I finished up my physics class this summer so after I post this chapter I have to go back to packing my room up.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
It was on TV's all over the next day: a televised competition between Nemesis and Ben.
Ben had no idea about it.
And Ironwood was not pleased either, to say the least. "Of all the stupid publicity stunts these two could pull," he was pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"This...is exactly the kind of thing he would do." Weiss sighed, knowing who was really to blame for this.
Ben hummed. "Well...it could be handy, honestly."
"How?" Weiss turned to look at Ben, genuinely curious.
"Well, yesterday," Ben said. "When I thought about those robots, there was a weird part of me that kinda thought they were...familiar."
"How familiar?" Ironwood took his eyes off the screen and all the promotions for the event.
"Well, it didn't click until last night, but..." Ben reached into his jacket and pulled out a book.
"Oh dear God no..." Weiss facepalmed.
Ironwood's eyes narrowed as he read the cover of the book. "...Sumo Slammers Almanac, 2018 edition?" Ironwood asked.
"I know this SOUNDS stupid..." Ben started.
"Because it IS stupid!" Weiss groaned.
"But, just take a look at this." Ben flipped open the almanac, to a page that featured a robot that HEAVILY resembled the robots from last night. "These are the Top Spins, golems animated by the shapeshifter Kenko. Look familiar to you, general?"
"So you're telling me that SDC docks and warehouses are being attacked not by a collection of alien war machines…but by enemies from a video game?" Ironwood said, practically challenging fate itself.
"...Sumo Slammers is a multimedia franchise, but yeah, they were in a few games." Ben shrugged. "So...yeah."
"I'd question why you just have that book on you as well but that's not important right now…" Ironwood dismissed it, "So if somehow, someone decided to make these, how does Jacques' little PR stunt factor in?"
"I'm not saying it's Jacques himself, but we need definitive proof of who built it. If it's an ally of his, then there's something. Jacques himself? Jackpot." Ben said. "Jacques is gonna be attending the event, right?"
"He...is actually. He's treating it like a political rally just as much as he's calling it a 'public spectacle.'"
Ben grinned. "Even more reason for me to attend. Who else is gonna be there?"
"Well, they mentioned Jennifer Nocturne would be...hosting..." Weiss said.
Ben frowned a bit, the discomfort becoming very clear. "...ah."
"Oh good. Her..." Ironwood's sarcasm was obvious. He disapproved of that little stunt as much as everyone else. "Aside from Miss Nocturne, though, some of the other current council members have been invited. Myself included. "
"Ben, if you don't want to go through with it, we may have a substitute in line," Weiss explained.
"...who?" Ben asked.
Weiss just stared blankly at Ben. She didn't even need to say anything for him to realize that was kind of a stupid question.
"Hmm, if he'd agree to it, we can have Albedo take his place. Might need to keep an extra eye on Neo though," Ironwood hummed, considering the idea.
"Are you kidding? If Nocturne tries something, Neo's gonna be on that woman like a hawk. I've never seen someone so fine with murder," Ben shuddered.
"Precisely the point. I'd rather not deal with THAT kind of fallout. It'd just be more fuel for Jacques' fire…"
Today was going to be a fun day for news anchor Will Harangue, not only did he get to promote the campaign of the most competent person in Atlas, but he also got to tear apart that new stupid 'alien kid' that was making headlines.
'Alien' was probably a lie, by the way. Probably some lame government experiment covered up by liberals.
Will straightened himself up a little bit more, before the cameras started to roll. "Cannot wait to get into this one," he said, a notable smile on his face.
Jacques' team had just finished, the last piece of the Nemesis suit was properly added on. Nesmith did some last adjustments on his gauntlets, hearing the press get ready outside. This contest was going to be perfect for Jacques' little campaign. Nesmith had to admit though, the kid's aliens were varied. He actually figured he might lose at least one of the contests. Losing one might actually help his image. Show the people that even heroes can have flaws and not be held back by them...or something like that. He usually let Jacques' speech writing team come up with the public announcements like that.
"Ok, we are live in 3, 2, 1!" the cameraman for the Atlas Eye said, motioning over to Will once the camera started rolling.
The horns of "Harangue Nation" blared, as Will basked in his own theme. "Atlas, you're watching a SPECIAL edition of Will Harangue Nation," Will introduced his segment, "Let's go directly to my guest correspondent, Jennifer Nocturne."
