Update - 31st August - I am badly sick this morning I'm afraid and there won't be any Null update today (31st August) or a Rabbit Among Wolves tomorrow (1st September). Stories will resume normally after this. Thank you for understanding and my apologies, I know this story is pacing around its fastest moments right now, so of all the stories I'd have felt comfortable skipping a week on, this isn't the one. Alas, I'm shivering and shaking too much to properly write. The chapter would be like a fever dream.


Cover Art: Serox

Chapter 29


Ironwood let the words of the council wash over him. It almost wasn't worth being a part of, especially as all his evidence of outside interference in Penny was dismissed, as the rogue Atlas Bullheads he'd watched self-detonate before went ignored, as the council pushed its usual narrative with all the subtlety of a group of powerful people who felt they were so untouchable that they shouldn't even try and pretend.

"Therefore it is the findings of the Council of Atlas that Jaune Arc is guilty on all counts of unprovoked aggression on an ally of Atlas. That his reign of terror did not end with four young women losing their lives is testament only to the quick reactions of the Atlas military, led by General James Ironwood."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Aye."

Not a dissenting voice among them. James didn't believe for a moment that they were all compromised; it was just that there were so many who didn't care and who would side with the majority, who held their positions for money, fame or power, and didn't really read through the briefings. They were easily swayed by those who did have an invested interest in this. The Council was a shadow of what it was supposed to be. A lost purpose.

"It is decided, then. Jaune Arc's bounty will be increased to twelve million lien, and the condition of his capture being `alive` shall be removed. As of this day, as of this meeting, the criminal known as Jaune Arc is sentenced to death, to be carried out immediately upon his capture. Does the representative of Vale agree?"

The holographic image of Ozpin nodded slowly. "I do."

Ironwood's eyes closed slowly. It was less surprising and more disappointing, as though he'd not only lost a friend but realised his whole life he'd misjudged them. He remained silent. Nothing he said would change anything.

"Then this Council meeting is finished." Sol announced. "Atlas and Vale stand united against a common foe. May we triumph together for the betterment of all."

The screens went black and James Ironwood leaned back in his chair, drawing a deep breath. There had been precisely no surprises there, none whatsoever. Project Penny was out his hands, the evidence blamed on user error and poor programming leading Penny to misjudge or poorly prioritise her orders. In the words of Sol himself, they could not blame her for believing she should follow Atlas-mandated orders to capture Jaune Arc to the letter. To do so would be to set a precedent that citizens could be punished for following orders if it led to poor results.

"A precedent." James snorted and then laughed. "Death on sight, when even Adam Taurus is to be captured and taken to trial. As though that isn't precedent enough. What have we become?" A knock on his door brought his eyes up. "Enter."

Metal swished aside and Winter Schnee entered. Her uniform was crinkled when it was normally crisp and clean, her eyes shadowed and worn. She moved swiftly into the room and pulled a picture-perfect salute, only relaxing once he said `at ease`. He could hazard a guess as to where she had been and why she looked so tired.

"Specialist. How is your sister?"

"Shocked, sir. She isn't in any pain thanks to the drugs but the shock of being so easily dealt with eats away at her confidence. The burns aren't extensive, though they are… visible." Winter grimaced. "I spent some time with her and explained she shouldn't feel that way, but I'm not sure how successful I was. Belladonna is looking after and keeping her company. How did the council meeting go?"

"Jaune Arc is guilty of all crimes and our priority is no longer to capture but kill him."

It was because he was watching her reaction closely that he noted the absolute lack of any pleasure, vindictive or otherwise, in her reaction. Winter visibly flinched. "What? But sir – I… I apologise." Adopting a more respectful tone, she went on. "Sir, this makes a mockery of our own legal system. It makes a mockery of law, order and justice. We know for a fact this only happened due to third party interference."

