As the sun began to set, Ghira and Sun were both searching for their target. The former held a pair of binoculars in his hands as they gradually went from rooftop to rooftop, examining the ground below.
How did I get stuck working with the man who hates my guts? Sun internally sighed. Of course this would happen to me... Seems all my good luck is finally running out. If I even had any to begin with... Well, wait a second, Sun- you did have good luck. You met Blake, you met your teammates- Scarlet, Sage and Neptune. He looked downcast. I hope they're doing alright...
Ghira looked at Sun briefly. "You're awfully silent back there."
"I have... a lot on my mind."
The panther faunus continued looking around for the target, asking, "Anything in particular?"
"I was thinking about my friends. My teammates." he spoke truthfully.
"So, your teammates. The friends you left behind at Haven Academy. Tell me more about them."
"Alright, the first one is a guy named Scarlet David. He's a pretty good guy over all. His weapon is called Hook and Darling, and it's a pistol gun/grappling hook. His semblance allows him to glide in the air and land safely, giving him an instant landing strategy. When it comes to combat, he prefers to take an indirect or strike from behind approach to give himself the advantage. He's the smartest member of our team, and he's also the most curious. He commonly questions information he receives, sometimes to the point of over-thinking. As smart as he is, he does have one flaw; he tends to overthink in stressful situations, which is why he doesn't want to have a leadership role again. Not after how I snuck over to Vale early.
"You see, in the case of Haven's teams, if the original leader is absent for any reason, leadership usually goes to the next person who's letter initial is in order. So Scarlet was in charge briefly, and he did not like having to take up the helm. However, I made sure to avoid making that mistake again by appointing Neptune in charge before I left."
"A wise decision to inform your comrades before leaving." he commended. He turned the other way. "Who else is there?"
"Next there is Sage Ayana. He's the strongman of the team and probably the strongest in terms of raw physical strength. He wields a heavy sword named Pilgrim in battle and has yet to unlock his semblance. While not the fastest member, he can still strike down our foes. In addition to being strong, he's the second smartest member of the team. He's also rather blunt at times, but sometimes his honesty is a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, he has a problem of holding grudges. For reasons unknown, he has a grudge against his uncle and states that they don't get along well. He also has the shortest temper of us, the least patient and doesn't always want to talk about his feelings. He's the strong-but-silent type, if you know what I mean."
"I see. And the third member?"
"Last but not least, there's Neptune Vasilias. He wields a gun-trident called Tri-Hard, and like Sage, has yet to unlock his semblance. He's told me that he thinks it'll come to him under pressure, but I have no idea if/when it will occur. He's the most confident and laid-back member of the team, and if we're all down, tries to improve the morale of his teammates. He tries to be a comedian, but most of the time, his jokes are bad. He's somewhat of a happy-go-lucky guy, and was rarely ever faced real trouble. Well, save for the Battle of Beacon... Nonetheless, he's a good guy, but... he has some problems. The first one, he's almost always flirting with women, which frankly, I believe distracts him most of the time. He also seems to have trouble sticking to one girl to go after, although for a while I thought he had the attention of Weiss Schnee, one of Blake's teammates. But alas, she hasn't spoken with him much since he tried to flirt with the ladies of team NDGO.
"The second problem, he doesn't have much self-confidence. Sadly, this affects many trainees. And while he has taken some steps to address the issue, it can still be a hindrance to him, both on and off the battlefield. Finally, and probably the worst issue of all- Neptune has a fear of water, which hinders him as a huntsman. Fortunately, he's able to keep himself clean with a special spray and other expensive products, but his fear still isn't very good."
Ghira was curious. "And how so?"
"Exhibit A- he refuses to go onto a boat. Exhibit B- difficult and costly to keep himself clean and hygienic, as already mentioned. Exhibit C- can not and/or does not know how to swim, which I view as an essential life skill to have. And Exhibit D- probably the worst one so far... During our duel with team NDGO in the Vytal Festival Tournament, our side of the field was a beach/ocean biome, which terrified him so much that he ran up the desert mountain on the enemy's side and was mostly fleeing throughout the duel. As a result of this and other factors, Sage and Scarlett were knocked out of the match by ring-out and aura level respectively. Eventually, me and Neptune won for team SSSN, after he stuck his trident with electric dust into the water to shock the remaining three members of NDGO. But his fear of water almost cost us the match, and that was a low-stakes duel. What if it was a real fight? What if instead of it being a friendly match in a tournament, that NDGO was a cruel or malicious group of bandits and we had tracked them down to a beach? They likely would have escaped or beaten us severely. Or worse. I slightly worry that if he does not overcome his fear that it could cost us one day."
