Author's Notes:
This arc has been tough to write. Not so much in the sense that I'm lacking motivation but more so that there are many moving parts. I've had to make dozens of slight alterations to the outline for this arc to accommodate for a character that I forgot about or a plot point that needs to be explained.
I've also added a few chapters and changed the order around some.
This is because the buildup to this arc has been lengthy and I know this is the part of the story that many readers are the MOST excited for. So I'm trying extra hard to have things line up perfectly.
Not to mention, even in the show there are dozens of characters with their own motivations, goals, and plots. I would say a lot of those intricacies are discussed in this chapter.
In fact, this chapter has been the toughest to write in this arc so far. What I originally planned on being a chapter roughly the same length as the others has turned into a monster roughly double the size of the others. I felt certain aspects needed to be explained more thoroughly.
In other words, I hope you enjoy this chapter because it was a lot of work.
"Text"
"Speech"
Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout, RWBY, or any associated characters.
Remnants of a Courier
Arc 4: Chaos Theory
Chapter 48: Best Laid Plans
"Ozpin, they were here!" Ironwood couldn't help but shout. Their enemies had breached their defenses yesterday and all of them failed to respond. The intruders had done something to the CCT Tower that no one had been able to identify. No bombs, no outgoing communication, nothing. And what could they have done with the terminals they destroyed? And all the great leaders of Remnant could do was sit around and talk about it!
In front of the General stood Glynda, arms crossed and indignant as always. While they were long-time allies, she had always been the most outspoken against him. Ozpin may have disagreed with his tactics but Glynda was always the first to comment.
The enigmatic Headmaster of Beacon was seated at his disk with his forehead in his hands. After Ironwood had arrived in Ozpin's office and updated him on the situation, he had spent the next five minutes trying to convince Glynda and Ozpin that more needed to be done. They couldn't just be reactive; they needed to be proactive in their hunt for Salem's agents!
"We're very much aware of that, thank you James." Glynda's mocking tone was wearing on James' patience. He had done his best to give Ozpin's method of things a shot but it just wasn't working!
He couldn't help but point two fingers at Glynda while responding, "fantastic, you're aware. Now are we going to do something about it or are we going to stay the course and ignore what's right in front of us?"
They had two of Salem's agents within grasp. Damn be due process; if he had his way both House and Cinder would be in prison. They could justify it later as long as Vale was safe from their machinations.
A beep from a console on Ozpin's desk signaled their guest arrivals.
Ironwood couldn't help but sigh at the intrusion. It was best to get this interview done now rather than later.
The clockwork above them turned and finally chimed that it was 11AM just as the elevator doors opened; inside stood four huntresses in training.
Team RWBY entered the office as their leader spoke, "sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here." A poignant silence settled for only a moment before she continued, "it definitely wasn't me."
Ironwood had to suppress a grin from forming on his face. She was a good kid. It was too bad she was mixed up in all this.
"Thank you for coming; how are you all feeling?" Ozpin questioned as he unfolded his hand and placed them on his desk.
It was the Faunus–Blake if he recalled–who spoke up. "We would be better if House was in a cell already."
Her tone was irritating but the girl did have a point. James would feel a lot better if this Mimic figure was locked away forever too. It didn't curb the fact that he was a bit suspicious of the Faunus as well. A former White Fang member that just happened to get wrapped up in this mess? Possible but improbable.
"We understand your frustrations," Ironwood responded as he took a step forward. "We feel it's appropriate to let you know, we think what you all did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about." It was important that they thought all of them did a good job, not just him.
The Headmaster of Beacon remained neutral in his tone while responding.
"And while I would like nothing more than to take the Mimic into custody given what Ruby told us, Instructor House mentioning the CCT Tower isn't enough proof to link the two and confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that House is guilty."
"Beyond a Reasonable Doubt." An outdated and irritating policy in Vale courts. This policy was what was keeping House out of their custody at the moment. The prosecutor for any criminal case had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty. In most cases, that was close to a 90% certainty that the defendant was guilty. None of the other Kingdoms had such a bureaucratic rule or at least one so strict. It was the cause for more than one Councilor getting out of a damning case.
The edgy teenage brat let out a groan at both the Headmasters and professor. "When will it be good enough? It feels like we're never going to catch him at this rate."
"Blake," Glynda replied in a more stern tone than Ozpin. "All we have are eyewitness accounts that he told her about the tower and that she saw the Mimic traveling towards it. Since Ruby is the only one who knew about House and the guards at the tower can only report that the Mimic was there, there is unfortunately little tying the two together."
It was damn irritating dancing around the issue. Honestly, Ironwood agreed with the child. What good was having the information if they didn't act on it?
"Now," Ozpin began, directing them to the more important matter. "The General has already informed us of the events that transpired last night. We were wondering if you had anything to add?"
"Did she look familiar? Did she have anyone else with her in the tower?" Glynda pressed, and Ironwood couldn't help but wince at how Ruby slowly shrunk into herself.
"I think someone threw a grenade, but I couldn't tell if it was the woman or someone else in the tower." The blonde responded while glancing toward her teammates for affirmation. Each member of the team nodded their head.
"The woman was wearing a mask and she fought with glass," Weiss cut in, her face scrunched in concentration.
The blonde raised her hand before filling in for Weiss. "But that probably wasn't her Semblance right? Her outfit lit up whenever she attacked."
When Ironwood turned, Glynda seemed to have a spark of recognition in her eyes.
"Apart from the glass, that sounds just like the woman I encountered when I first met Ruby." If Glynda was right, that would be another strike against Cinder. But that wasn't nearly enough to bring her in.
Reminding everyone of the obvious, Ironwood replied, "embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. That could have been anyone."
"Wait, wait," the blonde cut in. "You think this lady is connected to the Mimic and the White Fang?"
"And Torchwick?" Ruby added.
There was a part of Ironwood that winced at telling children this much information. But it was necessary; hopefully they heard something important or could provide a lead. If nothing else, all the clues were pointing to Cinder. They just didn't have anything solid to bring her in yet.
A silence settled over the group as Ironwood contemplated his answer. Unfortunately, he never got to as Ozpin replied, "it's possible."
Ironwood couldn't stop himself from shooting his fellow Headmaster a look of irritation. These kids didn't need to get this involved. It was already bad enough that they had to train children to fight in their war but team RWBY was not qualified to take on their enemy yet.
Despite this glance, Ozpin continued. "But we don't have the evidence to link all three together."
When James turned back to the team, he saw a look of recognition on the youngest's face. Strange.
"Actually," Ruby began in an unsteady tone. "I… I think I remember her saying something about a hideout in the Southeast. Just outside the Kingdom."
An interesting realization to make so suddenly. Not only that, but the rest of her team gave nervous glances toward their leader. There was part of the story they were not being told. But honestly, Ironwood didn't care.
They had a lead.
"I thought you said the intruder never-"
Ozpin raised his cane ever so slightly to cut Glynda off before saying, "thank you for your cooperation. Why don't you all go spend some time together? You all have a big day ahead of you."
This earned a deeper scowl from the Faunus who obviously wanted a more active approach like himself. He liked her initiative but she could stand to show a little more respect to her elders and Headmasters. Of course, he wasn't too different from her at that age.
Ironwood felt a slight grin spread across his face as the group turned to leave.
