Here we are with chapter 4, first off I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. Secondly, this is where things will start to divert from the main canon of RWBY. Even if nothing much would realistically change in reality in the case that Marcus did indeed win the fight against Mercury. That's what world building is meant for however, and at this point Marcus is basically an OC since we know NOTHING about him other than his death and semblance and shitty personality.

So much to go off of…

Beta: CrowSkull

Destiny Fated Black

Chapter 4

"What do you have to say for yourself young lady!?" A very angry and very fully trained Huntress and also a well known professor at Beacon Academy asked the very nervous, awkward, and shy Ruby Rose, a fifteen year old Huntress in training coming from a training school.

It turned out that asking Glynda Goodwitch for an autograph after the little scuffle with Roman Torchwick and those he was working with wasn't an entirely good idea. That was what she thought about as the professor completely ripped into her on her being too young for fighting criminals such as Roman and in the middle of the night where she was supposed to be asleep. It wasn't her fault though! She was low on dust rounds and had to go out to get some more, it wasn't like she expected for the exact store she was browsing to get swamped by thieves.

"I couldn't just do nothing!" Ruby complained. "Those crooks would have hurt that old man if I didn't fight them back."

"You would have been killed if I didn't appear in time, if anything, you came out unscathed out of pure luck." Ruby yelped as Glynda whipped her riding crop down next to her hand, she pulled it back and slapped it back into her hand. But the threat was made, any back talk was not going to be very well received. "While the job of a Huntress is to defend the weak and innocent, that does not mean that we needlessly sacrifice our lives against impossible odds."

"But-"

"Now, now Glynda." A man's voice echoed around the interrogation room as the door to said room opened gently. "I am sure Miss Rose has learned a valuable lesson, isn't that right young lady?"

Ruby was quick to nod her head up and down. "Yep!"

"Hmph." Glynda moved over to the side of the metal table, allowing the headmaster of Beacon to step forward and quite literally take the spotlight as he took a seat across from the young girl. He placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of the girl as well, and after he gave her permission to dig into it with a nod of his head he watched as she practically Inhaled the cookies one after the other. When about a dozen of the cookies were eaten in about six seconds, Ozpin spoke up.

"You have silver eyes." He noted out loud, a small smile on his face as he did so.

"Yeah?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"Indeed. Now, young lady, can you recall the appearance of those that escaped with Roman Torchwick?" Ozpin asked, leaned forward on the table with his forearms and elbow, smile faded away. Ruby thought hard on the vague features that she was able to see while she was shooting at the Bullhead, it was hazy, but she definitely recalled at least one female and one male, each with their own defining features and physical traits.

"Um… One of them was a woman with some kind of red dress on, which glowed every time she attacked. I wasn't able to see her face. But other then her besides Torchwick and all of his goons that I beat up there was just one other man, I didn't really get a good look of his face and it is a bit hazy, but I know he had white hair, a-and maybe he wore a red shirt too." She shrugged helplessly, unable to remember anything else about the man. She also recalled that he had a very awesome state of the art hand cannon, but a rule that was made for her was to not gush over the weapons of her enemies. Especially when they were using said weapons to try and kill her.

Ozpin closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath through his nose, then looked to Glynda who recalled much the same description, but with slightly more detail. White hair, a red shirt with black armour plating on the shoulders and torso, black pants, black boots, everything screamed 'black' about the man, despite the hair contrasting the dark color entirely. He knew who they were dealing with now that he has confirmation from the only other person to see the people that got away in that Bullhead. "You are very lucky to be alive, Miss Rose."

Ruby resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She'd gotten this lecture already, she got it. "I know…" She said instead, her awkward side overwhelming what rebelliousness she once had a moment ago.

"I don't think you quite understand." Ozpin shook his head. "Tell me, have you ever heard of a man named Marcus Black?"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion and raised one eyebrow. The name didn't ring any bells in her head. "No… should I?"

"He is a very lethal assassin for hire, and has killed over a hundred people. Including Huntsman, Huntressess and important politicians all over the world. And those are just the ones that we know of." Ruby's face paled and she felt like throwing up the food she had in her belly from lunch earlier in the afternoon as she listened to everything that was listed off. She had no idea such a dangerous and murderous man had been so close to her. If he was down there with Torchwick… she didn't want to think about what might have happened to her.

