All her life Sienna had tried to do what she thought was best for her people, she had been one of the first of Ghira's followers after the White Fang had been established, having been in attendance at dozens of their rallies, their boycotts, and sit in, in the beginning, she had truly believed in following his peaceful ways in achieving the equality her people truly deserved through negotiations and debate.
Though as time dragged on and the rallies, the speeches, and the boycotts became less and less effective with each passing day, the people had stopped listening to them, yes there were the occasional influential humans who had continued to back their efforts -Mostly to secure votes on the next council meeting- but they had become few and far between by that point, the White Fang was dying and with it, any hope of their people's voices being heard with it, and as such, she took action.
Banding together with a few of the more proactive members of their brotherhood and taking up arms, they set their sights on a local dust refinery rumored to be abusing their workers, forcing them into roles that they had dubbed too dangerous...at least for human workers. They snuck in with hopes of sabotaging the facilities refinery, putting it out of business for a few months while it was repaired, that gap would have given their brothers and sisters time to escape such a place and find work elsewhere, yet what they found there that night still haunted her to this day.
Her people, in the dozens, crammed into bunkhouses that could barely shelter a family of half that size, let alone two or three times that number, the worker's bodies marred by injuries past and present that resembled the lashes of a whip, though the most disturbing of all had been the brands, the letters of their greatest oppressors the SDC burned into their arms, their backs, their chest, their hands... their faces, and it wasn't just the workers, but their wives, their husbands even the children had been subjected to the same cruelty.
She remembered marching into the foreman's office to confront the man herself, beating him black and blue -even today she could still feel his blood running across her knuckles- before trapping him in his office and setting the facility ablaze, it wasn't until the next morning that news of the attack came to light though thankfully they had left little evidence behind to link it to the White Fang, nevertheless the authorities had condemned the attackers but most notably the ones in charge of the facility also, the investigation and subsequential interrogation of the employees having brought their misdeed into the light.
Months later a new law was passed that worked to increase the rights and benefits of the Faunus workers in Mistral, not substantially but enough that their brother and sisters could afford to spend fewer hours in those refineries and mines in order to make ends meet, it was a minor victor especially compared to what those people had been through up until then, but a victory none the less.
It was a sign, a sign of change not only in the world around them but the White Fang itself, she organized and led more raids each more successful than the last, her followers among the ranks of the organization growing by the day, until the time came when their former leader had chosen to step down and she rose to take his place as high leader.
Since then, never once had she admonished those under her for striking out at those deserving of their vengeance, but she never would have imagined that one day that same vengeance would be directed towards their world's most stout protectors. Sienna tightened her grip around the arm of her throne, her sharp topaz eyes stared down at the form of one Adam Taurus, someone who had once stood as a symbol of their organization's strength and now he may very well be the seed of their destruction.
"Adam." She began, her voice the epiphany of calm, yet she was anything but inside, the cause of which being the insanity he'd unleashed by attacking Beacon academy, and then voicing the desire to repeat such an onslaught upon Haven. " I'm not going to repeat myself, so I want you to listen when I tell you that the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy."
Adam kept his head bowed in false submission to their current high leader, he hoped he wouldn't have to carry out his plan today, but if he could not convince Sienna to take this opportunity for their people to rise to new heights, then he could see no other option. "High-Leader Khan I am begging you."
"You should beg for forgiveness and nothing else!" Sienna snapped back at him, the boy didn't even realize what he'd done, what his actions had invited upon them. "The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was, and you should be more grateful your punishment was not more severe. " She stressed, had he not held such standing among their members, she would have purged him from their ranks the second he returned from Vale and with this plan of his for Haven... he was skating on thin ice. "You are a symbol for many in our organization, but that doesn't make you infallible."
Adam was quick to defend " I was merely trying to follow your example, high-leader. " Despite her choice to step away from the battlefield the tales of her past valor were still a sign of inspiration for their younger members.
Leaning forward on her throne Sienna quirked a brow at the young acolyte " And what example might that be? "
"Strength. Strength and unwavering conviction. "Adams replied his words growing with passion as he went on " The humans have seen that strength now."
Had they now?
"I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary. Peace bred complacency and acceptance of our place in the world. I will not allow humanity to push us down without pushing them back." This was the course she had decided on all those years ago, whatever the outcome may be, there could be no true progress without sacrifice. "But the destruction of the Huntsman Academies crosses a line! The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl! And the White Fang is more of a target now than ever before!"
The destruction of Beacon had dealt a heavy blow not only to their political standing but to the rank and file also, those who once backed their campaign from the shadows had quickly cut all ties with them with the number of desertions having skyrocketed in the months after Beacon fell, they were now monsters in the eyes of their own, no better than the Grimm that stalked them beyond the kingdom's walls, if this is what he believed to be an example of strength he was surely mistaken "You have justified humanity's campaign against us, and for what?! Empty promises from a group of humans? Humans we still know nothing about and come and go as they please! These are not examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your talents being diminished by shortsightedness!"
Adam narrowed his eyes behind his mask, he expected more from Sienna than this, fortunately, she still had one more chance to redeem herself "If you want to know more about the humans, then why not talk to one of them yourself?" Rising to his feet he gestured back to the double doors leading into the chamber "Hazel!" he called out.
