Chapter 8
Author's Note: We're getting there…just a few more days until the Hunt. The Hunt is the major part of this arc, and then we'll be able to move on to more plot-tastic things. Feel free to leave a review, I'm always on the prowl for more and I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Being distracted by her own thoughts, Blake was surprised at how quickly that they reached the Vale Police Department northern precinct, just about a mile from Forever Fall. She, and Knight-General Donovan, stepped off of the VPD airship onto the roof of the police station. In the distance, one could see one of the many military stations which were kept close to locations with a high level of Grimm activity.
As the two made their way down to the first floor of the building, the Vale Police Chief immediately recognized the Knight-General. "Sir. We received your message, but…" the Police Chief glanced toward Blake, "…are you sure she can be trusted?" he asked.
"Yes. We have no reason to presume that Miss Belladonna has had any contact with the White Fang." Sir Donovan said without even a hint of hesitation. Blake couldn't figure out if he was honestly that trusting, or if he was just confident that he could still defeat the White Fang even if Blake was feeding them information.
"Yes, sir…but I'm sure you understand our concern, given that she is a confirmed terrorist." the chief said.
"Was." Sir Donovan said while pulling his scroll out of his pocket to read and respond to a text.
"Yes…sir. If I may ask, what has she done to prove that she can be trusted?" the Police Chief asked.
"She provided us with vital intelligence which ultimately lead to the successful destruction of 'Goro,' a hideout belonging to the White Fang." He said without missing a beat. "Now, if you don't' mind, I would like to ascertain more intel from our new guests." He said with a kind, but sarcastic tone.
"Yes, sir. I apologize. Please follow me." the Police Chief said as he began walking down one of the halls.
Before they begin to follow him Blake glances toward Sir Donovan and silently says, "I never gave any information about the White Fang. Since I was so young, I was still on a need-to-know basis."
The Knight-General looks toward her and smiles kindly. "Well…if they ask, your intel saved the entire commercial district of Vale." he said sarcastically.
"Is that right? Where's my key to the city, then?" Blake asked with a chuckle as the two begin to walk toward the Police Chief who glanced behind him at them.
"We're working on it." Sir Donovan said with a laugh. "But, in the meantime, let's focus on the task at hand. We're going to put handcuffs on you and throw you into the interrogation room with those other three. While in front of the criminals, expect to be treated as a criminal yourself. We have someone in there right now, who has been informed beforehand, about your arrival. First and foremost, earn their trust by remaining steadfastly resistant to anything the interrogator says to you. The interrogator will purposely be just as condescending to you as he has been with the others, but you must pretend to be highly protective of the supposed intel he will claim you have." The Knight-General said.
"Don't worry about that; I have much experience remaining calm while being spoken down to." Blake said matter-of-factly.
"Of that, I have no doubt." He said. "After the interrogator has decided that his questioning is getting him nowhere, he will request to have all four of you brought back to your cells. That is where your job will begin." Sir Donovan stated as they caught up to the Police Chief, waiting at an elevator.
"This elevator will take you to the lower levels. I would like to accompany you, but I have to be back to the residential district for a meeting. I wish you the best of luck Miss Belladonna." The Police Chief said before sliding his I.D. over a card reader, rendering the elevator operational, and walking away.
"I am not sure if I will be able to get any information, but I will do my best." Blake said as she walked onto the elevator.
"That's all I'm asking for. Thank you very much Miss Belladonna." Sir Donovan said before pressing a button labeled 'C.'
"You don't have to thank me; I am honored to help the Knights…though my team leader, Ruby, would be even happier to be helping you." Blake said with a slight blush. "And, of course, if I can get any information that will help save people, that would be great." She continued as the elevator began to move.
"By the way, you will also need to remove the ribbon from your head." He said.
"Oh! Of course. I've gotten so used to it, I often forget it is there." Blake said while removing her ribbon, revealing her ears.
"Cat, eh? Why do you choose to hide your faunus traits?" Sir Donovan asked.
"I would rather people judge me on my character, rather than my species." Blake simply replied, not hiding her dissatisfaction with answering a question she has answered countless times before.
"Commendable…but, counterproductive." The Knight-General said.
"I'm sorry?" Blake asked, having never heard someone take the time to argue her answer.
"By hiding your faunus traits, you are indirectly stating to the world that you wish for them to see you as human. So when these same people judge based on your character, they do so under the assumption that you are human. Don't you want to change their opinions of the faunus? That's not going to happen if you hide your faunus nature." The Knight-General said as the elevator opened again.