"Oh…" She sagged her shoulders, she felt smaller than she already was.

"Oh, indeed." Ozpin replied. "I am happy that he did not see fit to jump down from the Bullhead and fight you himself, though Miss Goodwitch would have most certainly caused him some trouble if he had. It is concerning however that he has returned to Vale working with one such as Roman Torchwick… especially after the history he has here."

"H-history?" Ruby echoed nervously.

Ozpin's smile came back, it was sad however, as if he was remembering something worth carrying sorrow over. Even Glynda Goodwitch seemed to pity the poor man. "Do you know who I am?" He asked her.

Ruby nodded her head as she answered. "Yes, you are the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"That is correct, and in the first few years of my reign, Marcus Black happened to be among the roster of aspiring Huntsman and Huntressess. Alongside some others you may know…"

Ruby's eyes went wide with shock. "He's a Huntsman!?" She asked.

"Not anymore." Glynda answered for him. "He has forsaken his vows and took on a life of crime after an… incident on a mission he partaken years ago. He was in his fourth year, and practically as good as a fully trained Huntsman, if not, better. He would have done wonders for Remnant if he had stayed on the path of good. Now, he is one of the most wanted men in the world."

"Yes," Ozpin sighed sadly. "I am afraid that during his time at Beacon, he learned much more than he let us believe."

"He learned how to fight and kill Hunters." Glynda said for him, Ruby felt the pit in her stomach twist and turn. If they wanted to make her scared of the man, they definitely fulfill that desire. "And over the years he has been running rampant, he has sharpened that particular skill of his. Make no mistake, if Marcus Black were down there with Roman Torchwick, you would have been at the very least been severely injured before I arrived. Though the worst fate would have been more likely…"

Ruby swallowed nervously, she tried to control it but her shoulders shook as her heart beat faster than it was before. The professors saw this.

"I hope you understand now why Miss Goodwitch was so hard on you a few moments ago." Ozpin said. Ruby gulped again and nodded her head. She linked her hands together under the table and bowed her head, she really dodged a bullet a few hours ago, and all thanks to Miss Goodwitch.

"Thank you, for protecting me." She said as she looked to Glynda. The older woman softened her glare, and nodded back toward the girl. "I had no idea…"

"I do not blame you, the man hardly makes himself known even at the best of times, and there are few who have faced him and lived to tell the tale. The only reason we do know about him are because of the records he still has at my school, and even then it is only general information such as his name, appearance, etcetera. Even then, such information is outdated." Ozpin cleared his throat, and leaned forward. "Now, enough of that, I am sure you understand the danger now more than ever. I will be frank Miss Rose. Do you want to attend my school?"

Ruby's head shot up, and whatever fear and sorrow she may have felt was replaced by shock and excitement. A smile tugged at her lips as she nodded her head excitedly and nodded her head. "I do." She said. "I want to be a Huntress and make the world a better place and protect people. Beacon is going to be the next step after I graduate from Signal."

Ozpin laughed. "Of course, but I was not asking that question for the future."

Ruby's eyes went even wider than they were before. "Y-you mean…"

"Yes." Ozpin nodded his head and chuckled. "Would you like to enroll into my school two years early?"

Ruby nearly fainted with excitement, she almost forgot to answer yes to his proposal. After doing so, it was almost like she was dreaming about how easily the headmaster accepted her into Beacon without so much of an application.

"You are of exceptional skill, and I would hate to see it squandered in a trivial training school such as Signal." Ozpin said, as his only reasoning for pulling off such an exception for her.

Ruby couldn't wait to tell Yang about this!

Next up are the plans, and boy, was there a lot of them. Some of them were good, some not as good, and I had a voice...

Marcus watched the sparks fly off of a whetstone he was using in order to sharpen one of his knives, the little lights sparkled in front of his eyes with each pass he made. His gun was taken apart beside him, maintenance being done to them by the one he nicknamed Grass. Emerald wasn't exactly ecstatic for being made to do this per the request of Cinder, but whatever made her happy, she made sure it stayed that way. Though that didn't mean she wasn't going to hold that pouty expression on her face for as long as she could. At this point Marcus was just seeing how long she was going to keep that look up.