"Sounds like he is very problematic."
"He is, but he's really nice and always willing to lend an ear. And then there's me. You know my past, my background, and all the information I never had the courage to tell my friends. And I know what my problems are; I care too much. I'm scared of what people might think about me and/or my past, especially regarding Zhu. And I'm too loyal."
"You say that last statement like it is a bad thing."
"In a few ways it is. I originally wanted to become a huntsman to help my tribe. I promised them that I would come back once I got my huntsman license and protect them from danger. But what will this mean for my team? For the woman I love? I don't want to leave my friends in the dust, and Blake... How could I ever leave her? I love her. I don't want to hurt her in any way, emotionally or otherwise, but what if I do by returning to my tribe when the time comes? What if I've already hurt my friends by leaving them behind? I made the promise to my tribe when I was young, and I will admit, I didn't expect to find such good friends at Haven, especially after my former friends at Oscuro left me behind. I also didn't think I'd find true love until after I became a huntsman.
"Not to mention that with the CCT tower down and not likely able to be fixed, there would be very few ways to keep in touch and meet up with Blake or my teammates. I fear that I have overextended my loyalty to too many people. First to my tribe, then to my teammates, and now Blake. Even before she admitted her feelings for me, I pledged loyalty to her and vowed to help her stop the White Fang. Now that she has accepted and returned my feelings, that only makes the future and inevitable departure harder."
"What about your clones?" Ghira asked. "Couldn't you send one or two of them in your place?"
"Sadly, these sun clones don't last forever. Not to mention I have to stay still for them to be place. To demonstrate."
He conjured a single clone of himself. The Sun clone waved at Ghira, who barely acknowledged the clone's presence. The clone then turned to Ghira's left and saw someone down below on the previously empty street.
"I see White Fang. Four o'clock." Sun spoke, holding the clone in place.
Ghira looked over in Sun's direction and identified the target; a woman with dark skin and hair, as well as bear claws, wearing her black and white dress, purple belt and black boots. She wore a claw pendant necklace in addition to her Revolutionist mask. At her side was her axe.
"Negra." the panther faunus confirmed. "Let's get her."
The clone vanished as Ghira and Sun dropped down. They landed right in front of the Revolutionist messenger, scaring her half to death as she looked up in alarm. "Not you again!"
Negra turned on her heels and ran.
"After her!" the former High Leader ordered.
The two began their chase.
Meanwhile, the cat-eared ladies stood atop another rooftop. Blake with her ears hidden by a purple bow, and Kali with her ears for all to see. Kali held a pair of binoculars in her hand, looking for their target.
Blake stood on the other side, her arms folded and alone with her thoughts. Her eyes glanced from left to right, with no one in sight.
Is this really going to work? What if we fail? What if both of us fail to capture our targets? Adam has gathered power faster than one would think with the CCT down. It's bad enough knowing that he has Mistral, Vale and Vacuo under his belt, but if he gets Atlas and/or Menagerie, we'll never be able to stop him! And what if he finds out about this and just sends more messengers? Will our efforts matter in the end?
"You see anything?" Kali asked.
"Huh?" Blake shook her head, but looked below and saw no one. "Nobody in sight."
Kali looked all around before noticing the tormented look upon her daughter's face. "Something wrong, sweetie?"
"What if we fail? If we don't capture our target? What if father and Sun fail? And even if we succeed in capturing and dispatching both messengers, how will we even win the war? I'm no general. I'm no admiral or commander. I may have battle experience, but I have no experience in the war we may be about to wage."
Kali looked dismayed. "Would you really go as far as to say we're at war?"