The doors opened inwards, and a bear of a man stepped through. He had short brown hair, a beard and hazel eyes a series of scars running down the length of his forearms exposed below the sleeves of his two-tone olive-green coat, beneath which he wore a black sleeveless shirt, a large belt hug from his waist, his pants were black with a grey pouch strapped to each of his thighs, and a pair of brown boots that echoed across the hardwood floor with each step.
"Took you long enough" He noted flatly.
Sienna rose from her throne in response to the newcomer's arrival, eyes wide in alarm and betrayal " What is this" She demanded casting a scathing look down at the young fool in front of her, while her personal guard rallied to her side their spears pointed towards the Human that was dared to be allowed entry to their compound.
"Apologies" Hazel replied dipping his head lightly to Sienna as he joined Adam at the foot of the steps. "I don't aim to cause any trouble."
"You've brought a human to this location!?" Sienna spat at Adam.
"You should hear what he has to say." Adam replied gesturing for Hazel to step forward.
"This is grounds for execution!" Sienna dismissed.
"Ma'am, please. Nobody needs to die today." Hazel interjected in hopes of avoiding any possible bloodshed, better he said his peace before tempers had a chance to take over, taking a knee before Sienna he continued "I'm just asking for a moment of your time."
Sienna narrowed her eyes to the human. "The longer you stay here, the less of a chance you have of leaving alive" she warned.
Hazel raised his head slightly "I'll take my chances."
Sienna stared back at Hazel for a few moments studying the man intently before making her decision "Verry well" Sienna returned to her throne, her guards following her back and taking up positions around her "Say your piece" Nodding Hazel rose back to his feet before speaking once more.
"You don't like me. You have no reason to like me." Hazel began to explain. "But you don't have to like me to get the results you want."
Sienna shook her head lightly; she couldn't believe she was entertaining this lunacy "I doubt either of you fully comprehends what I want." Massaging her brow in frustration, it would seem she'd have to spell it out to them. "I want humanity to fear the Faunus, to know that we demand respect! I do not want to start a war with the humans that we cannot win!" To believe so was nothing but the height of foolishness, times had changed, their people's numbers had diminished drastically compared to what they were decades ago, and technology had advanced to the point that the advantages they once possessed over mankind could not only be replicated but improved upon.
"That's where you're wrong." Adam announced advancing up the stairs towards Sienna, the high leader rising to meet him while Hazel watched on warily, this was not part of the plan. "We can win a war against the humans. Not only because we have the support of Hazel's master, but because the Faunus are the dominant species of this planet. " Adam declared his lips twitching up into a proud smile, their people far outmatched humans in every way, evident by how man-kinds shortcomings mirrored his people's advantages "We have everything humans have and more. Humans shouldn't just fear the Faunus, they should serve the Faunus."
Sienna shook her head in dismissal of his words "I've heard enough of this madness for one evening." She gestured to her guardsmen "Get them out of my sight."
The guards remained where they stood.
"What are you doing?" Sienna demanded of her men "I said, take them away!"
Adam smirked "I will admit, Sienna, you were right about my popularity." while he might have been sad to see it come to this it was all too clear now that Sienna was no longer fit to lead their people into this new era. "My followers in Vale already see me as the true High Leader. And many here in Mistral feel the same." It was time for his men to make their move and solidify his new position of power.
Adam glanced back over his shoulder towards the doorway and then the side doors where he'd had his people lie in wait for his signal, and yet no one came. His smile fell 'What?' he asked himself turning away from Sienna and back towards the main door, even the guardsmen who he'd turned against Sienna seemed confused by the absence of their men.
"Taurus" Hazel demanded "What is this?"
Sienna glanced between Adam and the Human, the human's confusion helped to clue her in that this wasn't part of their initial plan, and her would-be usurper's sudden confusion allowed her a moment of clarity that only helped to paint a clearer picture as to what was going on. Despite knowing in all likely hood Adam planned for her life to end here, she couldn't help but laugh in the face of what must have been an unexpected change in this little coupe of his. "Something wrong with your little plan, boy?" she said mockingly.
In an instant the tip of Adam's crimson blade was pointed at her throat, her guardsmen raising their spears towards Sienna, Hazel stepped forward raising his hand out towards Adam "Taurus" he said in warning.
Adam ignored him, glancing up at the balconies overlooking them. "Hold her there" he called out to the guardsmen who began to encircle Sienna. Adam activated his earpiece intent on finding out just what was going on "What going on out there?" He demanded silence being his only reply gritting his teeth in frustration Adam "Someone answer me!?" Sienna glanced towards the traitors around her while Adam stewed in his frustration, she could only assume those still loyal to her had learned of his plan and intercepted Adam's forces when they arrived, if so, she only needed to hold out until aid arrived.
The guardsmen she could handle easily enough, Adam and the human were another matter entirely...
"No matter" Adam sighed turning to face her once more, she clenched her fist readying herself for the coming battle "I know that this may not be the end you envisioned for yourself Sienna" Adam offered in a comforting tone, earning a glare from Sienna. "But take heart in knowing your sacrifice today, shall inspire our brothers and sisters for years to come."
"Go to hell!" Sienna spat back at him extending her claws, if she was to die here she would at least ensure she would take some of these traitors with her.
