Chapter 19: Planning

"May I ask who's speaking?" Cinder asked.

"Oh!" the timid voice on the other end answered. "I do apologize. I am Leonardo Lionheart."

Cinder froze, and heard an audible gasp from Emerald.

"Leonardo Lioheart?" Emerald said in a loud voice. "The head of Haven Penitentiary?"

"That would be correct," the voice replied.

"How dare you!" Mercury suddenly yelled. "Your prison is a concentration camp! You've murdered so many people!"

"Please," Lionheart continued, his voice trembling. "There is an explanation for everything."

"You think we're gonna listen to you?!" Mercury shouted.

"Mr. Black-" Hazel started.

"Kid-" Tyrain spoke

"Please-" Lionheart stuttered.

"Hush!" Cinder shouted over the commotion. Both sides went quiet. Cinder shot a glare at Mercury, then looked back at the Scroll. "We will listen. But it'd better be good."

Cinder heard Lionheart clear his throat. "Thank you, Miss Fall. Now, as I said, I can explain. Since early in Lord Ozpin's reign, I've been managing Haven Penitentiary. And you are right, Mr. Black. It is a concentration camp. Lord Ozpin sends the common folk here for the most minor of infractions to be tortured and killed. And officially, that is what we've been doing."

"She said it had to be good," Roman interrupted. "This doesn't sound good to me."

Lionheart cleared his throat again, this time sounding more like he was doing it to shift the attention back onto what he was saying. "However, unofficially, and unbeknownst to Lord Ozpin and even the public, very few people die here."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"I've never agreed with Lord Ozpin," Leonardo Lionheart said. "He's a tyrant and a fiend. And every time someone was sent to Haven, I filled the report that they were killed, when in actuality, most of the people sent here I've been personally sheltering."

"Sheltering?" Emerald asked.

"Yes. I put them to work, producing Dust and weaponry for Lord Ozpin's forces. However, we've been holding on to quite a bit of our product ourselves, just enough so that we won't raise suspicions."

"So you're saying not one person has died in Haven?" Cinder asked, confused.

"I wish that were the case, but no," Lionheart replied. "Some of the elderly and sick have not survived, given our limited resources. Additionally, in order to not raise suspicions, we need to kill people every so often to make it seem like we're doing our job. Those deaths have been noble sacrifices from brave men and women, who we honor every day."

"So how are you connected with us?" Cinder asked, finding it all rather hard to believe.

"I have been for quite some time. Mr. Rainart, Mr. Callows, and I have been talking for some time now, shortly after they left to find headquarters."

"He guided us to Patch, where we were able to collect some intelligence on Signal Academy," Hazel said.

"We were busted," Tyrian interrupted. "They were going to kill us, but Lionheart told them that Lord Ozpin wanted us sent to Haven. They obeyed, and that's where we are now."

"It's taken some time," Lionheart continued, "but we were finally able to set up our own, independent communication network, with some help from Dr. Arthur Watts…"

"Watts?" Torchwick said. "I thought he was dead."

"Exactly,"Lionheart said. "After the Huntsmen and Huntresses brought him in, pretty injured I should add, we faked his death report. He's been here for about a year now, helping us design the communication network. Now that it's up, we'll be able to maintain contact with your group without having to risk hacking into the CCT."

"So that's why our Scroll received your call," Emerald said, smiling slightly.

Cinder shook her head and rubbed her eye with her pointer finger. "Hazel," she said, "this is a lot to take in. After we hadn't heard from you, we thought you were dead. Now we hear that not only are you guys alive, but we have Leonardo Lionheart on our side?"

"Well, we obviously couldn't contact you until now," Tyrian snapped.

"I understand, Miss Fall," Hazel said. "But there's more. The people here in Haven are all a part of our cause. We practically have an army on our hands. Also, we feel we have enough Dust and weaponry to make a major strike. The Resistance is better off than you thought."

Adam and Roman glanced at each other, Emerald sighed and sat down slowly, and Mercury chuckled a bit. Cinder leaned down. "I wish Neo were here to hear this…" she muttered.

"I know, my dear," Hazel said solemnly.

"As it stands now, Haven is a dam," Lionheart announced. "And that dam is ready to burst. The people here trust me, and are ready to fight. You say the word, and we'll march on Beacon Fortress ourselves."

"Beacon Fortress…" Cinder mused, shutting her eye. She breathed slowly, processing. She heard relieved chatter among her peers. If only… wait. Cinder thought about what Lionheart said. She thought for a moment, then her eye shot open.

"That's it!" Cinder said loudly. The chatter behind her stopped, and there was silence.

"What is what?" Tyrian asked. "Stop being so vague."

Cinder grabbed the Scroll and held it closer to her face. "Okay, listen to me," she said excitedly. "We decided that we needed to attack Beacon Laboratory if we were going to stop the production of all the robots and weapons there."

"But that's quite difficult, especially with the guards, Huntsmen, Huntresses-" Lionheart said.

"Hear me out," Cinder interrupted. "We knew that the only way that we were going to have any shot was to have Lord Ozpin send his forces somewhere else, somewhere where he thinks we are. You aid Lord Ozpin doesn't know about what's really happening in Haven, right?"

"Correct," Lionheart replied.

"That's it! Haven is the other place!" Cinder said.

Emerald placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Cinder, what are you talking about?"

"If we set up that there's some kind of mass revolt at Haven, one that we caused, one Lionheart and his men can't contain, Lord Ozpin will send Huntsmen, Huntresses, guards, soldiers… anyone he can to make sure that they, and by extension, we, don't escape. He'll think he has the entire Resistance cornered, when in actuality, we'll still be here, blowing up Beacon Laboratory!"

"That could work," Hazel said, "but if he sends all those forces here, then he'll know about Lionheart's betrayal. There are too many people alive in here. And if we hide people to make the amount seem right, we won't have enough to overpower the forces he sends."

"I can fake my death," Lionheart said. "I can make it seem like I was killed attempting to stop the breakout. That way, if Lord Ozpin does put together that I've turned against him, he won't be able to punish me. Even if he didn't figure it out, he'd try to kill me for failing him anyway. Then, not only are we all escaping Haven and taking down his forces with us, but we're providing the distraction you need to destroy that laboratory."

"It's risky," Roman worried, lighting a cigarette (his cigars had been destroyed with the base). "A lot of those people would be going against Huntsmen and Huntresses. We don't know what you'll be up against. A lot of people could die."

"We have no way of knowing," Lionheart said. "But I, as well as I assume most of the people in here, are willing to take the risk."

"It will require a lot of planning," Roman said, puffing on his cigarette.

"And a lot of communication," Hazel said.

"Not to mention taking into account the Reaper and the robot," Mercury added.

"It's our best shot," Cinder said, setting the Scroll back down. "And we have no time to lose. Let's start planning,"