"No, Winter, we do not. We believe we know this, but Atlas has decided that we are mistaken." Derision dripped from every word as he waved his hand in the air. "The council has voted and so what they have voted on has become fact. Truth. Penny was simply `overzealous`, Team RWBY `doing the right thing` and Juniper Arc `a dangerous criminal who knew the risks`. The simple fact is that we misjudged the situation. Understandable, really. We were only the first people there and the ones most experienced with this issue. Obviously, the Council knows better."

"We're in Vale, though. We can't kill someone in another Kingdom's territory."

"Worry not. Ozpin has decided to agree with Atlas and swing the Council of Vale to providing us immunity in this matter. My good old friend has come through once again, allowing me the opportunity to murder a young man in cold blood." His fist struck the table so hard it cracked. "Good old Ozpin…"

"Sir…"

He'd expected some degree of pleasure from Winter, which felt unfair to say – it was insulting to suggest she'd let her feelings for her sibling cloud her judgement, but when everyone else had been disappointing him of late, it was an easy mistake to make. Winter was a soldier, however. A Specialist. She knew what it meant to put yourself in dangerous situations, to risk your life, to be a part of a unit that carried risk. Something Weiss Schnee had to know as well upon becoming a huntress. Injuries like what Team RWBY sustained were, quite simply put, to be expected. Not often from someone like Jaune Arc, but from the Grimm.

Ozpin knew that – he'd watched teams falter and die a hundred times before. Even he had been forced to deal with the loss of some teams on training missions within Atlas, rare as that was. Once they graduated, it became more common as huntsmen went out to far flung locations to battle uneven odds in defence of humanity. Their job was one with a high mortality rate. That Team RWBY were alive at all should have been cause for celebration.

Why, then, is Ozpin going so far when the team came back alive? Hurt, yes, but alive and capable of recovery. I doubt he's gone this far for every team in their situation. Something was wrong there. It might have had to do with what Clover noticed before, Ozpin's frantic interest as to the health of Ruby Rose over her teammates.

"What do we do, sir?" Winter asked.

His elbows fell to the table, his head within his hands. "I don't know, Specialist. I just don't know."

/-/

The times Blake regretted her choices were many, but this was the first time she'd ever felt the crushing weight of them and not been able to hide or run away. She sat between Yang and Weiss' beds, the cold metal stool hard and unyielding beneath her. Her eyes felt heavy and her legs had gone to sleep on her a while ago, but she remained awake.

"Are you sure you don't need anything? Water, food, or help to the restroom?"

"I'd tell you if I did!" Yang spat.

Blake flinched. "I'm sorry."

"Yang. Don't lash out." Weiss spoke up, voice uneven and breathy. It had been ever since she woke up, either because of the burning on her throat or the time she'd spent almost drowning. Every word now was painful, though the doctor had said that would heal soon enough. Weiss was pushed up on two big cushions, sitting up on her bed with a book placed upside down in her lap.

From the side Blake was sat on it looked like Weiss was unhurt. Her skin was clear and pale, her body small and clean. When she turned to face her and Yang however, that changed. Skin bubbled an ugly pink with spots up Weiss' neck and cheek, down her shoulder and over half her chest. It was a horrific sight that made Blake think of pig's skin crackling over an open fire. It, too, would heal in time. Not enough that it would never be noticeable, but the spots and bubbles would even out to a permanent discolouration.

"I'll lash out all I fucking want!" Yang growled. The blonde was trapped with both arms tied above her, suspended in the air with bandages wrapped from wrist to hand on one, and from shoulder to wrist on the other. "What the fuck happened back there? You – You knew what his Semblance was. You knew him!"

"I… I did…"

"Why didn't you fucking tell us!?"

"I wasn't allowed to!" Blake cried. Actually cried. Tears ran down her face. "I wanted to, of course I did, but Ozpin said he'd only let me stay in Beacon if I didn't, and General Ironwood said he'd arrest me if I did. I didn't have a choice."

"Yeah? Well neither did we apparently. Look at us now. Look at Ruby!"

"Yang." Weiss snapped again, her voice raw. "Stop blaming Blake. We're the ones who went out there. We're the ones who assumed we would be fine." Her eyes closed, lips trembling. "If anything it should be my fault for getting us all so worked up about my curfew, but I'd rather blame the one responsible. Or the ones."

