Disclaimer, I do not own RWBY
Chapter 22: True Colours
A chilly breeze blew through the mostly empty park, the sky was just beginning to lighten as the first golden rays of dawn peaked through the clouds overhead. Jaune sat on a bench by himself, tossing a handful of corn to several birds in the area. Smiling softly, he settled in to wait, reading a newspaper.
It didn't long before an elderly gentlemen came along and took a seat next to Jaune, setting his own paper down between them. "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"
"It is, I hope it stays that way," Jaune replied, folding up the newspaper and tossing another handful of corn to the birds. "Did you perchance see the weather report?"
"I'm afraid I did, they're predicting that a thunderstorm will hit soon."
Jaune's face fell at the news. "I see, is there time to enjoy the morning at least?"
"I'm not sure lad," the old man replied, shaking his head and gesturing to the sky. "There weren't any specifics, but you can see the clouds from here, might already be drizzling in some places."
"Is that so? That's a pity." Jaune shut his eyes and supressed a sigh. "Then I should be going, I'd rather not get caught in the rain. You take care of yourself too, alright?"
"Course lad, I got years left in me yet."
Jaune offered a smile and a nod before rising to his feet. Setting his paper on the bench and dusting himself off, Jaune grabbed the other newspaper before walking away.
On his way out of the park, Pyrrha emerged from the shadows to walk alongside him, having already made sure the coast was clear. "What news?"
"We'll know soon, whatever it is, it's bad," Jaune muttered.
"Severity?"
"Thunderstorm imminent," Jaune said, jostling the newspaper to make sure the data drive hidden inside was still secure. "Come on, we should get out of the open fast."
Emerald walked into the Cotta-Arc living room to find Jaune pinching the bridge of his nose and swearing silently. "Problem?"
"You could say that, Atlas just got complicated," Jaune hissed in reply. "Things are moving faster than I thought and we are going to have to make one hell of a mess before the dust settles."
"Mess!? Woah, woah, that's Atlas we're talking about. We're not fighting our way out of that," Emerald cautioned in alarm. "What the hell happened?"
"Cleaning up loose ends? A distraction? Who the hell knows?" Jaune bit his thumbnail in agitation, mind racing through all the different possible reasons for the disastrous turn of events. "My… how shall we say, former acquaintance Weiss has just been arrested for murder."
"Murder? That prissy councilwoman? Come on, don't you have anything better to do than bullshit me?" Emerald rolled her eyes in disbelief than paused. "Unless…"
"Replicant nonsense no doubt," Jaune concurred. "The issue isn't that she's been accused of murder, it's the 'who' that I'm worried about. First, our man Mr Marigold has evidently been put on ice, then… Jacques's death is now also being pinned on her."
"As in Jacques Schnee? But you did that, everyone knows it, lousy frame job in my opinion," Emerald pointed out nonchalantly. "But if Marigold is dead, where does that leave us?"
"I haven't seen a body yet so I'll reserve judgement on Marigold actually being dead. Given how people just don't fu-ahem, just don't stay dead anymore, there's a non-zero chance he's actually alive and in hiding." Jaune steepled his fingers in thought. "It's someone trying to pin Jacques on Weiss that has me worried, why do something that obviously wrong? The charge will never stick since the evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of her innocence and I should know. So what game are they playing?"
"To annoy you maybe? You might be reading too much into things," Emerald suggested. "If it is Replicants again, odds are, they know about Vacuo by now and this is their way of telling you to go screw yourself. Maybe."
"By accusing Weiss of something so blatantly false? It can't be that simple, there must be some other angle I'm missing. It has to be a trap, but what kind, I have no idea." Jaune scratched his hair in frustration. "This isn't like Vacuo, that… bait, was far more personal than this."
"Best they could do on short notice? Trying to say they can do a better job taking down Schnee than you? Who knows, maybe you're not even the intended target, I hear both big and small Schnee have been doing their best to impede the Replicants as well," Emerald shrugged.
"Not the… that could… if it's him…" Jaune trailed off, mind already trying to fit the puzzle pieces together under the new angle. "Well, never mind for now. This has given us an opportunity, word is, Weiss is going to be shifted to a facility in Mantle, if she isn't already there. Oh sure, she'll be under heavy guard, but there's no better time than now to collect her."
"Colle-you're going to kidnap her!?" Emerald all but shouted. "You're not serious, that's like… an act of war or… or something. What happened to just going to Atlas to figure things out?"