"Oh, and remember, try to be discreet about this matter," Ozpin called out as the group made their way to the elevator.
The adults in the room waited for the elevator doors to close before turning to each other. James knew they needed to act quickly.
"Well, there we have it. We send as many troops as we have to the Southeast." Ironwood proposed as he turned to the large window of the room. The same window that had apparently been replaced after the Mimic's break-in. The thought brought a frown to James' face.
"We find out exactly what's going on and eradicate any forces that stand in our way," he continued as he began working out the logistics in his head.
They'd need troops and equipment, a plan, supply chains, and more just to mobilize it. They could maybe get it done in a minimum of two to three days if they were quick about it. This threat had to be quelled as soon as possible.
But his thoughts were interrupted by Glynda as she replied, "why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado? You treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring dicks!"
The Headmaster shot the professor a stern look. It was evident that he disapproved of her language but James knew that Ozpin agreed with her.
"She's right," he began while turning to James. "We must remember that this may go beyond Vale and Beacon. If this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move. We mustn't be so bold, nor can we risk the spread of panic."
That was unacceptable. Their enemies were gathering strength and plotting their next-no, not plotting, actively beginning their next move. If they genuinely were on the move, they had to be stopped. For the lives at Beacon, Vale, and his fleet. They couldn't just sit here on their haunches and wait for the enemies to come out of hiding!
"I have served you faithfully for years," Ironwood began as he felt his anger build up. Ozpin was an intelligent man, the one who brought them all together to face Salem. But he would always choose inaction every time. And it was going to cost them!
James pointed towards the ground as he continued, "but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to hold the defenses and wait-"
"It's not!" Ozpin finally cut in. It was rare for the Headmaster of Beacon to raise his voice but he had pushed the older man. James couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret at pressuring Ozpin. "You're a General James, so tell me. When you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first, the flag bearer or the scouts?"
James let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It was apparent he wasn't going to get his way with this. He'd need to focus on another matter as he was currently outnumbered.
"Fine Ozpin, you want to handle their outpost this way, fine. But what about House and Cinder?" Ironwood lowered his hand as he questioned his fellow Headmaster. "Something needs to be done about them."
Ozpin brought a hand to his desk as he replied, "Cinder cannot be detained yet. We will have to monitor her as we have been and wait for her to slip up." The hand resting on Ozpin's desk began tapping as he continued, "as for Instructor House, I'm open to suggestions."
James opened his mouth to voice his opinion but was cut off by Ozpin. "Keep in mind that while we do currently have the evidence to detain him for a time, it would not be permanent without damning evidence. I would also like to uncover the machinations laid by not only him but his possible accomplices."
A silence settled over the three as Ironwood thought about how to respond. He desperately wanted to get at least one of these pieces off the board before they caused severe damage. House appeared to be the easiest to remove but even that was proving annoyingly frustrating.
"If I may," Glynda began as she pulled up her Scroll and began tapping away at it. "I have a possible solution."
"I propose that we give Instructor House more official duties. This would alleviate Ironwood's concerns about House being allowed to roam free as he simply won't have the time and it also keeps him close to us. I'm thinking perhaps he can serve as an assistant professor to one or multiple professors?"
"It would also serve as an excuse to have a chaperone to keep an eye on him," Ironwood commented as he brought a hand to his chin. "I think on top of that we should have someone tailing him in his free time as well."
"That has already been taken care of." Ozpin's response combined with his slight smile unnerved the General for a moment. "One of the students has taken it upon herself to track his every move while inside the Academy."
"Furthermore, Qrow will be returning soon. After team RWBY's mission into Rhyt, I will send him there as well to uncover the truth. I am sure between both we can gather the evidence we need."
This put James more at ease. While Qrow was a drunkard, he was also one of the most skilled Huntsman and detectives Ozpin had. Knowing that one of the older man's best would be on the case proved that he did actually care.
"It's a shame really," the enigmatic Headmaster of Beacon commented as he leaned back in his chair. As he did so, he put a finger to his Scroll and a new image appeared. A computer-like device that had IV-like attachments appeared on screen. "He either has the know-how or knows someone with enough skill to take our own technology and repurpose it for a good cause. I also appreciate his sense of… Humor."
Humor, right. The L.I.F.E. system was a name Ozpin would like. It showed a level of engineering and medical knowledge that proved either the Mimic or someone he knew had an advanced understanding of technology in general, technology in the medical field, and medicine. Not to mention that he had stolen it from under Ozpin's nose.
"Now, I believe there were a few other matters about security for the Festival to discuss, correct?"
Well, that was an interesting conversation. It sounded like they were slowly but surely closing in on his House persona. They just needed one more solid piece of evidence to bring him in. And Ozpin hoped that was in Rhyt. Maybe it was time to create a new job for the Voidwalkers.
The Courier did his best to ignore the thumping beats of the club as he began creating a new mission for his mercenaries. A one-man job in a small town. All they would have to do is slow an investigation down. This was illegal so he'd have to carefully select who he'd send on this mission.
That wasn't even mentioning Blake's hostile stance towards him. Anyone being sent would have to make sure to stay out of her way.
He could finish the details later as well. He had a few weeks before team RWBY went which meant the Courier had a couple before he needed to send anyone out.
A more immediate interest of Six's was how low a profile Ironwood and Ozpin were keeping on the breach. It didn't look like anyone outside of the incident itself even knew it happened.
Glancing over recent news articles and video titles, not even one referenced the CCT Tower.
"Local Volunteering Rate Higher Than Ever."
"Killer in Vale: Three Missing, Two Dead!"
"Councilor Dream Organizes New Task Force Against Crime in Vale!"
"Mysterious Sightings of the Sunless Whisper!"
"Vacuo Man Evades Law Enforcement Wearing Only a Bucket!"
Boring, mildly interesting, interesting, mildly interesting, and what?
Taking a glance at the second topic, Six gathered that a new serial killer had surfaced in the last few months. He wasn't particularly noteworthy other than he hadn't been caught yet. Well, almost nothing. The killer did apparently leave his two most recent kills in the street. Maybe he was getting bolder? Anger boiled within Six at both the killer and the incompetence of law enforcement.
The third was Councilor Dream stepping up security in northern Vale. Apparently the deals with Atlas went through and Dream was aiming to make the trade routes secure. Six wasn't entirely sure, but something about that seemed fishy. Why create a whole new task force if Vale police or military could do the job as well?
The Sunless Whisper was apparently an urban legend among a specific religion in Vale. Six had noticed for a while now that all the religions of Remnant shared a few things in common. One, Gods existed. Two, there were usually two Gods who were entwined somehow. This was true for the most widespread religious groups including the Starborn, the Children of Dust, and the Sect of the Mind.
The article in question focused on the Starborn. They worshiped the Stars and the Sun. The Sun is the prime deity "Azul" and the stars are the fractured God "Farule." As the story goes, the two Gods that created Remnant warred with each other over the fate of humanity. Azul sought to maintain humanity and Farule sought to destroy it. In the end, Farule was shattered into many tiny and weak pieces by Azul. These pieces scattered and became the stars in the night sky.