"Jaune Arc," Yang seethed. "I'll kill him for what he did to Ruby."

"No!" Blake cut that off instantly. "No, you won't. If you try, then he kills you. That's the way it is. You can't beat him, Yang."

"I had him on the ropes."

"Everyone has him on the ropes! Everyone! Until for the one fraction of a second that they don't, which is when he kills them. He's weak, Yang, but unlike you, he can afford to take hit after hit on his aura until he gets a chance to hit back. You can smack him around as much as you like, but if he gets one shot, you die."

Yang fell back with an agonised sound. Though she hadn't been there to see it all, she'd gotten an idea of how the fight went from Yang and Weiss. She'd also filled them in on what happened from her point of view, including the death of Jaune's mother. Yang didn't care; Yang said the bastard deserved it. Blake was sure that was grief and worry over Ruby talking, or at least she hoped so. Yang was shaken more than she cared to admit, a result of essentially being hunted down like a wild animal, left to feel helpless and weak. It had shaken her confidence just as much as it had her spirit. Yang was jumping at shadows.

They all were, but Yang had it worse. Her dreams often ended with her crying out or kicking herself awake. Blake tried to be there with cloth and water whenever she could, but Yang would push her away, unwilling to be seen as weak and getting angrier and angrier each time it happened. It was no better for the fact Ruby had yet to wake up.

"I know it's hard but the best thing we can do is forget he exists," Blake said. "We'll get better, we'll recover. Jaune has no reason to come after us and we can stay in Beacon, study and graduate as huntresses. Team RWBY will get past this."

"Where do you get off saying that, traitor?"

Blake flinched.

"Yang!" Weiss shouted. "Stop it! Blake isn't at fault for us choosing to run off without telling her. If it wasn't for her coming after us, you'd be dead. Ruby might be, too. If you want to blame anyone, blame Penny."

Yang's lips peeled back into a snarl at the very name. Blake had never met her – only seen her remains – but the assurances from General Ironwood that Penny hadn't intended her actions hadn't endeared her to any of them.

"If that piece of trash hadn't run in, we'd have backed off." Yang tugged on her arms, cringing at the twinges of pain. "Ruby trusted her. We all did. I… I'm glad she's dead."

"If she even is," Weiss said. "A machine can be repaired."

"She shouldn't be! Or if she is, she should face charges. She's the one that shot down the Bullhead; she's the one that set him off. Is anything being done about her?"

"No one will say. When I ask, Ironwood says it's out of his hands."

Weiss scowled. "That as good as means nothing is being done – and that he doesn't like the fact…"

"Then he can stop it," Yang said. "He's a flipping General!"

"That doesn't give him all the power in Atlas, Yang. He has to answer to the elected officials who rule over the Kingdom. If they say what happened was a freak accident… then there's nothing we can do." Weiss' eyes closed. "I'm sorry."

"That's bullshit! This was no freak accident. We were set up! We'll take it to court," Yang said. "We'll go to the media, Ozpin, Dad and Uncle Qrow. Heck, we can have them in court and get this sorted out, can't we?" At the lack of response, she grit her teeth. "Can't we…?"

Blake stared down at the floor. Even ignoring Chivalric Arms, she knew full well how far Atlas cared to listen to people beneath them. The White Fang had been trying for years. How to explain that to Yang, though? The question was ripped away as a mumbling sound came from the bed on the other side of her, dragging all their eyes over as Ruby Rose slowly blinked herself awake.

"R-Ruby!" Yang cried, tugging painfully on her arms. "Argh!"

"Stay still!" Blake hurried around, pushing Yang down and rushing to Ruby's side, helping her sit up. "Ruby, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Mmm. B… Blake…?"

"Hey." Blake swallowed her fear and tried to smile. "How are you? Does anything hurt?"

"N-No. Hah. I can't feel much at all. I can't feel anything!" Giggling weakly, Ruby looked up at her. "I… I must be on a lot of painkillers, huh?"