"You know your face will get stuck like that if you keep doing that, right?" Marcus asked her with a chuckle as he held his knife up, pointing it toward the ceiling as he looked at the edge. It was perfect. He even tested it out by running it through a small part of his hair. With hardly any pressure at all, the knife cut right through it. Even better.

"Screw off. I wouldn't be making this face if you didn't get Cinder to tell me to do this."

Marcus laughed, he still remembered the look on her face when he so sarcastically asked Cinder to make her do maintenance on his hand cannon out of a joke. It was nothing short of hilarious, and it was so very worth the glares he was going to get for the next few days because of it. "Wasn't like I expected her to actually go through with it, Grass."

Emerald hissed at him. "Stop calling me that."

"How about Gem then?" Marcus teased her. "Fit's well, considering you name. Or would you prefer Mint Bitch?"

Emerald flipped him off. "Damn old man…"

"Exactly." Marcus sheathed the knife he sharpened into his main sheath, and went back to work on one of his bionic legs. They were an old model and constantly needed maintenance such as greasing, oiling, repairs, all that good stuff. They were still a little singed black because of the battle with the Fall Maiden a while back, though the black fit his namesake, so he didn't make any effort to polish them back to their silvery color. He morbidly wondered if he could go back to his burnt down house so that he could take back the legs that he gave to his recently deceased son from his grave, since they were a more updated model and technologically more powerful than the ones he had now. But he doubted Cinder was going to let him go on that little trip. Either because of a lack of trust or because of how long it would take. Not to mention the self-surgery he would have to put himself through attach them. In the end, the idea would be just that, an idea.

"At least I didn't get revealed to the headmaster of Beacon so early on." Emerald sniped as she started putting his gun back together.

"Again with that?" Marcus sighed exasperatedly. "It's been like, a week since that happened. I couldn't exactly not shoot back at the two Huntressess trying to kill us. You should be thanking this 'Old man' for probably saving your life."

"As if, Cinder had it all under control."

He rolled his eyes and threw his knife across the room and into a beat up dummy that he found in the dumpster outside of a boxing club one day. It had many holes in it now, serving as part of his past time hobby of practicing his knife throwing. It was a handy trick, and not everyone fully expected a knife hurtling toward their face instead of a bullet. Only problem was that after the first one they would expect a second one. Which called for some skills sharpening. After throwing the knife into the same hole in the center of the dummy's skull for the fifth time in a row. Marcus was satisfied with his few minutes of training. Emerald finished putting his gun back together, and after taking that from her he decided to throw the knife one more time just for shits and giggles.

Cinder caught the knife before it could enter the dummy's face again, which caught the attention of Emerald as she immediately jumped to her feet, waiting for Cinder to give her an order. Marcus rolled her eyes at the display and stayed sitting down, but looked to Cinder to let her know that he was still paying attention.

"There are things that we need to discuss." She said, flicking the knife back at him which he caught with his left hand. Emerald immediately went on attention and Marcus crossed his arms, waiting for his boss to finally reveal some of that juicy information he knows that she keeps to herself.

"It's been a week since the last time we had anything to do, is there a reason for that?" Marcus questioned, raising an eyebrow as Cinder helped herself to a seat at a table near the center of the room. She draped one leg over the other, looking at them with a smile on her face. He wondered when the last time she didn't have that smug look on her face.

"I will explain that to you later, for now, there are more important matters to discuss revolving around our plan for Beacon." Marcus leaned forward on his knees, waiting for her to continue. Emerald did the same, leaning forward slightly with an attentive look on her face. She wasn't going to miss a single word.

"We know they have that… what was her name again? Sunder?"

"Amber," Emerald corrected him with a hiss.

"Yeah, that. Ozpin probably has her in Beacon, like we assumed before. It would be the safest place to keep her." Marcus suggested with a shrug.

"You would be correct, I have sources that tell me that after our battle with the previous Fall Maiden some time ago, Qrow Branwen brought her to Vale, and has most likely brought her to Beacon. No, not likely, I know she is in Beacon." Cinder placed a hand over her heart. "I can feel it, the power, ever searching for its other half. Amber is here, so close yet so far. In order for me to gain the power I so desire, Beacon must fall."

"Fall?" Marcus snorted. "I don't know if you realized, but Beacon is kinda full to the brim with Huntsman and Huntresses. Not even I can take that many at once-" He widened his eyes as a thought came to him. "The White Fang… you're going to use them, aren't you."

