Ch 22.

Hacienda was, for better or worse, the slums of Vale. Jaune had taken notice of this ever since he got of the freeway. Having already driven through some of the roads Jaune understood why Hacienda was a lot more hidden on the map, or why it's presence on the freeway itself was obscure.

"geez, no wonder I almost missed the ramp"

The buildings all were similar, most being two stories tall. The top floor being a home of sorts while the bottom was a store. The buildings were so smushed together that, if it weren't for the paint, you couldn't tell if the houses were just one large rectangle. And the houses that weren't built side by side were obviously repurposed to be houses. The metal roofs that cover many buildings, each of different sizes, some didn't even have roofs.

Turning the corner he noticed that just about everything of this section of the city was poorer. The sidewalks had cracks, some were lifted up due to overgrown roots. The light posts were of various kinds, no two were the same. The power lines were strewn all over the city skyline, making it look like some complex spiderweb. Shoes hanging off some of them, while others had toys or deflated balloons.

Had Jaune arrived at night he would've assumed the people who lived here must have been miserable, but in fact it was quite the opposite. Bright colored clothing littered the streets and sidewalks. Various people of different ages, walked and moved through the pact sidewalks. It was honestly insane how they could even move past one another in such claustrophobic conditions.

Jaune looked at one of the stores, there a small group of children all laughed in a different language. They talked, laughed, showed off their toys, and traded them with one another. Then a much older woman, with hair curlers walked out of a metal door and called them in. jaune didn't know why, but he smiled.

Jaune tried to think back to his time in Night City, racking his memory. Looking for any memory that could remind him of a location similar to this, and quite frankly he couldn't. maybe it was because most of his missions were done in the more private areas of Night City. Where the higher echelon would be located. It was those kinds of skills that he had, negotiation, manipulation, business. It was his bread and butter. Yet here, he felt more like V or Jackie would feel at home, or in a way, much more comfortable than he was.

Being lost in thought he didn't realize that he was holding up traffic until it dawned on him that the loud noise coming from behind him wasn't just something he was imagining. Throttling the handle, he drove forward, going more into the city. The location Snowden had given him would take him where he needed to go. As he continued to drive into the city, he noticed that even the vehicles were of much lower quality. Most didn't seem to look as sleek or clean as the ones from Gateway, Europa, or heck even Union. In addition to that he noticed a much higher concentration of motorcycles or vehicles of similar style. Perhaps it was due to them being much cheaper in the market, compared to a car.

"Wonder what Jackie would think of this place? Maybe he'd start conversing with the locals. V, of course would try and get him back in the mission" Jaune shook his head slowly, a smile on his face.

Turning a couple more corners, he expected the location of the gang hideout to be in a much more discrete area. Instead, he arrived at one of the very few skyscrapers in the city. He was greeted by valet, the man was faunus. He asked for the bikes keys but Jaune simply waved him off.

"I'll park it myself"

"oh no, I insist. Per the twins orders" the man said softly

Jaune raised a brow. So he was being expected….oh right, Snowden said he would contact them ahead of time.

"In that case" Jaune fished out the keys. Although he didn't really need the keys himself since the bike was connected to him though the use of his cybernetics. A fail safe to prevent it from being stolen. Tossing them to the valet, the man hopped on and drove the bike away, while Jaune entered the tower.

If he were honest to himself, the interior looked like a whole new world. From the sleek marble walls and pillars, the carpeted floor, and the large fountain at the center of the lobby. Jaune didn't know if Hacienda was all just a dream and this was him getting back to reality.

"excuse me? Mr. Gelb?" a female voice asked

Jaune turned around, he encountered a tall woman, she had a light complexion and dark hair put up into a bun. However the one thing that was noticeably different was her broader build. The suit jacket clinged onto her arms and chest, the muscular definition almost seeping through.

"yes. How may I help?" Jaunes asked

The woman looked him up and gave small nod "follow me" and with that she turned around.