"I…suppose I have never thought of that." Blake said as she began following him.
"Does your team even know that you're a faunus?" Sir Donovan said.
Blake only looked at her feet as she walked.
"I see. Do you honestly think that they would treat you differently if they knew?" he asked.
"No. I highly doubt it." Blake said.
"Well, just think about what I've said…" Sir Donovan said. "…after all, it's the least you can do." He continued with a much happier tone.
"Least I can do for what?" Blake asked.
They arrived to the interrogation room and saw three police officers, watching the live recording of what was going on in the room, through the glass part of the door. "For destroying my yard." The Knight-General said with a smug smirk before opening the door.
"Welcome General and…" one of the officers started.
"Blake Belladonna" The Knight-General said since Blake was still slightly surprised that Sir Donovan knew they were training in his yard.
"Miss Belladonna, we appreciate your help." The officer finished.
"It's no problem at all." Blake said, finally snapping out of it.
"Here, we're going to need you to change into…their attire. There's a bathroom three doors down the hall, on the right." A faunus officer, with black ears on his head, said as he handed her a White Fang uniform. "I would have done all of this myself, but I was on duty earlier this morning when they were brought in." he said in an apologetic tone.
"It's alright. Honestly, I should have begun assisting you all when I first left the White Fang…but…" Blake began.
"You were raised by them…it's understandable that you would have a desire to not see them hurt." The final officer, who is presumably the sergeant of the three, said.
Blake said nothing and simply left the room to walk to the bathroom. The Knight-General was looking at the weapons that were confiscated from the White Fang, noticing that they were not the typical weapons that they have usually had. It has been nearly twenty years since the four kingdoms upgraded their military's weapons en masse, from a lead bullet propelled by a gunpowder charge, to their current antimatter accelerated energy rifles.
The White Fang, being a terrorist organization, cannot remain financially stable enough to obtain these newer models of rifles. Because of this, the White Fang had been using the older lead-firing weapons. However, the weapons confiscated from these criminals were, in fact, modern, and well-kept, energy rifles. "Have you been able to trace these weapons back to a specific manufacturer?" Sir Donovan asked.
"No; but more importantly, these weapons aren't just missing their serial numbers, they were never given serial numbers." The sergeant said.
"So, we have a firearms manufacturer that is making weapons explicitly to sell to the White Fang for an extra profit…or a firearm manufacturing sympathizer who is giving them weapons." The Knight-General stated right as Blake walked back into the room.
"Well, let's waste no time." The sergeant said as he pulled out his handcuffs and began walking toward Blake. "And, if you feel that you have obtained enough information, or there's something that you think you should tell us immediately, complain that you want to take a shower, that'll be our code phrase. Officer Dorian is a bat faunus…so, with his hearing, he will definitely hear you though the door." The sergeant said with a smug grin.
While waiting for the officers to get everything set up, Blake looked at the camera and was relieved that she didn't recognize any of the faunus being interrogated. She might just have a chance of pulling this off. Of the three that were captured, two were men and one was a woman. They were each wearing their typical White Fang attire: a white, sleeveless jacket with a black undershirt and dark gray pants; they were only missing the Grimm masks that they were notorious for wearing.
The woman was a dog faunus who had brown, shoulder length hair, brown eyes, and had a habit of showing her fangs. She had a very athletic frame and was probably about Weiss' height. Both of the men were quite muscular but one was about Yang's height while the other was easily over six feet tall. The shorter man was a deer faunus with blue eyes and a bald head. The tall man was probably a goat faunus, since he had horns protruding from his head curling into a spiral; he was bald on the sides of his head, but had a Mohawk about two inches tall.
"Alright, remember to get on their good side…act like a different person if you have to. I assume the Knight-General has already informed you of the plan we have devised, correct?" Officer Dorian asked.
"Yes." Blake said as she attempted to adjust her arms to be more comfortable, to no avail.
"Okay, then let's head on in." Officer Dorian said.
They walked over to the door and opened it, which caused the three White Fang members and the interrogator to look up. The room was just large enough for table to be placed in the center and for two of the criminals to sit across from the interrogator. The last White Fang member, the taller man, was sitting next to his cohorts but off to the right side of the table. "Look what we found on the ship! A stowaway in the cargo department…" Officer Dorian said as he pulled a chair out from the outside of the door, of the interrogation room, and brought it in for Blake to sit down to the left of the terrorists. "Sit." He demanded.