None. None aside from some basic meds.

Blake's heart sank, words clogging in her throat as Ruby's silver eyes looked up expectantly, waiting for her to tell her team leader everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. The words wouldn't come, nor would Yang's as the blonde burst into tears. Blake reached over without a word, slamming her fist down on the emergency call button.

/-/

Cinder Fall had neither planned nor intended for the death of Jaune Arc's mother.

The question had been there in Emerald's eyes, even if the girl had been afraid to ask it. Jaune Arc having reason to hate Beacon so clearly aided their plans that the move itself made some sense, and she could tell Emerald thought she might have had a hand in it. She'd been quick to assure both her and Emerald she hadn't, and with good reason.

Jaune Arc was too dangerous to have as an enemy, especially when he hadn't started as one. It wasn't that she feared him any more than she did anything else, she knew his Semblance and could plan ways around it, but it just didn't make sense to make him an enemy and killing any one of his family would surely do that. Besides, he was already aligned with the White Fang, which was close enough to making him an ally already. Similarly, misleading or lying to him about his final sister was a thought that had crossed her mind but quickly been dismissed. The truth had a troubling habit of coming out, and the moment it did, he would turn on her. Fortunate, then, that her work had yielded results all of its own.

When Jaune Arc came to the second meeting between them, he appeared a changed man. Tired and obviously lacking sleep, she could only assume the impact of his actions weighed on him. He wasn't soft, but he was new to this and killing masked soldiers must have differed to nearly killing children. Even she hesitated the first time it came to killing someone with a human face. It might even be for the best they didn't die, she thought. He might have broken down if guilt were added to this.

"Jaune." Cinder greeted him politely and bluntly. "I'm sorry for what happened with your mother. If we could have known, we would have been there to help."

"You couldn't have." His voice rasped. He'd clearly been crying before this. "No one could have. There was a robot among them – one directly controlled by Chivalric Arms. It even looked human, so I don't know that anyone could have guessed this."

"A synthetic lifeform…?" It was news to her and news to look into. "Interesting, though not to you right now, I imagine. I'll not waste your time." Signalling, she had Mercury come forward with a paper folder of information she tossed on the table. "An associate of mine, a Doctor Watts, was able to hack into one of the scrolls liberated from the Chivalric Arms convoy we found your mother in. There wasn't much valuable information in it, but there was mention of them having `lost` the other Subject, which we believe to be Amber Arc. The Bullhead carrying her suffered an unexpected malfunction and Chivalric Arms lost contact with it according to this. I've included the text logs in there."

Jaune nodded, flicking through the papers. They were black and white images of the scroll on various sections of text and mails sent between it and others. She could have just printed out the text log but didn't think he'd trust her. He didn't have reason to. Instead, she'd taken pictures of every panel and even included the scroll in the file, cracked open for him to go through as he wished.

"Finding her was one of their biggest priorities and is probably why they have such a hefty presence in the city. You've run into and fought with them multiple times now, but it turns out you weren't their only target."

"You mean Amber escaped…?"

"Escaped from Chivalric but did not escape to her freedom. She was found and taken by someone else. Once we realised that, we extended our investigation to look for any unusual purchases or shipments of medical equipment, assuming your sister might be injured. Mercury found something interesting. Mercury?"

He stepped up. "One medical bed, several monitoring machines, a drip set and an automated injection system designed to administer doses of whatever you put in it every set amount of hours. Looking deeper, I found an order for a chemical compound I can't pronounce nor recognise. A quick search online shows it's a medically used anaesthetic, though. One capable of keeping people out for however long its used. All this wouldn't be out of place if it were at a hospital or doctor's office but, well, let's just say it doesn't fit here."

Mercury handed over the document and Jaune took it, scanning over before his hands fisted, scrunching it up. His voice came out scratchy and raw, dangerous and brimming with anger just about to burst out.

"How sure are you…?"