Jaune did as she asked, and the two walked through the building. Going through some hallways, Jaune noticed that the hallway itself lacked doors. Instead, it was lined with windows, the other side showed a variety of things, from conferences being held, to a private gym, swimming pool, and bar/ lounge.

"They're one way, so as to not disturb those on the other side"

"figured"

Eventually the woman stopped and arrived at an elevator. Calling it, the doors opened almost immediately. He stepped inside and waited a bit. Then, to Jaunes surprise, the woman pressed the emergency alarm button, and held it for 5 seconds. A panel appeared next to her and she typed an access code. Soon the elevator started moving down, Jaune wasn't new to the idea of an underground meeting room.

Once the doors opened he was greeted by sleek white walls. The floor was also white, so white in fact he could see his reflection. Continuing to follow the woman, once again he was placed in a windowed corridor, but this time instead of what he saw earlier, it was replaced by rooms filled with people. Some had them wearing martial arts clothing and dueling each other, another had a firing range facing the opposite side. The more Jaune looked, the more he realized what kind of gang this was.

"You're ex-military?"

"Half-correct" the woman answered "the bosses are military, but I was once a huntress. Now, I'm an instructor"

"huh" Jaune nodded to himself. There were very few military styled organizations in Night City, not including militech of course. Eventually the woman turned left and he stood behind two doors. Once opened, Jaune entered the room. It held a similar plain aesthetic, except for the fact that the wall was littered with weapons. Some were simple rifles, shotguns, the standard military equipment. Others were more complex, weapons that he knew didn't belong to anybody but those meant to kill grimm

"Ah, Mr. Gelb" a chipper voice said. Soon the chair in front of him spun around and he was face to face with a tanned man. "A pleasure to finally meet you"

"A pleasure as well Mr…"

"Please, just Albastrus is fine" he waved him off

"Right. I was made aware that you have a sister?"

"had…unfortunately we received news of her passing not too long ago"

"Oh, my apologies"

"It's fine, you didn't know" he said in all but a happy attitude. With that he motioned Jaune to come forward. As he did, the woman left and closed the door behind him. However before the door could close there was a thud heard outside, soon the doors opened and there stood a tanned woman.

"Hey bro, got something for you" to which she tossed something towards jaune. Landing on the table was the head of said woman, who was alive not three seconds ago

"Bravo!" the man all but exclaimed

Jaune however looked at the two twins. Turning his head back he looked at the decapitated head. The woman's eyebrow continued to twitch, to which Jaune did the only thing he could think of: poking it.

"I'm surprised you're not screaming in shock?" the woman said

"not my first"

"decapitation" the brother asked

"Mole" he responded back

The room was silent, until it was broken by the two siblings laughing out loud.

"He. He is good"

"Told you it was a smart idea taking Snowy up on his offer"

"you're right"

"Always"

With that the two sat behind the desk. Jaune, already sitting, waited for his hosts to start.

"So"

"…so?"

"We were informed that you could help us Mr. Gelb?" the sister asked "Oh, where are my manners. Names Acva"

"A pleasure to meet you"

"I know" she quipped. Jaune simply rolled his eyes

"The help sister?"

"Oh, right" she said, in an almost playful manner "Snowden, has informed us that you can help us with our little civil war problem"

"Yes that is correct Jaune remarked"

"Excellent" they said in unison. Jaune raised his brow, since it was his first time seeing twins speak at the same time

Clearing his throat, he pulled out a thumb drive. Plugging it into a hologram, the militech logo appeared, hovering over the table.

"I represent a small arms distributor that were made aware of your current situation. So I believe I can provide you with means to beat the opposition"

The two twins nodded in unison and Jaune advanced onto the next slide. "Militech is available to serve your every need, and that includes outfitting you with all but the latest technology we have to offer"

Blueprints and schematics of weapons, armor, vehicles, all showed up on the hologram. Jaune saw the twins faces, both having large grins. "wow, that looks worthless" one said

Jaune blinked once, then twice. "um, excuse me?"

