Busy week at work, but not too bad. Get to end it by finally having Christmas with my family this weekend! Only a little late this year. Basically, everyone got sick and we had to keep pushing things back, but as of now it looks like everyone's finally in the clear.
Also decided to finally try Skyrim in VR. Played the game multiple times before, but never in VR. Even got the plat on PS4. Haven't used any mods yet, but it already looks fantastic and the loading screens are super short, surprisingly. Also, archery is a bit of a pain this way, but melee is OP like you wouldn't believe. Might actually be able to play the game without becoming a sneaky archer for once!
Now buckle up, because we have not one, not three, but two POV shifts this chapter!
"You've done well, Adam."
Had he? Ghira certainly didn't seem to think so three days ago when he'd cornered Adam, complaining about what he'd done in Mistral almost a week prior, only for Sienna to continue singing his praises. Then again, Sienna wasn't Ghira. In many ways, she was his polar opposite. What one liked, the other seemed to hate. It was hard to remember they were both pushing for the same goal, albeit in vastly different ways. He had to wonder what would happen if they ever reached that goal. Would they celebrate together? Would one admit they were wrong and apologize? Or would they continue to fight and nitpick about every little detail along the way.
Adam had a feeling it would be the last one.
But today's praises, for once, had little to do with the Concordia Day attack, even if the news was still milking the story for all it was worth. No, today was all about Sienna's latest plans.
"Cerco says his team managed to secure enough dust to keep Reyno running for months." Adam had heard the same. In fact, he'd watched the whole thing live from the command center downstairs as the Mistral forces managed to hit a dust shipment bound for Mistral before it could take off. "It seems your training has been paying off."
"I still think I should've been there." Directing the whole thing from afar made him feel useless. If something had gone wrong - if Mistral had been more prepared - Cerco and his men would've been in trouble. They didn't have anyone who could fight at his level.
Sienna waved away his complaint yet again. "I told you, Adam. The White Fang needs to grow beyond relying on one or two people to do all the heavy lifting. That means we need to let them run their own missions from time to time."
He knew, but that still didn't make it any easier. He'd been more on edge watching a mission than he'd been sneaking into Mistral. At least there he had some level of control. If something had gone wrong on this last mission, he could've done nothing but watch.
"So, what? Is this the part where you give me an office job and tell me to take it easy?" Like she'd done with herself. Sienna hadn't exactly seen much action lately, too tied up in Menagerie with running things from afar. His place was in the field, fighting with a sword rather than a pen. People were far less intimidating a foe than paperwork.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Good, because Adam would've walked out and caught the next flight to Atlas to prove he could fight. "But our men need experience. Experience they'll never get if you're always there to do the hard parts for them."
True. Plus, he couldn't be everywhere at once. If he carried out a raid in Mistral, then Atlas would know they could rest easy. A relief mission in Vale meant Mistral had time to catch their breath. Beyond that, as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't keep up with their demand for action. Eventually, he needed to rest. Or worse, if something happened to him…
Cerco had done well leading his men, even if they'd had a rather simple mission this time around. Adam and Sienna had made sure of it, targeting a smaller shipment while ignoring a far more tempting target further east. The dust would be helpful, but the real benefits came in their men succeeding on their own. This was to be the first of a flurry of activity as the White Fang took advantage of the chaos from his mission in Mistral. The more their enemies focused on shoring up their defenses in the capital, the more opportunities they'd find in the outskirts.
"What of the Vale initiative?"
"We're looking into it," Sienna answered. "We don't have enough of a presence outside the capital to make another Reyno yet, but it's only a matter of time."
"I thought Corsac said he'd found a location."
"A potential location," Sienna stressed before Adam could get ahead of himself. "We still need to scout the area further, but I think it holds promise. Once I'm satisfied we can build up there without notice, I'll send a team to establish a foothold."
"I want to lead that team." They'd need to clear the Grimm, and no one in the White Fang dispatched those monsters as efficiently as he did.
Sienna shook her head. "No. I need you focused on Anima."
"They'll expect me to be there." Why play into their hands like that? "Why not expand to Vale? I could rally our support there and-"
"And have Vale on high alert," Sienna finished. This wasn't the first time they'd argued about this. Mistral was reeling and trying to recover, while Cerco and his men had already proven capable of operating without his presence. Adam thought it would be the perfect time to expand their reach, but Sienna wanted to keep the pressure focused closer to home. "Mistral is ripe for the harvest. The Council is feeling the pressure to prove they can handle us, but all they're doing is pushing more faunus to our cause." New laws did little to slow the White Fang. What they did do was cause trouble for faunus caught in the middle and prove that the people in power would gladly sacrifice their rights to protect themselves. As terrible as it sounded, the more the capital cracked down on the average faunus, the more recruits the White Fang gained. "At this rate, we might need to establish another base in Anima before we work on Vale and Atlas."