From the perspective of viewers, the camera view swapped over to the blonde movie star. She was standing closer to the stage where some of the most prolific guests were, giving them the best view. This, of course, was also where Jacques was seated.
"Thanks, Will!" Jennifer smiled sweetly. "Now, normally, this landing strip is the last stop for rusted-out hulks. Today, it's the site of the greatest competition in modern history, between Captain Nemesis and Ben Tennyson."
Albedo rolled his eyes upon hearing that- "greatest competition." Heroics wasn't something that could be measured.
"Let's talk to the heroes now, shall we?" Jennifer asked, walking over to the guised Albedo.
Albedo sighed as he got ready to answer these questions. He was just glad the chameleon circuit was holding up. Neo was in the crowd, having donned a disguise for herself. Think of it like her own insurance policy in case Jennifer decided to pull something.
"Ben, how are you doing today?" Jennifer asked. She noticed Ben seemed a bit less...uncomfortable around her.
"I'm...fine," Albedo said. Oh this would seem so awkward on later viewings.
"What's your game plan for today, exactly? Which aliens will you be using for the competition?" Jennifer inquired.
"It depends on the contest itself," Albedo admitted. "I'm better at adapting on the field."
"Ooooh, confident answer. And finally...what do you have to say about your opponent?"
Albedo could see Nesmith being tended to by his crew. His eyes were locked onto Ben, filled with disgust. Albedo could tell Nesmith didn't want Ben to win.
"My opponent? He seems like a good enough man," Albedo lied, "I hope to see how well he performs. May the best hero win, Captain." Albedo felt like he needed a drink after saying all that. And he didn't even TOUCH alcohol.
"...Hmm." Nesmith frowned, looking away. "Saving face, probably."
He wasn't entirely wrong, either. Albedo knew what would happen if he said something disagreeable here. It would all reflect on Ben.
Jacques was watching the interview with interest. Another one of Ironwood's obedient little soldiers, the would-be politician thought to himself. The general probably told him what to say in case this came up.
Jennifer walked over to interview Nesmith, as Kylie, Ari, Rex and Yang walked over. "Good impression." Kylie joked.
"Do you think this plan is gonna go off without a hitch?" Rex asked.
"They'll be fine." Ari said. "I'm sure Ben can pull off HIS role properly, right?"
Yang blinked. "...Ben's acting isn't THAT good, Ari."
"Let's hope you didn't jinx it," Rex said.
"Hopefully, I'm a good enough distraction," Albedo said as he scrolled through the aliens. He didn't want to go overboard but he couldn't stop himself from doing some mental calculations. If strength was the deciding factor, his Tetramand form should work. If it was speed, then Neo's favored Jetray would be his pick. Outside of that, he would need to adapt.
"...Seriously, though." Kylie said, looking over at Whitley's seat. "Is this REALLY gonna go well?"
"If we keep asking that, we are DEFINITELY gonna jinx it," Yang said.
"I advise you all to relax a bit." Albedo said, with a reassuring smile. "Ben trusts in me, and I will trust in him. That is all we can do for now."
"See?" Rex started, "This'll be fine. Good luck."
Albedo nodded. Across the contest field, Jennifer was currently interviewing Nesmith. He couldn't hear exactly what was being said but he had a feeling that voting for Jacques was mentioned at least once.
"So, Captain Nemesis, how do you truly feel about your opponent?" The young blonde asked.
How did he feel? He felt a LOT of things towards that shape shifting brat, and not a single word of it was positive. Or...well worded. How could he clean it up for prime time?
"Well," the captain began, "I've seen him in action. I have to admit, it's one thing hearing about it, it's another thing seeing that change yourself," that part was actually true. Anyone with a brain would have to admit, seeing someone change into aliens was one hell of a sight. "But, I just have to wonder, if it came to it, if he'd have the heart to go through with one of the tougher decisions that come with being a hero." That should be friendly enough to his public image.
Albedo raised an eyebrow. That sounded nice...but, why did that sound so backhanded? He shook his head, as he looked at his Ultimatrix.
"So, you're just gonna humiliate him?" Yang asked hopefully.
"And bruise the good captain's ego? Yang, I am appalled that you would think that." Albedo was trying to be sarcastic, but sometimes he had some issues getting that tone of voice across.
Kylie blinked. "...you know, your voice is already patronizing enough. Was that a joke or not?"
"It was," Albedo admitted, "I didn't get that across very well, did I?"
"Gotta work on that tone." Kylie huffed.