"I mean, don't get us wrong, we think it all looks cool"

"but the opposition we're going against are almost all made up of retired huntsmen, specialists, and military veterans. So all of this means nothing when faced against them"

Jaune however smirked "oh, my apologies. Its one thing to show but another to tell. Well then lets start with this" Soon a rifle was hovered over the table. "Created many years ago, this weapon is still a staple to most of our distributors. The Crusher is a handheld shotgun, low recoil shotgun. What makes it stand out is the burst fire effect it has. Being able to unload 6 shots in less than 2 seconds. Perfect for any engagement"

Jaune realized he had the twins attention, he smirked and continued. A small submachine gun appeared now. "The Saratoga is the standard smg. Accurate, deadly, and lightweight, making it easy to carry around and more importantly, easy to use"

Jaune continued this for the next 30 minutes, showing off weapons such as the Ronin Light AR, the M-31a1, the boomer buster, and the MK IV assault weapon. Of course he also showed off the heavy weapons and squad ones too.

"For the grand finale, feast your eyes on this" soon a 3d model of an large exo-suit appeared. It held a large canon and the driver seemed to be elevated off the ground. "May I present to you, the Centaur. The latest in our heavy arms technology, the centaur is a mobile battle suit fitted a large energy canon. I guarantee you this puppy can melt through any and all types of aura, semblances, or other forms of protection"

Jaune nodded as he turned off the hologram. "So, still think this is worthless?"

The two shook their heads from side to side. "Mr. Gelb, we must apologize for judging too quickly"

"Don't worry, it's all ok" Jaune smirked "Now in regards to providing this, I will need funds, and devices to produce them"

"and we shall provide it all. With one exception" brother said

"That being?"

"We need your help clearing out a small infestation" the sister answered. With that the three looked at the decapitated head. It rested atop a stack of books, pens and pencils used to make the deceased woman smiling and also to keep the head propped up. With that they turned back to face each other and Jaune nodded.

"What is it that you need me to do?"

"We believe there is a way to locate the names of every mole that has infiltrated this very place. We don't know how many there are but we know of a place that can provide us with that information"

The sister spoke up "The main CCT tower, located on Beacons campus has access to all networks, including those run by people similar to us"

"Because of this we believe that should you gain access to it, you can locate the enemies network and files and give us a list. Once that is done, we will provide you with the means to create these weapons"

"And, to help you remove the chief in charge of the entirety of the VPD"

Jaune blinked, then a grin appeared on his face. "Well then, consider it a deal" with that Jaune stood up. Leaving the way he came. Of course opening the door, the body of the decapitated woman still remained, laying lifelessly.

"Oh, right, I should get someone to clean that up" a voice chirped up from behind him. Jaune simply walked over the body and made his way back up.

"So how exactly are you gong to access the entirety of the CCT?" Snowden asked Jaune. The two now being in the aforementioned mans office.

"believe me, had I been anybody else, I would have said, no idea. Fortunately for you that isn't the case" With that Jaune simply pulled out a small shard. "This, will give me the access needed to enter the CCT's cyberspace. All I need to do is plug it in, let it sync, and leave the premise. From there I can access the area from the comfort of my home, or a remote location in the event that I am compromised."

"Huh, well I'll be damned" Snowden then looked at Jaune "that's all well and good, but hate to break it to you, ain't no way in hell you can do that while everybody else is there"

"who said I was going to do it during the day?"

"oh….ohhhhh"

"yup, The Beacon Ball is coming up. So I need to get ready, because they better be prepared for a ballroom blitz"

"….never, and I mean this as your friend, ever do that again"

"whatever"

Alright, I'm back. So, story (hopefully) will be getting more updates as time goes on. I apologize for however long it was since I updated it. A lot has happened that has drawn my attention elsewhere. But now I'm back, and ready to pick this story up again. For those that have been here from the start, It's safe to say your patience has been rewarded and thank you for waiting in the first place.

Until next time