A/N: This chapter is mirrored from my old account: SoloRogueStudios
A/N: Alright, here we go, the final chapter of Jailbreaking is here. Hope you all enjoy, and check the Author's Note at the end for some news about upcoming projects; and, as always, please leave a review as I value any feedback I can get.
Chapter 7: Parties, Pilfering, and Payback
Warden Glass sat at his desk and sighed in frustration as Crystal passed him yet another form for him to look over and sign. The riot had caused significant damage to the prison's security system, boiler room, and one of the walls; minor damage had also been done to several doors, fences, and hallways. It all added up to a few hundred-thousand Lien in repair bills coming out of the penitentiary's budget. The warden signed the piece of paper and shoved it aside like common trash, only for Crystal to immediately replace it with the next form.
Despite the building-wide scale of the riot, the prison guards managed to prevent most of the inmates from escaping; the deployment of the elite guards allowed all but the group following Torchwick to be quickly subdued before the police arrived. Of course, by then Torchwick and his group had already escaped in a stolen prison bus; by the time the authorities found it using the built-in tracker, it had been driven into the harbor, its occupants long gone. This was the worst event in the penitentiary's history, an undeniable failure for the entire prison staff; the warden had just barely kept his job due to his rapid response to the situation.
"What's this?" asked the warden, as his secretary put an unfamiliar-looking form on his desk.
"New regulations for the screening, hiring, and supervision of interns."
Glass seethed with anger. The last thing he needed right now was to be reminded of the young woman that started this whole mess to begin with. In the investigation that followed the riot, the police discovered that the intern known as 'Amarella Golding' didn't actually exist; everything from her student history to her birth certificate had been falsified, indicating that she had deep connections in the criminal underworld. Whoever this woman was went to great lengths to make sure her fake identity would be ironclad, because authorities were still unable to discover her true identity. What they did find out was that a detective that had come by to pick up Roman Torchwick's can was also someone using a false identity, likely the same young woman in a different disguise.
"When they find that woman, I'll be sure to have an isolation cell waiting for her." said the warden.
"After we fix the security flaws, you mean." said Crystal.
"Yes…" replied the warden, with a sigh, "after we do that."
"It's such a shame, too, I had taken a liking to that girl."
"Don't feel bad, Crystal; right now, that girl is probably laughing it up somewhere at how easily she duped you."
Neo laughed excitedly as she slammed her empty glass down on the bar. "Another!" she called.
Junior took the glass and grumpily filled it with another Strawberry Sunrise. He would've been much more eager to mix one of his most popular drinks if the person ordering was actually paying for it; unfortunately, the short woman and her orange-haired date had drinks on the house tonight in honor of their recent prison break.
"We're square now, Torchwick. Got it?" said Junior, sliding the finished drink over to Neo.
"One more thing, then we're square. Pyrite, tell me where he's gonna be."
"You don't even need to ask for that, I was planning on telling you anyway." replied Junior, fiddling with his scroll. "There, that's the location of the deal, it's going down in three days."
"And this intel is good?" asked Roman, looking over the information he just received in his inbox.
"Rock solid, I got it myself. Just make sure you put that asshole out of our misery." said Junior, reaching out his hand.
Roman chuckled. "Consider us even." he said, shaking Junior's hand.
Neo's eyes suddenly lit up, as a familiar beat began playing over the sound system. Roman recognized it, too, and began tapping his fingers along to the music.
"You've got 'Suave Criminal' by Jack Michaelson?" asked Roman.
"Of course, it's a classic; and given some of the things we do here, I figured it was appropriate."
"And here I thought I was the only one with a flair for the dramatic."
"I love this song!" proclaimed Neo, gleefully. "Let's dance!" she said, getting up and dragging Roman out of his own seat.
"Hey, hold on a second." protested the taller man, as his partner-in-crime pulled him to the center of the dance floor.