"I wouldn't have dared us bring this to your attention unless we were certain." Cinder said. "Once Mercury found this, I had everyone dig deeper and we located the Bullhead your sister was brought in. The bodies had been removed, as were any electronics, but the Chivalric logo was still present, as was some broken medical equipment used to keep your sister sedated. The new equipment ordered practically matches it to a tee, which is why we believe she's being kept prisoner once again."

Lies would only land them in trouble, which was why she'd pushed Emerald and Mercury to be as thorough as possible. When she'd first heard the news, she couldn't believe her luck, and so, hadn't. It would have been too easy to jump on the limited information, throw him at their enemies and reap the rewards. And then his ire, his treachery and a bullet in the back. From anyone else that was a poor threat, but from him? Well, it was deadly.

"We're one hundred per cent certain as to whom is responsible." Cinder said. "The Bullhead crashed down in the Emerald Forest close enough that no one else could have responded in time. Then, not a day later, this equipment is ordered and fails to show in the infirmary situated there. It's the second set of equipment they've ordered, but we know who the first set was for, and that was ordered two months prior. That person wouldn't need a second."

Jaune's eyes flared with hues of gold, purple and turquoise missing together in an endless and angry swirl of colour. Cinder shivered at it, not because she felt threatened but because she knew that at that very moment her aura, her Semblance and all the power she had spent her life acquiring meant nothing. Even so, she forced herself to speak.

"Beacon has your sister."

/-/

The clerk swallowed his nerves and knocked twice upon the wooden door, flinching when a cultured voice called out for him to enter. He steeled himself and pushed the door open, hunching to better carry the numerous reports caught between his arm and his chest and entering the room. For someone so absurdly wealthy, the room was spartan. The walls were bare of paintings or artwork, the empty space looming. Despite being at least fifteen metres by fifteen metres, the contents of the room could be limited down to a desk, a chair, a sparsely populated bookshelf behind it and a water cooler in the corner letting off the occasional gurgle as a bubble floated up to pop atop the surface of the water.

Large windows behind the desk looked out over Atlas, over Mantle, and on either side of the window were two flagpoles proudly displaying the flag of Atlas. Without any breeze to billow them the material hung low, but the emblem was unmistakeable. The clerk stepped into the room and let the door close behind him, hovering hesitantly for a moment before speaking.

"Mr Fields…?"

A handsome man no older than thirty-five looked up from his work, smiling pleasantly and putting his pen down, sitting up. His pale blue eyes crinkled in apparent happiness and he ran a hand through black hair tinted grey on the sides. His suit was charcoal-grey today, a three-piece pressed suit without a single mark or blemish. Matthew Fields, CEO of Chivalric Arms, the bronzed plaque upon his desk denoted.

"Is it the end of the day already?" His slow and cultured voice was easy on the ears, his smile easier on the eyes. Chuckling, he reached for a glass decanter of water and poured himself a cup, downing it in one go. "It feels like I only started work an hour ago. How fast time flies when you lose yourself. Are those the end-of-week reports I requested?"

"They are, sir." The clerk moved forward, his black shoes clicking on the tiled floor. He paused a small distance from the desk, but Fields waved him on, smiling and making a small amount of space on his desk that the files could be heaped down on. The desk had extraordinarily little in the way of ornaments or mess anyway, no pictures of family or beloved pets. He had a pen holder, a filer, a calculator, a built-in terminal and a single framed photo of a military unit.

"Curious?" Fields asked. The clerk jumped but Fields did not look unhappy. "I saw you looking. That was my unit when I served in the military. The 41st Mobile Command." He sounded proud. "We fought Grimm, the White Fang and even the mob at one point. It felt like we never knew who our enemies might be. Ah, but that was a long time ago and I'm sure you don't want me to keep you here until nightfall. What of the reports?"

"The first is on Null, sir – I mean Subject 000!" he said quickly.

"Hm. I'm sure you did. Tell me, it wasn't you who decided to call him Null, was it?" Matthew Fields chuckled, watching the clerk with an easy-going smile. "No doubt you heard that from someone else and it stuck. Call him what you like. It doesn't bother me. What of our little runaway, then? Oh." His eyes lit up and he sat taller, smile stretching. "Was the robotics decision able to salvage footage from Project Penny?"