"Kidnap is a strong word, I'd prefer if you not use it where my nephew can hear it," Jaune said with distaste. "But yes, that's the new plan. I'm still going to verify my suspicions, and having her along for the ride will make things a little smoother."
"Smoother? Suspected murderer or not, that's a councilwoman Jaune," Emerald said. "If we grab her, all of Mantle will be swarming with huntsmen and mechs, how the hell is that going to make things smoother? God damn, I can't believe you're the same guy too worried about stability to go after Malachite, does your hatred of her run that deep?"
"Smoother for me, before I was going to have you and Mercury help all the way. Now though, I just need you to help me get the Schnee bitch and I can handle the rest. With her clearance, I'll walk right through the front door and no one will be able to stop me," Jaune explained. "I'm still working out the details, but once Weiss is in my hands, you and Mercury will be free to go to ground, we'll be staging it to look like a Replicant attack, they won't see it coming."
"Your mind is made up?" Emerald asked.
"Yes, it's the chance of a lifetime so generously delivered to me, I wouldn't miss it for the world." Jaune's smile turned ever more sinister as he chuckled softly in anticipation. "Even though it's Atlas, I can easily bribe enough people for things to go our way. The armouries won't notice a few rocket launchers go missing until it's too late."
"Rocke-what about the collateral damage? Hey, I got no issues killing, but random mass murder isn't something I'd like on my rap sheet."
"Relax, I'm not about to start firing high explosives into a crowded street. I mean, come on Em, I didn't do that in Vacuo why would I be doing it now?" Jaune sighed, a little annoyed at the insinuation that he'd be willing to commit mass murder just to get revenge on one person. "No, if I remember Atlas's detention protocols for VIPs right, they'll be holding her in a processing centre for now, not quite a jail, more of a… hotel for one that you can't leave freely. They're many things, built to withstand heavy assault isn't one of them. I'm not expecting loss of life, but massive property damage is guaranteed."
"A hotel? That doesn't sound right." Emerald furrowed her brows in thought. "Don't they have hardlight containment cells for high value prisoners? Especially ones with their aura unlocked?"
"I mean, if she's actually charged for the murders, that'll change and of course she'll be shifted to a proper containment facility then. But at the moment, she's just 'assisting' with investigations. I'm sure they expect the mess to be cleared up soon and that she's going to walk. In that case, it wouldn't do to piss off an already annoyed council member," Jaune said.
"But that investigation is never going to complete, right? Because of us," Emerald shrugged and sighed. "Whatever, for the record, I think this is a terrible idea."
"For what it's worth, most of my ideas start out terrible, it's just that I've just gotten much better at hammering them into workable plans on the go," Jaune said.
"Real encouraging," Emerald muttered.
"Are you leaving already?" Saphron fussed over Jaune's appearance one last time before giving him a goodbye hug. "Adrian's going to miss you."
"I'll miss him too, but I have things to settle," Jaune clasped his sisters hand to reassure her. "Don't worry, it's not going to be forever, I just need to settle things and then maybe I'll be free to drop by for this year's family reunion for once."
"You will? I'll hold you to that mister, Arc's promise?"
"Haa, alright Arc's promise Saph." Jaune gave in and smiled wryly. "Stay safe sis, and don't worry about me, I make the impossible possible regularly, this time's not going to be any different."
"So what's the plan?" Mercury asked while looking up at the Argus base's imposing gate. "We go in, do the test and just wait for our flight?"
"Yes, it's that simple. And I swear Mercury, if you get us all killed because you can't remember what's one plus one, I'll kick the shit out of you in hell." Jaune cracked a joke before becoming serious. "Okay, bad joke. In all seriousness, I've secured passage as Specialist Pyrite, you two are freelance huntsmen I contracted in Vacuo for transporting a captured prisoner and we're all going to Atlas to make a report in person. Right now, just pass the simple test and we should be in the air within three hours."
"Where's Grey? They're not coming with us?" Emerald looked around for the missing fourth member of their little unit, not finding them anywhere. "And here I was thinking we'd finally be able to see what's under that mask."
"Grey's got their own assignment-ah fuck, not like there's a point in hiding it. Saphron is my sister and despite the uh… disowning, they're still family to me. I'm not taking the chance that whoever's behind the Replicants won't go after them to get to me, Grey's staying behind for a little longer to get them properly secured," Jaune admitted. "They'll be making their way to Atlas on their own and rendezvous with us later. For now, let's just worry about our own parts, getting to Atlas and then securing Weiss Schnee."
"Aight, what's our exit strategy though? Atlas is… not a place I've done many jobs in. I got nothing." Mercury shrugged.