Neo finally let go of him and began to dance along with the song; she stepped around Roman in time to the music, ending the short routine by flicking her head towards him and meeting his eyes. Roman took the glare in stride and began his own sequence; he moved his arms to the rhythm as he stepped, ending with a slide of his fingers across the brim of his hat. Neo smiled smugly as she gave her answer, spinning into her steps and giving Roman the occasional tap on the shoulder; she ended her sequence by swiping Roman's hat and mimicking his earlier finger-slide. Roman rushed forward, taking Neo's hand and lifting it up, twirling her back and forth beneath his arm; he guided her away from him before pulling her close, her back against his chest. He let go and moved in front of her to give a grandiose bow, snatching his hat back in the process. Neo grabbed one of Roman's hands and placed her other arm across his back, as if to dance a tango. She guided him around the floor, performing the occasional spin beneath his arm, before dropping herself low to the ground on one foot; her partner reacted instantly, catching her by her back in one hand and by her elevated leg in the other. Neo brushed her nose against Roman's, before flicking his hat off his head and onto hers.
By this point, the two thieves had drawn quite the crowd, and earned more than a few claps and wolf whistles for their performance. Even Junior had to admit the two made an impressive pair on the dance floor.
"Hey, Boss, is that okay?" asked one of the Malachite twins.
"Yeah, aren't they, like, Vale's Most Wanted?" asked the other.
"It's fine, the people that come here know better than to go ratting to the police about our more…interesting clientele."
The song Roman and Neo had been dancing to ended, prompting the criminal duo to make their way back to the bar as the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
"Pour me a glass of brandy, will you, Little Bear." commanded Neo.
"And one of whiskey on the rocks for me." added Roman.
Junior sighed and poured out their respective orders, sliding the glasses across the counter when he was done.
"So, I've been meaning to ask;" said Junior, "why the prison riot? With your little partner's Semblance you probably could've escaped in a far less noisy way, probably could've even gotten out sooner."
Roman swirled his glass in his hand, letting the ice cubes clink as they fit together more closely. "Junior, Junior, Junior, that's simple. I have a reputation to keep, a bog standard prison break just won't do for a criminal of my caliber; I've gotta give them something to talk about, something to remember."
"Hm, give them too much to talk about and you might not live very long though." said Junior, as Roman lit up a cigar.
"That's why the idea's to make as big a name for myself as I can, then get out of the game before it comes back to bite me; I'll build up a nice retirement fund in that time."
Neo giggled and wrapped her arms around Roman's shoulders. She took a puff from his cigar and blew the smoke into his face. "We'll build up a nice retirement fund."
"Neo, the adults are talking." said Roman, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"I'm an adult, too." responded Neo, pouting.
"I wonder about that sometimes."
"Maybe I just need to remind you." she said, pulling at the collar of her tailcoat.
"Junior, how many has she had tonight?" asked Roman, as the woman in question nuzzled her face into his neck.
"'Bout the same number as you."
"That makes sense." said Roman, as Neo laughed and began lightly scraping her teeth against his neck.
"I can't believe it," said Melanie, the twin in white, "she was a mute before, now she won't shut up."
"Yeah, and she's a total flirt, too." added Miltia, the red twin, with a laugh.
"She never could hold her liquor." said Roman.
"Hm hm, that's pro'ly 'cuz I'm so smol." said Neo with a drunken giggle, as she fell over into Roman's lap.
"She's so much less threatening like this." said Miltia.
"It's kind of adorable." added Melanie.
Neo leaned over and glared at the twins.
"Don't you two have work to be doing?" asked Junior.
The twins sighed, rolled their eyes, and walked off.
"Well, Junior, it's been real fun drinkin' you dry, but I'd better head home while this one can still walk." said Roman, eliciting a humming laugh from his partner.
"Alright, let me know how the job goes."
"Will do. C'mon Neo, let's go." said Roman, pulling the younger woman to her feet.
"Do we hafta, I wan'ed to stay a li'l longer."
"Yes, we have to; I need you sober in three days, so best start right away." continued the orange-haired thief, dragging his inebriated associate towards the door.
Roman stepped through the door of his safehouse, glad to finally be home again. Neo clung to her boss with her arms around his neck, still drunkenly rambling about whatever came to mind.
"I think I should pro'ly wear glasses more often, don' you? I think I looked purty cute in 'em."
"You sure did, Neo; now come on, we're home and we've had a long day so we'd better get to bed."
"Hm hm hm, yes, let's get to bed." said Neo, letting go of Roman and tugging at his scarf. She succeeded in removing the gray article of clothing by the time they were in the main room of the apartment, than began tugging on Roman's coat.
"Hey, c'mon now." protested Roman, trying to get a hold of his partner as she undid a couple of buttons.
