Chapter 18

Tukson's fingers drummed on the steering wheel, and his eyes were locked on the cars going past. "You sure about this?"

"No." Ilia responded as she checked her equipment. Her old uniform was gone, leaving her in torn jeans and a faded shirt that he'd grabbed from a donation center. A thin coat did its job of covering her shoulder holster and the pistol that was her only weapon.

The lack of a scroll was an issue, but he'd at least had an old watch that she pushed into a pocket.

"But whatever is going on here has to be happening without Sienna knowing about it. I have to warn her."

"I get that." He said. "But why not just go back to Menagerie? I still think that's a better idea."

She shook her head once. "With what lien? I'd have to steal it and that will draw attention and take time that we don't have. Even if I pulled it off, I'd have to get back over to Anima, travel south, then find a boat to Kuo Kuona. All without drawing attention from the authorities or Adam's people. This is faster and safer."

Tukson glanced at the warehouses in the distance. "Yeah. Safer."

"I know our headquarters. The patrols, the guards, everything. I get in, I send my message to Sienna, I get out." She blew out a short breath. "Then I just have to lay low until Sienna gets things under control. I can hide out in the city until then."

"You sure?"

Not at all. "My cover is still intact so long as I don't run into Branwen."

He grunted. "Or the Winchesters."

Ilia felt her eyes begin to shift colors before she fought down the change. "He's never seen my face, and I lost Lightning Lash. They won't recognize me."

"...if you say so." The bookseller hesitated, then turned and offered her a broad hand. "Good luck."

She took it, a single shake their last contact before she opened the passenger door. "Parking garage on second street. If I'm not there in an hour get clear, I'll find my own way down to the sewers."

Tukson nodded as she got out. As soon as the door was closed he put his battered old truck into drive, joining the rest of the late night traffic.

Ilia watched him go, pulling her coat a little tighter around her. Going into a mission without her old weapon left her feeling... rather naked. It wasn't helped by the fact that she wasn't very good with guns, but Tukson had never really been a combat agent. The little pistol was the only weapon he'd even owned.

And... despite her bravado, she knew this was anything like a good idea. She still had bandages on her side from where Perry had stabbed her, and she hadn't gotten anything like the proper amount of sleep. She should have still been resting, recovering, letting her aura knit her body back together. Then done some rehab, maybe pick up a bladed weapon, and only then tried this.

She'd have had her full aura ready to go. Three boosters had her at something like high levels, but too much of her aura was still working on repairing her body. With more time... maybe she could have even stolen a uniform, combining it with the full use of her semblance to simply walk in through the front door.

But... she didn't have a week or two to wait.

I have to do this. I have to warn Sienna. I have to. I don't know what Perry is aiming for, but I can't let him get away with it. Sienna will make it right. She'll make everything right. I can rest after that.

Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded once and then got moving. A short walk brought her to the nearest intersection where she joined a couple of workers just leaving shifts at a canning plant. A gentle pull on her Semblance left her just another blue-collar Human walking home after a long day.

She stayed with them when the light changed, crossing the street, trailing just a couple of steps behind as they walked past various warehouses. The fourth had a security guard reading a magazine in the booth outside, though she doubted any of the workers noticed that Elisa's hat was being held up by her horns.

The older woman glanced up as they walked past, eyes sliding over them all before returning to her reading.

Semblance don't fail me now. Past the guard house, twenty paces.

Each step made her nerves ache as if this was her very first assignment instead of something she'd done a few dozen times.

And stop. Crack in the sidewalk is the edge of camera four.

Turning, she casually put her back to the security wall, crossing her arms as if simply waiting for something. It took a good ten minutes for her window of opportunity; a scant few seconds where there was no one headed her way on either side of the street, and where all of the cars were being held up by red lights farther down the road.

Jumping up to catch the top of the wall made her everything hurt. The pain got worse as she hauled herself up and over, more of it flaring up from her legs when she landed. A quick run got her underneath of the warehouse's corner camera before it could swing back to point at her.

"Ow..." Ilia groaned, keeping her back to the building as she tried to catch her breath.

I really should have stretched at least.

Still, this wasn't the place to rest and recover. She was all of a dozen yards from the front door and it would only be a matter of time before someone walked past.