"Correction; We are going to use them." Cinder said as she reached across the table she was sitting at, and picked up a drink that was sitting there. It was a bottle of brandy that Marcus fancied to bring back after a night out at some club. He was going to drink it later, but wasn't about to tell Cinder otherwise. "After some preparation. In the ensuing chaos, I will search for the dear Amber, and finish what I started. This will happen when most of the students are out on their first missions, and the school being run by the staff and some professors left behind. That is when they will be at their most vulnerable. That is when we strike."

Beacon already had their initiation phase earlier that week, just a few days ago. Marcus remembered seeing it on the news on how Beacon had officially started its new term. It was still hot in the middle of Summer, but by the time the second semester comes around in the Fall he doubted that it was going to continue after that. He knew that look in Cinder's eyes when he saw it, she wanted blood. She wasn't interested in the students, or even destruction of the school. The White Fang would deal with that themselves certainly. She was going to kill Amber, take her powers, and then kill anyone who gets in her way as she gets out. Which meant, Ozpin, Glynda, and whoever else that stands beside them. Marcus crossed his arms and sighed through his nose, for now he was willing to go through with it, as long as he got his freedom at the end of it all.

"How are we going to get to Beacon?" He asked next.

"We will have been there for weeks before it happened." Cinder revealed. "We will infiltrate the student Roster of Beacon and pose as students until the time comes. This will happen in the coming months, so I am telling you both now so you could prepare."

Marcus laughed.

"Is there something that amuses you?" Cinder asked, tilting her head slightly. Her smile faded away quickly, nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, actually." Marcus admitted. "You do realize that I am not exactly unknown to Ozpin and probably his staff too. I'd be recognized. How many people beside the Schnee's have white hair?"

It was Cinder's turn to laugh next, and Emerald was happy to join in. Chuckling lightly as Cinder took a sip straight from the bottle of brandy. She turned back to him, smile back in place and a smugness in her eyes. It seemed that she discussed this with Emerald before she did with him. That was cause for some concern, but it depended on how serious it was. He was more annoyed than anything else.

"That will not be a problem. Tell me, What was your late son's name?"

And odd question, and at a strange time as well. It wasn't like he didn't like talking about the son he murdered, he actually used Mercury as the butt or primer of some jokes he felt like telling. Or even referring to him in comparison to Emerald as a way to get an amusing reaction out of her. "Mercury." He answered simply. "Mercury Black."

"That is the name you shall be taking then, when you come with us into Beacon." Cinder smiled as he held a flat expression on his face. "Of course, you will need to do something about that distinguishable hair of yours, as well as the facial hair. However, it is a sacrifice I am sure you'd be willing to make in order to gain the freedom you desire."

Always with the freedom that he wanted. Yes, he wanted to be free, free from everything. But that was a little messed up, even for him. To pose as his dead son to assist in the infiltration of Beacon. It sounded like a silly idea, yet he knew that there was a good possibility of it working. No one knew about Mercury. He used a fake name whenever he went out, and would be an unknown to the major populace of Remnant. He even looked different than him, taking more after his mother than he did him. He could probably get away with just changing his last name from Black to whatever other name he wanted to choose. The silver hair gene would have saved his ass as well. Still, to pose as him in order to get into Beacon… how was that going to work?

"An associate of mine in Haven, the Huntsman academy in Mistral, is willing to forge us some falsified records. Yours will be Mercury White, the reasoning for changing your surname should be obvious."

"Mm." Marcus hummed. It sounded like an odd plan, he could dye his hair or throw on a wig to change his hair color. Everything else would be rather simple to change. New clothing, altered personality, shaved face and he'd practically be unrecognizable. "I don't think it would be that easy." He said. "Actually, I'd go as far as to say it's a bad idea."

"How so?" Cinder asked. Willing to hear him out. He could hear Emerald scowling at him from the side, as if asking him how he dared to question Cinder.

"Ozpin's not stupid, for one." Marcus said. "I might be able to get away with it I didn't run into anyone who would know my face. But all it would take is one teacher, or just anyone who knows my face," Like Qrow Branwen, or that young girl with the red hood. "And bam, the whole plans a bust and we are forced out of Beacon." That was also assuming that he looked young enough to be mistaken to be seventeen to twenty one years old. If he shaved, he might look young enough, but as he was now, he looked more like his age. Thanks to the natural remedy that is aura, he still had young looking features, which was one of the things he had going for him.