Roman managed to lead the two of them to Neo's room, where the tricolor-haired woman finally let go of him, only to slam the door shut behind her. She undid the button on her tailcoat, exposing a gratuitous amount of cleavage barely kept safe for work by her corset.
"Hm, I couldn' unbutton this at the club before; someone else might've seen." she said in a sultry tone, as she moved her hands down and unbuckled her belt.
"Now look, I know we tend to…celebrate after a big victory sometimes," said Roman, watching Neo's tailcoat drop to the floor, "but I don't think it's such a great idea tonight."
"Aww, why not?" asked Neo, dragging out her syllables as she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans.
"Well, you're just a little bit…okay, let's be perfectly honest, you're actually really smashed right now."
"Since when does a criminal care 'bout a girl bein' drunk or not?" she asked with a pout.
"I'm a criminal, yes, but also a gentlemen; I have a code that I follow, especially when it comes to women."
"But what about that one time…"
"Women that aren't trying to kill me."
Neo responded by puffing her cheeks and frowning in an admittedly cute way.
"Besides, we're not actually finished, we still have that rat to snuff out. Isn't that the fun part for you?"
Neo crossed her arms. "Fiiine." she conceded, falling back onto the bed with her legs hanging off the side. "Take off my boots."
Roman chuckled lightly. He moved over to his partner and carefully removed the knee-high boots from her legs.
"Pants, too. Can't sleep comfy in my day clothes."
Roman sighed, but obliged the young woman's request.
Neo, for her part, unzipped her corset before wriggling out of it and tossing it to the floor. Roman helped her get under the covers and fluffed up her pillow.
"Good night, Neo." he said, getting up to leave the room.
A hand grabbed his as he turned away. "Stay with me awhile." said Neo.
Roman kneeled back down. He held Neo's hand, watching her give the occasional stretch and yawn, until the younger woman finally drifted off to sleep.
"Good night, Neo." said Roman once more, leaning forward and kissing Neo on the forehead before leaving the room.
Roman made his way to his own room, got changed, and lay awake in bed; despite the long day and the copious amount of alcohol, he just couldn't fall asleep. He thought about his partner sleeping soundly in the other room, about the flirtatious dance they shared in the club, and about the advances she made on him throughout the night. This wasn't the first time Roman had dealt with Neo getting handsy after a few too many drinks and, every time, he would talk her down only to be left awake with a lingering feeling of regret.
"Sorry, Neo."
Three days passed by quickly, during which Roman and Neo tirelessly planned out every detail of the upcoming sting. They scoped out the meeting location, a back alley in the harbor district, and came up with a strategy to isolate their target and make sure he couldn't escape. For their plan to work they would need a fair deal of manpower; luckily, they had just freed a whole bus-load of hardened criminals from Vale City Penitentiary.
The former inmates met up in an abandoned warehouse that Roman had previously canvassed. They were a motley crew of five, but they would do for this job. Neo selected the team, having studied the prison population while she was undercover and put together profiles on any noteworthy criminals. For the job at hand, she had contacted a woman to be a scout, a couple of well-established street fighters, and one of the men who had hazed Roman on his first day in prison, all of whom had escaped with them on the bus. It was the last member of their crew that surprised her, the getaway driver from the riot, who Neo was certain would've been long gone by now; imagine her shock when he not only stuck around, but actually volunteered for the job.
"And last but not least, we have Corvo Corsair." said Roman, looking down at his scroll as he stepped in front of the black-haired thief. "Heard you used to run with a pretty mean bandit tribe back in Mistral before you ditched them and came here. In fact, Neo here tells me you'd rather be in Vacuo right about now. So why come back, why are you here?"
"Way I see it, you're the reason I'm not in a cell right now, figure I owe you one. Once this gig's over, I'm gone."
Roman placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Buddy, if you help me nail this guy, I'll personally arrange a one-way trip to Oasis for you. Now, let's get down to business."
The crew gathered around a table in the middle of the room that had a map of the target area laid out on top of it.
"Our mark will be in this alleyway," said Roman, gesturing to the red X marked on the map, "selling an item that I stole to a wealthy client who has my money. Lady, you're my scout, get onto this rooftop and keep an eye out."
"Sure thing, Boss." replied the young woman of the crew.