"I would. And if not, we're going to enter one very soon. Think about it- I was taken as a prisoner of war after Sienna's death, we faced off against Adam and his army, barely escaped with our lives and limbs intact, and now we're trying to stop the messengers of war from recruiting two of the branches of the White Fang to his cause. If that doesn't qualify as war, I don't know what does. We are at war with the White Fang. Or if not, we will be very soon."
The Belladonna matriarch blinked. "Oh..."
"You've been grieving over Maura and Sienna's deaths, it seems you may have failed to realize the bigger picture here."
"I know we're going against Adam," she began. "but I guess I just never thought of it as war because me and your father always believed that war was unnecessary. All our lives, we have tried hard to avoid conflict as much as possible. And for me that would be even more true due to my father being an old man who lost nearly everything he held dear in the Great War. He always told me that war was bad and unnecessary. And I believed him. There were times I trained for combat, but I honestly hoped and prayed that I would never have to fight. But time and time again, it seems that I am proven wrong."
"We need to be prepared for everything, but I'm honestly not sure we can win this war that we're about to wage. And Adam already has the advantage. Three branches under his control. If we fail here, the consequences will be immeasurable. He is already close friends with Menagerie's new leaders Fennec and Corsac. I know this because I have studied their interactions several times in the years I was in the Fang after Sienna took my father's place as High Leader. There's no doubt that the two will join him. However, Laverna is a wild card. She may or may not choose to side with the new High Leader if word gets to her."
"Laverna... Don't believe I know her. What's her last name?"
"No one knows, except maybe her lieutenant. I know this much; Laverna is a bat-winged faunus and has been Atlesian White Fang leader for four complete years. She's a highly intelligent, clever and mysterious woman. She never tells her subjects anything about herself or her past. The only thing she has stated is that she has never been involved in the SDC in any way but is well aware of the damage they have caused. However, despite this lack of personal grudge, or maybe even because of it, she has been known to attack them on numerous occasions. From what I could see from her papers that I found in her office three years ago, her last name starts with a 'D'. If my memory serves me correctly, her last name might begin with the two letters D and U. Meaning it would be Du... something. But what could it be?"
"Dupont? Dubois? Ducote? Dunlap, maybe? That would be my best guess? I don't really know. Is Laverna anything like her predecessor, Pearl Callows?"
"In some ways yes. In other ways, no." Blake began. "Laverna is a lot more violent than her predecessor, but yet she is more careful and calculating than Pearl ever was. She also never shows herself to the public eye, preferring to work behind the scenes. Also, whenever she does go out on the prowl, she never goes alone. She always has five helpers that stick by her side. She is believed to have a ten year plan, one that may be hindered if she were to join Adam Taurus. But no one knows what it is. She could be just as bad as Adam and possibly join him as a valuable ally. On the other hand, Laverna could be even worse than him. She may have an agenda of her own, one that doesn't involve High Leaders or bowing down to any authority. And the worst part? Both possibilities are equally terrifying."
"I know you're scared." She looked at her daughter. "If I be honest, I'm frightened too."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "Really? You've looked more sad than frightened lately."
"Oh believe me, I am scared. Scared of what the future of faunus and mankind hold for us. Scared of what Athena may do to Mistral in her conquest or what damage she may bring in trying to accomplish her goals. Scared of what Adam could do to my sweet little kitten." Kali hugged her daughter, who accepted the loving embrace. "There are some days I want to crawl into a hole and never come out."
The younger catwoman looked into her mother's eyes sadly. "But that wouldn't accomplish anything, would it?"
"No." she answered, putting her binoculars back on. "No it wouldn't."
She gasped as her eyes found their target; a pale woman with red hair and a dog tail. She wore her Revolutionist mask, a fang necklace charm, blue track pants with a black line down the side, and a red silk blouse with a ruffled scoop neckline.
"Target spotted." Kali confirmed, putting the binoculars down. "Lets get her."
Blake threw out the ribbon of Gambol Shroud as Kali jumped down, only for Addie to see it and jump out of the way.
"Aw crud..." Addie groaned under her breath.
The dog-tailed faunus turned and ran away.
"Stop her!" Kali ordered.
Kali and Blake soon chased after her.