After that came Adam's least favorite part of their meetings. The two of them reviewed reports from Corsac and Fennec, mostly concerning the logistics behind running the White Fang. Recruitment numbers. Dust usage. Distribution. Morale. Numbers that meant little to Adam but everything to Sienna. Their numbers were growing, like she said, but that meant more mouths to feed and higher demands on energy and transportation. Some of their new additions had children, introducing a strain on the schools in Menagerie. While that was more Ghira's concern than theirs, they still needed to coordinate with him and get accurate projections so the island would be prepared before things got out of hand.
He'd never expected the work of a revolutionary to be so…tedious. Yet again Adam was grateful Sienna was in charge instead of him. He'd rather face a dozen Huntsmen than deal with her mountain of paperwork. The little he had to help with was already too much.
By the time they finished with the week's reports, Adam felt he could use a drink. Just something to take the edge off a little. Maybe he'd have to track down Jakob later and go out for a few. He was always happy to let him vent a bit, as long as Saph didn't have other plans. His friend had been well and truly whipped. In more ways than one, I bet. Ew. Just ew. The less he knew about Jakob's sex life, the better.
"Blake came to see me this morning."
No surprise there. Adam hadn't seen her yet today, which meant she must've been after Sienna for once. He had a pretty good idea of what she wanted. "Still demanding to go on a mission?"
"No." Adam raised an eyebrow, forcing Sienna to admit the obvious. "Well, yes, but that wasn't the main thing she wanted."
"Oh?" Now that was a surprise. "She want you to train her now?" She normally pestered Adam for that. Kaito if she got desperate. But if Sienna wanted to take that burden off of Adam, he wouldn't say no.
Sadly, that wasn't the case. "She asked me to have you train her, actually."
"What? I'm already training her!" Last he checked, anyway. True, most of his trainings involved him kicking her butt in a spar, then forcing her to exercise until she dropped, but he considered them valuable lessons. Experience against a skilled opponent, strength and cardio, but most importantly, never tick off someone stronger than you. Despite his best efforts, she kept coming back for more.
"Not enough, it seems."
"So now she's coming to you to, what, order me to train her?" How petty. He'd make her regret asking the next time they entered the ring.
"Ilia, actually." At Adam's confused look, Sienna explained, "Blake thinks she'd make a good agent with the proper training, and I'm inclined to agree. That's why I want you to take over her training."
"I've already been training her!" Off and on. He'd given her a few lessons on swordplay, and he knew for a fact Blake and Kaito were helping her get better. "Why can't Blake do it?"
"Because Blake's experience is too limited." And whose fault was that? If Sienna wanted her to have more experience, then she should send her on a mission. Not only would it further her training, but she'd stop pestering Adam every other day. A win win in his book. "Her combat is progressing nicely, though she needs more work on her aura control."
"You unlocked her aura?" Weren't they supposed to avoid that except in extremely rare cases? What made someone like Ilia so special?
"I did. She's young, determined, and with her chameleon traits, she could easily pass for human. Ilia could become a valuable spy in time." Or an assassin. Sienna had probably considered that possibility as well, even if she didn't say it. "What she needs is something Blake and many of our other members lack."
"Common sense?"
"In a way," Sienna hummed with a pleased smile. "Tell me, Adam. Do you know what I believe your strongest trait is? The thing that makes you most valuable on a mission?"
Your expendability? Adam thought about it for a moment, but one answer stood out almost immediately. "I'm the strongest fighter you have."
"Most likely." Really? He almost dared her to name someone stronger. If she had some incredibly talented fighter waiting in the wings, Adam had yet to hear of him. "But no. That's not why." There was no point guessing again. She'd have to spit it out sooner or later. "Your decisiveness. That's what makes you a great squad leader. You're quick on your feet and never second guess yourself."
If only she knew. He'd been second guessing his last mission since the moment it happened.
"I've had Kaito devise a new training program, and so far, we've had…less than stellar results."
"What kind of training?" This was the first he'd heard of her new idea, but already the competitive side of him wanted to try it out and prove himself, especially if everyone kept failing.
"Situational awareness and decision making." How on Remnant did you train someone in that? And more importantly, when could he try it? "We've built a modular test environment nearby. It's just an empty building at its heart, but we can set up improvised environments as needed. Walls. Targets. Speakers. With it, we can recreate any indoor exercise Kaito dreams up. A refinery raid, for example."
How big was this building? Then again, he doubted they'd made it the size of an actual refinery. She probably just meant a representation with some mock offices and a large room. Maybe a few barriers to substitute for the equipment. All she'd need is a basic indoor arena to run exercises in.
"Standard exercises have been fine, but you know how Kaito is." He certainly did. Knowing the old man, he'd change the scenario on the fly or set up devious tricks to keep things interesting. "Too many of our members - even the more experienced ones - have frozen up when the moment came."
"Better here than on an actual mission." Hesitation could mean lives lost. A few seconds didn't sound like a lot, but when Atlas was breathing down your neck or the authorities were closing in, even the tiniest delay could spell disaster. "You don't always have time to think."
"Exactly!" Sienna threw her hands up, both in dismay at recent performances and in gratitude that Adam understood. "They just stand there! Even a bad decision would be better than nothing at all. It's just a game to most of them."