"At the moment, that's a work in progress. My clearance as Pyrite should get us access to an airship, but after what we're going to do, it's possible Atlas will be going into lockdown and that clearance will be revoked," Jaune shook his head and laid the facts bare. "I don't know where they're holding the Schnee bitch yet, if we're in luck, it'll be in Mantle, then walking out through the mines is always an option. If she's still being held in Atlas though, that one's a little more complicated. There are a few safehouses we can use to lay low until the heat falls off."
"A little barebones, but I'll take it," Emerald snarked then hung her head. "I still can't believe we're doing this. Kidnapping a councilwoman wanted for murder is going to make us Atlas's most wanted… not that it's much of a difference for you."
"Heheheh, you're not wrong about that." Jaune glanced at his watch and slapped his cheeks to get himself back in the proper mindset. "It's time. We'll be in different examination rooms, let's just get this done nice and easy. Since the Replicants have been screwing with everyone by pretending to be who they're not and Atlas knows about it, it won't be too difficult to pin this one on them… let's see how they like it."
"Specialist, a word." Cordovin dismissed her attendants and the examiners, leaving just Jaune and herself in the room. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but the situation in Atlas is deteriorating faster than I thought possible."
"Is this about Councilwoman Schnee? I… received news that she was being investigated for murder," Jaune replied.
"So you know, excellent, then I don't have to beat around the bush. This is clearly enemy action, they're striking right at our leaders to cripple us," Cordovin said. "This insult cannot be allowed to stand, it needs to be rectified asap."
"I… I can't tell what the goal of such an action is Ma'am, why go after the younger sister? General Winter holds two seats and commands the entire Atlesian military, as long as she's in command, she can drive Atlas by herself," Jaune replied.
"You're too focused on the big picture. Yes, the general is still fully capable of holding Atlas together, but if the situation isn't resolved, doubt will easily spread through the ranks, those Replicants still hiding within will see to that. Small whispers become big rumours that eventually become the only truth, it doesn't matter that the charges are fake, General Schnee will be seen as an accomplice in the murder of her own father, that's not a stigma that can be shook easily. Lack of faith in leadership is fatal to overall unity and cohesion."
"I had not considered that," Jaune muttered. "If that happens, the Replicants will eat us alive before we can recover."
"It's imperative these false charges are dealt with. Right now, I'm sure they're doing what they can to suppress the story, but Atlas can only stall for so long. Specialist Pyrite, you know what you must do." Cordovin closed her eyes with a sigh. "It's not my place to ask this of you but-"
"I understand perfectly commander, with duty comes sacrifice," Jaune intoned, regurgitating words he'd heard long ago with a tinge of bitterness. "I will do what needs to be done, as I always have, as I always will."
"Thank you, specialist." Cordovin snapped off a quick salute before heading out herself. "I will do what I can to maintain the situation in Argus, it's all I can do now. I'll leave Atlas to you and your comrades."
"Yes Ma'am, you can count on us."
Weiss sat at the lone desk the room had been furnished with, clutching a cup of hot coffee with two shaky hands. Things could certainly be worse all things considered, she had a nice room with all the amenities she could want, access to her scroll and the ability to get in touch with her friends, sympathetic investigators and the Ace Ops who believed in her innocence, not bad for someone accused of murder.
"Come on Weiss, stop… stop shaking, please…" Weiss grimaced and tried to tighten her grip on the cup, only for the quivering to intensify, making it nearly impossible to hold the thing, let alone drink from it.
Giving up on trying, She set the mug back on the table with a thud and then clasped her hands together, trying to will herself to stop shaking. Logically speaking, there was nothing to worry about. To avoid having a Replicant masquerading itself as her and sabotaging Atlas, her scroll was constantly updating a log with all of her latest activity.
Anyone with the right clearance could see but not edit it, not even she could change what was logged, just one look would indicate that she never had the time to go out and murder Henry Marigold. And her father? All the evidence pointed to Jaune, that case had been settled years ago even if Jaune himself stayed out of Atlas's prisons. Everything was going to be fine.
But the irrational side of her was just a few dark thoughts away from reigning supreme. If things were fine, why hadn't the investigators or Clover come to release her yet? What if they had found something the Replicants left behind to indict her? What if, what if, what if… her mind was full of 'what ifs'. And here alone in this room, without her friends around, all she had was paranoia, worry and guilt eating away at her.
"Come on Weiss, you're head of the SDC and a councilwoman, you can handle thi-yes! Come in!" Weiss spun to face the door as she heard a knock. Schooling her features into the perfect visage of a confident councilwoman, she folded her arms and resolved to not allow any of her inner turmoil to show.