Blake jerked her arm away from Officer Dorian and slumped down in the chair. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" he asked.
"Go to Hell…damn traitor." Blake said, showing her fangs.
"Traitor?" the bat faunus asked.
"You turned you back on your own species." Blake stated.
"Because I don't believe in supremacy?" Dorian said, playing along extremely well.
"NO! It's about demanding our rights, you pussy sycophant!" Blake yelled then turned her head to the interrogator. "Are we just going to sit here? Get on with it." Blake said.
"Damn lunatic." Officer Dorian said as he opened the door to walk out.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is James. May I ask yours?" the interrogator asked in the politest tone.
"Yu." Blake said, completely uninterested.
"Yu? That sounds like a surname. What is your first name?" James asked.
"Fuk." Blake stated in an equally uninterested tone. That caused the woman sitting to her immediate right to laugh, the shorter man to snicker, and the taller man to gain a large smile.
"Fuk Yu?" James asked with an annoyed grin.
"Is there something wrong?" Blake asked.
"No. Listen, we both want the same thing here." James began.
"I doubt that…" the dog faunus mumbled.
"No, seriously. I want the faunus to be treated with equality. But if you keep acting this way, you'll never get the support you need to make any real difference." James said.
"Because we choose to be strong and resilient in the face of dominance!" Blake explained.
James states his retort, "No, if you would simply–"
"We 'act this way' in order to demand the respect we deserve!" Blake continues to yell.
Seeing where Blake is headed, James follows right along in a more annoyed tone, "Listen! We can only work this–"
"It's your species that keeps treating us like animals!" Blake growled.
"Well then, stop acting like a bunch of goddamn animals!" James yelled.
"WE ARE NOT ANIMALS YOU RACIST FUCK!" The dog faunus yelled out.
James sighs, presses a button, and speaks, "Can we please take them back to their cells." All three of the officers proceed to enter the room and take each of the White Fang members and carry them out, followed by Blake, who was taken by James. Blake was the last in the line to be carried out of the room, so when everyone else had exited the door to the hallway, Sir Donovan gave a thumbs up to Blake.
It was about 5:45pm when Blake and the Knight-General arrived at the Police station and nearly an hour since they had been thrown into their cells, though most of the talk had been small talk and getting to know each other. Blake managed to become something of a celebrity among the three White Fang members, since she was talking about her many escapades with their intrepid leader, Adam. Blake had no problem lying in order to stay undercover, but at the moment, she didn't have to lie, making it all that much easier to earn their trust.
Blake had learned that the dog faunus' name was Sofia and that she had been a member of the White Fang since her birth, much like Blake. Though, the indoctrination had been much more powerful in Sofia's regard. The shorter man's name was Antonio and the taller man's was Mikail. The only thing of note about the two of them was that Mikail was mute, so Blake didn't bother prying too deep into his story.
"Which outpost are you guys from?" Blake asked.
"Luna. Aren't you? I thought the only people taking part in this raid were from Luna base." Sofia said.
"True. But Adam thought it would be beneficial to send to me along on a high-priority mission with you guys, to 'see how it's done' as he put it. I'm 17, so…" Blake explained.
"…so you've got your initiation coming up and you needed some independent experience. Well, I'm sorry our mission didn't quite go according to plan." Antonio said.
"Not point dwelling on it. Why, though, did you still choose to attack even while knowing that the Knight-General would be aboard? I didn't get a lot of time to read the briefing, but from what I did read, I would have drastically overhauled the plan after finding out he would be on the airship." Blake explained in as detailed, yet vague, manner as she possibly could.
"Well…there was really no other option…" Sofia started.
"I've probably not been on as many missions as you three, but there aren't many things out there that the White Fang is so desperate that they would willingly fight the Knights head-on." Blake said in a concerned tone.
"That's what I can't figure out either…all they wanted was this silly box of syringes and preservatives. Who cares how expensive they are; why did they need them?" Antonio asks to no one in particular.
"Well, from the research I've done, they're state-of-the-art. Something about being 'impossible to contaminate' I think." Blake said, talking out of her ass, mostly. She didn't know about any syringes, but the preservatives were most likely the new formula that the Union of Hunters, a coalition formed between the four hunting academies of Remnant (Beacon Academy, Haven Academy, Shade Academy, and Atlas Academy) had recently developed. "Normal DNA uses citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine (CPDA) to preserve it without freezing…which would only last for about a month, at most. However, the Union of Hunters managed to merge time dust within the nucleus of the atoms of CPDA. Though I don't know the specifics, I do know that now the tissue and blood samples can be preserved for hundreds of years and, more importantly, without contamination." Blake thought to herself, wondering what the White Fang's employer would need with tissue samples.