That was merely the context for the article. As the "Sunless Whisper" was an urban legend that was supposedly one of these shards of Farule come to tempt humanity towards its own destruction. The creature was supposed to take the shape of a vaguely animal or human form covered in shadow. The rule was that it could never leave the shadows it resided in. A fairytale.
More interestingly, a number of people throughout Vale were reportedly hearing the voice of this shard of Farule. Or at least hearing something from the shadows of Vale that they deemed was the broken God.
It was probably a case of mass hysteria with how pressured Vale felt with the current state of affairs. Between the White Fang, bandits and slavers in the north, and the Mimic, there was a lot of civil unrest. Now they had voices in the dark and serial killers to deal with.
The last piece was about a man who apparently evaded law enforcement in the capital of Vacuo. He was stark naked and had been chased for over thirty minutes before slipping away. When his pursuers tried to unmask him by removing his bucket, they merely revealed the second and smaller bucket underneath.
What a strange world Remnant was.
Of course, all of that only distracted the public from everything he and Cinder had done during the CCT Tower incident. Not that he could do anything about it at the moment.
He was currently stuck in some dive called Junior's. The Courier had previously been contacted by Adam who wanted to discuss the upcoming White Fang mission. Six had offered to meet at a local place in their disguises.
It wasn't difficult to lose Blake once out of the Academy. Unfortunately for the Faunus, there just weren't very many ways to be subtle and follow someone into the Capital of Vale from Beacon.
She was growing more resourceful at Beacon to make up for it. He had to be careful when going out at night for Neo's errands as Blake would sometimes be waiting for him. It was even more irritating because neither she nor Weiss had taken his offer to talk to Gratius yet. Their stubbornness gave him one less way to keep them in check.
A sigh escaped the Courier as he leaned back on the cushioned couch positioned towards the side of the club. Glancing around, it was rather barren.
The main doors stood at roughly double his height and led into a dark blue and white room. The walls were a deep navy blue but the floor was made of white squares that were lit up. The vast majority of the room was made of the dance floor. Aside from the bright white dance floor, several booths littered the perimeter of the room and opposite the entrance was the bar. Stairs on either side led up to a second floor where the musician for the club sat.
What did they call him? A… DJ? Six wasn't familiar with the term.
The Courier's eyes glanced over to a couple girls wearing top-of-the-line dresses and giving sharp looks. They both had pale skin and an almost regal air about them. If he recalled, those two were the Malachite Twins. Miltia and Melanie. From what rumors he had picked up, Roman and Neo were at odds with them. Or at least had tussled before. They worked for Junior as bouncers and partygoers as well.
Their outfits were a stark contrast from his bandages and hoodie. He idly wondered how old they were but it was hard to tell given their youthful appearance.
Six tapped his foot, where was Adam? It always felt like he was wasting days away as he was forced to wait. Six was losing too much time. From managing the Voidwalkers, to doing Cinder's tasks, maintaining his cover, and slowly cracking the code behind Queen's Gambit, he didn't have time for much.
Queen's Gambit was his top priority at the moment. He currently had his Pip-Boy working on cracking its encryption so he could see the files for the application. Once that was done, he would work on altering his copy and making a custom version of Queen's Gambit. It was just a hassle as he was getting less and less free time.
At least the Voidwalkers could be managed remotely. With Donner taking care of internal affairs and Jeremy acting as the face, Six could manage their missions and they could carry them out without too much oversight on his part. That being said, their newest mission was a bit worrying.
Apparently some gang or group of bandits was causing a ruckus on the edge of Vale. Absolute small fry compared to White Fang insurrectionists, barely even worth calling his Voidwalkers in.
But more worryingly, after doing some digging, Six found that there was another group operating in the area. The Dogs of War.
They were a criminal organization dedicated to their own self-interests. The DoW were precisely what their name implied. Anytime conflict brewed, they would be one step behind ready to capitalize on it. Either as mercenaries or scavengers. That was if they weren't providing the weapons for whatever conflict they were entangled in. They also functioned as thieves, assassins, smugglers, and slavers. If there was a criminal market for it, the DoW was there.
But the mission was relatively simple, a hideout a few miles outside of Vale needed to be cleared. The Vale military was too busy and there weren't any experienced Huntsman available. And with Atlas stuck in the city for the moment, that left only one place to turn to.
The Council hired the Voidwalkers. This was in and of itself unusual for the Council to do since they had their own military force. However, they had done it through a third-party negotiator which was often synonymous with plausible deniability if things should go wrong. And more specifically, one Doctor Leonard Dream pushed for the hiring of the Voidwalkers.
The slick Councilor didn't inspire confidence in the Courier. If anything, Six was more suspicious that it was him that gunned for their intervention. It reeked of a setup.
But at this stage, Six couldn't turn down any contracts. He needed to keep his soldiers loyal and that meant bringing in jobs and Lien. Though, if the Mimic were to make an appearance…
That was a thought for later as he noticed a certain redhead walk into the club; ridiculous t-shirt, ballcap, and all. It brought a smile to the Courier's lips to see the sunglasses-wearing Adam approach. He looked like such an idiot in that outfit.
More interestingly, he was sporting a couple new scars. He had two small cuts; one along the left side of his chin and one on the right side of his forehead. That was likely caused by their encounter at the Fang base. It hadn't been as obvious with Adam's disguise before but having the time to watch Adam approach gave Six more than enough time to notice.
Not daring to use Adam's real name in the club, Six instead nodded his head as the Faunus approached, in turn receiving a nod from Adam as well.
"You have info for me?" The Courier quizzed as Adam took a seat in the booth across from him. The music of the club would serve to give their conversation some privacy.
"This operation…" Adam trailed off as he gritted his teeth. And now that he was seated directly in front of the Courier, Six could see the anger in the bull's eyes. His worried expression and hushed tone indicated that the Faunus was doing his best not to fly into a fit of rage at whatever he was about to say.
"This operation south of the capital is meant to get Roman arrested while also causing more unrest." He finally got out before having to take a breath in.
Six waited a few moments but when it was clear that the Faunus wasn't going to continue, he asked, "and?" There was no way he was replying until he knew why Adam was upset.
"There's a White Fang base under Mount Glenn in the old metro. The plan is to load as many explosives on a train as we can and send it straight into the heart of Vale using the old rail system."
Mount Glenn, if Six's research and idle periods of listening in on lectures were correct, that was Vale's first attempt at expansion.
It was an entire underground city that eventually went dark though Six didn't know why it had. That information hadn't mattered until now. Hell, he didn't even know that Mount Glenn had an underground Metro that led to Vale.
"With my brothers and sisters inside…" Adam finished with a scowl, nearly spitting the words out.
There it was. It didn't matter the number of women and children that would likely be killed; only that Faunus would die. Adam's Faunus. It was obvious he hadn't been told until recently either. How were the people that told him still alive?
Of course, Six couldn't judge him too harshly, not after what he did in the Mojave. Still, this was an insane plan that needed to be stopped. Making people scared or icing a Huntsman was one thing; a wholesale slaughter of innocent people was another.
"So, how do we stop it?" Six questioned as he crossed his arms. This earned a surprised look from Adam.
"What?"
"I said, how do we stop it," the Courier reaffirmed. "This is insane, attacking a facility full of armed combatants is one thing. Setting off a massive bomb in the middle of a city is another."
