Robyn was plugging in a USB stick when Weiss and Adam joined them around the computer. Static surveillance footage on the monitor showed two individuals sitting around the glass coffee table in the Study. Father's back faced the camera while his guest lounged on the couch across from him. Weiss recognised Dr Watt's prominent moustache at once.
"The security cameras only keep footage for thirty days, so we don't have every conversation they've had," Fiona said while they waited for the videos to copy to Robyn's thumb drive. "But it's more than enough to convict Jacques of election fraud and more."
"You mean Father's committed even more crimes?"
"It might interest you to watch what we found," Robyn said.
Weiss thought the rabbit hole ended with Faunus enslavement. What else had Father been doing right beneath their noses?
No one else spoke as the files slowly transferred over. Weiss used that extra downtime to study Adam. Though he stood right next to her, he felt a million miles away. Was he reliving that awful night? Or was he remembering the good memories he had of his family?
Adam must've felt her staring as he snapped out of his daze and glanced in her direction. She took his hand, weaving her fingers between his. A ghost of a smile touched his face.
"Do you need to take a moment outside?" Weiss whispered.
Adam shook his head, leaning down to kiss her temple.
"I'll be okay. Thanks."
Weiss didn't completely believe him. No one could be okay after discovering what they did. She squeezed his hand, a silent promise she was going to be right here if he needed her.
Once the videos finally transferred over, Robyn copied more files onto the USB stick before ejecting it. She motioned them to get closer to the monitor, clicking on the first video of interest. Fiona left to get Yang and Blake to come in and join them.
In the new video, Father and Watts were once again seated across from each other. Even with Father's back facing them, Weiss saw the tension wound up in his shoulders.
"I thought you said you'd help me, Arthur!" Father snapped.
Father feverishly tapped his finger on the armrest of his chair. Dr Watts didn't seem the slightest bit moved by Father's irritation, instead choosing to study the untouched chessboard between them.
"Those animals won't shut up about Hill, and now it's reaching the ears of civilised people. There's even more talk about that bitch's campaign amongst regular people in–"
"Relax, Jacques, I fully intend on keeping my end of the deal. We just need to wait until the guest of honour arrives at Mantle." Watts plucked a black pawn piece from the board, inspecting it with a sly grin. "By the end of this week, the masses will see those animals as what they are. Animals."
"I don't see how you can put a muzzle on them. Their kind isn't even afraid of rebelling against the Military."
"If there's one thing admirable about the Faunus, it's their fierce fighting spirit. Even animals have a strong desire to live, Jacques. It's also that same desire that makes them all too easy to play with." He placed the pawn back on the board with an audible click.
"Play with them how?"
"Let me worry about the details. I'm sure you understand the importance of keeping company secrets."
Silence.
"You're different from when we last spoke," Father noted warily.
"Grief can do funny things. It was tragic that old Pierre kicked the bucket so soon. Well, there's no use crying over it now." Watts rose to his feet, taking a moment to straighten his jacket. "It's been a pleasure, Jacques, but I'm afraid I must be leaving. The General expects me to be back for another meeting."
"Remember our deal, Arthur."
"So long as you remember yours, old friend. Remember what to say when our guest of honour starts wreaking havoc in Mantle. I'll be expecting her any day now."
Robyn stopped the video and clicked on the next one, scrolling through the footage of Father performing mundane tasks. Yang and Blake had joined them around the computer at this point.
Weiss wasn't sure what this all meant. What sort of plan Watts had in place for Mantle? She didn't have to wait long when Robyn found the timestamp where Watts was on camera again. He sat down at his usual spot.
"What the hell, Arthur?!" Father circled his office this time, his expression contorted into fury.
"I told you it was only a matter of time before the media appropriately labelled those animals–"
"But poison?! An entire apartment was fucking murdered! I didn't agree to take part in some fucked up terrorist campaign!"
"Calm down. You're hysterical." Watt gestured to the puffy armchair across from him.
Father slouched onto the armchair with an angry huff. His back once again faced the camera.
"Mantle is their sole target. You're perfectly safe."