Craning her neck back, she watched as the camera swept back and forth, timing her departure to when it was aimed at the front entrance. Then it was just as case of darting along the long side of the building, stopping next to the ladder leading to the roof, and carefully clambering up it.

Five rungs... six rungs... skip the seventh to avoid the security alarm. Same for the tenth.

Her arms had joined her back in aching by the time she got to the roof. Sprawling out on the sheet metal shouldn't have been comfortable, but with how much she hurt it felt like a fluffy bed in a nice hotel.

A quick check of her borrowed watch told her she didn't have long to enjoy the moment. If what Perry had planned was still on the combat teams would be heading out soon. Sure enough, within a few minutes she began to hear movement below. Cars and trucks rumbled, and a careful shift let her watch as a convoy of unmarked vehicles began to slowly pull out of the building.

"Leaving all at once." She shook her head. "I get betrayed and all of their professionalism goes out the window."

Ilia waited until the last car had gone, and then waited another five minutes just to make sure before carefully making her way back down. Avoiding the rungs with sensors on them was a bit harder going down than it had been going up, but no alarms blared when she got back down to the ground.

Then it was just another timed run back to the front, a quick use of her semblance to make sure that Elisa didn't look her way from the security booth, and then she was inside.

Honestly...

Apparently the cars all leaving at once wasn't the only thing that had changed over the last several days. The carefully arranged containers that had made the warehouse look legitimate had been moved, leaving broad spaces that likely made it easier to move around. Easier to park the cars and trucks they'd just used.

Easier for anyone to simply wander in and realize that something was going on. Especially since they hadn't even closed the heavy doors behind them.

She cut left after entering, getting out of the old lighting to ease the strain on her semblance. A quick shake set her skin to black, freckles and eyes to a dull gray; everything she could to simply vanish as she carefully picked her way through the building. There was enough noise to indicate that they'd left a couple of people behind to keep an eye on the base, which made her slow down every time someone spoke.

The staircase leading to the small office overlooking the floor was the real test. It was narrow and a bit rickety, and if she went too quickly it would draw everyone's attention. It could do that even if she went slowly.

Which meant it was time to gamble that she had enough aura in her to really push her semblance to the limits.

Finding a dark shadow case by one of the roof's supports, she settled in to wait once again.

Her moment came when one of the new recruits came strolling over. He probably meant to look casual, but the nervous, excited way his wolf tail was wagging betrayed him even before she noticed how he kept looking around.

Another rookie looking to see how the officer's lived while all of the adults were gone. Perfect.

Ilia pulled harder on her aura, her semblance intensifying as she casually fell into step behind him. It felt almost like was walking around in a thick, fuzzy blanket, and the lights above seemed to dim.

She'd made it all of three steps before recruit took his first step on the staircase, winced at the noise, and turned to glance over his shoulder.

Her heart clenched at the sight of his face... then relaxed as he raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh! I bet they've got some good stuff hidden away!"

Lips parted as she gaped at him, and he got a few steps ahead before her brain reengaged. She quickly caught up, moving as carefully as he did, two thieves doing their best to avoid being noticed.

He didn't see me. He saw another rookie. Thank the gods... ow. Spoke too soon. The ache of pulling so deeply on her semblance didn't seem to come from anywhere in specific; it just made her entire body thrum in time with her heartbeat.

It wasn't a long climb, but by the time they got up she felt her breath shortening. Worse, the lights seemed to be brighter, and even in her confused state she knew it must have had something to do with her semblance.

Apparently it could let her hide in plain sight... but not for very long. She could practically feel what was left of her reserves plummeting with each second that went by.

Which was why the moment they got to the top and inside the office, she pulled out her gun and pistol-whipped the rookie on the back of the head. It didn't work quite as well as she'd have liked; she'd pulled a bit of her strength to avoid hurting him. Too much of it in fact.

He fell to his knees with a startled curse, grabbing at his hair and started to turn. It took two more hits to bludgeon him down, and he wasn't terribly quiet when he finally collapsed.

"Dammit." She didn't wait around to see if anyone would notice.

Perry hadn't changed her office just yet, something she was thankful for as she fell into the battered chair behind her desk. A quick flick of a button saw the window shutters rotate, darkening the office and making sure no one outside would be able to see the glow of the mini-CCT.

"I did it. I did it." Fingers flew over the keyboard as she booted the system up, rapidly picking out the emergency code and then selecting Sienna. "Come on. It's daylight there, pick up. Pick up."