Funny, coming from him. But more importantly, the reason Six disagreed with this plan was that it was inefficient. They were inspiring plenty of fear as it was and there were plenty of other ways to do so. This plan not only wasted acquired Dust and manpower but civilian lives for a scheme that barely changed anything in the long run. Hell, Six could accomplish that same level of terror with a fraction of the Dust and maybe five or so people.
The confused frown that adorned Adam's face was unlike him. Usually the White Fang officer was far more decisive in his actions. He must be getting strong-armed by Cinder in this.
"Okay, let's focus on what we can do. Why am I being sent there?" An idea was already starting to form in the Courier's mind on what he would do once the time came.
Despite being angered by the situation, Adam remained composed enough to elaborate. "You'll be sent to make sure things run smoothly and as extra muscle. More importantly, you're another PR stunt to scare people. They're turning the Mimic into a domestic terrorist."
Six was anything but domestic given he wasn't from Vale or Remnant but that didn't matter.
"Perfect," Six replied as he unclasped his arms and clapped his hands together. "Then I'll just sabotage it."
A sigh escaped Adam at his declaration as he leaned back against the booth.
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"So, they're going to use the metro system to send some kind of vehicle–likely a train–with explosives and ram it into Vale." Six began as he placed a finger on the table and made a circle with it. He then made a motion of dragging his finger away from the circle as he spoke. A poor representation of Mount Glenn and the train moving away from it.
"It is a train," Adam idly confirmed, still disbelieving in Six's plan.
"But they'll have to load the explosives on the train first and arm them. I'll keep an eye out as is my job and note where the explosives go. After each explosive is placed or after the train starts moving, I go through and disable the bomb or more likely bombs."
Adam raised a brow as he countered, "let's say you do somehow manage to not be seen while you're doing this. That still puts my people in danger and ruins Cinder's plan. She'll be pissed."
Six raised his open hands as he began his salesman pitch. "That's the good part. I leave one explosive with enough power to level just one railcar of the train. I only need to evacuate the one railcar, your people will only need to make a getaway, and an explosive still goes off in the middle of Vale causing a scene. The White Fang is there, the Mimic is there, Cinder gets what she wants, and hopefully no White Fang die."
"And you think it'll be that easy? You've only got until Friday to plan." Adam again attempted to poke holes in his plans as the scheduled date would be three days away.
He idly thought about having the Voidwalkers step in but that would put him and Adam at odds again if the Faunus ever found out about their employer. Besides, he needed his troops in top shape for Queen's Gambit, whatever that would be.
Six could also get Beacon or a Huntsman team involved but that would likely result in more Faunus deaths and putting himself in greater danger.
No, the best plan he could muster at the moment would be to act as a spy, sabotage them from within, and hope that Adam's guys were smart enough to run when the time came.
"Yes, the Grimm drawn to the negative emotions during this plan will give your people cover to run." The Courier finished. In theory, Adam should agree. It was better than going through with the plan and it was the best the White Fang had for getting away.
After a few drawn out moments, Adam sighed before muttering, "it's your ass on the line…"
Had Adam really not thought of a workaround to this issue until coming to him? Again, that was unlike Adam. Just how cornered did Cinder truly make him feel?
"Then we're in agreement," Six replied as he leaned against his side of the booth. "Anything else I should know?"
"Neo and Roman will be there, don't kill any Faunus."
Not surprising coming from Adam. Six nodded his head in affirmation.
"Good, then I've got info for you," Six said as he held up his Pip-Boy. A holographic display appeared between the two. On it, line after line of code was being run and stopped at speeds too quick for humans to track. At the bottom, the symbol of a black queen chess piece was displayed.
"I got something big on Cinder this time. I think whatever this is directly impacts what they have planned at the festival. I'm still trying to crack it but do you have any idea what a program called Queen's Gambit is for?"
Adam shrugged in response. "All I know is they're supposed to provide the mother of all distractions for my brothers and sisters to get their job done during the Vytal Festival."
The Courier could guess what the White Fang's end goal was during that. Probably attacking critical infrastructure for certain institutions in Vale and key targets that run said institutions. Probably any particularly anti-Faunus humans to remove them from power.
It wouldn't be just petty assassinations, they would be cleaning house, removing racists from power. And Six agreed with the notion as long as no innocents were hurt. There was a level of corruption in Vale that represented the Old World that needed to be weeded out.
"Alright, once I've cracked it, I'll give you the details. Until then, we shouldn't keep in contact. These meetings are getting riskier for me." At Six's words, Adam raised a brow, forcing him to continue. "Ozpin and Ironwood have been keeping better tabs on me and it's getting harder to sneak out."
A frown formed on Adam's face at the mention of the General but he didn't comment.
"I get the message," Adam replied as he stood from his seat. "Only contact each other if it's vital."
"I prefer it that way anyways," the Faunus commented as he stepped away from the booth and made his way back towards the doors to the club.
Well, that had gone smoothly.
That was quite a bit of information to take in. For the train, he'd have a few days to prepare before heading out. It was enough time to get a better plan in place, or at least details for the current plan ironed out.
And of course, there was Six's curiosity as to why they would bother doing this.
The first and most obvious answer, spread more fear and unrest in Vale. But why would someone want that? To attract Grimm. And why would Cinder want that? To strengthen her attack during the Vytal Festival with Grimm and sow chaos.
There was no doubt in the Courier's mind now. Some kind of attack would occur during the Vytal Festival that would attract Grimm in mass. The White Fang would likely attack at the same time for their own goals. During the confusion, Cinder would slip into Beacon for the Maiden or even the artifact. That was the surface level plan that was created either by Cinder or her master Salem.
But that plan would never work with the Atlas fleet being stationed overhead. And Roman being captured was another strange part. How did they plan to get around the Atlas forces and how did Roman being captured factor into the plan? And what was Queen's Gambit supposed to do? How was the Vytal Festival attack going to start?
Queen's Gambit, Roman being captured, the Atlas fleet. These were the last parts of Cinder's puzzle that Six couldn't put in place yet.
The Courier let out a sigh as he looked down at his Pip-Boy. Maybe he needed to approach this from a different angle. How would he take care of the Atlas fleet?
Well, a massive fleet had to have sophisticated communications and a large workforce. Atlas was also cutting edge when it came to technology. The ships likely required extensive systems and network to keep that workforce in order. Was it a disruption of that? But that would only slow their response time, not put them out of the picture.
What else? Atlas also had cutting edge technology in other areas, such as androids. Atlas probably substituted a good portion of its workforce with androids…
And if Queen's Gambit was in the CCT Tower, it had a direct line of communication with Atlas airships and in turn the androids operating them. Monitoring their activity during the incident wouldn't help Cinder…
But somehow gaining remote access to airship systems and being able to disable the fleet and a portion of its army? That… That was a viable plan. And with swarms of Grimm around, a disabled airship would be destroyed swiftly.
They would cripple Vale, Atlas's military, Beacon, and accomplish their goal in one move.
But how would Queen's Gambit gain access if that was even their plan? Sure, it could communicate with the airships but it wouldn't have authorization to access their systems. Without direct physical access, Atlas's encryptions were extremely tough to break, especially on a large scale like that.
That also didn't explain why the plan was for Roman to be captured. He'd be put in some Vale supermax prison. There were just a few key details he didn't understand that brought this entire clusterfuck together. Not to mention how the attack itself during the Vytal Festival was supposed to be initiated.