"If the media finds out I'm involved–"
"They won't."
"The deal's off! I can't risk losing my public image–"
"Think, Jacques! Right now, the citizens in Mantle are terrified of the White Fang. They'll want those terrorists to face consequences. But most importantly, they'll be looking for someone to blame for this tragedy.
"Now is the perfect time for you to come in with a solution to fight those terrorists and give the people a target to blame."
The two men stared so intensely at each other that Weiss thought the video had frozen.
"It's very simple, Jacques. All you need to do is show the public how vile Faunus nature is and how incompetent the Military is. Everything else will fall in place."
"Don't you work for the Military?" Father asked sharply. "I don't see why you're so keen on taking it down."
"You misunderstand me, old friend. I have no ill intent for the Military. I only want that useless General to resign."
Father massaged his temples. Watts looked down at the chessboard, picked up the black queen piece and rolled it slowly in his hand.
"I still don't see why the General will keep relying on those scraps of garbage. It's only a matter of time before real Huntsmen return and ruin your plan."
Watts narrowed his eyes. Was Father even aware he was speaking to the man who created those robots?
"He won't call his men back. He's too desperate to give up his little pet project," Watts replied coolly.
"And you're certain this will let me win the election?"
"You've already won. Congratulations." Watts placed the queen piece back on the board. "Let me do the heavy lifting. Your only job is to look sharp and give the people of Atlas and Mantle a push in the right direction. Easy enough."
"And you're certain you have that guest of honour under control?"
"She won't come near you even if she wants to. My colleague will ensure our little kitty cat is obedient."
"Fine." Father crossed his arms. "Now get out. I need time to prepare my next speech."
"I'm glad we've come to an understanding!" Watts beamed, getting up to his feet.
He was straightening his coat when his eyes looked right at the security camera. Even when Weiss knew it was only a recording, she still felt like he was looking right at her.
"You should consider taking those cameras down," Watts said.
"I'm not leaving this room unguarded."
"It's stupid to leave evidence behind. A mere child can tell you that."
Even without looking at Father's face, Weiss knew his expression had morphed into an ugly sneer. No one ever called Father stupid, especially not to his face. Watts, however, seemed more amused by Father's expression than anything.
"The footage gets cleared after thirty days–"
"That's thirty days too long, Jacques. Do us both a favour and take those cameras down – or at the very least clear the footage daily."
Watts didn't wait for Father's answer, leaving him behind to stew in his anger. Father glanced back at the security camera, his hideous sneer still on his face. Robyn paused the footage and closed it.
Watts was cooperating with Tyrian.
Watts encouraged Ironwood to send his men out to defend weaker communities and planted his robots in every corner of Mantle and Atlas.
Salem's forces didn't just infiltrate the Military, she gut the Kingdom until it was virtually defenceless.
Robyn, completely oblivious to the true terror that these videos revealed, clicked on the next file and scrolled to the appropriate timestamp.
Watts and Father were sitting in their usual spot. This time, Watts was busy fiddling with his Scroll.
"They say there's a record-breaking number of Faunus at the pre-polls," Father fumed.
"You can only push an animal so far into a corner before it fights back," Watts said with a dismissive wave.
"You sound awfully calm about this!"
"Jacques, there's no need to fuss when you've already won. We could have every Faunus in Mantle voting for Hill tomorrow night, and it'd make no difference."
A pause. Father stared at Watts like a stone statue.
"What if you get caught?"
"Don't insult my intelligence." Watts sneered. "Now that we're almost at the end of this long charade, I trust you've got your next steps already planned out?"
"Yes…"
"You sound apprehensive."
"How can you be sure the General will resign? That bastard hasn't budged through my entire campaign. What makes you think he'll step down once I'm in office?"
Watts looked at Father like a petulant child.
"You can't surely be this ignorant, Jacques. The power you hold while in the office isn't comparable to the power you have as a political candidate."
"I know that!" Father rose to his feet, fists clenched. "All I'm saying is that he's too damned stubborn for his own good. I'm trying everything, and it isn't working."
"Then try harder."