"Good afternoon Ms Schnee, I hope the accommodations were to your liking," Clover said, offering a wan smile in greeting, then read off the short poem displayed on the CRT monitor in the corner.
"Clover, how are things out there?" Weiss relaxed slightly when Clover proved to be human. "You have good news I hope?"
At this, Clover's smile fell and he sighed. "I'm… sorry Ma'am, but it's a mixed bag."
"Of course it's never that simple." Weiss echoed his sigh and brought a hand up to her forehead. "How'd they do it? How'd they frame me? I thought the logs were supposed to counter this sort of nonsense."
"That's the problem Ma'am, according to the logs, you were at the crime scene. There was also an audio transcript of you arguing with Mr Marigold about nationalising his family business before several gunshots," Clover explained to an incredulous Weiss.
"Excuse me!? I was never there! There's no way-I thought the logs were supposed to be immutable!" Weiss all but shouted. "Are you telling me they hacked my scroll and falsified the data!?"
"…We think it's worse than that." Clover bowed his head and admitted.
"T-the main server!?" Weiss's horrified whisper boomed in the silent room.
"That's what some of the tech guys are thinking," Clover said after a moment. "But others are saying it's the connection that might be compromised. We couldn't find any trace of tampering in the server or on your scroll, so they're saying someone intercepted the data transmission from the scroll and edited the details before it arrived."
"Intercepted the… who's even capable of something like that? T-the scroll, it uses the most secure channel provided by the CCT doesn't it? If that's compromised…" Weiss trailed off, not wanting to think of the ramifications of such a breach. "So, where does that leave us?"
"Haah… the investigation continues I'm afraid. We're still on track to beating this, there are other air gapped monitoring devices tracking all council members. Those are still reporting correctly and yours clearly state you were in your office during the estimated time of murder," Clover said. "If the Replicants were expecting some kind of silver bullet with their hacking, they're sorely mistaken."
"They have me locked up here where I can't get in their way, their goal might have already been accomplished." Weiss pessimism bled through despite her best efforts to rein it in. "Are we sure the body is truly Henry Marigold and not a Replicant or some body double."
"…The body belonged to an actual human who matches Mr Marigold's appearance. Based on the autopsy and DNA report, it's definitely him," Clover replied. "The issue is…"
"Given how compromised we are, there's no way of telling if our records are even correct, right?" Weiss finished, receiving a sombre nod in return. "Okay… so we're stuck there. What about my… father. Why am I still being accused of his murder? Has new evidence magically turned up as well?"
"No, not really. The evidence there is circumstantial at best. Someone 'found' grainy footage purporting to show you stabbing Mr Schnee in the back and then leaving him for dead. There are also supposed witnesses who claim they heard you speak of the murder," Clover answered.
"In… the back?" Weiss said slowly, keeping her feelings on the matter from showing.
"I know, it doesn't quite match the records. And aside from that, there's also the issue of the footage being from a camera that doesn't match any installed in Vale's CCT. There's enough discrepancies that we should be able to disprove the claim easily, but we're holding off on that for now."
"Why?" Weiss narrowed her eyes at the idea of letting it hang over her.
"Because if we show our hand now, the Replicants might try something else. And you'll still be stuck here until the situation with Marigold can be cleared up," Clover explained, wincing a little as Weiss's glare bore into his head. "For now, this is probably the least of all evils."
"Fine. I get it. But that means I still can't get any work done and I'm still not going to be allowed to see RRBYN." Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Thank you for the update Clover, know that I don't hold this against you or the rest. But… they got us good, didn't they?"
"I'm sorry Ma'am, I really am."
"Hmm… a little out of the way, but I can work with this," Jaune muttered and rubbed his chin in thought. He didn't look up when Emerald and Mercury entered, merely acknowledging them with a grunt and continuing to pour over a map of Atlas and Mantle.
"You know, I really missed being undercover, surrounded by people who would try to kill me if they ever figured things out," Mercury said, plopping himself down on a spare chair and kicking his boots up on the table. "So thanks for dragging us back into this crap, really man, thanks a bunch, I don't know what I could have done without you."
"Quit messing up my map Mercury, and it's not that difficult," Jaune retorted. "You get used to it pretty quickly, I should know. And it's not like you've never done this before."
"Yeah well, Beacon was a long time ago for both of us," Emerald said. "So, we got your message, things finally settled? We good to go?"