"Baldy, Beardy, and Burly," said Roman, getting the attention of the three men, "there are three ways into the alley here, here, and here; I need one of you at each entrance to make sure no one comes in and no one leaves."
The three men grimaced at the nicknames their employer had given them, but grunted in acknowledgement.
"Bandit, you're our getaway driver, same as before. I've got a van in the back for you to use."
"What a' you gonna do, Boss?" asked the man who so foolishly once thought he held power over Roman in prison.
"I thought that was obvious; Neo and I are going to walk into the alley, kill the rat that sold us out, and get back what's wrongfully mine."
The crew made their way to the harbor district in their unmarked van. They dropped their scout off on the other side of the block, allowing her to climb up to the rooftops unnoticed. Two of the men were dropped off at the next corner, they headed in opposite directions to cover their respective exits to the alley. Roman had provided a weapon for each crew member, just in case things didn't go as smoothly as expected; a submachine gun for each of the alley guards, a suppressed semi-automatic rifle for the scout, and a machine pistol for the driver. The van drove around to the final entrance and dropped off Roman, Neo, and the last man.
"Pick us up in ten, but keep an eye out." said Roman.
"Got it." replied Corvo, as he pulled away.
Roman and Neo walked through the alley towards the turn at the center. A hobo lay asleep on the ground; the criminal duo walked past the downtrodden man, not particularly concerned with his presence.
"Not like he can call the cops;" thought Roman, "besides, he wouldn't see me do anything I haven't already been charged with."
The partners could hear voices up ahead, just around the corner; one that sounded like your typical resident of Vale's seedy underbelly, and one that sounded like a posh aristocrat you would meet in the upper-class heights of Mistral.
"I have been after this treasure for years," said the rich man, "your reward for providing it is well worth the cost to me."
"Why thank ya, Sir. Always a pleasure doin' business."
Roman clapped his hands as he rounded the corner. Everyone turned to the source of the sudden interruption; they were met with the sight of Vale's Most Wanted and the rather short woman next to him.
"That would be all well and good," said Roman, winding down his clap, "but that's my business you're doing there."
"What is the meaning of this!?" asked the Mistrali, prompting the two private security guards flanking him to reach for their weapons.
Before they could draw, a bullet landed near their feet and caused them to hesitate.
"Now, now, I've got no problem with any of you," said Roman, raising his cane, "so why don't you just stand there quietly while I carry out my business."
None of the men moved.
"Or, if you prefer, my associate with the rifle up there can put the next shot in a much more…persuasive place."
The bodyguards returned to a neutral stance, but still kept their eyes carefully trained on Roman.
"Better. Now, on to business." said Roman, turning to the man he was here to see.
The man stood a few inches shorter than Roman. His head and lower face were covered in unkempt blonde hair. His blue eyes watched Roman cautiously, and he grit his teeth in an apprehensive scowl, revealing several implants made of gold. He wore a thick coat over a beige shirt, baggy jeans, a pair of workman's boots, and several large gold rings on his fingers.
"So, you're Pyrite, eh? Lotta people in this town have got a bone to pick with you; luckily, I'm more than happy to take care of everybody's mutual problems, I'm generous like that."
"Hey, c'mon now, Torchwick, we ain't gotta do this. Surely we can come to some kinda understanding." pleaded the man.
"My understanding is that you took something of mine and got me thrown in prison for my trouble. I'm thinking you owe me, time to pay up…with interest."
Pyrite made a break for the open alley behind him, only to notice the man waiting at the end with a gun. He turned back and rushed the short woman by Torchwick's side, thinking she would be an easy target that could be knocked out quickly; he was wrong. The woman opened her parasol and shoved it in Pyrite's face, before closing it and jabbing him in the gut with the tip, causing him to double over. Torchwick followed up with an upwards swing to the chin with the handle of his cane, then a jab to the shin to put Pyrite off balance, and a wide rotating backswing to the arm to finally put him on the ground.
"Well, this is a disappointment." said Roman, as Pyrite shuffled back against the wall. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're not much of a fighter, are you?"
Pyrite merely looked between his two assailants with desperation on his face.
"That would explain so much." muttered Roman beneath his breath. "Welp, whatever your excuse, I can't just let you go around mooching off other criminals' work, so I'm gonna kill you now."
"No, wait, please!" begged Pyrite, holding his arms in front of his face.