For now, he'd have to settle with cracking Queen's Gambit while investigating how they planned to get access to the airships and why Roman needed to be captured.
That was enough worrying about things he couldn't fix at that moment. He had another meeting to attend.
Glancing over towards the Malachite Twins, they still weren't staring at him. When the time was right, he'd be given a signal and allowed into the backrooms of the club. He doubted it would be as exciting as the backrooms of the Gomorrah or God forbid the Ultra-Luxe.
Still, he had a few minutes to think over how he was going to phrase his offer.
Junior or Hei "Junior" Xiong. Owner of Junior's, information broker, and criminal. The man had his hands in everything from money laundering to armed robbery. Of course, the man never committed the acts himself and was always sure to keep any blame far away from his person.
The man used social media sparingly, mainly to promote his business. Both legal and illegal businesses had been inherited from his father Hei "Senior" Xiong. Classy names, and utterly stupid.
According to the little social media dug up and general surveillance, there was a gambling den somewhere in the back of the club. And from his less scrupulous sources, Junior had worked with Roman in the past to provide manpower. Though from those same sources, it seemed that the two had cut ties at some point.
More interestingly, ever since Roman moved into Vale the Xiong family had lost a chunk of its influence in the city. All in all, he was a brute, not particularly brave, and not too bright. But what he lacked in intelligence and courage he made up for in cunning.
Despite the man's setbacks and run-ins with not only the law but a certain blonde Huntress-in-training, Junior had managed to avoid prison time or death. A not-so-easy feat given his circumstances.
All of this information was gathered by the Courier or rather his newfound proxies thanks to the Beholder Initiative.
What was the Beholder Initiative? For now, an information gathering system. Once more developed, a real-time monitoring system that could pick up suspicious activity days—if not weeks—before humans could.
It was running on a rather small server that the Courier had access to stationed out of one of his more secure warehouses. Using a few algorithms and facial scanners, he could seek out a person and the majority of the cameras in Vale would help him find them. More importantly, it could store and cross-reference personal notes and details he put in to help filter out other targets for him automatically. This was done in part through facial recognition and keyword searches.
The second half of the system stored information that could be sorted using the same algorithms and programs. However, this information came from a wide variety of sources. Social media that he had programs scanning through. Medical files and personal information he had access to thanks to his many backdoors throughout most of Vale's systems. He even anonymously paid both informants and more tech-savvy individuals for information that went into the database.
Informants were the easy part. An anonymous drop of Lien and he could get whatever information he wanted. But they were slow and had to be contacted first. They weren't ideal for what was supposed to be a mostly automated system.
But there were limits to his programs as well. Discerning mysteries and deeper meanings online in such things as social media was beyond the software he could create. Sure, his automated processes could pick up key phrases, patterns, and words and sort them but finding a connection and doing meaningful digging was beyond his automated processes for now.
That was where he used social media to solve his social media problem. Online forums, while strange, showed Six that many online would look into secrets out of sheer boredom. Both a danger for his operations but a boon for it too.
Contacting a few individuals skilled with computers that often used social media was feasible. And when they were offered a steady sum of Lien to perform odd-jobs like looking into the social media accounts of a person and stories surrounding individuals or rumors, they became willing to find such information for him. It was all perfectly legal and anonymous for him. In time, Six hoped that the system would be capable of finding these individuals, pointing them towards the problem, and paying them for their time.
All this culminated into a monitoring system that—with some oversight on his part—could provide a steady stream of quick and sorted information that was readily available and almost entirely anonymous.
The final part was an encrypted network and data transfer system put in place by him. A custom-made one-of-a-kind encryption based on cryptography algorithms and schemes from his world. Stuff that would take Remnant's cryptographers years to crack.
It brought a smile to his lips.
And Junior was the first test run of the system. It had gathered more than enough information for what he had planned including the floor plans for the entire club. It gave Six enough info to prepare the surprise in store for Junior if he proved problematic.
With all of this information in mind, convincing Junior wouldn't be too hard. He just needed connections in the underworld and Junior being added to his informant list would help tremendously.
Turning his head again, Six spotted the slight nod from Melanie indicating now was the right time.
Standing up, Six made his way over to the stairs leading to the second floor of the large room. The booming music muffled his footsteps as he ascended the brightly lit stairs. Once at the top, he made his way over to a large set of black double doors.
Swinging the doors open revealed a dimly lit red hall. Its walls were lined with red wallpaper with simple patterns dancing along the surface. Several guards stood in the hall with weapons openly in their hands. These ranged from swords, to knives, guns, and one even appeared to be wearing brass knuckles. Said guards were dressed in fancy black and red business suits.
Sifting past the guards and through the hall, he noticed several scanners, probably looking for recording devices and weapons. Luckily for the Courier, he had his equipment dematerialized before arriving. Six eventually came to another set of black double doors. Turning his head, he spotted both the Malachite twins following him.
These two were likely on the level of more experienced first-year teams in Beacon. That combined with the automated security measures and guards made for a decent challenge if things got rough. Not to mention Junior himself.
Letting them pass first was likely the best option given the two card readers on either side of the double doors. The two produced two grey cards before sliding them through the readers.
A buzzer rang out as the large doors swung open.
Aura, to many, was as simple as an invisible shield that protected the user from harm. This idea was inherently false.
Aura acts as a shield but that is a small part of its greater purpose. As a reflection of the soul, it serves to empower and protect the vessel it resides in and can be manipulated with the right know-how.
Junior was no elite Huntsman but he had been around the block long enough to know the practical uses of Aura. If left idle, it acted as a shield around the whole body. If one focused, Aura could be channeled to a user's legs for speed and jumping long distances; or to strengthen arms for lifting or punching. If someone got really good at it, they could focus it into their fingers for more complex purposes or hide their Aura entirely.
Even those with a slightly more advanced understanding of Aura could shift the back of their Aura to the front. And right now, Junior was making sure to channel his Aura to protect his front, his entire front.
This was because the new arrival was dangerous.
Junior had met many, many dangerous individuals during his career. They ranged from thieves, to murderers, and even to war-time criminals from the Faunus War. Gods above and below, his own father had been one of those people.
So it was easy for Junior to see the way this new bandaged face surveyed the room. He was looking for threats, escape routes, and the best possible way to kill the proprietor of the fine establishment they were both in. Namely, Junior himself.
His stance was tense but not overtly so. If one weren't looking for it, the casual hands in his pockets would even come off as rude. If Hei had to guess… He was holding some kind of weapon.
That didn't touch on his appearance. Seemingly average-looking jeans and a grey hoodie with a black leather vest over it. That by itself would have made him look like a drug dealer. But the creepy ass bandages covering the majority of skin that could be seen? Unnatural.
What was even worse was that Junior had never heard of the guy. And Junior knew everybody in Vale, it was his job to know. Information was power and people were always quick to pay for power.
Either this new guy just arrived in town or hadn't stirred any waves with political bigwigs or criminals. Very few people that came into his establishment seeking to do business could boast that.
With all that in mind, when this stranger messaged and paid him a decent sum of Lien to meet him in private, Junior was a bit worried. Assassins were common in his industry and one could never be too careful.