"yes… mostly. So Atlas is on higher alert than I initially expected, it took some wrangling but my contact's been able to scrounge up some heavy ordinance in time. No luck on the ride out though, all flights out are on lockdown unless personally cleared by the general." Jaune grimace and sighed. "No way I'm bribing a Schnee to get us out, even if I put everything I had on the line, I still wouldn't be able to afford it."
"How heavy are we talking about? Heavy by normal people standards or heavy by Atlas standards?" Emerald asked.
Jaune smiled viciously and looked up. "Man-portable battleship grade cannons. They're technically still prototypes, but they've already begun field testing with very promising results."
Mercury whistled appreciatively. "Damn, where the hell you'd get something like that?"
"Well, my reach is limited, but we got lucky this time." Jaune stressed the luck part. "The military is about two steps away from total lockdown of its arsenal to prevent Replicants from getting their hands on 'too hot to handle' goods. Unfortunately for them, their grip on their R&D division isn't quite up to snuff. A few thousand lien for someone to 'forget' to lock a door or 'accidentally' place something in the wrong area, well, mistakes happen all the time."
"Easy money for them and you walk away with multi-million lien equipment, win-win at Atlas's expense. And you say your reach is limited, it really doesn't seem like it," Emerald summarised.
"Hey, we got lucky. Every man has his price does have a limit to exploitability. I can't afford to bribe the Schnees for example, and depending on how I go about it, it could get blown up to Winter and then it's a lot of bridges burnt. Bridges I can't rebuild if my contacts are imprisoned or executed for treason." Jaune shrugged. "You can buy your way out of prison in Mistral, not Atlas, definitely not Schnee controlled Atlas if you're exposed as working with me. Very personal grudge, remember?"
"Yes, how could we forget? We're about to snatch a Schnee from a heavily guarded jail, sorry hotel, and we're doing it with super heavy weapons." Emerald shook her head and shrugged. "But okay, if equipment is settled, what's next?"
"Grey's not here yet, but there's no more time to wait, our window won't last. I've confirmation Weiss is being held in Mantle, nice cheery spot close to the walls, not much else nearby. Housing for miners, some office buildings and an Atlesian barracks," Jaune said. "The plan is simple, we get our weapons, blow the front door and grab the councilwoman in the confusion. Then we split up, Weiss and I will be ah… catching up on old times, you two will make tracks towards the walls, then double back and disappear into the side streets. As far as anyone can tell, the kidnappers are looking to escape with their prize and won't be looking too hard at the worried civilians in the area."
"What about cameras and the guard detail?" Mercury asked.
"Heh, that's where our window comes in. There's a storm coming for real, that area of Mantle, ah to say the systems are a little outdated is underselling it. One good lightning strike will take out the power for the entire district." Jaune's grin widened as he laid out his plan. "Progressive Schnees or not, this is still Atlas. The bulk of the guards will be humans, on a dark and stormy night, with all the lights out and the rain pouring? They'll be so blind we'll probably be able to walk right past them without firing a shot."
"Okay, but how do we make sure lightning hits-never mind." Emerald cut herself off as Jaune raised one of his lightning dust equipped knuckle dusters. "So we're all set then? Once the storm starts, we take out the power, open fire on the place to fake the Replicant assault and then kidnap the Schnee in the chaos?"
"Yep, and then I will handle the bitch while you two lay low until I can secure an exit… or you can leave on your own, that works too. Any questions?"
"Yeah, this undercover stuff isn't really my thing anymore and I'm getting jumpy. When are we leaving?" Emerald asked.
"Evening, once R&D clears out for the night, we'll walk in and take what my contacts left. After that, Atlesian weather report is predicting rain somewhere around 2 AM in the morning, that's when we strike. We've got until then to get used to the new guns enough to not shoot ourselves in the foot."
Jaune hummed a tune to himself as he passed several saluting guardsmen. Returning their salute without missing a beat, he suppressed a chuckle at the looks of near reverence being directed his way. It'd been a while since he dressed up as a Specialist, he'd forgotten just how highly the people of Atlas respected the uniform.
There were undoubtedly some curious about why a Specialist was on patrol with two random huntsmen, but not enough to pry into his business. And that suited Jaune just fine, they made way for him, didn't ask questions, and made heading to the research labs a near literal walk in the park.
And best of all, no Replicants jumping at him from the shadows. Jaune had no doubt there were at least a few hidden in the crowd watching. But maybe because this was Atlas, because he was in disguise, or some combination of the two, none of them felt the need to launch into a suicidal attack.
Just for a moment, he allowed himself to think that things were finally going on track for once. The Replicants wouldn't know what he was up to and Atlas wasn't going to interfere. The plan was perfect, all that was left was the execution.