"Oh, come on, at least face your death with dignity." chided Roman, as Neo drew the blade out of her parasol with a wicked smile. Roman coughed to get her attention. "Neo, if I may." he said, holding his hand out.
Neo's initial look of confusion quickly turned into a joyful smile, as she happily handed the stiletto over to her boss.
"Any last words?" asked Roman, as he stared down at the pitiful man.
Pyrite's terrified expression stared back before turning into a look of begrudging acceptance. "What's the point?"
"You make a compelling argument." said Roman, before he stabbed Pyrite through the chest.
Pyrite gasped and his body went rigid, as the blade ran through his heart. He let out a final grunt of pain as Roman removed the sword, before his body went limp and he bled out on the ground.
Neo walked up alongside Roman, taking the blade and wiping it down before sheathing it back in her parasol.
"Well, now that that's out of the way," said Roman, turning to the Mistrali client still standing by, "how about we get back to your business? See, I'm the guy who actually stole this wonderful little gem," he continued, removing the Gaia Emerald from the coat pocket of Pyrite's fallen body, "before this guy here came along and took credit for my work."
The aristocrat swallowed all of the pooled saliva he hadn't even realized he was holding in his mouth. "I-I see, so you wish to s-sell me the emerald yourself?"
"Precisely! And, for the less-than-satisfactory customer experience, I'm willing to give you a discount. It's the least I can do for threatening your life and making you watch my…eliminating the competition. Whaddaya say?"
"Well, um, t-thank you for the…generous offer."
"Excellent! Neo, be a dear and take our client's briefcase."
Neo nodded and approached the wealthy man. His bodyguards regarded her with caution, as she reached out her hands. The client hesitated at first, but placed the briefcase into the short woman's hands. Neo nodded in thanks and brought the case to her boss.
Roman took the case and counted up the contents; satisfied with the amount, he took a few stacks of Lien out and handed them to Neo along with the Gaia Emerald. Neo walked back over to the client and handed the items to him.
"Pleasure doing business with you." said Roman, tucking away the briefcase and walking out of the alley.
Neo followed her boss to the street corner, where Corvo was already waiting for their pickup. They gathered up the other members of their crew and drove away from the docks.
"Even though this job was pretty easy, I'd say you all did pretty good." said Roman, turning to Corvo. "Kid, you've earned yourself that trip to Oasis; the rest of you, I may request your services again in an upcoming heist, keep your ears open."
The criminals sounded off their acknowledgements, as the van continued to its destination.
After Roman Torchwick had left the alleyway, the Mistrali aristocrat and his bodyguards had quickly followed suit. The only ones left in the alley were a sleeping homeless man and the bloodied corpse of Pyrite. The homeless man stirred from his slumber, rubbing his thick beard and pulling at his tattered clothes. He walked over to the nearby crime scene and stood over the dead criminal.
"Oh my, this isn't good;" he said, in a voice younger and an accent more high-class than his appearance suggested, "seems that Torchwick fellow is a spot more trouble than I thought he'd be."
Shadows swirled around the man's body, rising up and then dispersing to reveal a completely different individual.
The man was clean-shaven, with amber eyes and well-kept blonde hair. He wore a dark suit with a bright red cravat and a gold signet ring.
"How long has it been since someone else cost me money. I do believe I've found myself an interesting rival." proclaimed the man, one of his amber eyes turning blue as he blinked.
A/N: Well, that's unexpected, the real Pyrite is revealed! It's a twist even I didn't see coming until recently!
I thought it would be interesting if Roman and Neo could have a more ongoing rivalry with Pyrite; but that will have to be explored in a sequel, since it kinda goes beyond the scope of this story. Look forward to that in the future.
My next story is going to be an alternate take of sorts on Volume 4, something I've had in the works for about as long as this story. The general outline is already done, so next up is moving on to specifics then the actual writing.
Finally, Volume 5; Volume 5 gave us quite a bit of insight into our favorite Beacon Headmaster, so I'll definitely be cooking up something for Marvelous Misadventures. Needless to say it won't be exactly like the way Oz is portrayed in the series proper, since I already have quite a bit of my own groundwork already laid here (the explanation for Raven and Qrow's animorphism comes to mind). Look forward to that as well.
Hope you enjoyed the read, and have a good day.
A/N: This chapter is mirrored from my old account: SoloRogueStudios