"They were, sir."

"Excellent!" Fields clapped his hands together. "Fantastic news. I'll watch that later, but you've seen it, have you not? They must have shown it to you." He waited for the nod. "Summarise for me, please."

The clerk shivered. He'd thought he was used to everything after working with Chivalric Arms for as long as he had, but witnessing that… "It was brutal, sir. Monstrous. He ignored aura, ignored pain, ignored everything. He kept swinging and swinging, breaking her down bit by bit. I've seen Project Penny's statistics, sir. Most huntsmen would have had trouble with her. Null took her down like she didn't exist at all. It wasn't even close."

Matthew Fields shuddered as well, though it was clearly for vastly different reasons. He smiled, breathed out and tilted his head back euphorically. "Incredible. Isn't it just incredible? The potential, the growth – he was but a frightened boy less than half a year ago and look at him now. I feel like a proud father watching his son ride a bicycle for the first time. And to think the Council wants him dead. What a waste? I won't allow it. How can I? Such potential."

"P-Potential, sir?" the clerk asked nervously. "Potential for what?"

Matthew Fields looked up. "Do you not see?"

Nervously, the clerk shook his head. "I… I'm sorry, sir, but all I see is a stone-cold killer…"

"No. No. Don't apologise. There's no shame in a lack of understanding." He stood, smiling widely and beckoning the clerk to follow him toward the windows. They were extremely high up and yet Fields seemed to have no trouble standing right at the precipice. "Atlas is beautiful, isn't it? A marvel and a gem, a Kingdom that not only stands strong against the Grimm but actively fights back. The other Kingdoms do, too, but they do so with huntsmen and huntresses. I despise that."

"You don't like huntsmen, sir?"

"Oh no, I respect them greatly. I despise the attitude of those that believe our protection must be left to them and them alone. It's indolent. Lazy. Why put any effort in ourselves when we can trust brave men and women to risk their lives? Let them die so we can sleep safely. It's disgusting, no? Unfair at best and downright callous at worst."

"But the military fights-"

"Yes. Yes, it does. The military of Atlas fights the Grimm despite the fact huntsmen do as well, and what is why I love my Kingdom. That is why I have ten fifteen years of my life to fight for it. But do you know what I realised in that time?"

"What, sir…?"

"I realised that one man can only do so little. That while my and my unit's courage saved lives, I could only give so much. There were only so many hours in the day and as passionate as I was, the body and mind falters sooner or later." He chuckled. "Our equipment back then, too. Well, it wasn't what it is now."

"Because of Chivalric Arms," the clerk said, amazed. "That's why you set this up?"

"Exactly. If I could only do so much as a soldier, what if I could do more as something else? What if I could contribute more to the protection of our Kingdom? What if I could be worth more? Now, the city uses Chivalric Arms products all over. The weapons that smite our foes, the armour that protects our soldiers and even the vehicles that carry them – all the way down to missile targeting systems and operating systems for automated robots that will die in place of brave men and women. Like this," he said, pressing a hand to the glass. "I can do more to protect Atlas, to serve it. More than I ever could have as a simple soldier."

"That is admirable, sir, but how does it equate to Null?"

"Subject 000's Semblance is important because it promises an end to one of the greatest imbalances present in our civilisation. That of aura. Do not get me wrong, I don't wish to be rid of aura. It's a valuable defence against the Grimm. However, when we allow for bad people to have aura just as much as we do good people, it creates chaos that practically invalidates the training, hard work and courage of our serving soldiers. It may sound totalitarian, but if a soldier points a gun at a man and tells him to stop, he should stop. How else can law be upheld? Alas, there are criminals who will laugh in the face of it, shrug off bullets and then kill the soldier for no other reason than that they have unlocked and know how to use their aura."