"Izaa!" A voice bellowed out from above, Sienna and Adam's heads snapped up towards the source of the voice, the former barely raising his sword in time to block the downward slash from his cloaked attacker, landing atop the Bull Faunus the cloaked figure planted his feet on Adam's chest and with a powerful double kick sent the would usurper tumbling down the stairs towards Hazel, the bear of a man stepped out of the path of the Revolutionary allowing him to slam down onto the hardwood floor below.
Taking her chance Sienna lashed out at the guard closest to her slashing at his throat with her claws, fresh blood spattered into the air. Seizing his now free weapon Sienna pulled it back, the tip of the spear passing under her right arm and into the chest of the guard behind her, in a show of flexibility she hadn't used in years, she dropped down into a full split allowing the two remaining spears to pass harmlessly overhead.
Twisting her body, she pushed off the ground into a flip bringing her foot down in an axe kick on top of the thirds head, knocking him unconscious, snatching his spear out of the air she spun to face the final guard, parrying his stab of to the side she stepped into his guard, driving a knee into his chest, the traitor crumbled before her clutching at his injury, giving him no time to recover Sienna stabbed her spear down into his chest finishing him off.
Turning back to face Adam she stood side by side with her savior her newly acquired weapon at the ready as she glared down at the traitor, pulling himself to his feet below. "Whoever you are, I owe you my life." she addressed her hooded savior.
"Don't thank me yet." He replied, a slight reverb to his tone as if he were speaking to her from underwater, his head dipping towards Hazel, the stoic giant watching the scene play out in front of him warily.
The doors into the chamber burst open a squad of white Fang grunts moving inside each armed with a laser lance, Adam swept wilt towards Sienna and the cloaked swordsman "Kill them!" he ordered, and the grunts raised their weapons towards them, stepping close to Sienna her savior wrapped his left arm around her waist pulling her close.
"Time to go!" He said, his and Sienna's bodies being enveloped in a bright red light that shot upwards bursting through the roof above them and disappearing into the mistral sky.
"No!" Adam growled blowing out a wordless scream towards the opening above,#.
Hazel sighed shaking his head in frustration 'This complicates things' He noted silently, he'd need to inform Salem of this new development, Sienna Kahn knew of their plans for Haven and with her in the wind, their entire operation in Mistral was at risk.
Adam rounded on Hazel "Why didn't you stop them!?" he demanded.
Hazel shook his headlight dismissing the young man's anger without so much as a second thought, turning he began to make his way towards the doorway "This was your plan, not mine, I had no reason to intervene in your affairs." Hazel replied evenly, Adam's grip around his sword tightening in frustration.
"She also knows about our plans for Haven" Adam snapped back "If she talks everything you and your master have worked for will be for nothing."
Hazel paused in the doorway glancing back over his shoulder at Adam "I'm well aware."
Adams growled in frustration at the human's nonchalance towards this, forcing down his anger he turned his gaze up towards the opening in the roof above, all wasn't lost just yet, he could still use this to his advantage, rounding on the squad in the doorway Adam called out to them "All who were present will claim evidence was discovered that Sienna Kahn had been leaking information on our movements to the Mistral government and when discovered she fled with the aid of her human allies, killing our brave brothers and sisters, who stood in their way." He declared throwing his hand back towards the bodies littering the ground around their former high leader's throne.
While Sienna might still be among the living, she would be branded a traitor to the cause and her own people, and should she attempt to reach out to her former comrades for aid, her end would be swift and bloody.
/
She didn't know what was happening, the world around her had been consumed by an all-encompassing stream of red light though judging by the sudden weightlessness and the sound of air whipping around her, she could only assume they were airborne, for how long was anyone guess, and had she been in a more stable state of mind she might have inquired as to how such a thing was possible, for now, she could only cling to her savior as they soared through the air.
Seconds later the light around them faded the near deafening winds ceased and the ground was beneath her feet once more, Sienna stumbled into a tree her stomach churned and flipped violently. She slapped a hand over her mouth forcing herself to swallow down the bile rising in her throat, her savior stepped beside her "It's okay if you want to be sick, it's common for those new to teleportation."
"Teleport- ugh! Sienna shuddered a sudden wave of vertigo washing over her, pushing off the tree, Sienna Kahn fell to her knees and began retching violently a stream of vomit splashing out onto the grass below her. "Oh~" the cloaked swordsman winced, kneeling beside her and running his hand across her back in soothing circles as her stomach contents were emptied across the forest floor "It's okay, let it out."
"Oh Gods..." Sienna muttered as she finally managed to reign herself in, whipping a small trail of bile clinging to her chin off on the back of her arm. Her savior moved to help her back to her feet but was immediately waved off by the Tiger Faunus "I'm fine." She said bracing herself against the tree beside her she stood on shaky legs, panting heavily.
Unclipping a small canteen from the back of his belt he offered it out to the former high leader, she accepted the canteen with a grateful nod, before taking a few quick gulps to wash away the vile taste of vomit in her mouth. "Thank you." she replied passing the canteen back to him "If it wasn't for your intervention back there, I doubt I'd be standing here right now."
"You don't need to thank me" He replied.
Sienna shook her head in response "I do, and once this is over I will see to it personally that your loyalty is rewarded."