As the chase began, Watts roamed the city of Argus, looking for the address of his target. He soon stopped in front of a white painted manor surrounded by a brick wall with an iron gate. Nearby the gate on the left side was a number pad to enter a keycode. There was also a wall camera on the right side.
Watts soon noticed there was a nearby sign reading;
Trespassers Beware- Security in place
The scientist silently pondered to himself. Alright. I should be out of bounds of the security camera. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. I have a fully loaded gun, plus enough for one full refill. Where to begin...
He went to a nearby rooftop, got out a pair of binoculars and overlooked the front yard. There's no guard dog... Nothing visible on the surface. If I can hack the gate, getting in will be easy. The real question- how good is her security system?
Arthur got out his revolver and shot a single bullet at the camera.
Nineteen. Now to hack the gate.
He got out his Scroll and started listening closely. A few moments later, he successfully cracked the code and the gate opened. He walked through the yard and into the manor.
The manor was a large, white plaited space. The entire foyer was about the size of a movie theater room. From the sides were white carpeted staircases on both sides of the room. The center area had a small three-stair staircase, which led to a hallway. Judging by the smell of peppermint in the room, the tile floor had been freshly mopped.
Well, no doubt that this huntress is extravagantly wealthy. He went around to the kitchen, carefully stepping so as to not make a sound. There was no one there. But it seems she doesn't have full time servants. Perfect. This will make my job much easier.
The scientist silently stepped up the stairs, made his way through the cream white halls, and found his target in her bed chambers, the door to her bedroom wide open. She stood before a vanity, applying red lipstick.
Star Rivera was a very beautiful huntress. Her skin was fair, and her face was flawless. Her blue eyes twinkled like stars. Her silvery hair was pulled into an up-do ponytail, held up by a white scrunchie. Upon her head was a metal headband with miniature silver stars and larger golden stars. She wore a blue peplum dress with golden colored blue-outlined stars on her shoulders. At the hem of her dress were small silver crescent moon designs. Around each arm were white ribbons stretching all the way to her elbows. Adorned on her neck was a glass sun charm held on a black chord.
So it appears the rumors surrounding her are true. No wonder she was called the hottest huntress of Argus. It's almost a pity I have to kill her. Watts thought. Key word being almost.
Star gasped as she noticed the intruder. "How did you get past my security system?!"
"I have my ways."
He shot a bullet at her, only for it to be stopped with a white aura shield.
"You have a lot of nerve breaking in here and trying to kill me!"
She grabbed a sword off the wall and lunged towards Watts...
As Blake and Kali quickly pursued their target. Addie ran through the streets of Wind Path, jumping over parked cars and carts as she ran. Blake, being flexible, leapt over them without effort as Kali simply ran around them. The Belladonna matriarch was running slightly behind the cat and dog.
"Come on mom!" Blake called. "She's getting away!"
Kali, who was sweating and heaving for breath as she ran, grumbled, "Dang it..." She panted briefly. "She's too fast!"
Dang it, they're still on my tail! Addie thought to herself.
The faint sound of a saxophone solo was heard in the distance from several yards away.
Hmm... I got an idea.
Addie took a sharp right turn and the cat ladies followed. About four more minutes later, they realized the ploy the dog tailed faunus was going for; she was approaching a jazz band of musicians who appeared to be in the middle of a flash mob performance. The sound of blaring trumpets and a saxophone melody was heard getting louder and louder.
Hopefully the sound of the brass instruments will drive them away. They're enough to rattle normal human ears if they're close enough. No doubt they'd be bad for felines like the old kitten. Fortunately, I'm used to the sound and can bypass it easily.
"She's heading towards the band!" Blake exclaimed.
"Let's split up." Kali advised. "She can't get far!"
Blake continued going straight forward as Kali went off to the side and ducked into an alleyway. The huntress trainee tried to ignore the rattling in her ears, both human and cat, as she went forward. With a burst of speed, she caught up to Addie, using one hand to grab her tail and the other to get her left arm. Addie was pulled back and tossed to the ground. She panted as Blake stood over with her weapon in hand.
"Damn it. My plan failed..." She took a closer look at Blake and blinked. Her eyes narrowed in anger as a scowl appeared. "Wait a second! I know you!" Negra glared and pointed at Blake. "You're the one who ambushed me and stole my clothing the night Adam became High Leader!"