"I know. Neo's told me many times as well," Albedo sighed. He looked back over to Nesmith and Jennifer. The blonde celebrity was just finishing up her interview with the armored billionaire.
As the interview was finishing up, Jacques spoke up towards James.
"You know James, I have to admit. This whole 'alien' thing, I'mactually eager to see it up close. That kind of technology must cost a fortune to make. Must earn back at least double what it took to make it."
James frowned. "It's the sort of technology you'd probably kill to mass produce, isn't it?"
"I mean wouldn't you? The military and private sector possibilities are endless. You give a workforce those watches, turn them into an army of one-man excavation teams. Give it to soldiers and you end up with warriors that can change tactics in the heat of a fight. Don't tell me you haven't at least CONSIDERED it."
Ironwood stared forward. "Maybe it has. Maybe it hasn't. I don't view people as means to an end, Jacques."
"Sure, you don't, James. Sure, you don't," the former Schnee said, looking back at the contest yard.
What was stopping James from just taking care of him, right here, right now?
...something, probably.
Jacques had a smug grin on his face as Jennifer called out to both competitors. Showtime.
"For our first challenge set up, we're going to have our competitors toss these old planes across the way." Jennifer explained. "Think of it as a very, very strange version of shotput."
Said old planes were actually decommissioned, rusted cargo airships. Nesmith smirked, cracking his knuckles as he took his position. Albedo, meanwhile, was already scrolling to his Tetramand form as he walked up to his spot. Nesmith put on his very, very patronizing music.
You're the best around
Nothing's gonna ever keep you down
You're the best around
Nothing's gonna ever keep you down
You're the best around
Nothing's gonna ever keep you down
Human music is so…simple. Albedo frowned, wishing he could listen to Boozebravematchthen's Aria Requiem in C Major right now.
Nesmith went first- he lifted the plane like it was no problem. Albedo was impressed. "I must give Atlas tech more credit." He said to himself, watching Nesmith lift the plane.
Nesmith smiled, as he tossed the plane across the way- it flew through the air for a few seconds, before it landed on the ground, causing a massive explosion. Nesmith smiled and waved, as the crowd cheered.
Albedo could only watch with a light smile before starting to look over toward Nesmith; he posed a rather interesting challenge but he wasn't about to let himself be bested so easily. He would have gladly gone all out but he wanted to ensure that the plan ran smoothly enough.
Quickly finding the proper transformation, Albedo started to quickly press down on the Ultimatrix, his body gaining its signature four arms and red musculature as he easily gripped onto one of the larger airships with two arms, flexing a bit with the free hands.
Kylie blinked, as she looked at the form- Albedo's Fourarms was very...different than she thought. Blue skin? Yeah, that was fine. But the outfit...if you could call it that, was gold wrist and ankle bands, a pair of black underwear that had a gold waistband, as well as two golden sashes that went across his chest.
"Well that's…something." Rex said.
"Wooooooooooooooooow," Yang said, "Just, leaving nothing to the imagination huh?"
Ari shook her head. "Yeah that's… that's something that'll have some people up in arms."
"Ben doesn't have any fangirls does he? I mean he's kind of a news sensation himself and this...this is just gonna add fuel to fire," Yang said.
Nesmith frowned, as he tapped a few things on his wrist, the beeping sounds even reaching Albedo's ears. Nesmith soon closed the hatch, and sighed. "Hope you can hold that up, Tim. I gotta wait for my express delivery."
Albedo tilted his head. Express delivery?
Taking a moment to think, Albedo simply slammed one foot into the dirt before yelling, the airship quickly being sent careening into the distance with not nearly as much grace as his opponents. But grace was not the deciding factor here...
It was distance.
Albedo's Fourarms had already managed to send such a ship flying into the distance, luckily missing any possible cameras that were filming the event but managing to produce a rather sizable explosion quite a ways away from Nesmith's attempt.
"How's that for express delivery?" Albedo gave a rather coy smirk, trying to channel that 'Tennyson flare' into his movements.
Nesmith smirked. "Cute, kid. But, I was giving MYSELF a handicap. I could throw that far in my basic armor."
Albedo suddenly caught on...and that's when it started coming down from the sky. Nesmith smirked, as he held out his arms. "You see, Timothy... I'm a lot of things. A visionary, futurist, genius...but, I'm still human. I can't go presto change-o into a random alien superhero. I have to work."