"It's not working. Perhaps I'm not best suited to challenge the General like this. I can connect you to people–"
"You aren't in a position to negotiate, Jacques. Remember, I can ruin your career and campaign with a single press of a button."
"What else can I say?!"
"Figure something out. I asked you to be the mouthpiece for a reason."
For a moment, the two men stared at each other, not sharing a word.
"You still have plenty of time to think of something. I'm sure you'll be able to find some inspiration before you win tomorrow. If you're stuck, I can suggest a few ideas you can play with." Watts tucked his Scroll into his pocket and rose to his feet. "I should get going. You have a big day tomorrow."
Father grunted something under his breath. Watts had just about walked out of frame when he paused, looking at something on his shelf. Weiss looked up to examine the approximate spot he was studying in the footage.
The shelf held a picture frame that was turned to the wall. Why was Watts so interested in the photograph when he couldn't even see it?
"Are you still taking your family to the Mantle Estate to celebrate?" Watts asked.
"Of course I am. I've already had the guest invites sent out."
"Good," Watts grinned. "I suggest integrating the topic of family into your campaign against Ironwood next time. The public tends to react more…viciously when it relates to familial matters."
Something in the tone of his voice made the events in the Schnee Estate make so much more sense. For a moment, she almost felt bad for Father.
"Robyn, we need to go!" Fiona hurried back into the office. Robyn paused the video as Fiona explained the barriers Weiss set up were beginning to weaken.
"Fiona, take this computer with us. It's too valuable to leave behind," Robyn ordered.
They all hurried out of the office while Fiona stayed behind to take their last piece of evidence. Cracks blistered the stone barriers outside. The robots on the other side continued shooting at their weakened defences. Weiss used her Dust to help strengthen their barriers.
Robyn looked out the window and cursed.
"Should we call for backup?" Fiona asked.
"I don't think we should go back to Mantle," Jaune interjected before Robyn could respond. "We need to get that footage to Ironwood now."
"I don't see how running to the General will help us," Robyn said.
"You don't understand. This is so much more than election fraud. Watts is–" Jaune stopped himself before he could blurt any more information. Robyn crossed her arms expectedly, but Jaune refused to elaborate any further.
"He's right," Blake jumped to his defence. "Ironwood isn't our enemy. He's been tricked like everyone else. I know it's confusing without context, but you need to trust us. This is important."
Robyn narrowed her eyes at them. Weiss wasn't sure she was going to agree with them, given her dicey opinion of the General.
"Even if I agree, it's impossible to get near Atlas Academy," she said. "Those robots have that place completely on lockdown."
"We'll fight them!" Yang exclaimed.
"I don't think you understand how many enemies we'll be up against. They'll swarm us before we can even step foot on campus grounds."
"We could try to infiltrate one of the cargo ships again," Fiona suggested. "If we go by air, it might be easier."
"I doubt we'll be able to get back to the airship port undetected."
Weiss and Jaune shared a look once the suggestion of going by air came up.
"If it's a ride you need, I can help with that," Weiss offered.
She explained how she, Jaune, and Yang had used one of her Summons to fly over to the Estate. Given how much closer Atlas Academy was, she had full confidence she'd be able to carry them all there.
"It doesn't seem like we have many options at this point." Robyn looked out the window once more. "If we do this, we'll need to brace for aerial attacks. The Academy will be reinforced with Jacques there."
Robyn stepped away from the window and loaded her crossbow with a glowing red arrow. Without warning, she fired. Her arrow exploded upon impact.
Weiss wasn't ready for the sharp shriek of glass shattering. She forgot how to breathe for a moment, once again finding herself laying on her bedroom floor amongst dozens of broken glass fragments. Father's angry voice was clear as day as if he was above her–
The cold air snapped her back to the present. Robyn and Fiona didn't notice her momentary lapse into the past. Her friends, however, caught on to her sudden shift in mood. Though no one said anything, the worried looks on their faces told her she wasn't exactly looking well.
"Are you sure you can go through with this?" Adam whispered to her.
"Y-yeah." With a trembling hand, she drew her sword.