"But the stakes are higher out there." No plan survived contact with the enemy. He'd been on enough missions to know that firsthand. Hidden reinforcements. Robotic ambushes. Grimm attacks. Even a freakin' Specialist with something to prove. "They need to learn to adapt. You can't plan for the unexpected."
"But you can damn well do something!" It looked like Sienna had been dealing with this problem for a while now. How many of their trainees had frozen up or failed miserably? And why the sudden interest in new training methods?
More mission leaders, you dufus. What? She wants more missions, which means she needs more people to lead them. She's testing them to see who has what it takes to lead in the field. Oh. So she really did mean it when she said she wanted more missions without him then. Having him on overwatch from a remote location would help, but in the heat of the moment, they needed someone on the ground to make the tough decisions.
Like silencing a woman before she could raise the alarm.
These new officers would be facing life or death choices in the field. Their every decision could very well decide the fates of their team, enemies, and even innocents. No wonder Sienna wanted more training. "I'll do it."
"You'll what?"
"I'll help with the training." If it meant less bodies left behind, friendly or otherwise, then the White Fang needed all the help it could get. "That's what you want, right? For me to show them how it's done?" To run the course and take whatever Kaito could throw at him in stride.
"Yes…" Adam didn't like the way she dragged her answer out. "But not just that. I'm putting together a team of candidates that I think show promise. People with skills and training that make them stand out in different ways. I want you to lead them." A specialized team? The best of the best then. She wanted him to shape the future of the White Fang and ensure their officers were ready for the field. He could already imagine them now. Stern, disciplined fighters with sharp weapons and even sharper minds. Specialists that he could mold into a cohesive unit capable of striking even the hardest target. The most feared faunus in all of Remnant.
And then Sienna handed him the list.
"Them?!" Blake and Ilia were no surprise, given they'd just been talking about the youngsters. Even Yuma and Trifa would've been on his shortlist. Bane too, with enough training.
But Jakob? He couldn't fight! In fact, looking through the list of a dozen or so names, he didn't even recognize a third of them, meaning they'd never attended his combat classes. Sienna had to be kidding.
She wasn't. "Those are my recommendations."
"This is our best?" It was a sad day when Jakob numbered among the elite. Worse, Sienna wanted to put him forward as a shining example to the rest of the White Fang. He could already hear the female members heading for the door.
"With your help, they will be." Wow. Way to put the pressure on him. "Our recent actions have not gone unnoticed. Mistral may be playing the turtle for now, but eventually they'll strike out again, and we need to be ready. And then there's Atlas…"
"What are they up to?" Beside terrorizing faunus and propping up the SDC.
"Nothing yet, but that's about to change." Sienna tossed a new folder across the desk, waiting for him to leaf through its contents before she continued. "Atlas is planning something. They've increased training and appear to be mobilizing a small force. My sources indicate they're looking at Mistral. We're not sure what their plan is yet, but you can bet it has something to do with us."
Meaning Anima was about to get a whole lot more dangerous. So Mistral planned to let Atlas do their dirty work while they focused on shoring up their defenses? Dealing with the Atlas military was both good and bad. Mistral tended to use Huntsmen, which were far more dangerous than the soldiers Atlas would parade out. In terms of quality, Mistral might actually be the bigger threat at first glance.
But quantity had a quality of its own. Where Mistral might send a Huntsman or two, Atlas could deploy entire squads of soldiers with the latest in military technology. He'd rather face twenty soldiers than even a newer Huntsman, but to his men, twenty guns would prove a faster death than a single weapon. They could cover a lot more ground, too, what with their larger numbers and better technology. The White Fang's biggest advantage right now was their stealth. Reyno remained an unknown and their forces could strike anywhere without warning. With Atlas getting involved, they'd have to be a lot more careful.
"Will she be there?"
"The Schnee?" Of course. Who else? "Almost certainly. She's practically staked her career on bringing you to heel, from what I hear." Great. So bigger forces led by a crazed Huntress dedicated to taking him down personally. She'd almost gotten away with it the first time, too. He didn't really look forward to a rematch just yet.
"We need more training." Not just this team Sienna wanted him to assemble, but Adam as well. His Semblance training had slowed lately. He'd have to pester Kaito for some new training ideas now that he had some time in Menagerie.
"I'm glad you agree." Sienna accepted the folder back, storing it in her desk once more. "Which is why I told Kaito you'd help him with this afternoon's training. It'll be your first chance to see your new team in action."
Observation? Lame. "You want me to watch?" He wanted in on the action.
Sienna's smile was all teeth. "Not exactly."
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Blake tiptoed down the hall, making sure the coast was clear before waving her team forward. Her team. It still sounded too good to be true. Kaito had put her in charge of her own squad for the day and given her the best she could ask for. She'd practically trained Ilia herself, while Yuma and Trifa already worked well together. Sure, some of the others weren't quite what she'd call a dream team, but she had to assume that was the point. They were blank slates. Clean canvases for her to make soldiers out of. That they'd put her in charge meant they were finally starting to trust her. No longer was she just some kid with a famous last name. Now, with Sienna fully in control, Blake was leadership material.
