Lukas' father had decided the boys had done enough to meet the trusted supplier he had mentioned before. A dealer and buyer renowned across Remnant for his heists. The materials they needed would be obtained easily through him.
Despite the Coil syndicate's reach, the man was still audacious enough to tell them the best he could do for a meeting was to double-book them with another appointment. As promised, the head of the syndicate ordered a portion of the dust they had 'seized' be delivered to Vale's docks for the deal to be made. Then the boys, namely Caelum would bargain their own deal.
As an extra bargaining chip, Lukas's father told them that the man had a special interest in dust lately, so much so that he was aiding them in squeezing the city although they were not intentionally aiding each other. With this, some known SDC routes were given to Caelum in case he wished to sweeten the deal and free of charge at that. It seemed the large grayed man had truly taken a liking to his son's teammates. That or he really was trying to recruit them after graduation.
Arriving at the docks, Caelum went through the documents on his scroll as Raiden nervously glanced about the dim docks. "Good, these SDC supply routes are real. I was worried they were faulty info" noted Caelum aloud.
"How do you know they're not fake?" asked Raiden.
"Prior… employment I suppose. Anyhow can you calm down?"
"How can I? This is the first time you've brought me out for a completely illicit deal without sending me to stand guard or scout! We don't even know who we're meeting! What if it's a sting?"
"I doubt Lukas' father would set us up. Besides, we'll shoot our way out if need be."
"They'll track us down afterward!"
"Not if there's no survivors." With that ominous statement, Caelum stopped before a rusty door twice his size. "Here's the rendezvous. Be ready."
With a loud creak, the door slowly slid open as Caelum peered in. The moon's rays slowly lit the interior revealing dusty boxes and cargo without a soul insight. Raiden stepped in first, a hand firmly on the metallic case strapped to his back and his other hand holding his slung weapon.
Dusting his gloves, Caelum followed nonchalantly, displeased that their contact seemed to be late. Reaching into his pocket, Caelum was suddenly thrown off balance as a pair of feet dropkicked him from behind.
Stumbling forward, Caelum tackled Raiden behind a crate as the assaulting figures stood at the door triumphantly and raised their weapons. They soon noticed an object Caelum had dropped in his retreat as it glinted in the moonlight. Three silver pins glinted next to the cluster of three flashbangs as they erupted.
Feeling as if an ambush was inevitable Caelum had reached for some insurance as a pair of heeled boots struck him. Once the flash and disorientating bang dissipated, he pushed Raiden to the ground as he rushed out.
Two figures stood in the open a man and a woman a head shorter than her counterpart. As they held their heads in pain, Caelum noticed the woman's heels and charged forward, extended his weapon. Striking the man in the gut with the blunt end of the barrel and returning the favor by driving as much force as he could into dropkicking the small girl's torso.
The effect was immediate as the two regained their senses along with the fresh pain delivered. The girl seemed to wheeze in pain with the air knocked out of her as she scowled up at him. The man recuperated much faster and fired a shot at Caelum who tried to evade.
Rolling to the side he tried to stand only for the girl to hook his foot with an umbrella and with fury in her eyes, yanked him down as the man swung his cane down upon his head. Bringing his weapon up Caelum blocked the blow and extended his bayoneted blade into a scythe, hooking the man's feet and bringing him to the ground as well.
The girl pushed herself up into the air and thrust the bladed umbrella at Caelum's eye. Dodging the strike by shifting his head he threw a punch at the girl's knee bringing her down as he grasped her colorful hair and pulled her to the ground. The petite frame then wrapped her slender legs around his arm and threw him into an arm bar, restricting his right arms movement.
The man now visibly annoyed sat up and bashed Caelum on the chest with his cane before spinning it and striking him on the left arm then placing a boot atop it and aiming at his weapon at his face. Caelum struggled against the girl, finding enough room to lift her off the ground and slam her body atop the concrete flooring twice as he rolled out from beneath the man's shoe.
The man stumbled from his lost footing as Caelum placed a hand around the girl's throat and stood. Despite her trying to restrict his arm and use her weight to throw off his balance, Caelum tightened his hand around her throat and charged into a crate, bashing her back into the solid structure. As the girl's grip loosened another shot came from behind striking Caelum's back.
The sudden impact caught both Caelum and the girl as they released each other and were blown through the crate onto the ground. The girl below him groaned as Caelum's eyes narrowed and he raised his bayonet driving it down with the intent to permanently dispose of her. As his blade touched her breast, aiming for her heart, the girl's visage shattered. Turning around he saw the girl gasping for air next to the man whom she slapped the back of his head as he briefly apologized before aiming his weapon at Caelum.