"I did, and I did what I had to!" Blake refuted. "Let me ask you this; do you truly think that your new Leader is noble?"
"Of course he is! He promised to usher in a new age for faunus! He brought peace to White Fang, fully ending a civil war that had been plaguing this kingdom for months!"
"What if I told you it wasn't true? What if I told you that he only allied with Athena to further his own goals?" the cat quipped.
Her glare intensified. "You lie! You...!"
Addie was soon knocked unconscious as a loud 'clang' was heard. As she fell to the ground, Kali was revealed to be the one who knocked her out with her frying pan.
The younger catwoman smiled. "Nicely done, mom."
"Thank you, dearie. One down, one to go." Kali noted. "Now let's hope Ghira and Sun succeed in catching the other."
Blake got out the rope and started to bind Addie.
Meanwhile, Negra was shown running through the streets of Wind Path, Sun and Ghira both hot on her heels. The terrorist messenger was shown running through a market square, with multiple stands shown selling their wares, from fruits to vegetables and metal crafts. The bear clawed faunus leapt over a cart of watermelons. Sun tried to do the same, only to have his ankle get caught on the cart, causing him to land right on top of the fruits, creating a huge mess. A groan from the merchant pulling the cart was heard. Ghira sighed and ran around the cart as the merchant growled and left.
From the cart, Sun lifted his head up, his face strained with watermelon mush. Sun got up and saw that Negra was fading out of his sight as Ghira closed in on her. The monkey faunus felt his adrenaline crashing, so he opted for an alternative; he got up from the cart and activated his semblance, creating two clones of himself. The two clones soon caught up with Ghira. The panther faunus had a look of confusion which quickly faded as he nodded. Negra soon noticed Ghira and Sun clones on her heels.
The bear faunus growled and hastened her pace. As the faunus approached a four way intersection, Negra made a sharp left turn. One of the Sun clones went forward as Ghira and the other clone turned left and continued to follow their target.
"I'm guessing you can't talk through your clones, can you?" The Sun clone nodded in the negative. "Noted."
I hope Sun has a plan for that other clone. Ghira thought.
The first clone was shown running from rooftop to rooftop as Ghira and the second clone continued their chase. Negra saw a nearby skateboard and took it one as she tried to get away from her pursuers. Placing it on the ground, she put her right foot on there and used her left foot to propel herself forward.
Damn it! Sun thought as he tried to keep his clones up.
He exhaled as the scene switched back to the second clone and Ghira.
"Tell me you have some kind of plan, right?"
The second Sun clone nodded. Negra started skateboarding away from the others, making it to the outer part of the city. She laughed as she cruised along on her board. She turned back to find no one was there... "So long, suckers!" Only to see the first Sun clone that ran off earlier had a projection of his staff out. "Aw crud."
The first Sun clone punched her off the skateboard and used his staff to get under it, yanking it away from her and causing it to roll away as she fell on her left side. She gasped for air as the first clone grabbed her arms. The second clone helped to restrain her by her left arm as the first held her right arm. She tried to break free, but to no avail.
"I'll take it from here." Ghira spoke. The strongman grabbed Negra's arms and began to tie her up in chains. After being bound in chains, she was thrown on the ground again, this time landing on her butt. "Nicely done." The Sun clones each gave a thumbs-up gesture. "I'll send a message to the others while your physical self gets back here."
The clones nodded and disappeared as the real Sun exhaled in exhaustion.
"Well I suppose things could be worse."
At that moment, both Sun and Ghira received a message in their group chat-
Kali- We just knocked out and caught Addie. Please call or text once you get Negra.
Sun trudged back to where Ghira was as the panther faunus sent a message to the group.
Ghira- Negra has been successfully captured and detained. We're in between 29th and 30th street. Where are you guys?
Within a few more minutes, he got two more responses.
Kali- On the west side of 15th street. There's an abandoned dance studio on 22nd street. Let's meet there.
Ghira- I'll be right there. Sun, just meet us there. I'm sure you can find the place.
Sun put his Scroll away and sighed tiredly.
Oh man... What a day... he thought to himself. At least it's over. Well, almost...