Jaune's good mood lasted until the three of them made it almost to the gates without incident. The streets were deserted, just a few more alleyways and they'd be at their destination, and there should have been no one even aware of their presence.
But, hardlight walls springing up around them, boxing them into a tiny prison put paid to that idea. Jaune sighed even as Mercury started cursing up a storm behind him. "Hah, god, damn, it. How the fuck did this happen? There shouldn't be anyone here."
They'd walked right into the trap. Jaune growled and looked down at their feet, sure enough, the hardlight projectors were there, mocking them. "I swear those weren't there a second ago, how'd we miss that? We're better than this."
"What do we do now?" Mercury asked. "I'm open to suggestions."
"Well, looks like no one's here yet, ahg, this is going to hurt." Jaune amped his aura defences up, knelt and rested a palm against the wall. Taking a deep breath, he started to push, the barrier shimmered and started fritzing out as he did his best to force his arm through the hardlight and grab the generator. If it were anyone else, they'd burn their arm off trying this, but thanks to his semblance, he could just about handle it.
"Almost… got… it." Jaune closed his eyes with a sigh when he felt a gun barrel press up against the back of his head. Letting his arm fall, he straightened up and stared straight ahead with a grim smile. "You really couldn't wait one night, could you? Just one lousy night. Just had to do it now."
"I would have Jaune, but plans change." Emerald shrugged and kept her other gun trained on a shocked Mercury. "Especially when you're the one who changed it. Mercury stand down, this doesn't concern you."
"Doesn't concern-what the fuck are you doing Em!? Are you crazy!?" Mercury confused and worried gaze flicked between Jaune and Emerald, completely lost as to what kind of game they were playing now of all times.
"Nah she's right, you're just a hired gun for this. The plan and responsibility is mine, if I were stopped, this plan goes to shit immediately and you'd be off looking for employment elsewhere rather than sticking around. That's right, isn't it?" Jaune stated.
"I'm glad you understand. All this, it's really nothing personal Jaune, it was a lot more pleasant working with you than I thought," Emerald said honestly. "I'm really disappointed it had to come to this."
"So am I Emerald, so am I." Jaune concurred. "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal."
"I did you warn you before, as long as you stayed out of Atlas, things would be fine," Emerald said. "And you know, coming here to deal with the Replicant issue, I could have smoothed things over. But then, you just had to let revenge go to your head, didn't you. Couldn't leave the Schnee alone, I'm not the one who couldn't wait, you are. For what it's worth, I'm sorry Jaune, but no way we can let you start using WMDs inside the city."
"Yeah, you know, some days it's really annoying when people assume everything I say is a lie," Jaune began. "Then there are days like today where I wish people would just assume that I'm bluffing. Hah, anyways, your friends want to reveal themselves now? I know they're there, that they have us surrounded, so drop the bullshit and get to the point, okay?"
Emerald paused then nodded at the empty rooftops. The air shimmered and then Jaune found himself staring down several heavily armed and very angry crossbow wielding huntresses. "Ah, Ms Hill, colour me surprised, I wasn't expecting you here today."
"Save it criminal scum," Robyn narrowed her eyes in disdain. "Just sit tight and wait, we're in full cooperation with Atlas on this, they'll be here to arrest you soon and then you'll have the rest of your life in prison to think about your sins."
"Gotta say Em, I did look into which possible organisation you'd joined, the Happy Huntresses though, yep, didn't see this one coming." Jaune started chuckling in self-deprecation. "So, you're working with them, and they're working with Atlas. Would it have killed for SOMEONE to mention this to me in advance!?"
"I'm a spy, keeping it secret is kinda a necessity." Emerald shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said, nothing personal. But I needed your help with the train since there we were looking into Chronos smuggling at the time. And I do believe Councilwoman Schnee was informed of it too."
"I know, I was there when the plan was confirmed. But fucking hell, if I just had the bloody names…" Jaune growled and facepalmed, doing his best not to start screaming.
"Well that's just fucking great, what happens now?" Mercury threw his hands up in frustration, shooting angry glares at everyone, but especially Emerald.
"Atlas will be dragging Jaune off to a cell and throwing away the key probably. You can leave Mercury, no one will know you were ever here." Emerald said.
"Leave? And go where? Back to being a mindless assassin for hire? Heh, you picked one hell of a time to sell us out, bitch."