"It's...Benjamin, first off." Albedo's brow raised as he watched the sudden airships flying in with what appeared to be a box fit for some kind of Atlas military tech. What kind of connections did this man have to get airships to literally fly down here and give him the equipment he needed like it was some kind of movie...
Now that he thought about it, yes, he absolutely had those kinds of stupid connections.
"Would you call yourself a playboy philanthropist among a myriad of other buzzwords?" Albedo was trying to keep in character, but damn, if he didn't want to poke the bear a little.
"Hm, maybe." Nesmith said, as the box was set down by his sidelines. "But I have been a busy guy. Tech like this can't be built in a day. Ever since Beacon's fall, I thought- Maybe, if I was there, I could've minimized the damage. Same with Haven."
"I mean, you were there, right?" Carl turned to face Albedo, "You saw what was going down."
"...yes, I did." Albedo said.
"In my honest opinion...you didn't do much to stop it." Nesmith smirked.
Albedo's eyes widened, he was lucky that he was trying to keep in character but the amount of annoyance he felt was upped ten fold by that statement alone. How much of an ego did this 'captain' have to think that such damages would be mitigated by his inclusion.
Before he spoke, he glanced at the crowds and could see that many of the onlookers were seemingly in agreement; he could only hope the others would see his expression change from that of good sportsmanship...to downright wanting to pummel this guy.
"You think your inclusion would have minimized the damages both at Beacon and Haven? Either you think your tech is better than that of trained huntsmen and huntresses putting their lives on the line for the common person-" Albedo began before shifting back to his disguised human form. "Or perhaps you just have your head shoved so far up your own behind that you believe you're some kind of savior to these people?"
The crowd began to murmur and whisper- Ben raised a good point. Yang nodded in agreement. "Drag his ass." She said, smirking.
Nesmith's big moment was suddenly stolen from him. He didn't particularly care for that. "...let's just get on with the contest." He said- he didn't have a good comeback for Ben.
Jennifer awkwardly smiled as she then started to motion over to a new part of the makeshift arena. "Our next challenge is that of speed; only the fastest will make it to the goal and obtain the next point for their side!"
Ben walked down the Atlesian-style hallways of the Gele manor. This wig was itchy, the fake contacts were a pain to get on and probably gonna be a bitch to get off and most of all...he was dressed like a dumb rich kid.
"This is stupid." Ben whispered.
And yet, the disguise worked like a charm. Well, as long as no one stopped to inspect too closely.
Weiss shook her head. "Listen. You're barely more tolerable than my actual brother. Just play it cool, okay?"
"Still surprised this worked," Ben said, trying to make sure no one heard him aside from Weiss. The voice would be a dead giveaway.
"Just don't talk, and we'll be golden."
Ben sighed and kept walking through the halls, hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with any of the employees. They might figure it out.
Everyone else seemed busy with other things, though. Quiet whispers, with a hint of panic. What were they talking about?
"Is stuff usually this urgent around here?" Ben asked.
"It's only urgent if their boss is in a bad mood...or something else is going on," Weiss said.
"...maybe we should hurry to your Jacques' office." Ben whispered.
"Agreed. If need be, I can log into his computer," Weiss whispered back, picking up her pace a bit to reach Jacques' office.
"I forget...where are the others?" Ben asked.
"They have an easier job. They're going to check on where Nesmith's suit is maintained. See if he's got something."
"Hopefully that's going well."
Ruby stared at the intense security for the 'Nemesis Hub', as he apparently called it. Face recognition lock, hand scanner, eye scanner...everything that would set off an alarm if anyone else but Carl tried to use it.
"Wow, this guy isn't hiding ANYTHING with this set-up," Ruby said, the sarcasm obvious.
"Or, we just need to mess with the tech." Kevin hummed.
"Yeah, these things look cool, but they're kinda easy to fuck with." Ceres explained. "Like, way too easy."
"You wanna try then?" Ruby asked, taking a step back.
"Of course." Ceres said, cracking her fingers. "Kevin. Your AntiTrix hand."
"Right." Kevin said, offering it up. Ceres lifted it up, and turned to Doppler.
"...go fucking crazy with Daft Punk, you bastard." Ceres said, petting it on the head.
Doppler chuckled evilly, turning himself and Kevin's arm into the black and blue color scheme of Daft Punk, and attached himself to the security systems. The screens started flashing as he was absolutely destroying any proper function they had. By the time he was done, the Nemesis Hub would have a revolving door on the outside.
"After you." Doppler smiled. The others walked inside- Ruby cringed a bit.
