."

"Nothing? You saved a little girl's life!"

"And how many other little girls did White Fang kill before someone stopped them, hmm? Again, no comment." Popping the clutch, Gaige took off.

"...Well, I think that is the right question to ask, isn't it," Judith said, turning back to the camera. "In this reporter's opinion, there could be no clearer sign that the White Fang is nothing but evil in it's purest form. Judith Carrots, signing off."

Ozpin sighed and took another drink of his tea. "...Glynda, isn't there a phrase about deep rabbit holes?"

"Shall I schedule that interview with Miss Belladonna now?"

"I think we may have to, don't we?"

—oo000oo—

"No need to glare at me," Gaige said, walking around a tank of water as she checked on the cameras and three monitors. "Someone was eventually going to catch you." She heard a muffled growl. "Now, now, none of that. Better save your breath because you are going to need it." More grunting. "No, of course I don't intend to drown you. The water only goes to your neck after all. Now smile, your adoring fans await." Gaige moved by the tank and faced the monitors as they changed to show three shadowed individuals. "Hello. You three don't need to know who I am, nor I whom you are. You only need to know this man, Adrian Lore. As you already know, Adrian Lore here as been killing prostitutes in the city. Say hello, Adrian." She reached over and pulled down his gag.

"You dumb bitch! They were just whores!"

"And that is where you made the mistake. Even whores have those that care about them," came from the left monitor.

"Well, you have us here and we promised a lot of money if he suffers. How do you intend to do it?"

Gaige smiled at them and motioned to the equipment set over the tank. "I am a woman of science, electricity, and on occasion, acid. In this instance, hydrochloric acid. It is created by dissolving hydrogen chlorine in water. Such as what is inside this container and the water in this tank. This machine will slowly mix the two together. Slowly. It will take roughly six hours before the acids will dissolve enough of his body to kill him. Five minutes after he dies, this facility will detonate, destroying all evidence." As she spoke, Lore started breathing harder and harder and by the end of it, he was begging her not to do this. "I have sent control of the tank to you three. Once all of you agree, the machine will start. Also should all of you agree, you can speed it up for a time or you can hit an override to kill him immediately, well almost immediately. I leave this to you. Please have the money sent to the account I am sending you." She started away but paused when the machine activated. "Goodbye Lore. Oh, and you're currently outside of Vale so be careful of how you scream." Which he started to do even before Gaige slammed the door shut.

—oo000oo—

Author's Notes: Something I forgot to mention, this Gaige is based on my own build for Gaige on Borderlands 2. I love the Grog Nozel, summon Deathtrap and have that out, I have infinite health! And having Chain Lightning while using the Transformer is just overkill. On the matter of equipment though, Crit, why do you such so much!? Drop chance when reloading, really!? That's why I turned Bad Touch from fire to Lightning! And turning Greed into a lightning weapon, I started this before the Pre-Sequal came out so there was no Cyber-Eagle yet.

See you Space Cowboy.