Forsaking stealth in its entirety, Caelum flipped the safety on his MG and swept the barrel towards the two as a standoff began. The night's quiet resumed as both sides stared intensely at the other. The man, now irate, spoke with a hiss. "Kids again?! I swear you brats are everywhere in this damn city now!"
Suddenly Raiden arose with silver case in hand as it seemed the combat would resume. "Wait!" he announced. Eyes turned to him as well as weapons, as he opened the case, revealing the rare and expensive dust within. "You're the contact the syndicate told us of, right?!"
Caelum kept his weapon trained as the man lowered his own in surprise. "My, my, I'd never expected old man Coil's esteemed backers to be so young and… competent. The man sent a glance at Caelum with the latter remark.
Reaching low the man scooped up his hat and placed it atop his head as he patted his shoulder with his cane. "I must say, however, it's a nice change of pace seeing some young blood on our side for once.
Narrowing his eyes at the man, Caelum clearly didn't buy the act. The girl with the man picked up on this and tensed as well. The man placed his cane atop her umbrella and lowered it. "Now, now Neo. Let's stop there with the hostilities. Consider it a prank gone too far friend. Names Roman, Roman Torchwick. This is Neo. You and I both have something the other wants and we've both made too much noise already, so how about we let sleeping dogs lie?"
Caelum glanced at Raiden who seemed unsure himself. Slowly, Caelum slung his weapon and raised empty hands. The short girl eased as well as the man approached Raiden, interested in the goods.
Seeing him approach, Raiden placed the case atop a box and slunk over to Caelum. The girl, still remaining quiet strutted behind the man. Making eye contact with Caelum her frown turned to a sadistic grin as she brought her hand up to her neck, mimicking where he had choked her. The grin was a thin veil as her monochromatic eyes betrayed her true thoughts. The pink and brown irises showed she was itching for an excuse to pay him back.
As she watched Roman's back the two partners quietly spoke to each other.
"Why is Torchwick here?!" hissed Raiden.
"Best man for the job" replied Caelum. "What Lukas' father said anyway. I'm more worried about that Neo girl." As if she heard, the girl delivered a taunting smile. "She's a threat. Her appearance is disarming. She's strong, and her ability is tricky. If I hadn't expected something to go awry and she hadn't underestimated me it would have been a bad situation."
His words did little to assuage Raiden of the situation. Interrupting their thoughts, Roman picked up a dust crystal and examined it while speaking to them. "Sorry for the surprise boys. We weren't told that we'd be entertaining kids, so we thought to catch ya and ask what you were doing after curfew. Don't mind Neo here either. She's not much of a talker."
The girl swatted him on the rear with her umbrella, causing him to jump and apologize. "I know, I know. They don't need to sweat while you stare them down though."
Caelum turned to Raiden again who was lost at the unexpected interaction. "Remember what Lukas said. His contact likes to establish a hierarchy before business. He was testing us."
"Can we trust a guy like that?"
"We can trust him to look out for himself. He won't cross the Coils unless something more dangerous to his self-preservation comes up. I doubt he'd like to lose his local playground either. Seeing as his dealings with us will be sparse, he probably sees us as easy pay if not easily disposable."
"You're not making me feel any better here."
Raising another large and intricate dust crystal, Roman spoke out to his partner. "So Neo, what do you think?"
No reply came from the girl as she gave a condescending smirk at the boys and then turned to Roman. Seeing her expressions Roman chuckled. "Ah, ah, you can play with him another time. We have a schedule to keep." Placing the dust back and shutting the case, he swung his cane around his wrist. "Why don't we have a change of scenery boys?"
With the same piercing stare and taunting smirk, Neo followed as Caelum and Raiden reluctantly went along.
The four walked along the dim moonlit pathways between tall warehouses. Each growing more rusted and dilapidated than the last. Finally, they arrived at the oldest section of the docks which had essentially been condemned.
Standing before the small door of one such building Roman raised his cane and tapped it rhythmically with a smile. Silence ensued as his smile turned to a frown. "Agh, ignorant animals," he muttered. With another thunk of his cane, he raised his voice. "Open up if you don't want to be tossed into the bay!"
The thud of a latch sliding came as the old door opened. A black cloak with white armor and a mask greeted them. Caelum's eyes narrowed as Raiden tensed. The white Fang were here. Nonchalantly, Roman and Neo walked past the anonymous man, the former patting his shoulder as he encouraged the two boys to follow with a grin.
His smirk widened at their expressions once they saw the entire building was filled with members of the terrorist organization. Masked faunus walked about everywhere taking stock, counting material, cleaning gear, and obviously eyeing the four humans who had just entered.