Still, no matter how dangerous this individual was, Junior had the advantage here. This room was the safest in the entire club, his penthouse of sorts.
First, the door to his room was reinforced with alloys from Atlas, a real bitch to buy. The black double doors led to the red carpet that covered the also reinforced floor. The entire room had been fortified so that it would take a full-blown Huntsman with a destructive Semblance hours to break inside. That didn't mean he lacked style.
The red carpet was contrasted by the walls covered in black tiles. Red banners and drapes hung around the room. There were several pieces of furniture such as pool and coffee tables scattered throughout the room. Also reinforced to act as cover if need be.
In the center of the room sat his large Mistrali luxury desk with a large monitor, a revolver, and a ticking clock. He often used the latter to gauge how much people looked at the time. The more they glanced, the more nervous they obviously felt.
Two black armchairs sat on the other side of the desk from Junior, meant for guests. And he himself was in a large red armchair that dwarfed the two black ones.
The revolver was mostly for show as there were other defenses in the room. Two Atlas-based automated turrets hidden in the ceiling could be deployed at a moment's notice. Not to mention his classic bazooka-club hybrid Elder's Demise resting against the desk. And to top it off, the Malachite twins had just taken positions at either side of his desk.
Whatever this stranger might try, it would end poorly.
Junior was a stark contrast to his guest. Instead of a hoodie, the owner of Junior's wore a white dress shirt with a black suit vest over it accentuated by a red tie. Below that was a set of black dress pants. A sharp look if Junior said so himself.
"How can I help you today?" Junior questioned, his business attitude kicking in. Be polite but get straight to the point.
The stranger took his time surveying the room and ignoring his question. Was the hooded man trying to frustrate him? Or was the man's interest in the defenses of the room? Either way it pissed him off.
Junior let out a long sigh as he went to repeat himself.
"Your family has been running this operation for a long time." The bandaged man commented as he cut Junior off.
Suppressing an irritated growl that threatened to escape his throat, Junior clenched his fist for a moment before relaxing it. This guy was trying to unsteady him for sure.
"It has."
Finally turning towards Junior, the new arrival continued, "then lets work together and ensure that remains a fact for a long time." A vague threat. Junior didn't take threats lightly.
The club owner narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward. He placed two hands under his chin as he responded, "you come into my business without giving me a name and make idle threats." He nodded his head towards the twins, each one tensed up and drew their weapons as Junior continued, "I have half a mind to-"
The stranger drew his hand from his pocket with such speed and dexterity that even the twins wouldn't have been able to stop him before slamming a helmet down on his desk.
Reacting to the sudden action, the twins darted forward with weapons drawn. Still, their bandaged acquaintance didn't respond as Melanie and Miltia raised their weapons to the stranger. Metallic claws and a sharpened boot, Miltia's Claws and Melanie's Heels respectively.
"It's just. A helmet." Junior punctuated each word with disappointed anger towards the twins. "Don't skewer him quite yet."
That being said, he didn't call them off either as on the table sat a fancy-looking black helmet that was pitch-black. Covering the front portion of it was a bone-like mask that somewhat reminded him of the White Fang mask that Adam was rumored to wear. This one looked a little too human for Junior's tastes. Its red glow was dull and snuffed out for now but Junior had seen the videos with the glowing red eyes.
This was the mask of the Mimic.
A sharp chill threatened to overtake his body but the club owner kept his cool. Now was not the time to panic. If the Mimic really was here, and this wasn't some kind of trick, then he wanted something. Information most likely.
"You know who I am and you're still not attacking me, impressive restraint. I'm sure there's quite the bounty on my head by now." The Mimic spoke with fake camaraderie in his voice. "You sure you don't want to try cashing it in?"
Another veiled threat. If this terrorist was taunting him this much, then there was something else at play. A trick or a failsafe in case the twins attacked. Or the man was suicidal-levels of overconfident.
"Everyone comes to me for a reason, I want to hear yours," Junior replied as he leaned back in his chair and tried to release the tension in his muscles.
While he couldn't see the man's face, Junior could see the Mimic's eyes. They were a bright green and if Junior had to guess, pleased at the moment. It ticked the bar owner off.
The murderer reached into his jacket pocket again before producing a datachip, a strange-looking one at that. Most were square nowadays but the one the Mimic produced was slim and rectangular. Longer and fatter than most datachips too; it looked almost archaic.
"Check the contents on this. I think you'll take my offer without resistance after." The Mimic punctuated his words by tossing the datachip onto the desk.
An offer? What could this lunatic want from him?
Junior gave a quick nod to each of the twins as he took the datachip. Both girls lowered their weapons and backed away as he inserted the chip into his Scroll.
After a few moments, images, videos, and files appeared on his Scroll and taking a quick look…
This time Junior couldn't hold back his clenched hands around the Scroll nor could he stop the momentary panic that took him.
These files indicated a full-scale attack by the White Fang, some criminal Syndicate, and a horde of Grimm was imminent in the next month. This would decimate local law enforcement, Government officials… Fuck, even Beacon wouldn't be safe.
Lives lost were estimated to be in the hundreds or even low thousands. Injuries and property damage were exceedingly more. How, fuck. Okay. He needed to relax. Junior needed to relax so he could figure out why the Mimic was showing him this information and if it was good. After all, most of these names and locations were redacted from the files.
Selecting a video at random, Junior opened it and felt his heart drop. A video played showing a crowd of White Fang from some kind of camera. The cameraman swiveled their head around to face Adam Taurus on a stage. Judging from the expansive room and windows, they looked to be in some kind of warehouse.
The Faunus was already partway through a speech when it picked up Adam saying, "-urn keep us in check. Vale has failed us at every level of government."
Adam raised his hand into a fist as he continued, "they never cared about us or our struggles! All they have ever cared about is lining their own pockets and keeping us in check. That's our goal, to bring them down, to make this city truly equal!"
Fuck, this proved at least the White Fang were planning something. The video cut out, skipping over bits and pieces until another image snapped into view. This time large mechs were in view of the camera.
And for yet another time tonight, Junior felt his blood run cold. How the Dust had a bunch of Faunus acquired that kind of ordinance? Atlesian Paladins?
Another voice outside the camera view chimed in. "If you do join us in the Southeast with your other brothers and sisters… This is the arsenal I can provide."
So they had a supplier. That voice sounded familiar…
But how could he be sure this video wasn't doctored? That there really was some conspiracy going on. That the Mimic was really standing in his office. Junior bit the inside of his cheek as he felt himself getting backed into a corner.
Glancing to his sides, he noticed that even the twins seemed nervous at this information, and the drama queens didn't usually care about anything.
Turning his attention back to the Mimic, Junior eyed him for a moment. The bandaged man had kept his eyes on him the entire time, gauging his reaction to the video. It was a tad unnerving really.
From what little Junior had seen, the Mimic had the cunning of Roman and the unnerving presence of Neo. Just the thought of the latter made his skin crawl.
"I'm not giving you more than, either believe me or don't."
Shit, that was exactly what the bar owner wanted. Not only was this information shocking and he wanted to know more but as an information broker he could make plenty of Lien with it too. Still… This attack posed a threat to his business and safety as well.
The Mimic must have read his expression because the bandaged man crossed his arms before saying, "I own Voidwalker LLC."