"Fair point, I am glad you brought it up." Cinder already knew of those risks, she was just saying that to sound fair. Marcus let her get away with it. "However, that is not the only plan I have for you."

Marcus found himself intrigued. "Go on."

"Emerald and I shall still infiltrate Beacon, but on our own. We are not known by Ozpin or his forces, at least not by name or face. You however, as you said, are at risk of being recognized. Even with a disguise." She looked as if she was thinking to herself, trying to decide between something or the other. After a few moments, she sighed quietly and nodded her head. "Yes, it is too much of a risk. I'm afraid I must agree with you on that matter. While Emerald and I go to Beacon, you shall continue to work with Roman and the White Fang, and make sure that nothing goes wrong on their end. Of course, you will have other tasks that I will assign to you via scroll from within Beacon. But your main priority would be to keep those working with us in line."

"Which quite conveniently ties in with a task I was going to bestow upon you, and Emerald as well." Cinder leaned back in her chair. There were scarce few who would dare try and come out to say that one of her plans wasn't sound, or even good. She appreciated the change of pace, and Marcus once again thanked himself for saving her and putting himself so far up on her good side. She had a small degree of trust in him. It wasn't worth that much, but it definitely made life easier for him. The fact that he was actually able to talk her out of something spoke volumes, even if it was something as small as a change of choice of plans.

"Whatever you say, I'll make sure it is done." Emerald said, loyally bowing her head in respect and submission.

Cinder internally rolled her eyes. "I am sure you will. As for you, Marcus. I feel as if this task will be right up your alley."

Something shifted within Marcus. "Someone need to be silenced?" He asked.

Cinder chuckled. "Only if they refuse to join us, that is. You are to take Emerald with you and go to these five locations," She reached into one of the pockets sewn into her red dress, and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Without standing up, she extended the paper toward him. Rolling his eyes, Marcus stood up and walked over to her to grab it. Once he did, Cinder continued. "In each location there is a person of interest of whom we must… persuade into aiding our cause, along with those who follow them. Your job will be to convince each person to join us by any means you deem necessary. Secure their loyalty, for some."

"And if they don't want to join us, I kill them?" Marcus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "Of course. I have no time to waste with rebellious criminals. I have Roman on my side, and we are appropriating the dust that we need. We are simply in need of other means of arming our forces. Such as weapons, explosives, drugs." Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever makes it even the slightest easier for us to become victorious in the coming months. Each person or people will have their own set of specialities that I would rather have on our side. So do make sure that they are dealt with properly."

Sounded easy enough. There was just one problem with this arrangement. "I work better alone." He said, jabbing a finger in Emeralds direction. "No offense to you Grass, but I don't want to have to worry about you mucking things up for me."

"Stealth and subtly are not anything you should have to rely on in this case." Cinder said matter of factly. "Emerald is going with you, and that is final. If something does go wrong, while I would presume you would be able to handle it. Emerald would be there to assist, or perhaps speak more sense to those willing to listen. Those who are not… well, you can do what you do best."

"Message received." Marcus gave Cinder a mock salute. He'd rather just hear her say kill them, and not dance around it like she did. It wasn't like he'd already killed over a hundred people already. Or was it two hundred? He stopped counting a long time ago, but maybe it was even more than that. He was rather active once he left Beacon, it could be a lot more than he even he assumes, or less. "Should I start now, or…"

"Start now." Cinder nodded her head. "The first on that list should be very willing, they would be foolish not too. I even heard that his club was assaulted recently, so he could use the extra lien."

"Hei 'Junior' Xiong, eh?" Marcus memorized the address, and stuffed the paper back into his pocket. "Leader of the Red Axe Gang…" He wondered what exactly compelled the man to name his gang something so ridiculous like that. "I'll go to him right away, see if I can get one crossed off this list real tonight."

"As you will. Notify me as soon as you cross him off your list, and tell me the result." Cinder stood up, and regarded both of them as she turned to leave the room. "I have faith in your ability to complete this task, but do make sure not to disappoint me. Neither of us will be very happy if that becomes the case."