"Surprised? You should be, it's amazing what cheap labor can get you these days" laughed Roman with arms out wide. Neo rolled her eyes as she strutted past him and the boys who were cautiously looking around.
Raiden remained silent as his partner glanced around with obvious displeasure. "You've been busy I see. I hope the famed 'gentleman thief of Vale' hasn't stooped to the petty crime of terrorism."
Frowns were pointed at the young man from the faunus as Roman threw an arm wide. "Professionals have standards boy, we don't cast those aside for fun."
"Glad we can agree. Then let us proceed."
"You say that but I don't see the promised goods. Where are they?"
Caelum raised a small device and pressed the sole button on it. "Give it five minutes. Three vehicles, unmarked and from the syndicate will arrive with the goods we procured." Caelum looked around seeing the cramped complex and two dozen or so faunus.
"Do you have another facility to store it all? Surely the Roman Torchwick has more than one dingy old warehouse."
The thief snickered and threw his cane up, snatching it with one hand. "Aren't you just full of surprises youngster? Follow me."
"You can bring two of your 'workers' to check the product as we discuss business. The syndicate will offload the rest."
Roman gave a pleased smile as he swung his cane out. "You two!" he shouted pointing at two well-built male faunus. "Come with us." With blank expressions and no response, the two faunus did as instructed.
The six then exited and walked towards another warehouse. Still rusted outside, it was only a facade as the inside was refurbished for the volatile cargo. As they opened the garage door, three trucks arrived having followed the tracker Torchwick held. The unmarked vehicles had a dozen men in green and red coverings over their faces to signify their allegiances with the syndicate and juniors gang who began unloading the crates of dust.
The unloading ended quickly as Roman nodded in approval and Caelum broached the main topic. "Shall we begin discussing our future joint venture?"
"I'm looking forward to this" chuckled the man as he took a seat atop a crate with crossed legs and Neo began pacing around the boys in an unnerving, almost predatory way.
Caelum kept his attention on Torchwick as he spoke, assuming his pet wouldn't attack unless ordered. "I need raw materials and electronics. Weapons, munitions, the details are within this drive" he explained raising a small flash drive and tossing it over.
"And what will this be for?" asked Roman with a curious hum as he caught it.
"I don't believe that is pertinent to your job."
"It is if you want my work."
"Ironic, considering who you work with." sneered Caelum gesturing at the white fang standing to the side. The two figures had been grumbling amongst themselves as the three trucks departed, leaving their cargo but now were glowering at the young man from under their masks.
"Aren't you just a treat to speak with" replied Roman with a roll of his head. "Look kid, you want the best, you gotta play ball. At least tell me your game plan for all this so I know My efforts aren't wasted."
"I thought you wouldn't care so long as you got paid?"
"It's different when it catches my interest. Such as two young huntsmans, still enrolled, casually seeking to work with a criminal and backed by the Coil syndicate no less. Let's just say there are all kinds of questions in my mind. Be happy I'm settling for this."
Caelum turned to Raiden, seeing Neo behind them, casting a cheeky grin. Seeing no way to progress, Caelum gestured for Raiden to step forward. "Tell him the materials and how we'll procure them."
Raiden raised a scroll, another unmarked item from the syndicate, and opened a file within. Speaking rapidly, he began. "First, the largest order. 5000 tonnes of Titanium-50, shipped in 6-inch thick 20 square meter sections and a further 5000 tonnes shipped in 10-meter square sections. The most capable materials engineering firm would be GME, their foundries could produce the material required in 6 months. Next is an ablative mixture of ceramic and diamond powder, this material is more easily and readily available as it's used regularly in high heat powerplants." Taking a quick breath Raiden would have rattled on further had Roman not interrupted.
"I'll be sure to double-check the grocery list kid, but how about we speed this along" groaned Roman, waving his hand in disinterest.
Skittishly, Raiden swiped at the scroll until a small graph came up. "You see, we'll have you purchase the materials under the names of Forever Fall Processing, Central Minerals, and several other shell companies."
"Why not just have Old Man Coil purchase them?"
"W-well because the head of the syndicate, Mr. Coil, believes any more ties with this project will hamper progress and draw more eyes than necessary. He's helped us more than enough and believes a purchase of this size would better suit a man of your caliber." Caelum placed a firm grip on Raiden's shoulder, reminding him to keep tight-lipped.
"And just how am I supposed to get this amount?!" asked Roman, arms stretched wide.
"That's why we're paying you. So you figure it out" interrupted Caelum. Roman gave a frown at the response as Raiden interjected an answer.
"I-if you act as the middle man we can disperse purchases amongst the companies and concentrate it upon retrieval for assembly."
"Now where do I profit from all that work?"