She'd make sure she earned that trust.
"Ilia, scout ahead." Her friend nodded, turning a bright shade of white to blend in with the freshly painted walls of the training building. She'd even snuck Ilia an Atlas uniform to complete the look, knowing ahead of time just what they'd be up against. It paid to be prepared. "Bane and Jakob, watch our six."
"You got it, boss lady." Jakob's inclusion had to be some sort of test. If she could lead him, she could lead anyone. Despite his obnoxious personality, he still did as he was told, ducking across the intersection to point his weapon down the hall on their left as the rest of the team turned right. If any of Kaito's guards tried to flank them, they'd be walking into a kill zone.
Not a literal one, of course. Kaito liked to use real people in these exercises, so live fire wasn't an option. As silly as the paintball guns felt, getting hit by one of those demon balls beat tanking a bullet on her aura.
Their mission was simple, at least at face value. Infiltrate the base, reach a designated target, defend it for five minutes, then exfil at one of the three escape points. Kaito said it would simulate stealing data from a secure facility, but Blake didn't care. She had a mission, and whatever tricks Kaito came up with, she'd see it through to the end.
Passing two offices that she knew weren't important, Blake signaled for a quick search. The first proved empty, but the moment the second door was nudged open, gunfire rang out. Well, simulated gunfire. Thankfully Yuma had used his gun to push the door, leaving no one in the line of fire. Before Blake even gave the order, Trifa tossed in her "flashbang", then charged in to dispatch the two gunmen with skilled as her team was, Kaito's volunteers had been put through the wringer on playing along with the operation, even if that meant pretending to be blinded by a cheap flashlight.
"Clear." And with that, they were moving again. Blake didn't just want to win. She wanted to blow Kaito's expectations out of the water. Plus, the faster they moved, the less time Kaito's teams had to answer. She'd taken the longer route to the target, both to avoid an obvious trap and to pick off a few external enemies before they reached the core. Five minutes was a long time to hold a position when the enemy knew you were there. The more she could clear out in advance, the less she'd have to deal with later.
"Three men on the next right." Blake nodded in understanding at the shapeless voice, trusting Ilia's intel without question. She wished she could just send Ilia in with a weapon, but her powers didn't extend that far and Kaito's squads would shoot at anything, even a floating gun.
"Noisemaker," Blake whispered, slipping a small device to Ilia and watching it disappear into her jacket. "Thirty seconds." Then the alarm she'd put on her scroll would go off. Not the most high tech solution, but it would have to do. She wasn't sure if trained Atlas soldiers would fall for hearing the pitchy ringtone in a secure facility, but it worked here. The moment they turned to investigate, three more Atlas uniforms were stained green. "Target's just ahead."
The server room - or whatever it was supposed to be - didn't have even a single guard. It did, however, have a pair of so-called scientists who screamed when they arrived. Blake cut off their escape, recognizing one of them from the kitchens, but didn't fire. Part of the operation was to avoid non-combatant casualties. Bane secured the hostages, tying them up behind cover in case a firefight broke out. A quick nod ordered Jakob to begin the transfer, pushing a button on the far wall.
Alarms wailed. The lights dimmed. In the distance, Blake could hear shouting. "Barricade the south approach. Yuma, north. Trifa, east. Five minutes and we're out."
Her squad leapt into action, two teams stacking up on the first two sets of doors while Jakob and two others worked on moving some of the loose equipment in front of the southern approach. It wasn't the greatest barricade, but it only had to hold a few minutes, so it would do. It would also block off the quickest way in and out, which Blake had to assume would be littered with traps and troops.
Moving through the building had been a rush, but waiting at a fixed location felt agonizingly slow. She kept glancing between the timer and the two entrances, waiting for whatever brutal offensive Kaito had planned for her. They were sitting ducks in here, and if he could breach even one side, there would be practically no cover for them to utilize. It'd be a massacre, which meant her defenses had to hold, no matter what came their way.
Nothing came.
"Any sign of them?" Blake demanded with only three minutes left. Neither team had so much as heard footsteps yet, and the barricade remained untouched.
Two and a half minutes. Still nothing. What was Kaito up to?
At two minutes, Blake called Ilia over. "Scout the north. One minute, then back here. Make sure we're clear." Ilia all but vanished, slipping past the northern team and out without a word. Going back the way they'd come was tempting. They knew the area better and had already cleared a path, but the lack of a counterattack had her on edge. Kaito could be redirecting his forces to plug the gap. The northern route was riskier, but no one would expect her to take that gamble. If she could keep Kaito on the back foot, they might just make it out of this in one piece. All they had to do was touch the exit door to win. By the time Kaito realized she'd gone the other way, they'd already be halfway to victory. And if he somehow guessed their plan and prepared accordingly, Ilia would sniff it out and they'd use the backup plan - taking down the barricade and escaping south. She had this in the bag.