"Yeah... I wouldn't go that far just yet." He replied rubbing the back of his head, he sighed, dancing around the bush like this wasn't going to get them anywhere, might as well rip the band aid off now. "I imagine this is going to come as a bit of a shock to you but I'm not exactly, a member of the White Fang." Sienna's eyes widened slightly her body stiffening at the revelation that her savior had not been one of her own subordinates, but an intruder, -a Huntsmen most likely given their abilities- that had snuck into their compound for whatever purpose.
"Then why save me?" She found herself asking, doing so had surely compromised him and whatever mission he had been sent to carry out.
"I couldn't just let them kill you." He replied evenly, admittedly it wasn't the worst excuse she'd heard, not that she wasn't grateful to this man for pulling her out of the jaws of death. But she was the, well, now former, high leader of the White Fang, surely it must have been in his greater interest to see herself and Adam eliminated.
"I assume you'll be taking me to the authorities then." It was the most likely decision given her background, she should have been mad, furious even by the sudden turn of events, but couldn't find it in herself to care, while she was more than capable of fighting back against the Huntsmen and escaping into the wilds, what would happen after that?
Her face was well known across remnant, practically anyone with a scroll and who'd watched the news within the last ten years would be able to identify her with little to no issue, meaning setting foot in any of the kingdoms and the majority of frontier towns would all end the same. At least with the former she'd be given the chance to make a plea deal, if only for some petty revenge against those who betrayed her, as for the latter on the other hand, she'd likely be subjected to 'rural justice'.
There'd be no help from the Fang, Adam's speech back in the hall was proof that he had the backing of a number of higher-ranking members of their order.
As for those few who might still be loyal to her, he'd no doubt spin some wild tale of her cooperating with humans authorities and plant evidence incriminating her as a traitor to the cause, the bodies she'd left in the throne room would undoubtedly help reinforce that narrative if nothing else, she wouldn't be surprised if there was a kill on sight order already being placed on her by Taurus and the rest of his ilk. "I imagine you'll receive quite the reward for managing to bring me in alive."
Sienna leaned back against the tree behind her, sliding down its surface onto her rear as the reality of her situation finally began to set in, years of her life spent building the White Fang up from the struggling civil rights group to the revolutionaries they were today, all that work, all that planning all the blood sweat and tears she'd shed for the White Fang was all for nought thanks to the ambition of one foolish boy quest for vengeance, and in the end, she only had herself to blame for allowing him to continue as he had since Beacon fell.
'I should have stripped him of his rank and cast him aside the second we learned what happened there.' Instead of that, she'd pandered to those beneath her preaching of unity and how severing ties with Adam could lead to drops in morale or even splinter cells being forged based on his beliefs and ideals. Looking back on it now those same commanders had likely been the ones to back Adam's coup against her and she ever the fool had been too blind, too sure of her station that she hadn't seen what was coming until Adam's blade quite literally rested at her throat ' I'm such a fool.'
Her cloaked savior shook his head slightly "I turn you in, you'll be dead before you'd ever have the chance to stand trial." Either at the hands of some vengeful lynch mob or Taurus's new 'friends', before she had the chance to reveal anything about their operations, neither of which he would allow happening on his watch.
"Then what exactly do you plan to do with me?" She asked, there was no place for her in the White Fang or the Kingdoms, and any bridges she had left Adam would already be in the process of burning. "I doubt you're thinking of just letting me slip away."
"No, you know too much for me to do that." He replied earning a quirked brow from Sienna. "Look, I think we might be able to help one another." He began, kneeling in front of the former high leader he went on. "I've been tracking Taurus's movements ever since he led the ground attack on Beacon Academy, I was hoping he'd lead me to where his allies have set up shop but so far he's only gotten in contact with them via burner scrolls."
"If you're hoping I can help you locate the ones he's been working with, I'm afraid I'll be of no use there." Sienna replied with a dismissive shake of the head "That human, Hazel, he brought with him today was the first of them I've met. I know Cinder Fall and the Creatures that interfered during the festival are a part of their group but how many more or how widespread their organization truly is, is beyond me."
"Maybe so." He relented his head bobbing to the side slightly in understanding, even Cam hadn't been able to pinpoint where the Psycho Rangers and their allies had disappeared to in the aftermath of the fall of Beacon "But you still have knowledge on Taurus and the White fang that could help us prevent another tragedy like Beacon. If you're willing to help us stop this attack then in exchange my friends and I can help keep you out of a cell."
Normally she'd have been loathed to even consider acting against her brothers and sisters, though given recent events and the stakes at hand she was willing to make an exception "If you can ensure my freedom and bring Adam Taurus head to me on a stick, then I will be more then glad to aid you."
Her cloaked savior nodded slowly, Adam Taurus was working with the Psycho rangers meaning they'd come face to face eventually and given what they knew of him he doubted he'd accept being taken alive. "I can't promise you it'll be an immediate thing, but we're almost certainly going to but heads with him and his friends again down the line."
"I can be patient, so long as it leads to that little bastard's downfall." Sienna purred.
"Verry well" Having Sienna's aid would be crucial to anticipating the White Fang's movements across Mistral and perhaps even weakening Adam and in turn the Psycho Ranger's influence with them, there were bound to be a few who would still respect and even follow Sienna's word over Adams though that in itself raised another issue.