Junior felt his world spin for a second. There was a lot of surprising and alarming information being thrown at him today. Frankly, it was a tad insulting that he was an information broker and all this had slipped past him.
The Mimic, terrorist and scourge of Vale, was also a businessman? Owner of a private military company that could rival military soldiers. What did this have to do with some kind of deal?
"As a PMC, I can offer you protection from now until after the coming storm."
And then it all clicked into place. The confusion gave way to understanding, if only partial. There was a big scary threat on the horizon and the Mimic used that to scare him. Now he wanted to offer "protection" in exchange for something.
Junior placed a hand on his desk and took a calming breath before asking, "what do you want and why should I accept?"
"First, because I know enough about your business to have rigged explosives before this meeting that would annihilate this building and us if detonated." As he spoke, the Mimic produced pictures. Fucking polaroid pictures of his damn building at key points that were rigged with explosives. Who even used polaroids anymore?!
Fuck, fuck, fuck! How had he managed to do all that without being seen?
The Mimic waggled a finger at them as the twins tensed up to attack. "Don't worry, none of us want that."
"You see, in exchange for giving you protection I want two things." Holding up a finger, the Mimic began, "I want information from you. On the datastick I gave you is a program that will allow for direct communication between you and I and for you to enter information into a private system. When I ask for info, you don't question me, you just send it."
The terrorist brought his free hand up to his neck as he continued, "don't try to look into it or I'll take you out myself." He took a thumb and dragged it along his neck to emphasize his point.
Raising another finger, he moved on to his second demand. "I'll also be installing more automated turrets into your business. When the attack comes, your club will be a safe bastion for my forces and civilians to run to."
Lowering his hand, the Mimic finished his offer by saying, "and that's my offer. Protection in exchange for information and refuge for my troops."
It was… Rather simple, but something felt off. Why…
"Why this club? It's not a sturdy fortress." Junior's question received an annoying answer.
In a condescending and almost mirthful tone, the bandaged man replied. "Did you know your club just so happens to be situated near a few key areas? A power plant, a large food storage facility, and you are only a few miles away from the residential district as well?"
As annoying as answering a question with another question was, Junior got the point. His club was situated in an area that would be within a stone toss distance of several key locations the Mimic wanted secured during this crisis.
"And think of it this way, not only do you get to stay safe, but there's going to be a big power vacuum after this event. An event where you'll be looked at favorably for saving lives."
Another fair point. And it wouldn't even cost him Lien to do… But there was something disturbing in how the Mimic phrased this horrid tragedy as an "event." That mindset was entirely detached from the suffering this violent crisis would cause. It was almost inhuman to think like that.
And an inhuman monster like that wouldn't take no for an answer which ultimately made Junior's decision.
"Fine," the club owner replied albeit reluctantly. "Now would you please leave? I need to sift through this information and put some things in place for this."
Taking his helmet back, the Mimic nodded his head. "Of course. Oh, and you can call me Six. Sending communications where you refer to me as the Mimic would be imprudent of me." A strange request but one Hei could accommodate.
Junior nodded his head as he already felt exhausted. Maybe he'd take a nap after this instead. Then dig up as much info about this supposed conspiracy to make sure the Mimic-Six wasn't lying.
Turning his back to Junior, Six made his way towards the door as he said his goodbyes. "I'll send a few people your way to install some automated defenses in a week or so."
The twins followed along with Six as he opened the door. They would at least make sure he didn't cause trouble on his way out.
On one hand, Junior had new information, found out about a conspiracy, got protection from that conspiracy, and was even paid to do so. The cons were that he'd have to get some information for Six and the guy was more than a bit unhinged. Who shows up to make a deal using bombs? Roman and Neo now that he thought about it.
The pros outweighed the cons for sure… But why did his heart continue to race even after the Mimic left? His brain told him it was a good deal but his heart couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
Fuck, that was a problem to think about after a good nap.
That had gone well.
Six would need to keep his eye on Junior but if everything he had researched about the man was true he wouldn't worry. A coward would always fall in line when threatened with violence and shown authority. Plus the Courier was always watching. As soon as Junior made a peep, Six would know.
Meeting later in the day had helped too, as now he could get his last item of the day done. After disabling the bombs and running chores for a couple hours after the meeting, Six was now treading through the halls of Beacon at night.
And that treading was done lightly. Blake was likely somewhere on campus looking for him and Ozpin might send someone to tail him despite what the Headmaster said.
First stop, the kitchen.
Making sure to avoid the several cameras around Beacon, Six made his way to the cafeteria. Once there, it was a matter of using his badge to get in and head for the freezer. After dematerializing one plastic spoon and vanilla chocolate swirl tub of ice cream later, he was on his way to the security room. Though the mute would be irritated they didn't have her signature brand of ice cream.
Honestly, Six could have avoided using his badge to get in but the staff thinking the worst he did was steal some ice cream from time to time was a good way to throw off his pursuers. A completely clean record often meant that person was either extremely boring or hiding something.
Making his way there was a chore as well. Beacon may have grand architecture on the outside but its halls were just as dull as any other Old World government building.
Thankfully, the trip was short. After a few minutes, Six arrived at the door to his security room. If the schedules he had were accurate, Gratius Vermont should be inside for his shift.
Six balled his hand into a fist before gently knocking against the door. The sound of shuffling feet and a gun being loaded preceded the door being opened.
"What do you want?" Came a younger voice as the barrel of a rifle stuck out at the Courier.
This guy was the definition of the paranoid mercenary stereotype if Six ever saw it. Gratius Vermont, almost thirty with a lifetime of experience; Voidwalker codename: Shifty.
The man stood at a short 5'6" with shoulder length brown hair and dark skin that would remind most people of Vacuo not Mistral. Large, yellow and round eyes stared at him. The man was in shape but still oddly thin and that wasn't even his most striking feature.
Gratius had ears that were asymmetrical and wider than your average person. One was placed slightly lower than the other. It reminded him of the owls of his own world. Very few still remained but he had seen a couple in the more remote regions of the Wastes. The brown hair was used to cover the physical difference.
The last feature of the mercenary was his youthful appearance and voice. Despite going on 30, the man looked young enough to be a later-year student.
Six did his best not to stare and contemplate the advantages and disadvantages of Gratius' Faunus physiology.
"Can we talk for a moment?"
The question earned another suspicious glare from the mercenary.
"Fine," Gratius replied while swinging the door open and stepping back. Though Six only took the invitation when the Faunus lowered his gun.
The Courier took a moment to scan the room as he entered, noting that it didn't look like the room was any messier than when he was last in it. At least his mercenaries weren't slobs.
"Say what you need to and get out."
At least the Faunus was straight to the point. This would be a short conversation between Six and Gratius that would determine whether the Faunus continued to live or not.
Placing a hand on his hip, the Courier replied, "fine, I'm the one who recommended you for Beacon security."
An understanding look dawned on the Faunus' face as his eyes narrowed.
"And why would you do that? I don't know you."
Suspicion was to be expected from the on-duty security guard. After all, Six was more than a little distrusting of Victor when he dug the Courier out of his own grave.
"Well, there are a few reasons," Six began as he let the door to the office swing shut. "You have a solid record despite your age and could fit in with the student body if needed. You also have skill and caution in spades. Most importantly, I know the real reason for your assignment."