And then things started going sideways on her.
"C'mon Ilia," Blake muttered as they hit thirty seconds. She should've been back by now. Where was she? Her orders were to avoid any combat and report back at the first sign of danger. They would've heard if she got attacked, too. Every weapon had a small speaker to make their shots more audible, but so far, they'd heard nothing. The ominous silence bore down on them as the final seconds ticked away.
Zero.
"Crap."
"What do we do now?" Blake wished she had an answer.
They all knew Ilia was still out there. Had she run into trouble? Did that mean the north was too dangerous? But if they went another route, she'd be abandoning Ilia. What if she was stuck or captured? Could she really leave her friend behind like that? And if she had been captured, did that mean the enemy knew her plans? Maybe she should ditch those and head back the way they came. But what if that was what Kaito expected?
"Time's ticking."
"I know that!" Three choices. North was risky, but anything else guaranteed they were a man down. They still had plenty of firepower. Kaito wouldn't dare leave one route empty, which meant his forces were split. All they had to do was break the line and make it out. The mission came first, but if they could make it through and rescue Ilia? "N-north."
"You sure about that?"
Not really, but she couldn't afford to let them know that. "I said north!" If she started double guessing herself, then how could she expect them to trust her? "We got what we came for. All we need to do is escape." Some hesitant nods were as good as she'd get. Pushing past everyone, Blake took the lead through the northern doors. "Keep an eye out for hostiles. We'll pick up Ilia on the way and get outta here together."
At least, she hoped so.
The eerie silence of the halls did little to calm her already frayed nerves. Nothing but the sound of their own hurried footsteps could be heard. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and nearly repainted the walls of an empty corridor.
Where were the guards? Why hadn't they found any resistance? And if the route was so clear, what happened to Ilia.
Blake got her answer, but it wasn't the one she wanted.
"Ilia!"
She knew it was all fake, but she couldn't help but panic at the sight of her "dead" friend as they rounded the corner. Her skin was pale - Ilia could be a real ham sometimes. What really stuck out was the red slash across her white jacket. That and the fact she was slouched over in a chair in the middle of a hall.
"Now I have a machine gun," Jakob commented from behind. "Wait, tell me you get that reference." No one answered. "Oh, come on. That's it. We're having a movie night this weekend."
"Keep it down," Blake commanded, waving the group forward. This wasn't the time for his antics. Besides, Ilia had been unarmed, so there wasn't a gun to steal. Her opponent, however, clearly had a weapon. Not a gun, though. The slash looked like something from a sword.
Kaito.
Crap. Crap. Crap! The old man was supposed to be observing, not taking to the field! "It's okay," she told herself, never believing a single word. "We'll be fine. It's just one enemy." A highly skilled enemy with a scarily efficient mind. "There's still eleven of us."
Kaito or not, he still had to play by his own rules. One shot. That's all they needed. The moment he got hit with paint, he was out. He'd managed to get one over on them taking out a scout, but numbers would win the day here.
"You two, check the body." Not that Ilia would be alive. The paint was kind of obvious. Still, she needed to treat this like a real scenario, which meant she couldn't leave anything to chance. "See if she's okay. The rest of you, eyes open. Kaito's on the prowl."
She saw the look of panic on a few faces. No one wanted to take on the old man by themselves. The only person they'd ever seen beat him was Adam, and even those fights were still close. Part of her wished Adam was here to help, but she knew he'd be in charge. She needed to prove herself without him. To him. Then he'd finally see she was ready and stop treating her like a kid.
"He's just one man," Blake assured them all as Ilia's inspectors shook their heads. Ilia's eyes were still open, staring up at the ceiling from behind a set of goggles. Wait, when did she put goggles on? "He can't do anything if we keep our heads-"
She heard the beep a second too late.
"Move!"
The loud boom was nothing but a speaker, but it came with a splash of paint that erupted from somewhere near Ilia. She took the worst of it, turned red from head to toe but not by choice. The two men she'd sent forward didn't fare much better.
A booby trap. That psycho had rigged Ilia's body with a bomb! "Everyone okay?" Other than Ilia and the two new victims, they'd all escaped unscathed. Barely. She could see the droplets dotting the floor mere inches from where she stood. Any closer, and she would've been caught in the blast. "We need to get out of here." Preferably before Kaito could cause any more trouble. "Yuma, Trifa, watch our flanks. You three," Bane and two others looked her way when she pointed. "Take the rear. If you see anything, shoot first and ask questions later. The rest of you, on me."
Their pace quickened, but everywhere they went, Blake felt herself torn in every direction. Could Kaito be lurking in that room ahead, waiting for them to get close? Was he around the next corner? Did he have a gun? What was his next plan?
Gunfire.
Blake skidded to a stop, turning around to see her rear guard missing. "Crap!" That was becoming more and more accurate of a description of this escape. "Bane, report!"
Silence. As quickly as the shots started, they were over. She sprinted past her remaining troops and hurried to the corner they'd come from, skidding around before realizing how exposed that left her. Fortunately, she didn't pay for that mistake.