"Why won't they tell us what they need it for…it just pisses me off." Blake said.
"No kidding. A friend of mine asked the pretty boy about it and he just said, 'Because our boss is into blood-play.' What a fucking creep." Sofia said with a scoff.
"Pretty boy?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, the criminal all over the news…Roman. He's got the hair covering half his face, ridiculously long eyelashes, and wears that silly hat." Sofia said with a chuckle.
"Don't forget the cane-gun." Antonio said with a laugh.
"Oh, I know who you're talking about." Blake said with a smile. "I think that is the same guy that Ruby had a run-in with when someone tried to rob her in that dust store." Blake thought as she attempted to put what few pieces she had together.
"I wonder who the big boss is? I don't know about you guys, but I haven't seen or heard anything about them at all." Blake said.
"Same. I don't think anyone except for Adam, and his lieutenants, get to speak with them." Antonio said.
"Speaking of which, why is this new boss so impatient? I'm sure these 'new syringes,' or whatever, will be in every lab soon. Why did we need to get our asses handed to us by a Knight when we could have just waited and robbed a bunch of eggheads in a year or two?" Sofia asked aloud.
"Well, Roman is a human. Maybe the new boss is, too, and they don't care what happens to us." Blake said.
"Yeah, maybe. But would Adam just sell us out like that?" Sofia asked.
"Look at the new weapons they got us: antimatter rifles, airships, and mechs? Adam probably saw it as too good of an opportunity for our movement to pass up." Antonio interjected.
"I agree. We'll be a much more formidable force now." Blake said. "Great. Now they have mechs and airships, too." She thought looking at the clock and seeing that it was almost 7:00pm. "Yang is probably worried about me. Ruby too. Weiss…probably doesn't care. We did say that we would meet up in the cafeteria at 8:00pm. I should probably be getting back soon." Blake thought with a grin.
"Ugh. First I had to run my way through Forever Fall to get here, which took like four hours. Then I had to sneak onto the airship, which I managed to do by hiding in the trash. And then I had to fight a bunch of asshole security officers before getting tackled to the ground…needless to say, I just want a shower and a bed." Blake said as she laid her body back until she was laying on the ground.
"I heard that! I would do anything for a bit of relaxation. Those two meatheads never clean themselves." Sofia said.
"I'll have you know–" Antonio started to say but was silenced by the door opening.
"Alright bitch…you think that's funny?" Officer Dorian asked in a very pissed manner.
"I wouldn't have done it otherwise." Blake said.
"Some of them were innocent cargo workers!" Officer Dorian said.
"What happened?" Sofia asked.
"I slipped an open bag of ricin into the air vents of the ship. When the air turned on, it poisoned the whole ship." Blake said with a smile.
"That's fucking badass!" Antonio said.
"You're fucking sadistic!" Officer Dorian said as he opened up the cell and grabbed Blake by the arm. "We'll let the Knight-General deal with you." He said as he carried her out and relocked the cell.
After exiting the cell-hallway, Officer Dorian turned and began laughing as he unlocked Blake's handcuffs. "You know, you're one-of-a-kind." He said.
"None of this was particularly new to me. Had I stayed in the White Fang, I probably would have ended up in covert ops, or something." Blake said with a grin.
"Well, everyone is waiting for you in the conference room." Officer Dorian said.
It only took a few minutes to reach the conference room. The room was decorated in a very old Victorian style with a large, rectangular, glass table in the middle of the room. There were ten seats on each side of the table and one seat at each of the two ends. The Knight-General and Headmaster Ozpin were speaking with the Police Chief when they walked in, While Glynda Goodwitch sat two seats down on the left side of the table, reading a book and drinking a coffee. "That was quick." Ozpin said with a smile after pouring a cup of coffee.
"They were just grunts, though I did obtain as much as I could…you might it find useful." Blake said.
"Very well. Officer Dorian, that will be all." The Chief said after taking a sip of his coffee.
"Yes sir." Officer Dorian said before walking out.