"It's ridiculous," he continued. "We could train every soldier in Atlas to also use aura, yes, but that wouldn't change the fact that certain people can afford to break the laws because of the protection aura grants them. If it were known that aura could be bypassed, if it was a protection only against the Grimm and not against our fellow man, criminals would think twice before relying on it. It would frighten people into staying loyal to the Kingdom, while also preventing monsters like Adam Taurus and Tyrian Callows wreaking havoc wherever they go. Do you understand now?"

"I… I think so." The clerk smiled awkwardly. "It's law enforcement?"

"In a sense. There's more to it of course. Atlas would be stronger on the international field with such technology. I don't desire or believe we would go to war, but just the threat of us having it would force others to respect us, even if it's never utilised. Subject 000's Semblance will bring much needed stability to the world. No more city-wide lockdowns if a huntsman goes rogue. No more cases of entire units being wiped out by unscrupulous mobsters hiring huntsmen to do their dirty work for them. All will be accountable."

"By the power of a bullet, sir."

"Yes. Admittedly." Fields chuckled and turned back to his desk. "It's rather totalitarian as I said, but there might be other technology we can make. Handcuffs that prevent aura and Semblances being used. Tranquiliser darts that pierce through. Prison cells that will stop inmates unlocking Semblances and killing guards. Why, we might even be able to create an anti-semblance field over the entire city, or over key areas like hospitals, airports and train stations. Let us see terrorists harm our Kingdom when their aura and Semblances don't work."

"It's to protect people, then."

"To protect our Kingdom and the people within it," Matthew Fields said. "Did you think this was for profit? I really don't care for it. All our profits are pumped back into the business. I am no Jacques Schnee. I am a patriot. And before you ask, yes, the costs required do bother me. I enjoy no more than anyone else the sorrow Subject 000 has been put through, but there can't be progress without sacrifice. If we do nothing, then people will continue to die to huntsmen using their powers for ill. That is a given fact. A statistic that updates every year. For every hundred good huntsmen, there is one bad who will cause untold misery. If by sacrificing just ten people I can save tens of thousands, I must. That is what being a soldier means. "Now." He smiled and moved back to his desk. "What of the secondary project?"

The clerk's smile faltered and died. "T… The secondary project has… there has been some breakthroughs, sir." He picked up one of the files and slid a document out. "The Head Researcher believes they have managed to isolate the gene responsible."

Matthew Fields took the paper and smiled hungrily down on it. "Wonderful. Truly wonderful. And they said it couldn't be done. I'd say they're in for a big surprise, but I don't think we will be advertising this anytime soon, hm?" He laughed at his own joke, though the clerk did not. Fields quickly noticed. "What's wrong? Does the project bother you?"

"It… It's not my place to say, sir."

"Nonsense. Chivalric Arms is the sword and shield that protects Atlas, and every man and woman who works within it is a person standing at my shoulder. Speak your mind."

"Sir, this is… you're isolating the faunus gene."

Fields continued to smile. "We are."

"I…" The clerk closed his eyes. "I'm a faunus!"

"Ah. Would you believe me if I said I forgot? It's true," Fields said with a laugh. "I really don't care for the differences between faunus and humans, especially to wildly claim they're inequal or somehow less than us. If you serve Atlas, you are in my eyes a patriot. Nothing else matters."

"Then why, sir? Why are you researching the genes that make faunus what we are? I don't know what to think looking at this. It's like you want to target it…"

"Come now, do not faunus make up a sizeable portion of Atlas' population? I'd only do my own Kingdom harm. No, no, this is so we can better deal with the White Fang, nothing more. And I'm not speaking of scanners to tell who is or isn't faunus or segregation of the species. We're simply looking for humane ways to incapacitate the White Fang. Knock-out gas. Tranquilisers. Don't worry, these will only be sold to the military. You know we don't allow our hardware to fall into the wrong hands."

The clerk nodded. It was true. Chivalric Arms predominantly sold everything to Atlas, with only a few limited and out-of-date models to the SDC. Even those were carefully vetted to make sure they could not compete with the kind Atlas was using.