Unfortunately, she was down three more men.
Single slashes of paint. Each of her men slumped against the walls. The hallway ahead was dotted here and there with green paint - the color of friendly fire. They'd seen their attacker, yet failed to bring him down. Worse, Bane's gun was missing. "Don't say it," she warned. Jakob's mouth clicked shut. "Stay together. Watch each other's backs. We're getting out of here."
Half of them, anyway. It wasn't lost on her how fast her numbers were falling. Worse, what little confidence her team had left fled at Kaito's latest display. Taking down an unarmed Ilia was one thing. Three against one, though? Suddenly their numbers advantage seemed pointless.
Blake picked up the pace, growing a little more reckless with each step. She couldn't let Kaito win! Gunshots rang out somewhere to the left. She broke right, putting distance between them. Ahead! She diverted left, trusting her memory to guide her to the exit, keenly aware Kaito was shepherding them that way. He had a plan, but Blake couldn't afford to go back. Not when the exit was so close. All they had to do was reach the door to claim victory. Ac mostly win, but a win all the same. She just needed to-
Blake's heart dropped as she spotted the exit.
And the man guarding it.
His sword - a training one she'd been beaten by plenty of times before - dripped with red paint, staining the ground between her and escape. The figure stood confidently in front of the door, unmoving as her team came to a sudden halt in the final room. It was wider than she remembered. Or maybe it just seemed that way as her executioner stared at her, eyes hidden by a familiar black ribbon.
"Adam?"
The moment she spoke his name, she knew she'd screwed up. He was off like a shot, tearing toward her before she could think to squeeze the trigger. Her team reacted faster, fanning out on instinct alone to cut down their unexpected foe before he could finish off the second half of their squad.
At least, that was the plan.
Adam cut through their fire. Literally. His training blade - wider and flatter than his usual sword - waved this way and that, catching and deflecting their initial volley with unerring accuracy. Not a drop of paint made it through, and before they knew what hit them, Adam was in their midst. In their panic, her squad kept firing, realizing too late what his plan had been.
"Really, Trifa?" Yuma yelled as he and the guy next to him were sprayed green, cut down by friendly fire.
"A little busy!" Trifa's last words as Adam cut left, ducking below her continued fire before taking her out at the knees. Blake didn't know what to do. Did she stand and fight? Adam didn't look like he'd be brought down anytime soon. Retreat? There were only three of them left. Nope. Two now. Adam ignored her and went for Jakob, who had backed into a corner and had nowhere to go.
Go! Blake's feet were moving before she even realized it. If she could just reach the door, they could still win this! It was her only shot. Her team was all but gone - she knew Jakob didn't stand a chance - but she'd make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain. The whole thing had turned into a crap shoot. She'd be in for an earful afterwards, but better a technical win than an utter defeat. She was almost there. Jakob's cry announced his fate, but he'd bought her time. Adam was fast, but so was she. Just a little further. There was no way he'd reach her in time. All she had to do was-
Something slammed into her back, throwing her forward. She slid on her face, coming to a stop with her arm still reaching, only an inch or so from the exit.
The buzzer sounded immediately, declaring her defeat. She stayed there, eyes fixed on the door ahead as she heard footsteps draw near. "Nice try, but not good enough," Adam cruelly summarized, picking his sword back up from where it fell after slamming into her back. Even with her aura up and a dulled blade, she knew her back would be bruised later, though not as much as her ego. Blake reached out in vain for the door, only for Adam to grip her hand and haul her to her feet.
"Team 1 has been defeated," Kaito announced, his voice coming through the speakers as he watched from up above. Blake looked up to see far too many people watching from the elevated, windowed room. Almost all of them were wearing the SDC training uniforms.
Wait, why were they all up there? "Y-you…" Blake trailed off, putting the pieces together to see a rather upsetting picture. "The guards. You didn't use them."
"Only the ones at the start," Adam admitted, clearly pleased with himself. "Told Kaito I wouldn't need them, but he insisted."
"But how?" She'd had plans. Multiple potential routes. For his plan to work, he had to know exactly where they were, where they were going, and constantly harass them along the way. He'd been everywhere at once, following and surrounding a moving target, only to beat them to the finish line.
"You're too predictable."
"We almost made it."
"But you didn't," Adam answered, shutting down whatever little assurances she had left. "You failed. You're dead. Your team's dead. Everyone's dead."
Speaking of her team, the rest of the squad had gathered for their debrief. None of them had escaped unscathed, though Ilia stood out with her new look. Blake hoped she'd make Adam pay for the paint bath later.
Despite their colossal failure, Jakob still seemed in high spirits. "Mission failed. We'll get 'em next ti-" Blake instinctively fired a shot, striking him squarely in the throat. "My windpipe!"
Adam ignored the display, turning away from her to the viewing room above. "This is the best we have?"
"I'm afraid so," Kaito answered from above. Being the best didn't feel that great when you'd just lost to a single person. "Looks like you'll have your work cut out for you."