"I'll need time to contact my comrades and arrange something for you, in the meantime is there anyone you trust, that could shelter us in the meantime." They needed to get out of Mistrals while the White Fang were on high alert and travelling with Sienna would put a target on their backs from both sides of the law, from last he'd heard Lilly, Adam and Cassie were making their way to Mistral and being in the heart of Atlas, Cam was a no go on their end.
As for Sienna.
'Someone I trust?' she thought to herself bitterly.
Given how many of her former commanders may now be backing Adams those she could say she trusted with certainty were few in number and likely already in the process of being turned or culled by Adam and his followers, except maybe... "I may know someone." But whether he'd be willing to help her was up in the air right now, they hadn't exactly parted on good terms "He was my mentor for a time before he and his wife left the White Fang, our relationship at the moment is... for lack of better words, strained, but once he learns of Adam's plans for Mistrals he'll help us."
"Then where are we heading?" Her savior inquired.
"Menagerie." Sienna replied, rising back to her feet the former high leader glanced up at the mountain range past the tree canopy above, given the position of the moon in the night sky above they were on the northeastern side of the pass, if she recalled correctly there were a few Faunus settlements located close by, she was certain at least one of them had access to an airship they could use "There should be a settlement close by with access to an airship we can commandeer for our purposes." she hummed to herself.
"Ahem." The cloaked swordsman coughed, gesturing back to himself.
"Ahh...right" Sienna sighed in recollection, while she wasn't overly fond of a repeat of experiencing his teleportation semblance, she'd admit it was probably the most efficient way to reach her island homeland.
"Don't worry" He tried to assure her "The teleportation sickness is common for first-timers."
'It's the quickest way' she reminded herself as she stepped towards her cloaked savior allowing him to wrap his arm around her waist once more, speaking of which "Forgive me, I never asked your name?" She inquired if they were to be working together in the future she'd like to know just who was under that hood.
He tilted his head to regard her, and reached up drawing down his hood, Sienna would admit to being taken back by his appearance, while clearly humanoid his features, were far from natural even by Faunus standards, his skin was pale and glossy with splotches of purple and blue running up over the top of his head and around his crown, with a gold carapace running from temple to temple forming some sort of armor shell that resembled a domino mask around the upper half of his face, the flesh along the back of his neck was a dark purple, with a series of what she could only assume were gills running vertically across it.
"I am Aurico" The red Aquitar ranger replied, a moment later their bodies were enveloped in a beam of red light that shot off into the Mistral night sky.
/
"God damn." Owen sighed pulling down at the edge of his hoody and taking long deep breaths of the nice cool air, Isaac stepped through the modified security door behind them slamming the door shut, the light above signaling the lock was sealed, cutting them off from the hotbox behind them. "Remind me *Pant* again *Pant* why we *Pant* came here through the gas mains." He hadn't expected it to be as hot as it was down there.
"We made it through didn't we." Whipping the mixture of sweat and grime off his brow, the last time they'd travelled by the gas mains the city had been in ruin and the pipes empty, now it was the equivalent of walking through a hallway of furnaces, undoing the front of his overalls revealing the white shirt underneath he sighed at the much-needed ventilation.
It might not have been the most comfortable way to get where they were going but given where they'd been in the city it was the quickest way for them to get where they were going without being noticed. Reaching into one of the pockets on his tool belt Isaac pulled out a small flashlight, the beam cutting through the dim tunnel glancing down both ends of the tunnel the right an almost ever-expanding void of darkness, to the left a massive security gate, the weld running down the middle of the two doors identifying it as a dead end, they were right where they needed to be.
Shining the light on the wall in front of him his eyes landed on a series of marking etched horizontally across the wall one after another, with each line of text connected to a series of arrows pointing down individual tunnels, most people who came across it would have considered them chicken scratch, though to anyone familiar with extraterrestrial life and by association Galactic Basic, the signpost was all too clear.
"Come on, we still got a job to do." Isaac pat Owen on the shoulder as he passed, letting his hair out of its bun Owen followed behind Isaac as he lead them down one of the adjacent tunnels, the pipeline they'd come through was part of the city's old irrigation system, the majority of it had been sealed off back in the sixties alongside most of the old subways lines, leaving behind a maze of tracks and tunnels stretching miles beneath the city above, the perfect place for someone to hide, and the perfect home for those unaccepted by the people above.
That was in fact the unfortunate reality of Undertowns origins, the place had started out as a refugee camp after the victims of an interstellar war driven from their own worlds found themselves on earth.
The U.S Government at the time hadn't known what to do with the 'visitors' seeking asylum on their planet and without a way to refuse them or even anywhere to put them without causing a global panic, they wound up down here.
From what he'd learned from some of the remaining residents during the incursion occupation, the camp eventually grew into a small settlement for off-worlders and those that could pass as humans were slowly integrated into earth's society by an off-the-books sect of the US government, basically Earth's original Plumbers before they were actually Plumbers. But there were still more than a few people who'd turned the offer down and decided to stay down here and forge ahead on their own.
It didn't take long before they started to hear the voices, the same sounds and smells you'd find in their home above, rounding the bend the tunnel began to become lighter, Isaac switched off his flashlight as they approached the end of the pipe, the glare of the artificial light streaming through the opening ahead, causing them to squint in discomfort.