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen Mercury, but you know Jaune, he won't be dissuaded, I had no choice. Atlas and Mantle, this is my home, I can't, won't let anyone hurt it." Emerald defended, hurt in her voice. "You can walk away, do something better, you don't have be a killer anymore."
"Right, and I'm sure if I find happiness, you won't find a way to fuck it up for me, right? You should have just shot us both in our sleep and be done with it." Mercury was about to cuss her out when Jaune interrupted with a swift headshake.
"Don't hold it against her, she really didn't have much of a choice. Not when it comes to protecting the kingdom from a known bad actor deadest on causing mayhem in a few hours. I understand perfectly, I'd do the same." Jaune smiled wryly. "Well the timing is fucked, but I appreciate the sentiment. Although, this ain't so bad, I can work with this. Ms Hill, how about cutting a deal that benefits us both."
"A deal? Your bargaining posture is highly dubious, and we don't make deals with terrorists." Robyn denied the offer instantly. "Atlas will be here to arrest you soon, don't do anything stupid or we will shoot, and if you think that hardlight barrier will stop our shots, think again."
"Some days, I hate my reputation." Jaune shrugged in a what can you do manner. "But first off, I'm not a terrorist. Secondly, no, Atlas won't arrest me. If you hand me over, I'll walk free by the end of tonight."
"Hah!" Robyn snorted in disbelief. "Where do you find such confidence from?"
"From what I'm wearing of course, I'm Specialist Pyrite. Everything I'm doing today is sanctioned by Atlas, in fact, you're the ones likely to be arrested, for interfering in official Atlas business." Jaune stated with more than a touch of arrogance, putting on a nice smirk just to drive it home.
"Ahahahah!" Robyn burst out laughing. "You're an entertaining clown at least. I had heard about how you could tell the boldest lies with a straight face, so those rumours were fact after all. Yes, a stolen uniform and forged credentials will clearly erase the fact that you're a criminal and murderer of Jacques Schnee and who knows how many others."
"Okay, uniform is actually mine and not stolen. And I have forged many things, these set of credentials aren't part of them. As for Jacques…" Jaune's face fell and a grim expression replaced the cocky smirk. "Jury's still out on that one."
"Weiss will beat those false charges. You won't walk free for what you've done." Robyn said resolutely. "Feel free to lie to the judge, it won't save you."
"You keep saying I'm lying, what proof do you have that I'm not telling the truth?" Jaune challenged.
"I do not have to play this game Jaune Arc. It's just a matter of time before your arrest, you've evaded justice for long enough, no more."
"I'm just saying, how can you be so sure that I won't walk? Maybe I'm telling the truth? What everyone knows and what is actually fact can be different you know."
"You're referring to my semblance then? Ah yes, let me just go up and shake your hand, so that you can try to escape. No thank you, I'm perfectly fine where I am. If you feel like trying anything funny, we've still got you in our sights." Robyn fired once, sending a bolt through the barrier and into the dirt at Jaune's feet, as though challenging him to give them a reason to shoot.
"Do you? That's funny, I thought you'd need to have a gun in hand for that to count." Jaune jut his chin out fearlessly and raised a hand. Self-assured smirk back on his face again, Jaune snapped his fingers. At once, a black aura surrounded their weapons, including Emeralds, and they were ripped free, left suspended in thin air.
"What the!?" Robyn made a grab for her floating weapon but missed and had to remain rooted to the spot when the Happy Huntresses' weapons were turned against them. It wasn't that they couldn't dodge, but the chance of collateral damage was too high to make a reckless move.
A second later, a similar black aura surrounded the hardlight generators and they were ripped free of the earth, bringing down the hardlight prison. Jaune took a step beyond the boundary and then looked up at Robyn again with a smile. "See? I'm walking free."
"Woah, how the hell'd you do that boss!?" Mercury kicked the safeties off and rounded on Emerald who backed away slowly, now disarmed with only her semblance and hand to hand skills left. "We icing them all now, right?"
"You won't get away with this." Emerald said softly.
"Really Em? Because this looks like me getting away with things." Jaune laughed loudly and snapped his fingers again. To everyone else's confusion, the stolen weapons simply floated back to their original wielder's hands.
"What the fuck Jaune!?" Mercury shouted at the apparent insanity on display.
"Relax Mercury, nobody's killing anyone else here today," Jaune said and dusted himself off.
"What the hell are you playing at?" Robyn glared at Jaune suspiciously, unable to find any rhyme or reason to his actions. Also, where the hell were the Ace Ops? They were supposed to be here by now to apprehend the target.