She wasn't going to let Father control her tonight – especially not after everything they'd learned.
Something was going to change tonight, one way or another.
Weiss closed her eyes and tapped her sword onto the ground, calling forth her Glyph. It's been a long time since she'd faced the monster at Emerald Forest, but she hoped it'll hear her call and come to their aid.
The Nevermore was big enough for them all to ride on its back. Weiss and Jaune sat in the middle of their group while everyone else stood guard over them.
Fiona updated Yang and Blake on what they found behind Father's portrait once they were safely in the air. Adam refused to take part in the discussion, choosing instead to observe the sky for any incoming enemies.
"I can't believe something like this could go on for so long!" Yang fumed, her Semblance flickering to life for a brief second. "Has no one looked into this before?!"
"No one believes the survivors' stories," Blake said quietly. "If a Human claimed the same thing, every Faunus in Atlas and Mistral would be questioned. No exceptions."
"The problem now is figuring out how we can manage so many victims," Robyn sighed heavily. "I knew we had a big job on our hands, but I never thought it'd be this insane…I'm almost tempted to ask the Military for help."
"We might not have a choice. There's too much ground to cover at once, and Jacques might have a fail-safe implemented for this very situation," Fiona said.
"He would, wouldn't he?" Robyn uttered a series of curses under her breath.
"At least we have proof of all this happening now…" Yang murmured
"Even with all this evidence, people might not listen to us," Fiona said miserably. "They might try to brush it off as an exaggeration or a conspiracy. The rich will hide their involvement with the right amount of money."
"I'll beat the fuck out of whoever wants to deny this!" Yang snapped. "It's not fair to the people who had to live through this!"
Yang glanced over at Adam for a moment before turning her head away.
"I can't believe I only learned about all this recently."
"Better late than never." Blake placed a reassuring hand on Yang's back.
"There's an airship heading for us," Adam interjected.
The grim conversation halted when the first fleet of airships raced towards them. It was more difficult to maintain her focus when bullets shot at them left and right. Weiss couldn't see any Humans or Faunus in the airships. Their opponents were only robots. When the others caught onto this detail, the violence in their attacks grew.
Yang's Semblance burned whenever a robot managed to land on their ride, throwing them off with a single punch to the face. Adam also used the robots to vent his frustration. His Semblance sliced through any hostile airships that got too close to them.
"We're almost there!" Jaune cried out when Atlas Academy was in sight. "Where are we landing this thing?!"
That was a good question. Weiss hadn't considered what they'd do after arriving. The school grounds were riddled with guards and possibly students. They were too high up to tell. Landing on the courtyard was not going to be an option.
Her eyes drifted towards the tallest tower overlooking the school. The tinted windows made it impossible to tell if someone was inside, but if Ironwood was present, it would make their jobs easier.
"Let's crash Ironwood's office!"
"Yeah—wait, what?!"
Weiss didn't give him a chance to protest, prompting her Nevermore to dive towards their target. She shouted a warning for the others before summoning enough Black Glyphs to keep everyone onboard.
She held her breath right as her Nevermore crashed into tinted windows. Glass fragments rushed into her like snowflakes in a blizzard; the cry of shattering windows shrieked into her ears. Though her heart exploded in her chest, her mind remained anchored in the present.
The Nevermore slid across the room and vanished into a wisp of white smoke once inside.
Weiss leapt up to her feet, creating a wall of ice to replace the windows they'd destroyed. She expected the airships to continue their pursuit and shoot their barrier down, but they didn't. Even the bullets completely ceased.
The door behind them swung open. They all drew their weapons and backed away from the entrance, freezing when they came face to face with an ashen-faced woman.
Weiss couldn't recognise her at first. White hair was spilling haphazardly out of her usual immaculate ponytail. Heavy bags hung beneath her eyes, and her uniform wrinkled.
"Winter?" Weiss gasped.
Ironwood and the rest of their friends were behind Winter, all staring into the room as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Y-you're supposed to be dead," Winter whispered.