Stepping out into the chamber beyond they stared down into the bustling city beneath a city, Undertown.
Neon signs hung from the pipes stretching overhead casting multicolored light down on the streets below, buildings ranging from the humble Shacks stacked upon one another connected by a series of walkways and ladders running along the walls of the cavern to the much large two-story homes, restaurants, and bars towards the city center.
A small river ran through the center of the underground city and out through a large opening connecting to the bay outside of Bellwood, Ships passed through and into the docks lining the river, and to this right side was a bustling marketplace with row after row of stalls dotted across the surface, their owners peddling their goods from earth or distant worlds halfway across the galaxy.
No matter how many times he'd seen it he never got used to the view.
"Okay, so where to from here?" Owen asked.
Isaac cupped his chin lightly studying the underground city ahead of them, there were a few spots nearby the Prof was using as store-houses/workshops/hidey-hole that they could check, but if he knew the prof as well as he did he was probably in the middle of one of his hair-brained schemes, which left only one place he could be.
/
The 'Bizarre Market' was one, if not the largest collection of travelling merchants from across the known reaches of the Galaxy, its stock ranging from the finest of Mauve dresses and Robes to the humble Grocer trading the fruits of their labor in a vast array of colorful fruits and vegetable never once seen by the eyes of man.
Like most days its streets were flooded with the various residents of Undertown each on the hunt for the next best deal be that in fashion, commodity, or arms, yes, one could even say the Bizarre had it all.
And for one Professor Blarney T. Hokestar, this fine inventor and purveyor of goods intended to add his latest creation to its ever-growing list of products and commodities.
Within the confines of his workshop, Hokestar sat at his desk, various papers and notebooks scribbled with machinery diagrams and chemistry equations scattered around him as he typed away at his ship's console checking and then double-checking the mixture for his latest innovation in elixirs for the fourth time that day, after the utter catastrophes with his last two products he was out of pocket if he wanted to have any chance of recovering financially there could be no room for error.
Hokestar was a tall four-armed humanoid alien with dark olive-green skin and black eyes, his hair was a fiery orange his long bushy moustache hiding his mouth from view. He wore a tan brown suit, with a black utility belt and gold star belt buckle and matching broach on his collar with cream gloves and black leather boots, a tan brown top hat rested atop his head a gold star displayed proudly across its front with a pair of bronze goggles resting atop the brim.
"Hmm very good, very good." He muttered to himself eyes scanning over the text stretching across the screen before him Satisfied with his findings.
Glancing over his shoulder towards the infuser on the wall behind him he rose from his chair and made his way over to the controls, plucking a set of pink, blue and green phials from a small rack as he passed, now while it wasn't synthesized Screeget milk, they were still some of the finest ingredients he'd been able to procure and the key to creating this masterpiece.
Examining the console for a moment he reached to his left pulling down a lever small lever beside the main vat, a small compartment opened and a mechanical draw extended revealing three slots each connected to a single transparent pipeline connected to the main vat, Hokestar slotted the phials into place before pulling the lever down once more, the draw retracted and the compartment slid closed, with an audible hiss the contents of the vials were drained out through the pipelines and into the main vat.
Turning his attention back to the control panel he typed in a quick command bringing the machine to life, the infuser rumbled a mechanical 'wer' filling the air as the vat began mixing the three agents into one, the finished product slowly draining through a dozen smaller tubes into a case of empty elixir bottles below.
Hokestar watched giddily as his creation came to life before his very eyes, as the last of the bottles was filled Hokestar stepped forward plucking one of the bottles from the crate holding the bottle up to his eye he swirled the contest smiling victoriously "Magnificent." he whispered, so enthralled was he by his creation he failed to notice the mechanical door to his workshop open behind him and a diminutive figure entered, he was reptilian in appearance with rock-like purple skin, pitch-black eyes with blood-red pupils, wearing an open lavender and gold vest that left his arms and chest exposed.
"Boss" he called out to the taller alien.
The lanky conman squeaked in surprise, fumbling with the bottle for a few seconds before recovering thankfully without spilling a drop, hugging the bottle to his chest Hokestar turned to look back towards the entrance to his workshop where his diminutive assistant/bodyguard Solid Plugg stood. "Plugg my good man for heaven's sake, announce yourself, you scared the dickens out of me!" he glanced down at the bottle in his hands setting it back down into the crate beside the others before quickly corking them off one after another "Now what seemed to be the problem, my good man?"
"I finished setting up outside and a couple of guys showed up, they were asking for you?" Hokestar quirked a brow at his diminutive bodyguard, at first he assumed it was some of Psiphon's ruffians coming to bleed him for all he was worth... though those buffoons tended to think more with their fists rather than what sat between their ears, the fact they hadn't tried to barge in here already was proof enough of that.
Which could mean only one thing.
"Customers! Splendid, splendid!" Hokestar preened, scooping up the crate into his lower set of arms and adjusting his suit with the others. In business, the vendor's appearance could be just as important as the product itself. "You should have led with that my good man, come now quickly, quickly let's not keep our adoring public waiting."
"Uhh" Plugg tried to interject, though his words fell on deaf ears as the Professor brushed past him and through the door out into Undertown.