"Batman's gonna sue."
"Oh, big time," Kevin nodded as they all entered. The hub was a mix of a control center and garage, with a full armor station rigged up for maintenance. There was even a whiteboard with various campaign slogans and lists written on it, one even being labeled "Alternate Weapons/Modes". The control center part was...basically the Batcomputer, a giant computer with multiple screens that could act as a database and surveillance monitoring station.
"Why does he need so many modes for his suits?" Ruby asked. "I'd assume one Atlesian super suit would be enough."
"To be fair, I doubt he'd hold up fighting an underwater Grimm in that thing," Kevin said.
"Yeah, but..." Ruby looked at the list. "Listen to these. Extraterrestrial assault mode, campaign mode, homelander mode...these all kinda sound...shady, right?"
Kevin then turned his attention to the hub's computer, looking away from the whiteboard. If it worked before, maybe it would work here. He walked over to the computer.
"Think you can hack this thing? Let us use it without tipping him off?" Kevin asked Doppler.
"I can try..." Doppler hummed. "Atlas tech usually isn't a problem for me."
The black and blue Daft Punk color scheme came back and Doppler attached to the computer. It took a bit longer for it to work, after all it was more precise than just wrecking a door.
"Find anything interesting?" Ceres asked, walking over. "Anything...diabolical?"
"Working on it," Kevin said as Doppler continued his work before a phrase in bold, white lettering appeared on the computer screen: Access Granted.
"I'm in." Doppler said in a deeper voice.
"...don't do that." Kevin frowned.
"Killjoy," Doppler huffed.
Kevin brought up the main screen and saw a few different options: police scanner, political slogan practice recordings, and...Project Specifics. Well there's something possibly incriminating.
"Project specifics? I'm curious about that...bring it up, will you?" Ceres asked.
Kevin obliged and brought it up. There are two different folders under it, one labeled "Legionnaires" and one labeled "Barbarians."
"...guy's really not trying to be subtle is he?" Kevin asked.
"How...Ancient Rome," Doppler said.
"Okay...legionnaires sounds interesting. Pull that up." Ceres instructed.
Kevin clicked on it and several files came up: blueprints for more suits, some even tagged as "Completed", specifications for each, testing videos and a schematic for a control chip.
"Control chip?" Ceres asked. "That's weird. The suit Nesmith uses doesn't really require a control chip."
"Control chips are used for...what, prosthetic in severe cases?" Ruby asked. "And those construction robots, when handling heavier duty materials."
"You're right." Ceres nodded. "What does HE need them for?"
Ruby paused to think. "...well, ever since Ben pointed out the similarities between the robots and the Sumo Slammers robots-"
"Still a weird coincidence." Kevin muttered.
"Yeah, I know."
"Speaking of those robots," Doppler chimed in, "I wonder who the 'barbarians' are if he's the oh so noble Roman legion?"
Kevin clicked open that file next, minimizing the "Legionnaires" one.
Kevin opened it up to see pictures and blueprints of all the Dimension 12 robots. "...well, we have your answer."
"He's been staging the attacks," Ruby said, anger flaring up inside her, "This guy calls himself a hero and he's been pulling THIS shit?"
"Okay, I get that...but what does JACQUES get out of it?" Doppler asked.
"Well Nesmith IS his 'mascot' basically. Any win for him makes Jacques look good," Kevin huffed.
"Yeah, but...what would he REALLY gain?" Ruby asked.
"I mean outside of the political stuff, I don't know. He might just be THAT petty."
"Let's hope Ben and Weiss find out that piece of the puzzle..."
Back inside the manor, Ben was keeping a subtle lookout at the hallways outside. The duo had managed to reach Jacques' office and Weiss was already working on getting access to the computer.
Weiss hummed. Password, password. What would be a password Jacques would have?
Weiss looked around his desk for an answer. There was a picture of him and Whitley, at a conference of some sorts. Both had stern looks on their faces. Weiss hummed. Maybe it was...
Weiss typed the word 'Whitley' on his computer.
...it was wrong.
"...wow." Weiss said, not surprised.
What else would work for the password? Maybe 'monopoly' since that IS what Jacques enjoyed the most about running the SDC before the divorce. No real competition.
Weiss hummed for a few moments...before Jacques' computer turned black and green. Weiss stared at the monitor, a blank expression on her face.
"...what?" Upgrade asked. "I'm not gonna waste a billion guesses on a rich dude's computer."