"Dead? Why did you think–"
Winter sprinted into the room and barreled into her with the tightest hug Weiss had ever felt. It wasn't long before Ruby followed her lead, running into Yang so quickly that she nearly sent them both crashing into the floor. Qrow was quick to join his nieces while Ren and Nora welcomed Jaune with an impromptu group hug.
Oscar awkwardly looked between the tearful family and team reunions before greeting Blake and Adam.
Weiss eagerly hugged Winter back. She had so much she wanted to tell her, so much she wanted to ask her, but all her restless ideas came to a screeching halt when Watts walked in with Ironwood. Watts looked like he tasted something sour.
"I thought you said their Scrolls last pinged in the outskirts," Ironwood said to Watts. "How are they here?"
"I'm as dumbfounded as you," Watts insisted. "Perhaps they are not who they–"
"What is the meaning of this, General?! I expected top-notch security in tonight's meeting! Are you so incompetent you can't even manage to protect your school?!"
An uncontrollable fury ignited when Father barged in after Ironwood. Two robotic guards followed him inside, but neither raised their guns at Weiss' team.
"You!" Adam's Semblance made the room burn red.
Father sneered at the callous way Adam had addressed him. His disgust dropped into terror when he realised who exactly was standing in front of him. Under the steady glow of crimson light, Father's horrified expression and incoherent stammers exposed how small he was beneath his inflated ego.
"So you remember me." Adam's sword clicked out from its sheath.
Winter pulled away to interject, but Weiss latched onto her arm.
"Weiss, let go."
"No."
"He might hurt a defenceless civilian–"
"He's not the problem here."
The two robotic guards accompanying Father pointed their guns at Adam, but that didn't stop him from stepping closer. Ruby was about ready to jump in to make peace, but Yang grabbed onto her before she could intervene.
"Adam, stand down." It was Robyn who stepped between them. Her interference only made his Semblance grow brighter. "I understand how you feel, but we need him alive for information."
Hearing Robyn speak snapped Father out of whatever daze he was stuck in. He studied her and the Faunus members of the team with a deep scowl.
"We let a terrorist apologist into the election!" He turned to Ironwood as if he was the reason Robyn was able to run as a candidate. "If I had it my way, every single one of those savage beasts–"
"I dare you to fucking repeat that–!"
"Adam! His secrets die with him!" Robyn cut him off. "You can do whatever you want to him after we wring him dry of information."
Weiss wasn't sure he would be willing to let Father go, but the red light gradually dimmed until it snuffed out. His sword never clicked back into the sheath.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Hill?" Ironwood narrowed his eyes at Robyn.
"It means he's finally going to pay for his crimes," Weiss couldn't help but answer.
All eyes locked on her, but the only person she saw was Father. The expression on his face was an exact mirror of the one haunting her nightmares. Wrath burned in his wide predatory eyes. It was as potent as the night he carved open her face.
"My daughter has always been melodramatic when she doesn't get what she wants," Father said without taking his eyes off her. "I wouldn't take her accusations seriously."
The word daughter reawakened a raging beast deep within her heart. The glass fragments on Ironwood's floor glistened in the light. Her back prickled from the memory of glass biting into her skin, and her scar burned like a freshly opened wound.
The furious beast in her heart clawed at her chest, yearning to rip Father apart.
"Father's been trafficking and enslaving Faunus for years." Weiss let go of Winter, approaching Father with her head held high.
"She's delusional! Anyone sane can tell her story is made up–"
"I invited everyone home tonight, and we took a tour of his office." Weiss stopped right beside Adam. "We found everything he's been trying to hide. Every accusation about Faunus slavery has solid evidence to back it up."
Weiss turned her eyes over to Fiona. Robyn hesitated for a moment before nodding curtly.
That prompted Fiona to produce some of the artefacts she took from the secret room and presented them to Ironwood. Weiss didn't see how the General was taking all the information. She refused to take her eyes off Father for a second.
Father glanced between her and Adam, his fists trembling more and more as Fiona detailed what she picked up from the Manor. Weiss saw the last of his self-control snap when Robyn explained how she was able to access the information on his personal computer.