At the mention of a "real assignment," the Faunus reached for his firearm but Six had already seen that coming. With his hand already on his hip, all Six had to do was reach down and draw Maria, causing the Voidwalker to freeze.
"Only warning, you draw that and you're dead." That threat from the Courier was a tad empty given Aura but he would kill the Faunus if necessary. It wasn't on Gratius' file but Six was fairly sure that he had unlocked his Aura and kept it a secret. "Besides, I'm the one you're supposed to be talking to or do you think I was sent here to kill you?"
Finally, Gratius relaxed his pose. It looked like he was getting the picture a little better now. That was good considering Six was the one who ordered him to be there.
On the surface level, the Voidwalker's mission was to serve as temporary security for Beacon until they could find a permanent replacement for Jeremy. But there was a second objective to his job. One that Gratius' "employer" had given him.
The Faunus was to serve as support for a specialist in Beacon; Six himself. Gratius was given the bare-bones briefing as to risk minimal exposure for the mission. Now was the time to more fully brief him.
With the Faunus having finally calmed down, Six felt comfortable in continuing. "Good, now let's get you up to speed."
The Courier set a datachip down on the counter to the room. "This contains any details you'll be needing but to give you a brief overview: you'll be acting as my support. The client knows an attack of some kind is going to hit Beacon from a terrorist group. The client also doesn't have enough evidence to go to Vale law enforcement or Beacon itself. We've been hired to keep an eye on things."
Six pointed at himself before continuing, "well, I have been. I'll be working with your lot on a series of assignments meant to uncover the true nature of this attack."
"You will be my support. If you see someone tailing me, stop them or inform me. If I ask you to look into something, do it. And if shit hits the fan, you'll have my back."
A lie with hints of truth in it. Six did want to look into Cinder's plans for attacking Beacon. But he wasn't just some hired investigator though that would be a good cover story if his cover was blown…
"Now, I understand if you have reservation-"
"Mission understood," the Faunus replied in a neutral tone as he took the datachip. "I watch your back and gather info. Sounds easy enough."
Okay. Gratius' file did say he had participated in some dubious operations but Six didn't expect him to agree so readily.
"No misgivings?"
Yellow eyes turned on Six as Gratius responded, "no. As long as you don't give me any. I get paid, you stop this attack or whatever it is, and I don't ask questions. Easier that way."
Shit, that was good with the Courier.
"Any questions?"
Glancing at the datachip, Gratius asked, "everything I need to know is on here?"
"Yes."
"Then no questions," the Faunus replied in the same neutral tone that Six suspected might be the man's default.
"Good, I'm sending you my Scroll number now if anything comes up. Otherwise, keep contact to a minimum."
A quick nod from the Faunus was all the affirmation Six needed as he turned and made his way to the door. Stepping out, Six had a few thoughts on his mind as he made his way back to his room.
That had gone surprisingly smoothly. Six had picked Gratius because of his shady background and willingness to skirt around the law. And once the Courier explained the situation, the Faunus accepted it. If only all people were like that.
Revealing he was the Mimic could come later. He just needed Gratius on his side for the moment.
Now all that was left to do tonight included…
A multicolor blur darted towards Six in the halls. He had to actively repress the urge to draw his gun as it came toward him.
Pink and brown hues stared up at him which contrasted with the school uniform and black hair; the shattered moonlight reflecting off her mixed eyes. Neo, the menace of his current occupation.
The gremlin was giving him puppy eyes while putting her hands together. She always knew when he had ice cream on him.
"Here, but no more of these late night rendezvous," Six said as he handed her the ice cream he had retrieved from the cafeteria. "Students think we're dating."
The small woman tilted her head to the side and gave him a quizzical look.
A sigh escaped the Courier. "It makes me look like a freak dating younger girls."
And noticing a pair of black cat ears poking from around a corner further down the hall, Six whispered, "and it puts her plan at risk."
He nodded his head towards Blake causing Neo to turn. A scowl crossed the small not-student's face as she turned back to him.
Neo pointed at him and then at herself.
"Yeah, fine, I'll come visit you sometime. Just stop randomly showing up at work okay?"
A nod of confirmation before a smirk crossed her lips.
Neo turned and took a few steps away before turning back and placing a finger to her lips. Six couldn't help but roll his eyes at the mute's antics as she darted down the hall. All the while he wondered what kind of body count the little monster had.
Was he really one to judge though? After all this time, all the lives he'd taken, all the lives he planned to take with nuclear weapons.
The rational and logical part of him said yes and no. He'd performed many atrocities in his time, killed an untold amount of people, and even planned on nuking the Mojave into nothing. But that hadn't happened.
For all his bravado at the time, could he have really erased them all from existence just like that? He had been angry, irrationally upset mere hours after being betrayed twice by damn near everyone he had come to trust.
Would that anger have carried him weeks or even months into the future? Sure, there were missile silos and enough warheads to utterly eradicate the Mojave but most were in no state to be launched.
It would've taken weeks at minimum to get them repaired and that was if he had the right tools and processed material on hand. No… It would have taken him longer.
After a time, Six likely would have calmed down, assessed his options, and then moved on like he always did. Sure, the NCR had a stranglehold on the West but he could easily change clothes and go by a different moniker. Shit, it would have been a chance to travel the West coast more. The Courier had only ever traveled that far twice and not for long.
The Courier hadn't launched nuclear weapons. Hell, he even talked Ulysses out of doing it once upon a time.
And everything else? The people of Vegas under his rule? The people in Montana he tried to help? In Rune-no. No, that had been justified. He had been helping them.
The nukes were a stupid idea he would have discarded after calming down. The rest was required just for him to survive, for them all to survive. Six didn't need to justify his actions to anyone but himself…
Especially not in a new world where no one knew his name…
It was best to put aside his more troublesome thoughts; these were issues for a hopefully better tomorrow.
Author's Notes:
I didn't want to delve too deep into the religions of Remnant all at once as that would be quite a bit of an exposition dump about information that isn't necessarily important at that moment. I will likely go more into the individual religions mentioned. Especially if readers would like them expanded upon.
Likewise, yes, the religion of the Two Brothers exists. It's a relatively minor religion compared to many of the larger ones.
Lastly, I'm not including Oum as a God. As far as I can tell from my research, this is a meta reference to the creator of RWBY Monty Oum and not canon. It's funny and is an excellent homage to the creator of RWBY but contradicts some ideas/themes in the story.
On a different note, let's talk about Beacon students. Specifically the part where I compare the Malachite Twins to fairly experienced first-year students. I just want to get ahead of any unsavory reviews. Yang beat both of them together. And while Yang is an exceptional first-year student (on par with an average or maybe even experienced second-year in my mind), she definitely isn't the biggest fish around. Being beaten by Yang while they're together places the twins in the "above average" category of first-year students. I'd imagine they're slightly higher than Cardin in terms of skill/power individually.
And no, I'm not going to compare other second-years to team CFVY. They're the exception and are probably on a level above second-year students (third to fourth year I'd imagine). The only exception to this is Pyrrha who is overwhelmingly out of the first-year league.
It's also a tad interesting that we never see any fourth-year students considering Beacon's tutelage is stated to last four years. I may reference or seek to remedy this in future chapters.