"You're right, sir. I apologise. I thought the worst…"

"As you may. Atlas has not always been kind to faunus." Matthew Fields poured himself another cup of water from the same glass decanter he'd used before and went to take a drink before pausing. "Ah. I apologise." He offered the plastic cup. "I've been quite remiss. Would you like a drink?" He offered it and then flipped over another plastic cup from the stack, pouring himself a second. "I get so lost in my thoughts that I forget my manners. I'll blame it on my military background; politeness wasn't what my drill sergeant liked to focus on."

The clerk took the offered cup more out of politeness himself than because of thirst. He let it tap against Matthew Field's, waited for his boss to drink and then drank himself. They finished at roughly the same time, the water crystal clear and refreshing. Once he was done, he took the plastic cup and placed it in the waste bin by Fields' desk.

"Thank you, sir."

"Think nothing of it. You may leave. Enjoy the rest of the day off."

The clerk nodded. "You won't be leaving, sir?"

"I shall once I've finished the reports. That's a lesson to learn, young man. The boss' work continued even after closing hours. Reports to read, forms to sign and investors to meet with. My work is rarely done. That doesn't mean you ought to suffer, though. Go enjoy yourself and come back tomorrow rested."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

The clerk bowed at the door, opened it and left, leaving Matthew Fields to pour himself another glass of water, sip at it and look down to his work. The video of the fight between Subject 000 and Project Penny was tempting, but he just knew he'd lose himself in awe once that started. I'll have to take steps to prevent those old fossils killing off Subject 000. He's worth far more than any single team from Vale. Best to leave that one to last, though. The more tiresome but no less important research forms came out first.

So many projects demanding more finance, more resources and less oversight. It really was a lot to consider, especially when Chivalric Arms only had so much it could give. Atlas needed results now, not promises of a hundred different things later. Before he could get started on it, however, the intercom on his desk buzzed incessantly. Matthew Fields sighed, pressed the red button and spoke politely. "Yes? How can I help?"

"Sir. It's the front desk. One of our clerks just collapsed, sir!"

"Oh dear. Is he alright?"

"N-No, sir. His pulse is erratic. We think he's had a heart attack. We've called an ambulance."

"Goodness." His voice shook. "Do whatever you can for him and make sure to let the ambulance know we shall cover any and every expense. I want him to have the best care he can. Blank cheque. I'll sign it later - and do keep me updated on his condition."

"Yes sir."

The call ended, the light flicking off. Matthew Fields removed his hand from the button and went back to his forms, a small smile curling over his lips. Placing the faunus project down flat, he took out a ballpoint pen and signed his name at the bottom, writing in `tested` himself and ticking the success box. Not every project yielded results, but it was nice to find one that did every now and then. All that remained was to see if the death truly was as medically indecipherable as he was promised.

It really was a shame people couldn't just get over themselves and realise that there were very few differences between humans and faunus. The prejudice faunus faced was such a needless thing and actively held Atlas, no, Remnant, back. Still, if minds couldn't be changed and the people were going to waste their time on it, perhaps it was better the problem be dealt with at its roots. All that was needed was to synthesise a compound that induced sterility in the faunus gene, pump it into the water supply and that would be another one of Atlas' problems dealt with as the faunus population of Remnant slowly met its end. Without that to get in the way, people could start focusing on what was really important. Defending themselves against the Grimm. And Atlas' continued superiority, of course.

Atlas would thrive, even if he had to drag it kicking and screaming into the future.


A slow chapter that you can probably tell is setting up the final players for the last arc of the story. The Council of Atlas is trying to cut Jaune off entirely, which is ironically still against what Chivalric Arms wants. Trouble in paradise or just a schism in the ranks? Either way, we get to see Matthew Fields and his own motivations, while finally revealing who took Amber.

And yes, that's the truth revealed there, not a lie on Cinder's part. I did initially want to keep that secret for later, but aside from saying "he wants revenge" there just didn't seem to be a good way to justify Jaune going off after Beacon without people thinking it was OoC or a plot hole. Felt like I had to reveal it to justify his next actions.


Next Chapter: 31st August

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur