Gonna try to 'level up my game' and learn how to edit in CapCut. Hopefully it isn't irritating.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Harriet raced up back to the official buildings outside the mineshaft, seeing signs of battle up here too. Holes dotted the snow, clear signs of Centinel attacks. She made her way over to the trailer to find the four Hunters she'd assigned to search the buildings. Marrow almost fired on her when he saw movement, but he had just enough restraint to not actually pull the trigger.
"Hare?!" Marrow yelled, "Jeez...maybe a little warning next time."
"Sorry. Things are getting a bit more complicated. Tell me you found something," Harriet hoped.
"We do," Weiss admitted, "Looks like they forgot a laptop here, but we're gonna need Cammie or Albedo to access it."
"We'll try to get in contact with Cammie. I think Albedo's on a black ops mission." Harriet said. "Probably far too busy for us."
And then her Scroll started to ring, seemingly to the speedster's annoyance.
Harriet passed the orb to Weiss quickly before she started walking off, rolling her eyes.
"Excuse me." She said, before vanishing around the building. Weiss gave her a look before losing sight of her.
Not very professional, but still concerning. Weiss thought.
The Ace-Op answered her Scroll once she was out of earshot of the others.
"Not the best timing there. I finished up the current mission, but it's like I thought. This is gonna be a long case...so, what is it?" Harriet asked.
"About your appointment," Doctor Holiday spoke from the other line. "I feel like you're purposely putting up these barriers to ignore what you REALLY want to talk about."
"I mean, I can't just ditch the mission, especially now," Harriet countered, "We found something out here, something that the general won't be happy about."
Holiday hummed. "I can't tell if that's hyperbole or not."
"It's not." Harriet firmly frowned. "We found a bunch of orbs, and they're messing with the Omnitrix AND attracting Grimm whenever they're activated."
"But that's-" Holiday began.
"Impossible, I know," Harriet finished," Luckily, we managed to get one that's still...mostly intact. Dented, but now we can see what the hell's going on with them. Not to mention, it looks like one of Tennyson's rouges is in town too. Some back-alley tech-jockey called Fistrick."
"...ok, so you might be right about needing to postpone things."
"Yeah, not so crazy when you get the details, is it? When these guys are involved, what should be a simple sweep and clear turns into a race to stop some...alien doomsday device," Harriet sighed, clearly exaggerating. Well, partly.
Holiday sighed. "Try connecting with those kids, then. They have a strong, emotional connection. I think you'd benefit from it in the long run." the doctor said.
"Fine." Harriet said. "I'll be…cordial."
"You're not being a 'drill sergeant' commanding officer, are you?" Holiday asked.
"What? No! I'm doing things by the book, yeah, but I'm not yelling at them because they don't have ammo or something!" Harriet said, offended.
"You have chewed out Marrow for having an almost invisible stain on his uniform once, I recall."
"That was-!" Harriet stopped herself, "Fine...fine. I'll...try and ease up on that..."
"Good." Holiday said.
"Besides, they're being…compliant today. So, maybe today's the day to try this out." Harriet said.
"Maybe don't use the word 'compliant,'" Holiday suggested.
"Ok, what would you suggest I call it?" Harriet half snapped back.
"Maybe they're acting more 'by the book.'"
"That does sound better..." Harriet said. "I'll call you back if we get lucky enough to finish this tonight. Okay?"
"Alright. And if it turns out you can't, I can find a day to reschedule," Holiday reassured.
"Fine by me. Talk to you later." And then Harriet hung up. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Finding common ground with these kids was going to be...rough.
"...Harriet?" someone called out from behind her. The usually collected Ace-Op nearly jumped three feet in the air at hearing her name get called. She almost dropped her Scroll as well, barely catching it before quickly stowing it away.
"W-what is it?" Harriet asked, turning around to see Weiss standing there.
"We got an unexpected visit from Doctor Weller. You're gonna wanna listen to what he has to say. He has that...spark in his eyes." Weiss said.
Harriet sighed in relief. The last person she wanted to hear any of that right now was the heiress.
And then it clicked.
"Wait...don't you mean he wanted to see us?" Harriet asked.
"Nope. We got the call. He's coming here."
That got Harriet's attention.
"I had to run a dozen or so algorithms to cross reference the materials this orb used, because it was so buried." Weller explained. "I even had to use Caliban's AIs at some point, and lord knows I need to update HIS systems."
"Ok, ok, doc, slow down," Marrow said, "I can see smoke rising off your shoulders you're going so fast."
"I will have you know, Mr. Amin, I have no cybernetics that would be overheating n-oh you meant that as hyperbole. Right, right," Weller took a breath, especially since he also saw that many in the group were lost thanks to his technobabble, "I know where the orbs came from. They are Atlesian-"
"We figured that part out," Yang interjected.
"But I can tell you where they were manufactured specifically. And it's not good. This isn't just Atlesian tech...this was built by the Arrowfell Initiative."
"The what now?" Ben asked. "Pretty cool name, though."
"Arrowfell...that's a name I haven't heard in a while." Harriet hummed.
"What's Arrowfell?" Ruby asked.
"Few years back, Fort Arrowfell was an active Atlas Military base where all sorts of prototype tech was built and tested, think of it like a military think tank. The technicians that were allowed in were some of the best Atlas had to offer at the time. The only problem was that they probably should've had more…direct oversight. Without it, they ended up making some questionable weapons." Harriet explained.
"Questionable? Try unsanctioned, reckless, volatile. A lot of the projects within were what the Council and military brass commissioned, sure, but there were even more 'passion projects.' Unethical testing, bio-weapon research, surveillance enhancements, the list goes on," Weller explained, The Initiative was shut down several years ago by Ironwood's predecessors because he abhorred the side-projects and he recognized just how dangerous they could be if they fell into the wrong hands."
"Facility was decommissioned if I recall," Elm added, "but the exact location was hidden."
"Not any more it seems," Weller said.
"A secret lair with weapons? Should've destroyed the work. Trust me. Dangerous tech shouldn't be left out in the open." Ben frowned, looking down at the watch. "Especially with idiots around."
"So, you think Fistrick broke in?" Marrow asked.
"But that doesn't make sense..." Elm began, "You said Fistrick's a low-level tech-dealer. I doubt he even knows his way around Solitas all that well. Someone else probably broke in and passed off the findings."
"He probably had help. He knows a lot of idiots that'll do anything for a quick payday. Guys that sell him alien parts, dudes that deal him high tech weapons...and people who can style his stupid hair and makeup." Ben said.
"Well...we might be able to get one of those 'idiots' now," Weiss said, handing over the laptop, "For Cammie to crack."
"Hm," Weller hummed, looking over the files, "Oh she can have this cracked within an hour or two."
"Sounds like a plan." Harriet said.
"Hey, doc. Any chance you figured out what's interfering with the Omnitrix?" Ruby asked.
"Sorry, but that's a BIIIIIIIIIIIG fat no at the moment." Weller said.
"Greaaaat," Ben sighed.
"Not everything can be solved in just a few hours, y'know." Weller said. "That'd just be lazy."
"Why don't you just have one of your smart aliens fix it?" Marrow asked.
Everyone stared at him.
"...oooooh, right." Marrow said.
He'd shrivel up and die later.
Cammie sighed as she worked the last of her hacking magic. To tell the truth, this was one of the easiest coding jobs she'd do all day. Whoever set up this security should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe they should take a refresher course on cyber-security. With a few final keystrokes, the digital lock on the laptop clicked open.
"Amateurs," Cammie scoffed before she called it in to Weller, "Hey doc, I got it! Nugget isn't even finished recharging so ya know the coding was a piss-poor job."
Weller clapped his hands. "Excellent work, Cammie!" Doctor Weller complimented, rubbing his hands together. "So, who's our laptop owner?"
Cammie opened a few windows. "Someone named A. Glass." Cammie said. "So, he could either be a 'half empty' or 'half full' kind of guy."
Yang applauded her terrible pun. "Ayyyyyy."
"See, one of you got it," Cammie chuckled.
"Glass..." Marrow repeated, "Hasn't Intel been looking into someone named that?"
"Yeah," Harriet confirmed, "Amoncio Glass. Typical mobster, has connections to everything from smuggling to extortion."
"And now weapon upgrades and military tech trafficking," Weiss added, "I wonder if he's as bad as I've heard..."
"Wait...you know him?" Blake asked.
"No, not really. Apparently, when Jacques was still in the habit of using the SDC brand as a shield for his shady dealings, he outright refused to deal with Glass."
"Damn. There's someone with a terrible reputation." Ben said.
"So, there's our guy." Ruby frowned. "We know where we can find him?"
"He's got business down in Downtown Atlas. A shadier part." Elm said.
"Of course, we'll have to fight through his syndicate to get to him," Harriet said, "And considering the fact that one of those businesses is the Glass Unicorn...might be a difficult."
"The...Glass Unicorn? Not subtle, is he?" Kylie asked.
"In naming? No. But it's a hotel, so there'd be civilians..."
Ben and Ruby shared a look. "We may have an idea, but it's gonna be a bit...risky."
Harriet took a deep breath. "If it gets civilians out, then go for it."
"Great. So where is this place?" Ruby asked.
Ben and Ruby walked into the Glass Unicorn and admired the fancy decor, the piano in the lobby, and the huge statues of Ursas. They went to the front desk and rang the bell there.
The person behind the desk came up to them. "Can I help the two of you?"
"Yeah. Where's the fire alarm?" Ruby spoke up.
"W-what?"
"Where's the fire alarm?" Ben spoke again.
"I-over It's at the bar." The desk worker said, looking confused.
Ben and Ruby exchanged a look and then walked over to the bar. Right toward the fire alarm, without saying a word. The man at the desk watched them pull it out without a hint of pause.
That actually caused quite a commotion. Several of the people in the lobby quickly made their way to the exit while some of the staff followed their own evacuation plan. The guy behind the desk was just looking at them with the most confused expression the duo had ever seen.
"I...wha...y-you can't just-" the employee began.
Ben and Ruby stared at the guy, flashed a piece sign, and then ran out the door like nothing had happened.
"T-there isn't even a fire!" The desk manager yelled, but no one listened to him.
Harriet stood on the sidewalk opposite the hotel, arms crossed and brow raised as she watched the guests file out.
"They...triggered the fire alarm," Harriet said, half deadpan, half in disbelief."
"Well, it did work," Weiss pointed out, "Got any bystanders out of the way."
"And there's no actual fire." Blake said. "Worked better than last time."
Harriet took a deep breath, and shook her head. I would've preferred it if they did set it on fire.
The desk worker was one of the last to evacuate, after grabbing a few pieces of paperwork. Well, he was the last to leave that wasn't on Glass' direct payroll. Ruby and Ben had rejoined the others by now, the latter already getting the Omnitrix ready and dialing up a form.
"Everyone who's left should just be Glass' goons," Ruby nodded, "Why would they leave if their boss is there?"
"We will just have to take them down. Hard." Ben said as he slammed the Omnitrix on the table. He changed and became Bloxx. "And while I do it, I'll make them look silly." The group went back into the hotel.
Harriet actually kicked open the door like this was a police raid, which it technically was, before her Fast Knuckles slid over her arms.
"Atlas Military, you-" Harriet didn't get to finish her sentence. Mere seconds after they'd all walked in, mobsters shot down at them with tommy guns from the upper floors.
"Scatter!" the lead Ace-Op yelled and the group split into the two groups, each one hugging the walls to avoid the line of fire. Everyone could tell that the tommy guns being used were some of Fistrick's products. The bullets that hit the floor and tore up some of the lobby furniture were burning through, freezing and shattering, and just tearing through anything they hit.
"Looks like we found the right guy!" Ceres called out.
Ben formed a set of Bloxxlobbers on his forearms and shoulders. Ben got up, raised his voice, and began hurling the hard plastic pieces at his adversaries. Intense blows to the head caused them to pass unconscious.
"GO!" Ben yelled.
Ruby started things off, racing up to one of the upper floors in a flurry of rose petals. None of the bullets hit her, of course, so when she kicked one of the mobsters in the face and jumped off her like a springboard, she had a full Aura. Another thug took aim with his weapon and was about to pull the trigger, but Ruby was quicker on the draw. A shot of ice quickly encased the monster's hands, stopping his finger from applying any pressure to the trigger. Ruby then raced in and kicked him into the wall with an axe kick to the head.
Of course, the others weren't just going to sit the fight out. Weiss raced into the middle of the lobby and summoned up one of her biggest glyphs, a massive black version of the usual design that had the bullets bounce off and ricochet back at the shooters.
"Now! Take them out!" Weiss called out. Blake tossed Gambol Shroud up, wrapping it around one of the railings. She made sure it was secure before Yang grabbed a hold of her and fired off a few rounds from Ember Celica. The Bumblebee duo raced upwards to where more of the mobsters were stationed, pulling themselves over the railing and rushing into the fray. Blake fired off a few electric Dust shots that paralyzed some of the gangsters, making them drop their weapons. Yang, meanwhile, just decked the criminals in the face, denting or bending the weapons in the process so as to make them unusable. She was about to go for another gunner when one of the hotel room doors to her right exploded. Something slammed into her and sent her over the railing. The blonde quickly grabbed hold of it before she fell and pulled herself back up, only to be met with a brute of a man, whose strength was only augmented further by the mechanical arm he sported. The prosthetic was more like a weapon than a proper replacement, ending in a giant mace head lined with spikes. The arm was also like a piston it seemed, able to retract and extend to give him more range.
"Oh, well that's cheap, isn't it?" Yang asked.
The man smirked. "What's wrong, blondie? Am I too much for lil old you?" The man smugged.
Yang's eyes immediately turned red- suddenly, she was flying towards this man and repeatedly smashing her fists into his face and chest. Her fists were flying like rapid machine gun fire, but had the force of a shotgun blast. She finished up her combo by wrapping around her wire around his neck and ripping it back to choke him out.
"I was gonna go easy, but...you kinda deserved it." Yang grinned.
"Hey blondie!" an auburn-haired gunner called from behind her, along with a pair of other gunners for back up, "Thanks for cornering yourself like this!"
She was about to open fire with her modified tommy gun when Gambol Shroud raced past her and wrapped around the third gangster's weapon. With a quick yank, the weapon was ripped from the guy's grip and slammed into the auburn-haired woman's head hard. The gun was then pulled into the second gunner's face, flooring him as well, before a trio of electric Dust shots took down the third.
"And thank you," Blake said, removing the ammo clip from the modded weapon and tossing it aside, "for lining up like idiots."
"These guys really are Fistrick's people." Ben quipped. "I'm literally throwing plastic at them and they don't really have a response."
"Respond to THIS!" A mobster yelled. Suddenly, gunfire rained down on Bloxx, shattering him into pieces. The group cheered, thinking they'd won...but then Ben easily put himself back together.
"Okay. Here's my formal response." Ben said, holding up his arm. Pieces of blocks started to form around his arm, gigantifying it to an alarming size. Ben launched his fist forward, letting it smash into his opponents and letting bricks explode all over the place.
"These guy aren't much of a hassle. Kinda fun to knock them down." Ben smirked.
"Tennyson!" Harriet called out, "Ramp!"
Ben heard the call out and quickly configured his body into a blocky ramp. The speedster Ace-Op got into a running position, her Aura sparking as her Semblance's power charged up. She narrowed her eyes, two small bolts jumping from the corners, before she raced off. Using Ben, she propelled herself to one of the upper floors, leaving a trail of lightning behind her. She jumped off one pillar to land safely on an upper floor. Several more of Glass and Fistrick's thugs got ready to fight her, but they were no match. With the momentum she still had, she was bouncing off the walls in a z-pattern and just kept one-punch ko'ing these guys. One of the mobsters was punched, but not knocked out, and almost fell over the railing.
Harriet managed to catch him by the collar though.
"Glass and Fistrick. Where are they?" Harriet demanded.
"I-I dunno where they are!" the thug lied. Harriet wasn't buying it, obviously and shook him, threatening to let go.
"Getting real tired of holding you..."
"Ok, ok! I dunno where Fistrick is! B-but Glass has a back-door! One only he's supposed to use for emergencies! L-leads out back to a garage!" the thug relented.
"So in other words...you're just a distraction. Thanks!" the speedster Ace-Op hauled the gangster back over the railing and threw him through the nearest hotel room door.
Ben clapped. "Nicely done."
"Come on!" Harriet yelled, as she ran off. Ben quickly morphed into some stairs for the others to walk on- everyone started to chase after Harriet, following her towards the exit.
There were goons harrying them the whole time, though. Granted, they weren't exactly a threat, but they were doing their job as hindrances. If they weren't careful, Glass could slip right out from under them thanks to these guys.
Amoncio Glass was calmly walking to the garage that his back door led to. He adjusted his glasses as if this was any other trip he'd taken. The crime boss was essentially the embodiment of the Atlesian stereotype. He was a more heavy-set middle-aged man that sported light brown slicker hair, a mustache, and a pair of copper eyes behind his black glasses. He wore a black business suit with a white-collar shirt and bright yellow tie, with matching yelled colored handkerchief in his left breast pocket, and an overcoat resting on his shoulders.
He was accompanied by two more of his guards, one carrying one of Fistrick's modified tommy guns and the other sporting another mechanical mace-arm.
"Well, the Glass Unicorn was a good endeavor while it lasted," the crime boss said as he pulled out a key, "but even the best covers can still be blown."
"What about all the men we're losing for this?" the more brutish bodyguard asked.
"Necessary losses, unlike you two. Now, all I need is my ride and we can make a nice, clean, getaway."
"Wait," the gunner bodyguard blinked, "Doesn't your ride only seat one?"
"My ride, yes. Yours-" Glass began.
"Aw, what!? I've been good to you, Mr. Glass." The gunner bodyguard frowned. "I even got you that coffee beans you like from that one place that's a total hassle."
"And I appreciated that, but you took FAR too long." Glass frowned.
"Boss, you do have a ride for us, right?" the brute asked.
"Of course, I do. It's not like I'm letting everyone be arrested today. Have faith."
"Oh thank god," the gunner sighed in relief. Soon, they reached the door to the garage and Glass quickly unlocked it with the key he produced earlier.
"Now then, let's-" he was cut off by the sound of gunfire. The gunner bodyguard was suddenly pinned to the wall by ice formations, while the brute was quickly entangled by thorny vines that rose out of the ground.
"Amoncio Glass!" Harriet called out, "You're under arrest!"
"On what charges?!" Glass countered, only getting deadpan looks from everyone, even his own guards, "Ok, what specifically?"
"If I told you everything, we'd be here for hours...and I don't want you getting away."
"Hey there, Glass-man." Ben said, extending his body over Harriet's. Glass's face was full of confusion the second Ben stood in front of him. "So, where's Fistrick?"
"Fistri-" Glass began, before a hint of recognition appeared on his face, "Ah. I take it you're the 'bro who kept messing with his vision?' For all that man's mechanical talent, sometimes I can't understand half of what he says."
"Literally only he understands everything he says," Ruby chimed in, "Now, where is he?"
"Ha! As if I'd tell you military lapdogs anything!" Glass smirked.
"Oh please," Harriet said, slamming her fists together, "Gimme one good reason."
"For an Ace-Op, you are not as smart as I pictured. I thought your type was a little wiser than to interfere with my operations. Do you have ANY idea of what I'm capable of?"
Ben raised an eyebrow, before slapping down the Omnitrix symbol. He morphed into Fourarms, and towered above Glass.
"I will not hesitate to shatter you." He threatened.
"...oh," Glass muttered. His eyes darted around in fear, before he quickly opened the door he'd just unlocked and ran through, slamming it shut and locking it behind him.
"...I thought you said he was a crime boss. Don't those have a bit more...I dunno, spine when it comes to the authorities? Even Torchwick never up and ran from an alien," Yang said.
"Just break the door down," Harriet ordered.
"You got it," Ben waved, walking over to the door. "Alright, tiny. Don't even try to hide from me- I'm literally stronger, better, faster AND-"
Ben was cut off by the sound of something rumbling. "Huh?"
He was suddenly blinded by what must've been industrial high beam lights. Before he could even try and move out of the way, something heavy slammed into him before it and the Tetramand attached to it broke out the side of the building into the streets of Atlas. Pieces of debris thudded against the sidewalks, followed by Ben thudding into the middle of the street.
"What was that about not hesitating to shatter me?" the familiar voice of Glass taunted, "Well look who's towering over WHOM NOW!"
Ruby and the others quickly raced after Ben, joining him down on the street before they saw what they were dealing with now. It was a massive, white plated industrial mech of some kind. Four arms jutted out from the back of the blocky body, in the middle of which sat Glass in the cockpit. The arms were each weaponized with what looked like a drill, a combination scythe and saw, a triple-clawed hand, and some kind of projectile launcher with three barrels. The heavy legs of the mech sported treads on their sides.
"Oh you're kidding...not another giant mech thing!" Ruby called out.
"This is no simple 'giant mech thing!' This is my personal weapon of choice! Behold...the GLASS CANNON MARK II!" Glass declared over the mech's loudspeakers.
"...that's a TERRIBLE name, dude!" Ben yelled. "That means it's gonna be fun to break!"
"Try as you will! This mech is reinforced with the best metal in the galaxy!" Glass grinned.
"From Fistrick?"
"Yeah!"
Ben swiveled around. "Alright, so it's cheap. Go ham."
"You dare insult this masterpiece?! That's it!" Glass growled from inside the mech. He pressed a few buttons and had its legs fold up so that the treads were on the ground. The engine revved as the drill arm positioned itself to rise over the mech's cockpit. The drill then began to spark with blue lightning as it charged up.
"FIRE!" the crime boss shouted, firing off a barrage of electrical spheres in the direction of the Outcasts and Harriet.
Ben quickly morphed into Feedback, and absorbed the electrical spheres. "Nice try, man. Really!" He quickly fired the energy back, electrocuting the suit and giving the others an opening.
"Nice!" Ruby yelled, as she began firing ice bullets to freeze Glass in place.
Glass changed up his weapons. The three-clawed arm rose over his cockpit next and, instead of lashing out to punch the Outcasts, it opened up and fired off a high-yield missile towards the group. The scythe-saw arm was slowly cracking away the ice that had encased the treads, trying to get the superior mobility back.
Weiss made a giant glyph behind her, and launched huge icicles out of them to batter the machine. Glass tried to smash them, but they were too dense to be easily broken.
The icicles pierced the armor, but according to Glass' cockpit readout, he was still fine to keep fighting. The last of the ice cracked away thanks to his scythe arm, letting the treads rev up. The Atlesian crime lord punched it, hoping to run down these Hunters who'd thought it was a good idea to deal with the (self-proclaimed) most influential mafia boss in Atlas! The mech towards the group, but Yang launched herself at the mech with a shot from her gauntlets.
"Wait, what?!" Glass yelled. Yang punched the machine dead center, cracking the glass on cockpit and scaring the mafia boss half to death. The Glass Cannon's scythe arm swapped to saw mode, revving up its blade and about to slash at Yang. But that attack never connected. An alarm began to blare inside the cockpit, much to Glass' confusion. In truth, Ruby had just severed the mech's saw arm the minute it even looked like it was about to attack Yang.
"Thanks, sis!" Yang called out, grabbing onto the mech and pulling part of the plating off to expose the machinery within and fired a few shots into the exposed inner workings.
"Wait, you can't do that!" Glass panicked, "This is supposed to be reinforced!"
"Yeah, by Fistrick! Ben!" Yang called out.
"D-DID I SERIOUSLY GET RIPPED OFF!?" Glass yelled.
"YES!" Everyone yelled, before Yang busted through the glass of the cockpit. Glass screamed as the blonde grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him away from the mech.
With Glass clear, Ben rushed in and punched right through the Glass Cannon Mark II. Metal crunched and bent as he reached in and pulled out the mech's engine, dropping it on the ground.
"Oh...well...um..." Glass nervously chuckled after he was thrown on the ground, "This is...awkward, isn't it?"
"Good job, Glass," Harriet smirked, "Just added 'resisting arrest' to your rap sheet."
"Alright buddy, talk." Ben said, as he reverted back to human. "Where's Fistrick? If this is the material he's working with..."
"Well...since he ripped me off..., he left a few hours before you showed up. Didn't say where he was going," Glass said, "Just that he had another client that he had to meet with."
"And what about the orbs? We found one at your weapons deal," Ruby asked.
"Orb? Was...there an orb?" the crime boss wondered.
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Oh my god, we've been chasing a dead end-" Ben huffed, walking away annoyed.
"Listen bastard," Yang grabbed the mafia boss by the collar and hoisted him into the air, "Tell us about it and you won't join your mech in the junkyard!"
"Ah! W-wait! Y-yes! Yes, it's all coming back to me now! Haha, the ORBS! Yes, yes. I don't know where they came from! I just move them! The money was good and nothing seemed wrong! It was just a logical business decision! B-besides, I'm just the last stop for the orbs before they get shipped out!" Glass explained.
"Ok, so then who hired you?" Blake asked.
"Weren't you listening, cat?" Glass sneered, "No questions asked was part of the contract. Not to mention that my clients all prefer to work with me anonymously. It's all codenames and aliases!"
The way the crime boss said "cat" wasn't lost on anyone, especially Yang. The blonde brawler tightened her grip on the crime lord, making him panic a little more.
"So, was that everythi-" Yang asked, ready to knock this guy out and throw him in the back of a prison ship.
"Wait," Harriet ordered, "The orbs. What are they filled with? We've seen them attract Grimm, but no tech can do that."
"I don't know!" Glass answered, "By the time they reach me, they're already filled! Believe me, it makes about as much sense to you as it does to me! Wouldn't have believed they could lure Grimm if there wasn't a demo!"
"Demo?" Weiss repeated, "You mean the weapon's deal?"
"Not any of my recent ones, but yes. Some...girl brought the orb in, never said her name."
"Could you describe her?" Harriet asked.
"Could I describe her? Hmph. Let me one up you. Something felt off about the deal from the moment I took it, so I decided to grab some insurance. She was interesting, didn't seem to be the type who should be dealing with me...so I snapped a picture of her. My glasses aren't just a fashion state-"
"Cameras in your glasses? Hold blackmail over your clients with photo evidence," Blake reasoned, "Smart."
"So uh...are we done here? Maybe we can make a-" Glass didn't get to finish his sentence. Yang delivered a quick elbow strike to the side of the crime boss' head and knocked him out then and there. She quickly took the glasses off the mobster's face and threw them over to Harriet, the speedster of the Ace-Ops catching them with ease.
"Huh," Harriet said as she pocketed the glasses, "...nice job team. Get him in cuffs, I'll make the call for a transport." The Ace-Op walked off, calling in the aforementioned prisoner transport.
"That was probably the easiest fight we've had in a long while." Ben said, dragging Glass away with Yang's help. "Like, seriously. After fighting the Collector, I'm happy for an easy win."
"He hyped himself up too much. I was kinda looking forward to fighting a giant robot." Ruby said.
"Of course he seems underwhelming compared to a literal space god," Rex countered, "Side note: I'm still waiting for the play by play on that one!"
"We'll tell you after we find out about the orb thing, 'kay?" Ceres offered.
"Fine, fine," Rex said, following the rest of the Outcasts as they walked off.
Unbeknownst to them, though, Rex's head was right in the middle of the crosshairs of a sniper scope. The would-be shooter was stationed a considerable distance away, adjusting the zoom and focus on their weapon.
"Target's in my sights. Do I take the shot?" the sniper asked.
"No, not yet," a distorted voice answered over their radio, "Let them take Glass. He doesn't know anything of value. Let them have this. I'll keep an ear out, and if Glass tells them something compromising...either you terminate him...or I will."
"Understood," the shooter said, watching a prisoner airship fly down to the street where the Outcasts were to pick up the Atlesian mobster.