"Good day, Good day" He called out to his patrons his hat tipped down in greeting "Apologies for keeping you waiting, but your timing could not have been more impeccable as I have a deal you won't, nay cannot refuse!" He went on placing the crate down beside his previous batch, pulling one bottle from the case he turned to face the two who stood before him. "May I introduce you to..." The Professor trailed off, as his eyes landed on Owen and Isaac the former of the two quirking an eyebrow at the 'Miracle Elixir' held aloft in front of him, while the latter offered a small nod in greeting.
"Hey there Prof, been a while." Isaac greeted. The alien entrepreneur staring back at him for a moment before bursting out into joyous laughter.
"Isaac my dear boy!" He greeted, setting his Miracle Elixir aside Hokestar reached across the stand enveloping the young man in front of him and delivering a few swift pats to the back in greeting "It has been far, far too long, how have you been?" Isaac returned the gesture in kind.
"Same old, same old." Isaac replied pulling away from the alien con artist, he glanced down at the bottle between them "Seems you've been busy as well."
Hokestar let out another rumbling laugh "Yes indeed lad, I finally did it, I cracked the formula." he said holding the bottle out towards Isaac.
'Formula?' Owen asked himself, his eyes darting between his friend and Undertowns resident flim-flam artist, his friend accepting the bottle of -going by Hokestars reputations- what could only have been snake oil and staring down at the bottle in a mix of surprise and pride.
"Your serious?" Isaac asked "You better not be pulling my leg about all this, not after all the work I put in getting that equipment for you."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Owen finally threw his own two cents into the conversation, stepping up beside his friend he gestured down to the bottle. "You helped him make this stuff, dude if the Magister found out you were helping this guy in one of his scams you could have been-"
"Scam!" Hokestar gawked at him, crossing both sets of arms over his chest with a small huff "Why I never, all my products are top of the line, I spared no expense in their acquisition I can assure you of that!"
"Really?" Owen asked, more than skeptical of the windbag's claims.
"It's not a scam Owen." Isaac tried to reassure his friend that -for once- there was no real wrongdoing going on with the old Professor. "Last time old Hokestar and I crossed paths, he was going through a hell of a rough patch, so I figured I'd give him a hand to get back on his feet, legitimately" Isaac stressed flicking his head towards the old codger behind him.
Taking the remark in strides, Hokestar picked up the bottle of Miracle Elixir off the counter a smile forming across his features "The young lad helped me gather some components for my workshop so that I could perfect the formula for one of my Elixirs and I must say the effects were more than promising." Hokestar sent a smug look towards the 'Non-Believer' among them "Though if words won't convince you, then allow your eyes to do it for you." Hokestar gestured towards Plugg "Plugg goodman would you mind giving a demonstration of our final product to the lad." he said holding the bottle out towards him.
"On it." Plugg replied accepting the bottle, then with little to no hesitation popped off the cork and downed it in one go, smacking his scaley lips slightly as he finished.
"Whoa" Owen stepped back out of what he assumed would be the splash zone, glancing between Isaac and Plugg wearily, from what he'd learned from his own experience with the old con artist in the past, while Hokestars product wasn't toxic it was nowhere near the Cure All Elixir he advertised it to be, so he doubted it was all that good of an idea to be chugging it down like a can of Mountain Dew.
"Now watch and be amazed as my follically challenged friend here, finds himself with a dashing new head of hair!" As if on cue, a large tuft of dark purple hair sprouted across Plugg's scalp and growing in length by the second flowing down past his eyes and halting just below his chin. Brushing his newly acquired bangs out of his face Plugg stared up at Owen smugly, his expression mirrored by Isaac and Hokestar " It took months to get the concentrations right for my Elixir but as you can see, the results speak for themselves, my dear boy." he added.
"How in the..." Owen muttered stepping towards Plugg he reached out taking the newly acquired hair into his hand and giving it a slight tug just to check if it was real, which judging by the small wince Plugg let out was indeed the case, he stare at the phenomenon in open fascination and he wasn't the only one, a small group of passers-by who had seen the display were now eyeing Hokestars stand with interest.
Something that filled the old con artist and teen with pride, the two shared a smile. "Okay" Owen finally spoke up "I officially take back everything I just said."
"As you should." Hokestar went on, turning his attention back towards Isaac "Apologies for not contacting you sooner about this success, I was planning to invite you down for today's presentation, but you found your way here first, and I assume by your surprise it wasn't to check on my progress, what can I do for you lad?"
Isaacs's smile fell slightly "You want the long version or the quick version."
Sensing the severity in Isaac's words Hokestar gestured toward Plugg "Plugg I don't suppose you could hold down the fort for a moment, the lads and I need to have a chat." Plug flashed a quick thumbs up towards his boss and moved to take control of the stand as the group of passers-by from before began to close in on them. "Follow me boys." Hokestar turned and began making his way back towards his workshop, Owen and Isaac trailing close behind.
Stepping through the automatic doors, Hokestar ushered the two inside before flipping a switch to its left and selling the door behind them "Make yourselves comfortable." He said gesturing towards a few folding chairs he had at the back while taking a sweet in his own, once the two teens were settled he then asked "Now then, what brings you two of you to my humble place of business, going by that look you gave me earlier I can only assume this is serious."