"Great." Adam turned to his victims, looking over each of their brightly painted group before ending with Blake. She instinctively ducked her head in embarrassment, waiting for the condemnation that was sure to follow. "Welcome to Alpha Squad, everyone."
"Alpha Squad?" What the heck was that?
Adam waved her question off. "We'll workshop some names later. The point is, Sienna thinks each of you show potential. Enough potential that she wants me to make something out of you."
"Like what?" Jakob croaked, still rubbing his throat.
"A team," Adam said. Blake perked up in an instant. "You twelve are some of the best we have to offer. My job is to make you better."
As always, Jakob had no filter, blurting out whatever was on his mind. "How?"
Adam's smile could only be called vicious. "By training you until you're ready." More training? The thought should've thrilled Blake, but something told her she'd regret it later. "Starting with this exercise."
And just like that, Adam squashed whatever joy she had left. He ripped their performance apart mercilessly, and as leader of the exercise, most of it focused on her. He tried to throw in some positives, but it was hard to get excited about praise for things like using Ilia to scout when said scout had been sliced open and exploded. He picked apart each decision with ruthless efficiency, highlighting not just her choices, but how she made them.
"From the moment you got to your target, you let me control the situation." Not on purpose. She'd been expecting some scattered guards, not someone on the level of a Huntsman. Her complaint did little to deter him. "Never underestimate your enemy. They have every advantage at their disposal. Numbers. Technology. Experience. If you give them an inch, they'll put you six feet under."
"Then how can we beat them?"
"You can't." The words hit each of them like a sack of bricks. "Not in a traditional fight. You need to outthink your enemy. Keep them guessing. And the moment you see an advantage, take it."
"Like when you blew up that Specialist?"
Even Adam had his limits for Jakob's stupidity. "Twenty pushups."
"Now?"
"No, tomorrow." Adam's words dripped with sarcasm. "Now! And make it thirty." Jakob whined but did as he was told, knowing better than to push his luck. It served as a stark warning to the rest of them. "After that, we'll reset and run this again, but this time you'll be defending."
"Against what?" Blake had a feeling she knew the answer.
"Against me." Adam waved for the rest of their volunteers to come back down. "To beat your enemy, you have to learn to think like them. Same scenario as before, but you get to lead the defenders. My job is to infiltrate, get the data, and get out in one piece."
"Just you?" He'd already taken down all twelve of them, but now they'd have a small army of guards and didn't have to worry about any objective outside of killing Adam. Figuratively, of course.
"Just me." Which would make it even more embarrassing if he pulled it off. "Lose, and I'll have you running laps until your legs fall off."
Jakob raised his hand, somehow not learning to keep his mouth shut after his punishment. "And if we win?"
Adam scooped up a discarded rifle, the paintballs inside rattling as he did. "Then we'll take these toys down to the range and you can use me for target practice."
"You're going down!" Jakob cheered. Several others echoed his enthusiasm, but not Blake. She had a feeling they were already doomed. Adam smirked and walked away. "He's just one guy. How bad can it be?"
Pretty bad, it turned out. Adam was everywhere and nowhere at once. He picked them apart, exposing and exploiting every weakness as their numbers plummeted. He didn't even bother going for the data, focusing on taking them out instead until only a handful remained, huddled in the server room more to protect themselves than the objective. They'd force a confrontation on their terms.
Or so they thought. Covering all three entrances, they were left unprepared for the far wall to suddenly burst open, exposing their rear flank. Everyone turned to fire, only for Adam to charge in from the other side, his explosion nothing more than a distraction. By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late.
"Looks like we've got work to do," Adam summarized once they were all gathered. Blake was a little shocked to see Ilia had changed yet again, her red coating now dotted with green. Judging by how she kept glaring at Yuma, their resident bat faunus would be paying for his mistake later. "And not much time to do it."
This time, Blake beat Jakob to the punch. "Not much time? What are we preparing for?"
"For Atlas." Adam let the words hang over them for a few seconds. "Atlas is on the move. We don't know what their plans are yet, but we know it's focused on Mistral and Anima." No surprise there. The bulk of their activity focused on their northern neighbor.
"Are they coming here?"
"Not yet." Hardly reassuring. It meant they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't come to that down the road. Attacking Menagerie would kick off a second Faunus War. Neither side was willing to risk that. Not yet. "Anima's about to become a very busy place."
"The Schnee on her way back?"
"Almost certainly." Adam's rival would be back in the field. Even if Adam pretended otherwise, his last fight with her still haunted him. Blake could tell. She just hoped he'd fare better next time.
"At this rate, maybe she should start looking for an apartment in Mistral."
/- - - - - - - - - -/
"At this rate, should I start looking for an apartment in Mistral?"
Specialist Winter Schnee reviewed the latest intel from Mistral, comparing it against the plans General Ironwood had handed her. She was still young. A little headstrong. But Ironwood recognized a rising star when he saw one. He'd personally recruited her from Alsius, luring her to his team of Specialists rather than see her talents wasted in the freelance world of Huntsmen.