Adam pulled out his sword when Father stormed towards them, but Weiss reacted first. In a blink of an eye, she had Father surrounded by Glyphs, trapping his body in ice.
The raging beast inside her screamed at her to end it now. All it would take was a single swipe of her sword to eliminate the monster who hurt her. This was her chance to make him feel helpless. He'd never be able to lay a hand on her again. She'd completely be free of his control.
Someone called her name when her blade lit up in flames.
Weiss forced her fingers to uncurl around her sword, allowing it to drop onto the glass fragments. Father threw curses and insults at her, but the buzzing in her head was louder.
She staggered until Adam caught her. She leaned on him, courage and rage now extinguished by an unexpected chill. She couldn't stand to look at Father anymore. All she could do was stare at her sword on the ground.
She almost killed Father.
She was so close to eliminating that monster from the world permanently.
She hated that he was still alive.
"Enough, Jacques!" Ironwood ordered, silencing Father almost immediately.
Ironwood was still examining some of the files presented by Fiona with a stony expression.
"I will look into these immediately. Thank you for bringing them to my attention," Ironwood said gravely. "I would, however, like to know what you're doing with Huntsmen who were presumed dead."
Jaune didn't hesitate to explain the true state of Mantle and the robots' hostility towards them.
"Clearly, these are impostors," Watts piped in before any of them could say anything else. "If they were real, they wouldn't have needed to make such a crude entry."
"You can't listen to him!" Yang snapped. "He's working with Salem!"
"That's preposterous! You surely can't believe them, General. An intruder would not know our protocol about handling sensitive information like that."
"We only told Adam what he needed to know," Jaune was quick to clarify.
"You told unauthorised personnel sensitive information?!" Winter snapped.
"It was only fair for our team to be on the same page."
"Firstly, those robots are designed to fight Grimm. Secondly, if you were in danger, you should've called for help–"
"Your technician bugged our Scrolls and made it impossible for any of us to reach out to our friends! Those robots would've killed us if we never figured out the truth!"
"You're jumping to conclusions–"
"Winter," Ironwood cut her off shortly.
"We found evidence to prove Watts has been working behind your back," Jaune continued. "That's why we returned the way we did. We were desperate to get this to you."
"It's not difficult to forge evidence, General," Watts scoffed. "I propose we lock them up for questioning and–"
Ironwood held his hand up. He didn't speak for the longest time, scrutinising each person in the room like a convicted suspect.
His attention remained on the Faunus members in the room. Weiss wasn't sure if he'd completely bought Robyn's story, or if he'd made up his mind the moment he saw the Faunus traits on some of their friends.
"We should at least hear them out, James," Qrow suggested coolly. "I know my niece when I see her. I don't think she and her friends would try to sabotage us."
"In my unbiased opinion, I believe–"
"You claim to have evidence that my scientist is working for the enemy." Ironwood turned to address Jaune. His complete disregard for Watts visibly irked the man. "I hope you aren't foolish enough to think I'll only take your word for such a serious accusation."
"We have surveillance footage showing him orchestrating murder with an accomplice," Jaune answered. "We've fought his accomplice in the past. He's all but confirmed to be Salem's henchman! Qrow can vouch for us too."
Watts was now directing his murderous glare at Father. Weiss didn't bother hiding her smug grin when Father realised the position he put them in.
"General, you can't possibly allow trust a bunch of impressionable rookies–"
"And where exactly is this evidence?"
"We have the computer with the video logs," Fiona answered.
Ironwood narrowed his eyes on Fiona, studying her so intensely that it made Weiss uneasy. The wanted Faunus posters on his wall seemed so much bolder than Weiss remembered.
Then, the bullets started firing.
Thanks to Gleaming Onyx, BrazeRancor, Iwr1918, Able and Table, QueenlyCrimson, and a Guest reader for the reviews!
A small correction to Iwr1918's comment. The Faunus that was kept alive and tortured was actually Sienna. I know it's a little confusing when they're all just referred to by numbers and letters.
Speaking of, if anyone is bored and has some free time, you should run some of the Faunus IDs from the previous chapter into Google. They aren't just a random string of letters I made up!