The holographic display shifted from the menu to the connecting screen, flickered once, and finally showed the Menagerie headquarters.

...and two men who were not Sienna Khan.

"Ah, Sister Illia." Fennic Albain smiled from his place beside his brother. "What an unexpected surprise."

Corsec nodded in agreement. "We were told you died heroically holding off a Human huntsman."

"No, he left me to bleed out." Ilia replied. "I need to talk to Sienna immediately. It's an emergency."

Fennec's ears quivered though his smile didn't fade. "As we could tell from the code you used. Sadly the High Leader left Menagerie this morning, to personally take command in Mistral after Leader Amranth fell ill."

Thankfully his brother got to the point more succinctly. "We were entrusted with handling any crisis in her absence. I trust yours has to do with your survival?"

Ilia hesitated. She'd have vastly preferred talking only with Sienna about this, but they'd already picked up and seen her. And the system would record her call regardless. Best to tell them what was going on.

"Yes. Perry betrayed me, stabbed me in the back and left me for dead. He wanted to pin the blame for a botched raid on me I think, and to get control of the vale cell back. He didn't like how I was running the cell as the High Leader personally instructed me."

Corsec hummed. "Your orders to avoid pointless killing, no doubt."

She blinked. "You know my orders?"

"Of course." Fennec smiled once again. "We work quite closely with the High Leader. We know you were sent to keep an eye on Leader Taurus along with Sister Trifa, to ensure he did not deviate from the High Leader's orders."

"Oh. Good. Good." Ilia shook her head, "I don't have much more time. I need you to relay what happened to Sienna. I'm going to go to ground."

The brothers exchanged a quick glance, then Corsec waved a dismissive hand. "Of course. Rest assured that we will see your former second in command reprimanded most harshly for his actions."

"Thank you. I... I never saw it-"

"He should have made sure it was a lethal stroke."

For the second time in the last few minutes she felt her heart skip a beat and her breathing stop.

Fennec sighed. "You would have made a wonderful martyr, Ilia. You were loyal, dedicated. You had the tragic past, the personal connection to so many. It would have been your last great contribution to the cause of Faunus supremacy."

Ilia rose to her feet, "Sienna will-"

"She already mourns you. You have no idea how painful it was for her to order your removal." Corsec cut her off. "The Belladonna's were not told that detail, of course, but they have already built you a lovely little tomb behind their estate. I believe they intend to hold a public wake for you tomorrow. We will not be so crass as to ruin such an emotional occasion with something as banal as the truth."

The smile on Fennec's face darkened. "You served the faunus well in your time, sister. But this is no longer the time for cautious action. Now is the time to be bold, to make the world tremble... and you with your caution would only be in the way."

Her fist hit the disconnect button before he could say anymore.

"Gods..." This was bad. This was worse than... "Sienna. No... no she wouldn't. They're lying. They're... oh gods. She trusts them."

She trusted them enough to leave them in control of Menagerie in her absence. She trusted men who apparently thought nothing of murdering their own just because... what?

"Because I'm not a bloodthirsty monster?" The words were a whisper. "Because I'm... I'm not insane?"

"You are talking to yourself in the dark." Her breath hitched as Adam casually walked into the room. Wilt and Bloom was secure on his belt, a hand resting on the weapon as she smiled at her. "Hello, Illia. Welcome home."

"Adam." To her shame his name didn't come out any louder than her prior words. "What are you doing here?"

"Supervising the new Leader's first mission... and making sure he didn't leave any loose ends." Adam shook his head. "I approve of his zeal but his execution leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps he regretted following my orders to remove you."

Adam? He'd been the one to tell Perry to do it? "Why? Why? We... were friends! We've saved each other's lives! I... by the gods, I introduced you and Blake!"

His free hand waved at the communications device. "I thought Fennec explained it well enough. Your kind had their time. Your purpose. You did well by our people... but your time is gone, just like Ghira's. You helped prime the pump, and we will be forever grateful for that. But now... now it's time to take the next step. A step you refuse to take, no matter how hard I tried to help you take it."

"You..."

"I never thought it would come to this, Ilia. I thought you would stand beside me. Beside Blake. All the way to the end." He took a casual step to his right, as if daring her to make a run for the door.

She would never make it. They both knew that.