"Now…Let's sit and discuss this further." The Chief said as he sat down at one end of the table farthest from the door. Ozpin followed suit by sitting at one of the ten seats to the Chief's immediate right, right next to Glynda. The Knight-General, however, made his way to the coffee maker and poured two extra cups. He walked over to Blake, who stood next to the seat opposite of Ozpin, and sat a cup in front of her along with a carton of cream and a bowl of sugar in the middle of the four. Sir Donovan then made his way to Glynda's right, who had put her book away, and sat down.
"First and foremost, they were after the new preservatives that the Union of Hunters have just recently developed." Blake said as she generously added cream to her coffee and began to add sugar. Blake, being the only one to sit in front the four adults, was the only person to see Sir Donovan's eyes go wide when he heard preservatives, though she didn't know why.
"That's all? I'll admit it's a wonderful discovery, but not worth that much, monetarily." Glynda said, drinking her coffee black, just like Ozpin.
"Those three don't know why they were tasked with getting it, but it's not actually the White Fang who is interested. Apparently, Adam sold out in order to obtain better weaponry. Adam might be in charge of the White Fang, but there is someone else calling the big shots." Blake explained before taking a sip of her coffee.
"So that's how they got the new energy rifles. I wonder how much power this person has in order to arm an entire terrorist organization." Sir Donovan wondered aloud, mixing milk and sugar into his beverage. Again, Blake noticed the Knight-General deep in thought and not really paying attention.
"A lot. Especially since the firearms are only the start. They also told me that this new boss has given them, not only rifles, but airships and mechs as well." Blake continued.
"Damn! This is quickly evolving into a breach of national security." The Chief said.
"Indeed. Did they give you any information on this new boss?" Ozpin asked.
"Nothing about the boss…but apparently Roman Torchwick is this new boss' right-hand-man." Blake said before looking to Glynda. "Didn't you help Ruby when she fought with him during the summer?" Blake asked.
"Yes. And I remember there being a woman in an airship giving Roman orders. Perhaps she is the mastermind here?" Glynda said.
"I suppose it would be too much to ask if you remember her face?" the Chief asked.
"I'm sorry; it was at night and she was in an airship." Glynda said.
"It's quite alright, Glynda. We'll figure this out one step at a time." Ozpin said. "Is there anything else?" He asked after looking back to Blake.
"Well…I think that this new boss might be getting a bit impatient. She still wanted this attack to go through knowing that the Knight-General would be there, despite there probably being many more, safer, opportunities down the line." Blake said.
"Dammit." Sir Donovan mumbled.
"General?" the Chief asked.
"It's nothing. This is just making me quite angry, to be honest." Sir Donovan said.
"Other than that, all I know is that they were from Luna base. It's located under a series of warehouses in the industrial district, which has a ton of warehouses." Blake said.
"I'll be sure to have some of our Hunters scout the area out." Ozpin stated.
"Well, we know what's happening, now. However, we'll definitely need more proof, than a young woman's recollection, to prove that this kingdom needs to begin taking the White Fang seriously." The Chief said.
"What about two identically matching recollections?" Blake asked.
"Are you suggesting we try this again?" the Chief asked.
"No. Officer Dorian is a bat faunus, so I'm sure he heard everything that we were talking about in there. Ask him about it and I'm sure you'll get the same answers." Blake said.
"Alright. Well, I appreciate your help Miss Belladonna." The Chief said as he extended his hand for Blake to shake, which she did. "I need to write up a report on everything that I've heard…I hope all of you have a wonderful night." The Chief said before pouring out the rest of his coffee and walking out.
"How dare he pour out a perfectly good mug of coffee." Ozpin said sarcastically, getting a chuckle from the Knight-General.
"I do believe that we have held you here long enough, Blake. I'm sure you want to get back to Beacon and get some rest…you'll need it for tomorrow." Sir Donovan said.
"Yes. But, we have all been training very hard, I think we're ready." Blake said after finishing her coffee. She then stood up, placed her coffee mug next the Chief's, and made her way to the door, but stopped before exiting. "When my teammates and I meet up tonight, we were going to tell each other about everything we found out today. Should I keep all of this hidden?" Blake asked.
"There is no need to sow the seeds of mistrust within your team. You can tell them about the events which transpired today." Ozpin said.
"Yes, sir." Blake said.
"And your clothes are sitting on the nightstand to your right." Glynda said. "You can just give what your wearing to the receptionist on your way out." She continued.
"Yes, ma'am." Blake said.
"And don't forget what I spoke to you about earlier, Blake." Sir Donovan said, causing Blake to look at him. "Good luck during the Hunt." He said before giving Blake a warm smile.
"Thank you, sir." She said as she walked out.