A Prison of Ice
VIII.
Blake began to set the last of the charges with a grim determination.
It was a necessary evil. That's what Adam had said. It wasn't like they didn't exhaust every last option. They had tried to keep things peaceful, but their protests never amounted to anything. Violence, however, led to better results, even if it was based on fear mongering.
The humans were taking notice.
She knew that they still probably hated the Faunus, but at least they were starting to keep it to themselves. As much as she hated to admit it, Adam was right. His tactics were working, just in all the wrong ways. Dad would have been disappointed, but she didn't know what to do anymore.
Nothing had worked.
The bombings. The threats. The intimidation. As much as it pained her, they brought results. Just like Adam had said. They brought results, but it wasn't right. She was so absolutely lost right now.
Conflicted.
What should she do?
With a small sigh, she finished setting the last of the charges. Ever so slowly, she crept away, back into the shadows. It wouldn't take her long to sneak back to the others. Stealth had always come easy to her and had become her specialty within the White Fang.
In terms of attacks, this was their biggest one yet.
An SDC refinery. Where raw Dust was processed into the crystals that could be sold and traded on the market. The SDC had dozens of these kinds of refineries within Vale, but they would still feel the loss in some of their profits. A minor victory in the grand scheme of things, but a victory nonetheless. At the very least, this time they were attacking the SDC directly.
As she approached the rendezvous point, she could see Adam already there waiting with the others.
"Blake." He greeted her with a slight nod. "Did you finish setting the charges?"
"Yeah." She answered with a nod of her own. "They're ready."
"Excellent." He praised her. "I expected nothing less from you."
She allowed herself a small smile in return.
"Brothers and sisters. Today we make our presence known to the cravens of the SDC!" Adam rallied as he pulled out the trigger for the charges. "Today we make them bleed for their transgressions!"
The others cheered as Adam's thumb hovered over the trigger. Blake could only stare in horror. This wasn't what they had planned. It wasn't what Adam had told her.
"Adam, there are still workers in there!"
The cheers stopped. Blake could feel everyone's eyes suddenly turn to her. It was an uneasy feeling. She never did like being the center of attention.
"They're a part of the SDC, Blake."
"They're just employees, Adam!" She argued. "They have nothing to do with the people that control everything. They're just normal people trying to make a living."
"That's blood money." Adam coldly replied. "Money earned from the blood of our brethren that they're willingly profiting from."
"This wasn't a part of the plan…" Her voice quivered. "We were supposed to make sure we left no one inside before pulling the trigger!"
"Plans change, Blake." Adam simply stated. "You saw the car that pulled up while you were arming the charges. That was the CEO of the Yuki Corporation. This isn't an opportunity we can turn down."
"They're still innocent people in there!"
"I disagree."
And then Adam pulled the trigger right in front of her face. A gigantic explosion went off from behind her, wind scattering her hair all the while. How many people had been working in that building? And Adam had just condemned them all to death for simply being associated with the SDC.
Blake felt her entire world spin.
This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It wasn't what they had agreed on, wasn't what Adam had promised her. She never wanted this. Even if it got results, she never wanted it to be at the cost of innocent lives. This was all wrong.
So very wrong.
"Let's get out of here before the authorities arrive." Adam ordered. "Everyone into the truck."
Slowly, Blake forced her legs to move. She followed behind the others into the back of the truck. She didn't dare look back at what they had just done. As she took a seat next to Adam, she couldn't help but think…
Never again.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered to herself more than anything.
A useless apology to those who died, but even still. At the very least, it helped her feel just a little bit better.
Makoto's entire world erupted into a flash of white and red.
There was a ringing in his ears that threatened to split his skull in two. Kicked up gravel and dirt polluted the air, floating about like a thick cloud of dust. There was a disgusting smell of burnt flesh lingering around; it threatened to choke him even.
Thanatos's vast frame hovered protectively over him.
It had all happened so fast that his mind could barely process it. The Persona had even come out of the Sea of Souls of its own accord. Was it Ryoji watching over him…?
Makoto let out a cough as he waved away some of the dust in the air.
Wiping off the tiny particles of debris that had gotten stuck on her face, Makoto slowly got his bearings. His Aura was shattered and there were slight burns all over his exposed body parts. Even though Thanatos had shielded him from the brunt of the blast, he didn't come out completely unscathed. Thanatos tentatively loosened his embrace to allow him to look around. The office that he and his parents had once been sitting in was all but destroyed.
Fire and ash were all that remained.
His eyes darted around until they finally landed on a familiar sight. His father's suit and what was left of his burnt carcass. He could feel bile start to creep up his throat, but he forced it back down. Slowly, he got closer to the body and held a hand out.
"Diarahan."
It was the strongest healing spell he knew. The magic left his fingertips and circled around his father. The burns didn't heal though, and neither did his missing limbs grow back. There was no healing the dead after all. It had been a foolish attempt; he already knew the result, but he couldn't help but try.
Makoto couldn't even find any of the remains of his mother.
He didn't have the best relationship with his family, but he still should have been sad. He should have been crying even. That was a natural reaction, wasn't it? And yet, the only thing he felt in his heart was an eerie hollowness. It was as if he was simply numb to it all.
And perhaps he was.
As morbid as it sounded; it wasn't the first time something like this had happened after all. Ironically enough, his parents in his first life had met a similar end. Was this simply fate at work?
He couldn't help but let out a dark, broken laugh.
The surrounding inferno grew in size. Pieces of the building began falling down. Thanatos floated protectively over him, blocking any falling debris and shielding him from the flames. This hadn't been an accident. This had been a deliberate attack. He could still recall the sound of the explosions going off in his head.
Makoto had theories, of course.