Fully rested, with Lightning Lash, with Dust... Ilia might have lasted a minute or two against Adam. Long enough to run. But right now she was running on fumes, her aura was probably in the red, and her only weapon was a civilian-grade pistol.

This was the end, and they both knew it.

Adam sighed and shook his head once. "What happened to you? What gave you such a bleeding heart? You hated them just as much as any of us in the beginning. Your hatred... it was pure, almost beautiful."

"I..." Ilia hated humanity for what it had taken from her. She hated the SDC, she hated Atlas, she hated the Humans who just stood by and let the faunus be abused. But... there were five Humans to every faunus. The Atlesian Air Fleet could kill everyone on Menagerie in less time than it had taken Fennec to gloat. And how many Humans would stand in their way? "You can't mean that you want a war. You can't."

"It's a war we will win, just like the last."

Oh Gods. He really was mad. He'd gone mad. They'd all gone mad. "You're insane! We can't win another Faunus War! We can't!"

His grin twisted into a snarl. "We can and we will! We are the superior species and we will make Humanity pay for that they've done!"

"Adam-!"

"And you will play your part!"

Exhausted or not, stunned or not, the part of her brain dedicated to flight or fight was apparently still working. Adam's shoulders had only begun to tense before Ilia turned and bolted for the nearest window.

She hit the cheap shutters as a shotgun blast hit her back. The impact actually helped a bit even if it drained her aura, helping throw her through the glass.

Hitting the ground in a roll, she tried to come up running but her body wasn't quite up to it. Instead she came up staggering, pushing off a container just as Adam reached the window and took a second shot.

Ilia felt her aura shatter, whimpering sounds the only thing she could say as she scrambled to get up to speed, to get out of his line of sight.

For once luck was on her side; his third shot missed, blowing out a whole in the container she'd just been beside, giving her enough time to run past it and into the old living space. Three more recruits were inside, already rushing to see what was going on.

"Leader Amitola?" A woman gasped. "You're alive!? What-"

A forearm shoved her back, letting her run through them. Everything hurt. Nothing made sense.

Sienna... Sienna would never approve. They were lying. She... I have to live. I have to get out. I have to warn her.

"Stop her! She betrayed us all!"

Ilia ran for her life. The front door was out. There was too much open space near it. He'd shoot her long before she could make it. The door on the river side. Then a quick run down it, back to the streets. He couldn't chase her in public. It would draw too much attention. Ruin his little plot to make her a martyr if the police could tell she'd died to his gun.

Less than a hundred yards. She just had to stay ahead of them for that long.

Footsteps and shouts echoed wildly as she ran between containers. Ducking left, running down another narrow alley, then right to follow the wall. She lost a few seconds at the door. It was locked and she lacked the strength to force it, so instead she shot out the lock with her pistol.

The sounds drew more shouting, more orders, more pounding feet. They were coming.

Vale's muggy night air welcomed her as she stumbled outside, her right hand against the warehouse's wall as she tried to get back up to speed. Not more than a yard to the left were the dark waters of the River Vale, empty of any barges she might have tried to swim for.

Her wound hurt. Her breathing was labored. Nothing made sense.

Ilia ran as her former comrades pursued. She could hear them coming, hear them shouting for her to stop. To come back.

She ran past the other door on this side. It was still locked. She was still ahead of her pursuit.

She made it to the corner. Could see the street lights, the last hope she had.

Her footsteps jerked to a sudden stop.

"..." Nothing came out as she tried to speak. It was a struggle to even turn her head, to look to her right, to look at the man who'd been waiting just out of sight.

Perry adjusted his glasses with his free hand, his other holding the hilt of the sword he'd just rammed into her belly.

"I'm sorry, Ilia." He said quietly. "I loved you, you know. But we all have to make sacrifices for the faunus."

Her skin rippled wildly between cowardly black, furious scarlet, and hopeless blue. "...I..."

"For the faunus." The pain finally hit when he pulled the sword free, the agony around her stomach suddenly becoming her entire world. She stumbled back, clutching at herself on reflex, the warmth of her own blood coating her hands.

"...don't..."

The sword rose. Ilia felt her legs give out.

Pain came as the weapon fell, cutting her from her left shoulder to her hip.

Then her back struck the water... and she sank.

No... not like this...

Everything was cold. And dark.

Not like this... not... not...like...

...no...

And just one chapter to go.

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