Growing tired of the man playing dense, Caelum stepped in. "You're a thief, aren't you? Purchase under an alias with the contracting shell companies. You get the money, then get the materials green stamped for import, then stage robberies or losses in transactions."
"Seems like a lot of paperwork, not really my style kid."
"You can double your money by using third-party insurance firms."
Roman raised an eyebrow in interest. "Go on."
"Say your purchases are raided in transit by some ne'er-do-wells." Caelum glanced at the Fang as Romans eyes followed with interest. "Say they were under your employment. You get the product to us, get paid by us and the insurance companies pay you out as well."
Roman laughed aloud at the suggestion, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye. "Oh, you kids are an absolute treat. You two! Open up the crates and make sure the products good before we agree on anything!" His tone then suddenly softened as he turned to his side where Neo suddenly appeared. "Isn't business just booming lately Neo?"
As the tricolored girl nodded, Raiden sighed in relief at not having to reveal the engineering and manufacturing firm was actually his mothers. With that vital information withheld and their answers satisfactory, it was only Caelum who held his inner displeasure at having even an extenuating relationship with the White Fang. To realize his goals, he needed to make progress even with such means. It was as he tempered his disgust that the grumbles of the faunus searching the crates reached his ear.
"Humans, always plotting and breaking their own laws. Now they're working with us while condemning our people. Their precious huntsman are no more than criminals."
The mutter grazed Caelum's ear as he slowly reached to his waist. The words were like a dagger to his soul. Neo picked up on his movement yet it was slow, obviously not an attack on her or Roman as she watched. The small click of a safety came as all eyes drifted to the boy with one arm raised and a pistol in his hand aimed at the faunus who had been griping.
The two faunus watched him with wide eyes under their masks as a sudden flash erupted. The small projectile ripped through the knee of the large faunus as he fell onto all fours with a swear, dropping the crowbar in his hand. The other faunus jumped back in shock as Roman jumped to his feet and Neo took a defensive stance. Raiden watched in horror as his partner lowered his aim and with an irate tone glared down at the man.
"You ought to watch your tongue in the presence of your superiors. When talking business it's rude for fools to speak. Would you like to apologize?" The icy glare from Caelum had all watching with bated breath—all except the shocked and enraged Faunus.
"Superiors?! You're all nothing but disgraces to your people! Fallen humans, reduced to working with those you hate! Us! Out of your own desperation! Where's all that honor you boast about?! Nowhere! Proof of how, like now, you'd shoot a man in the back!"
Unphased, Caelum's stare remained on the faunus, unwavering he spoke. "A no would have sufficed."
Realization struck the man as his mouth opened, his masked eyes unable to show the fear he felt to those watching. Reaching to remove his mask and plea, another crack filled the air as his body fell lifelessly to the ground. The shattered mask clattered onto the cement as blood pooled between his eyes from the fresh gunshot.
Caelum turned to the other faunus. "Would you like to continue where he left off?"
There was no hesitation in his reply. "We- I apologize! I'll not speak out of turn again!"
Caelum holstered his pistol and turned to Roman who had a scowl. Waving his hand he ordered the surviving faunus. "Pick him up and put him on ice, not a word of this to anyone else ya understand?"
The faunus nervously looked at the back of Caelum's head. "Y-yes sir" and left dragging his comrade's body.
Rubbing the bridge between his eyes, Roman ordered Neo to follow the faunus and ensure he complied. The girl was surprised at the sudden act and wished not to leave Roman's side yet he assured her however with a solemn look and wave. So she departed.
"Do you have any idea how inconvenient it is to dispose of a body? Let alone your own employees?"
Unnervingly, Caelum replied calmly. "Yes. Charge the inconvenience fee to our next transaction."
"You think there will be a next time after this?"
"Of course. You need dust and want money. We need these supplies. The difference is that we aren't here to have fun. We will find a way even if it means you and your pets aren't a part of it."
Roman shook his head, his bowler hat nearly falling. "Kid, kid, kid, you dont understand. How can we work together when you just shot my employee? They aren't going to want to work for you anymore than a huntsman would."
"And they want to work for you?" Roman's silence was almost as telling as the cynical grin he gave. Caelum matched it with his own cold glare. "I don't work with terrorists. I'm working with you."
Placing both hands on his cane, Roman posed and tutted. "Perhaps I was wrong for once. You aren't interesting kid. You're dangerous."
"I'll take that as high praise from you. Assuming you hold your end of the bargain, we'll hold ours, and we'll meet again." Caelum extended a hand which Roman eyed warily.
"I'm sure this is the beginning of a budding enterprise" snarked Roman as their gloved hands shook.
-Chapter End-