The White Fang was the first to come to mind. An attack on an SDC facility or an attack on his father. Or perhaps even both. It didn't really matter; the result was the same for them in the end. Other theories floated around his head, such as competitors of the Yuki Corporation or some of father's associates he had spurned from his time working with the criminal families of Mistral.
No one should have known his father would have been here though. Aside from some select individuals from the SDC. Father had simply wanted to meet with one of the general managers at their refineries to negotiate a contract renewal. He doubted the SDC were behind it. Jacques had no reason to assassinate a lucrative business partner. No, it seemed far more likely that the White Fang had simply been targeting this facility at the same time they were here.
A coincidence.
His father had simply been unlucky. Not just his father, but his mother and everyone else working in this facility. All of this senseless violence and death. It was all so pointless. The White Fang wouldn't be winning anyone over with this. Sure, the humans might fear them in the short term, but all this would do was breed more resentment in the end.
A never-ending cycle of hatred.
He couldn't blame them for lashing out. They were an oppressed people and were treated terribly in the grand scheme of things. He had seen the mines himself after all. It was a natural reaction to want to fight back. He couldn't help but think that this wasn't the right way to go about it though.
Makoto let out a sigh.
His father was far from a good man. He was someone that profited off the suffering of others. And yet, he didn't deserve an end like this. Nobody here did. Had he not had Thanatos by his side, this would have been his end as well.
He could hear the sirens approaching the area. He dismissed Thanatos back into the Sea of Souls. Ever so carefully, Makoto made his way out of the flames. Looking back at the raging inferno behind him, he couldn't help but think; it looked like a scene straight out of hell.
No matter how much changed, some things simply remained the same no matter what.
Weiss felt her blood run cold.
Her eyes were glued to the television screen. The news reporter was saying something, but for the life of her, she couldn't make out any of it. It was all white noise to her once she saw the news caption.
Yuki Corporation CEO killed in terrorist attack.
It had been at one of their refinery facilities in Vale.
Makoto had mentioned that he was going to Vale with his father. Weiss didn't want to think about it. She dialed his number one more time. For the 7th time in the past hour, her call didn't go through.
She didn't want to think about it.
The news report continued repeating the same information. The death of Makoto's father, the death count of everyone in the facility. They kept giving her news updates but not the information that she so desperately wanted to hear.
What about Makoto?
He was fine.
He had to be fine. He couldn't… no, he wouldn't just die like that. She never even told him how she truly felt yet. Hadn't she suffered enough already? Her father treated her like a chess piece. Her mother was a wreck. Winter left her behind and Whitley… they had never been close to begin with. Aside from Klein, Makoto had been the only person she could really talk to.
Would the world take him from her as well…?
"… I've just received confirmation that the son of CEO Hiro Yuki has been found alive." The news reporter announced. "He's the only confirmed survivor so far."
Weiss felt a wave of relief wash over her.
He was alive. He was okay! Her eyes started to water, and she had to quickly wipe away the tears before they ruined her makeup.
"… Reports seem to indicate that the White Fang are the ones responsible."
The White Fang.
The words tasted like ash in her mouth. She hated those monsters. Why couldn't they just leave her and those dear to her alone? As if the first assassination attempt hadn't been enough. Now they bombed an entire facility as well?
Makoto didn't deserve this.
Weiss couldn't even imagine how he must have been feeling right now. She might not have the best relationship with her father, but still… she would never want him dead. They were still family in the end.
She looked down at her scroll again.
Makoto still hadn't answered any of her calls or replied to any of her messages. Was he injured? Was that why he hadn't called her back? The news report said he was alive, but it didn't mention the condition he was in.
What if he was badly hurt…?
…
She couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Weiss grabbed her scroll and stormed out of her room. She walked down the whitewashed halls of the family mansion and made a beeline to her father's study. Stopping in front of his door, she took a deep breath and knocked.
"… Come in."
Slowly, she creaked open the door and stepped inside. Father had his head down staring at a pile of papers scattered throughout his desk. He didn't even bother to look up from his work before addressing her.
"Did you need something, Weiss?" He questioned. "If not, then leave me be. I'm quite busy as you can see."
She bit her lower lip and let out a small shiver. Father always did have an uncanny ability to lower the temperature of every room he was in.
"… Have you seen the news, father?"
Her father paused and looked up.
"Ah. You're referring to what happened with the Yuki's?"
She nodded in response.
"Then yes, I have." Jacques replied before refocusing back on his papers. "Truly, a rather tragic turn of events."
Weiss could feel her hands clench in frustration. Wasn't Hiro Yuki supposed to be his friend? How could he be so… callous about what happened? She knew he was cold-hearted but not to this extent.
"… Father." She slowly began as she gathered her courage. "I want to go to Vale. I need to see Makoto."
Her father didn't immediately reply, so she feared the worst. Already she was planning on how she could sneak off with the one of the family's private airships. Klein would help her, but she doubted that anyone else would risk their jobs to lend her aid.
"Very well. I'll allow it."
Weiss blinked.
"… Really?" She dubiously asked.
"Why yes, really." Her father dryly replied. "Why do you sound so surprised? Makoto is going to be the new head of the Yuki corporation now that Hiro is gone." Father casually explained as he sorted through some more papers. "It's a good initiative from you to foster closer relations with him. It can only help the company in the long run."
Of course.
It was always about the company in the end. Even if it was for all the wrong reasons, father had given her his approval. She got what she wanted in the end. Now she wouldn't need to sneak out and steal one of father's private airships.
"Thank you, father."
Weiss left the room soon after.
The less time she spent in that dreary place the quicker she could get to Vale.
Author's Notes- You didn't think it would always be fluff, did you? I guess you could say that the prologue is done with at this point and we're finally moving on to the real story. Also, I didn't have time to proofread this, so let me know if there are any typos.