"It's about the Psycho Rangers." Owen replied, Hokestar sucked in a sharp breath his face losing a few shades of green as he gripped the arms of his chair slightly.
"W-What. "He gasped "I had heard stories of an attack on the Plumber base here on earth, but I assumed they were only rumors" Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket Hokestar dabbed at his brow nervously "Isaac my boy, be frank with me, are those animals planetside at this moment."
"No" Isaac reassured him allowing Hokestar to deflate back into his chair. "But we're putting a team together to go after them, and we were hoping you could help us."
Hokestars eyes widened a strained laugh escaping him "Well... I'm flattered to be among those you might consider for such a daunting task but I'm merely a simple businessman I'd be useless against such ...creatures." Hokestar rattled off his sweat returning tenfold.
"It's not you, we were hoping to get our hands on Professor." Isaac was quick to rectify, allowing the Quirky professor to breathe a sigh of relief. "During the attack on the base last year, the psycho rangers escaped through an augmented null void projector and Alex followed them through to the world on the other side, he was injured in one of their attacks a little over nine months ago and we were forced to pull out, and the portal was shut down."
Hokestars eyes widened in response, a large pit forming in his stomach as the realization of the fate of the people trapped on the other side with those... monsters. "Those poor souls." he whispered.
"That the thing" Owen picked up "Those people managed to hold out, they're still alive and fighting this fight alone, the High-Constables have shot down any suggestions to send aid and dismantled the Portal, so we're taking it on ourselves to do what they won't, all we need is something to help us make the trip." Hokestar nodded along with Isaac's words realizing what the young lads were asking of him quickly dawning upon him.
"You need my Warp Field Generator." Hokestar cupped his chin in thought, a contemplative look passing over Hokestars face.
And here came the hard part "... I know I'm asking a lot of you to give up a one-of-a-kind piece of tech like that, but we'd be willing to compensate you in any way you need for it-."
"It's yours, my boy." Hokestar interrupted stunning the two plumbers, removing his hat he looked the two young men in the eye "And before you start going on and on about thanks and paying me for it or whatnot, consider this one on the house."
"I..." Isaac honestly didn't know how to respond "You're... you're sure about this."
Hokestar nodded back to him "Yes my boy" He'd heard the stories over the hollow feeds like most people, but he'd been one of the few brave, or rather foolish enough to have sought out the truth of their vile acts for himself, and what he'd found that day shook him to his core.
If he were to deny the means to see that such a calamity might never grace the universe again, he doubted he'd be able to live with himself. "...I've seen for myself what those creatures are truly capable of when left to their own devices and if my Warp Field generator can help you put an end to this madness once and for all, then, by all means-" Digging into his breast pocket Hokestar retrieved a set of keys marked with a stylized 23 and offered it to them "-take it."
Both teens were honestly taken aback by the con artist's words, in all honesty, they'd expected to have to agree to a pretty penny or a few favors down the lien in order to cover the cost of Hokestar handing the Generator over to them. Owen silently reached out, taking the keys from Hokestar, he stared down at them for a moment before looking back up at the old con artist. "Thank you, really thank you, I honestly don't know what to say about this."
"Then say nothing." Hokestar replied "Just see the job through and when you come back, we can celebrate" he added with a hopeful smile. In his humble opinion, if anyone had a chance at going toe to toe with those creatures and coming out ahead, it was Isaac and those friends of his, speaking of which. "Be on your way now, the store is currently parked at the east end of Fitzgerald Avenue, there is a terminal at the back of the workshop, it should have the schematics and instructions on how to operate the generator." He said flicking a small switch below his desk, the door re-opened behind them "I wish you all the best of luck, Gentlemen."
"You won't regret this professor." Owen rose from his chair offering the professor a grateful nod, before pocketing the keys and making his way towards the door. Owen followed behind him, as they stepped outside the door closed behind them once more, and both found themselves staring back at the hatch.
After a moment of silence passed between the two of them Isaac finally spoke up "I guess we're heading to Fitzgerald Avenue" he sighed stuffing his hands into the pockets of his overalls as the two started began the walk back across Undertown and back to the surface "We should call Alex and the others and give 'em the good news." Isaac said offering Plugg a wave goodbye as they passed the stall, the previous crowd having doubled in size while they met with the professor.
"Already on it." Owen replied pulling out his smartphone, he swiped through his contacts tapping on Akira's face.
Owen: 'We got the keys to the Warp Field Generator, heading over to check it out now.' He typed off a quick message to her.
Owen: 'How are things looking on your end?' He followed up.
...
...
...
Akira: 'Take a look for yourself' She typed back and below that was a link to an image file, clicking on the link it took a few seconds for his phone to download the file before it flashed up on his screen, Owen stopped his eyes wide as he stared down at the image in his Phone. Taking notice of his friend's sudden stop Isaac backtracked over to Owen.
"Owen, you good man?" Isaac asked, glancing down at the phone his eyes quickly matched Owen's. There on the screen taken from what looked like a control room overlooking a hanger bay was Alex, his back to them as they stared through the observation window, down towards one of the largest star ships he'd ever seen, its sheer size and bulk rivalling that of a Plumber warship.
"Bloody hell."
AN: To be continued