"Know what? Fair enough," Weiss admitted.
Ben unmerged with the computer. "Check files. I think I picked something up there."
Weiss nodded and opened up the files, scrolling through each of them. Business reports and campaign details filled up the majority of the file-space. But one did eventually catch her eye.
Ben, meanwhile, opened some drawers on his desk, and began sifting through. "Come on, come on...what can we work with he-"
Ben paused, as he opened a drawer. "...oh my god."
"What?" Weiss turned away from the screen before she opened the file.
Ben pulled out a copy of the Sumo Slammers Almanac. "...well, we have proof about stealing from Sumo Slammers now." Ben turned to a dog eared page on the Top Spins.
"...as glad as I am we have evidence, this just brings up the question of why he has that."
"I'm starting to think this isn't his." Ben said, looking over at the picture on the desk. Ben's single eye narrowed, as he noticed a pin on Whitley's shirt. From a glance, it looked like a typical golden pin. Ben's eyes, picked up something else.
SUMO SLAMMERS TOURNAMENT 2017
"...oh my god, it's your brother's."
"What?!"
"Yeah, the pin! On his shirt! Totally a Sumo Slammers thing!" Ben said. "Jacques must've just stolen the design from the almanac."
"...today is just gonna get weirder isn't it?" Weiss said. Of all the ways to discover someone's hobby, she discovered her brother's from a political corruption investigation.
"Let's just focus on what Jacques wants from all this." Ben said.
"Right," Weiss said, putting that revelation at the back of her mind for now. It was still going to bug her later but, first things first. She opened up the file that caught her attention before Ben found the book.
"Political plan?" Ben said. "Uh oh. That doesn't sound too good..."
"Knowing him? More than likely," Weiss said as she clicked on it.
"Let's see...in order to properly take my seat on the Atlas council and redirect power away from James, I'll need to ally myself with an equally ambitious business partner." Weiss read. "I've decided on billionaire playboy and military weapons salesman Carl Nesmith."
Ben made sure to look up from the screen every so often to make sure that no one had found them in here while Weiss read the file.
"Carl is ambitious in his affairs, but unrecognized by the public for his contributions, more focusing on his antics as a playboy. That's why Carl and I will build an identity for him. Since Ironwood finds it appropriate to tote his soldiers around, I will tote my own." Weiss continued. "We're not soldiers...we're agents. Yeesh."
"Wanna get technical, we're 'specialists'," Ben smirked.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyways...with this identity, Carl will both promote himself, bettering his image, while also helping show what our partnership will mean for the future of Atlas." Weiss read.
"Seems standard for him so far," Ben muttered to himself, walking up the office door real quick. He thought he heard someone coming and he wanted to check real quick.
en peered out the door...to see the real Whitley coming their way. Ben gasped, as he quickly ran over to Weiss. "Your real brother is here!" He said in a panicked whisper.
"Shit!" Weiss hissed, "the book! Put the book back where you found it!" She minimized the political plan file and began looking around for a place to hide. Looks like they'd have to copy the file and read it in full later, but for now, hiding.
Ben quickly merged with the computer to shut it down, and shoved the book back into the drawer. "Weiss, we're about to do something weird. Promise me you won't freak out." Ben said.
"I'm concerned but given the circumstances? I promise."
Ben transformed into Ghostfreak, and wrapped Weiss in a hug...before turning invisible.
Weiss stood absolutely still in the hug, hoping Whitley didn't see the trademark green flash. Whitley entered the office, not noticing the two. Ben slowly drifted towards the office door. Weiss kept an eye on Whitley, just in case he found something out of place.
Ben slowly phased through the wall. "Thank God...he didn't notice."
"We almost had it," Weiss cursed under her breath, "just a few more minutes and I would've been able to copy that whole thing!"
"Don't get yourself up. We got the gist."
Weiss sighed, "I know...I just...if we had managed to get that document, we could've FINALLY exposed him. One document could've exposed all those other shady dealings he had."
"That document showed us more than enough. Let's find the others and report our findings." Ben said.
"Alright...," Weiss was still annoyed by just how close they got. But, she might get another chance. With that, she and Ben quickly made their way out of the manor to join up with Ruby, Kevin and Ceres.
"Hey, something just dawned on me...where are Blake and Min?"
"Why do you ask? Those two aren't gonna get in trouble together." Weiss frowned.
"I dunno...just, something feels weird with Blake." Ben shrugged.
"I haven't noticed."
"Forget I mentioned it then."