That was a threat if he'd ever heard one. He gave Cinder a two fingered wave as he turned to Emerald, who looked nervous to a fault before she steeled herself and looked back to him. Nodding her head. "Where to?" She asked, for once not being sassy with him like she usually was.

"A club literally called The Club." Marcus snickered. "It's in downtown Vale, should be easy to find. Apparently it's a popular establishment, so it shouldn't be too hard to find." He said as he typed the address into the GPS on his scroll. It wasn't like any of the gadgets he used to have access to, but it would have to do for now.

That reminded him. Marcus frowned as he thought about it, he still had a target on his back. Defying the assassin's guild he was a part of was one thing, surviving one of their own hits another, as well was killing a dozen of them in one of their hideouts. He may be hundreds of miles away from that town he used to live nearby, but he was still in Vale. There could very well be a hit on his head, and he could very well still be targeted. Being careful was an understatement to what he had to be while he remained here.

"Let's go." Marcus said when he saw how Emerald raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about.

The Club was just as he expected it to be. Loud, colorful, full of half naked girls and foolish young men hoping to get lucky enough to get a girl that was desperate enough to take them in for a night. Though if one looked past the security guards even an idiot could figure out that there was an illegal underworld here. He wondered how this Red Axe Gang managed to actually avoid the police like this, but he already knew the answer the moment the thought popped up into his head. Police were unreliable, and fallible. They could be paid off to look the other way for even the cruelest of crimes.

"Name." One of the bouncers said as they stopped him at the entrance. There wasn't even a line, but these two dumbos were treating him like he was the beginning of one.

"Name?" Marcus laughed in the guys face. Emerald rolled her eyes behind him. "Junior is expecting a visit, Roman sent us." He lied.

The mention of Roman sent shivers down the men's spines. They looked to each other and swallowed nervously, obviously having some staring contest to decide whether or not they should actually let him in or not. One brought up a finger to a communication device in his left ear, asking the voice on the other side what he should do about this situation, and by the wince that twitched across his face it wasn't anything good.

"I-I still need a name, sir." The guy said. Calling him sir now. It was enough to make him snort.

"Just let us in and there won't be any trouble." Emerald snapped at them, they winced at the harsh tone of her voice. "If not we'll just have to let ourselves in."

"G-go right ahead." The other one stammered with a nervous laugh, turning to the side. His buddy hissed at him and asked what he was doing, but after a quick glare he became just as welcoming as he did. "Junior says he'll be waiting for you at the bar, you'll know when you see him."

"Thanks," Marcus said as he walked past him. As he was doing so he flicked off the stupid red glasses off of one of their faces. Snickering to himself as the man apologized to him for apparently getting in his way. It seemed that he was already making a name for himself around the city of Vale, or at least the criminal part of it, anyway.

Marcus whistled as he looked around the club. It had an impressive view of not just women, but of the colors and dancefloor. It was nearly full, and he had to push his way past people in order to get to the bar. Emerald kept pace behind him, not missing a single beat and keeping up with him and at his side.

One of the people he shoved by wasn't happy about it, and shoved back at him. Marcus ignored him and kepting, but sighed and rolled his eyes as he felt weak and soft hand grip his shoulder. "You deaf!? I asked why the fuck did you push me." The boy who might have been old enough to be a man, slurred. The stench of alcohol was clear every time the kid opened his mouth, and Marcus couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that this kid thought he could take him apparently.

"Let's go, Marcus." Emerald hissed, grabbing him by his other shoulder.

"What? Oh no, no, no." Marcus wiped her hand off of his shoulder, and put his hands on his hips. "This guy is funny, I wanna hear what he says next. Actually no, I'm afraid he'd attack me the moment I turn my back." He said with fear so obvious the young man in front of him burned red with humiliation.

"Ugh." Emerald groaned, realizing this was a train with no brakes.

"Yah!" The man screamed as he sloppily and weakly threw a punch at him. Marcus caught the fist easily, twisted it, broke his wrist, and kicked him in the groin. The man went tumbling to the ground like a house of cards, whining and crying about the pain Marcus inflicted on him.

"Tch, bitch." Marcus said as he turned back around to face Emerald, who was impatiently waiting with her arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground.