"Well you see, all this is just… one really big misunderstanding… of my own design so I'll accept fault for that." Jaune closed his eyes and sighed. "I meant all of what I said earlier Ms Hill. I know you're waiting for the Ace Ops, but they won't be coming."
"What did you do to th-" Emerald began.
"Nothing. Since you lot interfered, I haven't had the time to do anything yet. Thanks, thanks for wasting my time by the way. Thanks a lot Em." Jaune found it in himself to give Emerald the finger in response to her treachery. "Like I said, I'm Specialist Pyrite, what I'm doing today? All above board."
"Bullshit," Robyn cut in.
"I understand how it seems that way, and I am glad that of all the people who could be here today, it's you," Jaune admitted "You're the easiest person to convince because of your semblance. Whether I'm lying or telling the truth, you can figure it out by shaking my hand."
"And walk into your trap?" Roby asked skeptically.
"What trap? Oh I know, maybe I too have hardlight generators in the ground waiting for you to walk forwards. Are you fucking taking the piss right now? I've already disarmed all of you once and got out of your little prison, I've also prevented your backup from coming. And I haven't tried killing any of you, not even Emerald. Then I returned your guns. What else do you want from me to prove that, maybe, just maybe, I'm actually trying to reach a mutually beneficial agreement here."
"And how do you expect us to believe what you're saying?" Robyn challenged again, leaving Jaune to glare at her with barely contained annoyance.
"I don't know, use your semblance maybe? Do I have to drag you down here myself? Because I will if I have to. I am a specialist of Atlas and I do have a mission that must be completed. If what I'm saying sounds fucking impossible, then there's one way to prove it, isn't there?"
Seeing the Happy Huntresses exchange unsure glances among themselves. Jaune facepalmed again and gestured to the shadows. A second later, a disguised Pyrrha walked out, empty hands in the air. "There, our last party member. Can we get on with the show now?"
"Grey? But I thought-" Emerald stared in surprise.
"I told you there were making their way over on their own. And I did tell you before that Grey's always got my back. Your betrayal was always a possibility, you didn't think I'd just bring you along without insurance, did you?" Jaune shot Emerald an annoyed look. "Come on, please don't look down on me like that. I think I've done enough to not be seen as so incompetent."
"So that flying weapon shit was Grey? I thought their semblance was weapon detection," Mercury mused.
"Oh it certainly works that way," Jaune agreed. "It's just not all it does."
"…You played me from the start." Emerald acquiesced.
"That statement is more correct than you realise," Jaune chuckled at a joke only he knew, he and Pyrrha at least. He was brought out of his reverie when Robyn leapt down to ground level to meet them.
"Alright, I don't know what you're playing at, but I'll play along," Robyn said curtly and held out her hand to shake.
"Wonderful, then let's get down to business." Jaune grasped the offered hand and watched as they began to glow.
"Alright Ms Lie-detector, my name is Jaune Arc, an Atlesian Specialist going by the codename Pyrite. Weiss Schnee has been wrongly accused of murder, it's almost certainly a Replicant plot to destabilize Atlas in this trying time. My mission is simple, break the councilwoman out and get her to safety, somewhere the Replicants can't get to her. The Ace Ops aren't coming because Winter is in on the plan, it was supposed to be a staged attack with no casualties and then Weiss will be away from further harm."
Robyn's eyes widened in shock as she stared at their hands. "What the-my god, you are telling the truth!"
"He is!?" Mercury and Emerald shouted in unison, unable to contain their shock.
"But, but you're a criminal! You murdered Jacques Schnee eight years ago! How are you helping the Schnees!?" Robyn said.
"No I didn't-oh for the love of," Jaune sighed when Robyn's semblance picked that up as a lie. "Let me rephrase, I am a criminal by all counts yes. But I did not murder Jacques Schnee."
"T-true!?"
"I have serious doubts about what happened that day, ascertaining the truth was the original reason for coming to Atlas at all." Jaune explained, his expression stony. "After everything I've seen, it is my conclusion that an attack on all kingdoms is happening in the near future, possibly during the Vytal Festival. The Replicants have the numbers and the weaponry to do it, I will do everything in my power to stop that from happening. Getting Weiss to safety, finding out the truth, they are means to that end. So I'd appreciate if you not get in way if you can't bring yourself to assist."
Robyn stared as Jaune silently for a few seconds before speaking again. "All true. Who are you really? Because you're clearly not who you present to be."
"Yes, that was my assignment from the beginning, thank you for pointing out the obvious. After all…" Jaune trailed off and turned to stare Emerald in the eyes. "I'm Agent Orange."
Author's Notes: Oh yeah.