Huntsmen were valuable. Ironwood couldn't deny their importance against the Grimm, but too many people forgot that there were threats beyond the monsters lurking beyond the walls. Since taking command, Ironwood had done everything in his power to bring more Huntsmen-level individuals into the military. There were storm clouds on the horizon, and he needed Atlas prepared to stand against what was coming. He needed the tools to fight the war of tomorrow. Atlas needed strength to survive.
Winter was his latest acquisition toward that goal, and he was pleased to see his instincts had been right. At the rate she was going, she might very well replace him someday, especially if she could get them a win against the White Fang. The same White Fang he'd urged the Council to take more seriously years ago. It only took bombings in two capital cities to make them see things his way.
"The Council has authorized us to begin operations in Anima." This time free of control from Mistral. Winter's last visit to their ally's shores had been a colossal waste of time. Every piece of actionable intel had to be passed to Mistral and debated endlessly by a bunch of bureaucrats. By the time they made a decision, it was always too late. "You are to have complete control over this effort."
"Mistral's Council finally caved?" That was another reason Ironwood knew she'd go far in the military. Winter was a shining example of professionalism and decorum, but she'd already seen enough of politics to hate it. She could play nice, but she'd keep them at arms length at all times.
"In a manner of speaking." They'd fought him tooth and nail on the point of autonomy, but Ironwood had made it a requirement. Faced with the possibility of actually having to solve their own problems for once, Mistral had signed off on his proposal. He had a feeling he'd pay for that later, but what could they really hope to do to him?
If he wanted, he could wipe out their Kingdom without even batting an eye. The other Kingdoms foolishly thought they didn't need a military, claiming some sort of moral superiority. Then as soon as things went wrong, they'd come running to him for help. Typical civilians.
"The White Fang's recent attacks mark a shift in their strategy," Ironwood lectured, even if Winter already knew it. "For all his faults, Belladonna did a good job controlling the more radical elements of the White Fang."
"Not well enough to stay in power."
"Indeed. Sienna Khan seems eager to prove herself, and Mistral is paying the price." Protests and rallies used to be the chief complaint when it came to the White Fang. It was only a matter of time before they showed their true colors. "Jacques is practically begging me to march on Menagerie."
"No surprise there." Jacques Schnee always acted as if the military worked for him. Ironwood could admit to enjoying shutting him down from time to time. It felt even better to see just how desperate Jacques was for his help lately. "I'm assuming he knows about our mission."
"More than he should." He already had security looking over the financials of his staff. Someone was leaking information to the SDC. He'd put a stop to that. "The White Fang appears to be establishing a foothold in Anima. I want you to do the same."
Winter hummed as she flipped through a few more pages, coming to a stop on a detailed map of Anima. Several locations had been marked and notated, their codes corresponding to details on the following pages. "Bases, sir?"
"Forward operating posts," Ironwood corrected. Basically the same thing, but it sounded a little more friendly this way. It kept the focus on their mission rather than the long-term tactical advantage such installments might yield down the line.
"I'm still surprised you convinced those imbeciles to let us do this."
"I didn't." He could see the shock on her face, but she never questioned his decisions. Whatever happened, she had complete faith in him. "The Council of Mistral has authorized us to conduct operations within their borders. They did not approve any permanent installments."
"Those idiots. How many more buildings does Adam Taurus need to blow up for them to come to their senses."
His thoughts exactly. "Politics, Winter." He was pleased to see she no longer fought against his use of her first name. She needed to put her family name behind her. That, and he preferred to have her relax a little around him. Not as much as the tabloids would claim from time to time, but enough to speak more bluntly to him. He got enough bootlicking from the other officers. "They can't afford to give us too much control. It would lose them the nationalist vote."
"And when they find out we did it anyway?"
Ironwood smirked as he went on. "Politics cuts both ways. They can't afford to let the public see them as weak. They'll claim it was done in partnership with Atlas as part of their efforts to stamp out the growing White Fang threat."
"Forcing them to make the right decision."
"Whether they like it or not." They'd call for his head on this one, but he knew Atlas would support him. And when they handled this threat, Mistral would understand why he did it. "We will leave them nowhere to hide, Winter. Today marks the beginning of the end for both Adam Taurus and the White Fang.
Love the idea of Ironwood going full...well, Ironwood, and just ignoring other governments to do what he wants, knowing there's nothing they can reasonably do in return. Honestly, I really like Ironwood's character, especially before he went a little crazy in the Atlas arc. Even then, it was nice to see RT have a character with a little depth, rather than just clear cut heroes and villains like most of the other characters. Give me more Ironwood, Torchwick, and Neo.
Oh wait.
Well, the mortality of characters aside, I rather enjoyed sneaking in references to both Die Hard and Call of Duty (back when it was still good and not focused on Warzone). Regardless, Sienna and Adam are seeing the results of their work and preparing for the future. Adam's getting his team together and starting the arduous task of preparing them. Will they be enough? I'd say only time will tell, but you kinda know how this thing ends already.
Next chapter: Atlas digs in and looks to stamp out the White Fang.