People decided that the guy with the White hair was someone that they should not mess with after that little stunt. Making their way to the bar was much easier after the display of power. Most assumed him to be a Huntsman, some thought he was just a tough guy. Both were wrong, he just knew how to make someone hurt. There was a man with another pair of red glasses who spotted the two of them as they made their way to the bar. Marcus sat on one of the only available stools.

"Nah ah ah," He said, stopping Emerald from taking the seat next to him. "You're too young for a bar miss, try going for a dance or two instead. See for yourself if you are capable of having fun."

"Ugh." Emerald groaned as she took the seat next to him. "Damn old man, I'm twenty years old you know."

Marcus choked on air. "Twenty!? The hell have you been doing to yourself to make it look like you're twelve?"

"Aura you idiot." Emerald hissed.

"Ah," Marcus made a face that made it look like he suddenly understood something. "That makes sense."

"Are you the ones who called for the boss? The ones sent by R.T?" The bartender asked them as he handed them cups of water, using the very obvious codename that Roman went by at times. Marcus and Emerald chose not to drink it, just in case these guys were trying to do something very stupid.

"Yup." Marcus nodded his head and made sure he popped the P at the end of the word.

The bartender nodded, idly taking note that neither of them were going to take the drink provided for them and dumped the liquid into a nearby sink. "He is in the back room, I'll take you to him."

"Lead on."

They were led around the bar and up some stairs. Somehow, the music was even louder from up there. As they walked past the railing, Marcus looked over and saw a whole view of the club. It was rather large, with at least a few dozen armed men with either batons or pistols. He noted that just in case things had to get bloody, a quick glance to Emerald told him that she did the same thing. Partway through their little walk, they were joined by two other women. One dressed in red, and the other white. They were twins, upon further observation, and they were armed. From what part of the paper Cinder gave him said, they were sort of this place's bodyguards. Protecting it from those who sought to do it harm. But they were also barely as strong as a first year Beacon student, and while that was better than most of the population of Remnant, they were nothing compared to him. He had nothing to worry about.

They were met with a tall bearded man in a relatively lax looking room. Simple with three couches aligned around a coffee table in the center of them. A TV in one of the corners of the room, even a fireplace crackling with flames as a stock of wood next to it. Marcus was happy to greet the man casually and plop down on the couch across from him.

"You must be a Junior, right? I've been told all about you." Emerald sat down next to him, but made sure she had her personal space.

"Roman sent you, right?" Junior asked, getting straight to business. "What does he want now? I didn't think he had his own lackey to do his diplomacy for him now."

Marcus might have been offended by that, but he hid it with an amused smile. "Yeah, well, you know Roman. He knows who to trust."

"Which was why he didn't send me."

"What?" Junior said, bemused and caught off guard. The guards that were stationed in the room tensed up, their hands inching their way toward their weapons.

"Marcus." Emerald hissed at him, less than amused with his blunt nature.

"What? I'm just being honest with him." Marcus leaned forward, propping himself up by his elbows and staring into the man's eyes. Junior stared back, but he obviously felt uncomfortable now.

"If Roman didn't send you, who did?" The man forced himself to ask. "I don't take kindly to those who waste my time." He added in an attempt to intimidate him.

"Good, neither do I." Marcus threw it right back at him. "Because someone far worse sent me here to secure your loyalty, and you're going to be a good dog and accept your role."

"Who do you think you're talking to!?" One of the twins behind him snarled.

"If you think you're going to come here and make demands of us. Then you need to leave." The other said as she created sparks with her weapon. The threat was clear, but Marcus was unmoved. Emerald did her best to not show that she was tensing him, and placed a hand on one of her weapons just in case things needed to get violent so they could escape.

"No, I don't think I will." Marcus said, smiling cockily and standing up. The twins made to attack him, but Junior raised a hand up, halting them.

"Who are you?" Junior asked with narrowed eyes.

"Me?" Marcus pointed to himself. "I am just your friendly neighborhood assassin. Marcus Black." He couldn't lie to himself and say he didn't enjoy the sudden look of shock and fear in the man's face as he recognized his name. It seems that his reputation precedes him, even if his appearance didn't. "Let's see here," He continued as he took out the paper Cinder gave to him. "You, my good friend, are and information broker. Right?"

"Yes…" Junior replied hesitantly. Marcus looked over his shoulder and saw the two twins back down instantly, almost all the way up against the wall. His cocky grin grew wider as he turned back to Junior.

"Good, good. Would have been a problem if I had the wrong guy." Marcus laughed at his own poor attempt at a joke. "You understand what's going on now, right Junior? You see, I got this boss," He flourished his knife in one hand. He drew it almost instantly, and everyone in the room besides Emerald started to get worried for the neutrality this room was meant to represent. But with Marcus standing and sauntering around the room without a care in the world, with his weapon drawn no less. The implication was clear, they were not equal to each other. In fact, Marcus was far above them. "This boss told me to make sure some 'people of interest' stay interested in a partnership with her, and you, my good friend, are first on the list she gave me."

He threw the knife into the empty spot on the couch next to Junior. The man recoiled and jumped in place. The guards instinctively drew their weapons out against Marcus, but none of them dared to open fire. Not even the short tempered Malachite twins sought to make him pay for that. Junior's facade broke, and the fear was easy to spot in his expression, especially when Marcus walked over and pulled the knife out from the spot next to him.

"So," Marcus sheathed the blade. "Can I consider your name crossed off?"

Junior grit his teeth, trying to be defiant. But those black eyes of Marcus Black glared right back. "You'll have whatever information you need, or my men. I'll play ball."

Marcus smirked, satisfied that his intimidation tactic worked out without much of a hitch. "Good. I'll keep in touch, make sure to not do anything that calls for me to come back here." He said as he turned around, nodded to Emerald to tell her it was time to go, and walked straight out the door. Ignoring all the guns that were still aimed at him. The twins were in their way, but they moved out at the first sign of irritation on Marcus' face.

When they walked out, Marcus stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled along the sidewalk. Emerald close behind him.

"That was pointlessly risky." Emerald hissed. "That could have easily gone wrong, what were you thinking?"

"Kid, if you don't know this by now, you're an idiot." Marcus said with a sigh. "The best motivator for a person, is fear and manipulation. How do you think one woman is able to make the whole White Fang bend to her will?"

"Still," Emerald argued. "What if he made the order to attack us?"

"Then I would have killed everyone in that room except him, and he would have joined us anyway." Marcus shrugged. "That, or I'd kill him too. Like Cinder said, we don't have the time to waste it on some rebellious criminals. Junior is just an information broker and a leader of a shitty gang anyway, it wasn't like he would have been missed dearly."

Emerald conceded to his point. He was right to a fault, Junior was pretty much useless and only good for his information. His men even more so. He wasn't even one of the big shot gang leaders in Vale as well, if anything he might have been in the top ten, maybe top eight.

"Still, I don't like it." Emerald had to say.

"Then go back to Cinder, it's not like you're doing anything useful right now just following me around." Marcus replied.

"It's not like I want to be around you all the time." Emerald pointed out. "If I didn't need to, I wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, yeah whatever, keep making your excuses." Marcus yawned. "I'm beat, let's go back to the hideout. Call it a night."

"It's morning." Emerald correctly emotionlessly.

"Then I'll wake you up and the crack of evening!" Marcus laughed.

Headmaster Ozpin stood at the windows to his office, a hand gripping a scroll behind his back. He looked over the city of Vale. Somewhere in there, a very dangerous man was hiding, and everyone he was working with was in there as well. These were desperate times, and these times are delicate since the school term had just started in Beacon. His staff were busy enough as it was, and it wasn't like he could go out there and deal with this matter himself, no matter how badly he would have liked too.

He raised the scroll up to his ear after dialing a number. It only rang once before his most trusted friend picked up.

"Qrow. Yes, he is here." Ozpin listened to the reply. "I am calling you back early, this is a matter more deserving of our immediate concern. Return to Beacon."

He hung up quickly, just as he expected him too. Ozpin sighed and looked out over the city of Vale. Remembering when times were much simpler. Complicated. But still simpler than they were now.

"What happened to you, Marcus?" He wondered out loud.

He needn't have to, he already knew the reason.

Whew, this chapter had some difficulties. First off, I'd like to thank a new friend of mine for helping me come up for a plot for Volume 1 of this story. Like I said before, in the actual show Mercury and Emerald don't really do anything until V2, leaving their whereabouts and doings shrouded in mystery. So thank you Roxas and my Beta CrowSkull for helping me out with that.

Please review and let me know what you think of the chapter!

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