Here we go.


Cover Art: Kirire

Chapter 88


Blake grabbed Jaune's knee to calm him. It was the only part of him she could safely reach out for with his top off and his burning wrecks of arms and shoulders revealed. He'd tensed before, and again when he felt her hands, but he shivered and nodded without looking at her, sitting back down. Restraining the momentary surge of a moment of outright rage.

Jaune did not get angry often. He didn't have chance to, what with his family ready to nip him in the bud if he ever looked like he might become a threat. It would have been easy to assume he just didn't get angry, but she knew that wasn't the case – she'd seen him against Winter, she'd seen him losing control, and she'd seen him dive off a skyscraper to save her.

She knew he was one bad day away from being consumed by his anomalous side.

"Provoking Jaune could be seen as an aggressive action," she told the lawyer. He flinched – an actual, involuntary reaction for the first time. He'd known. "Even more so if you were to provoke him into a rampage and have him kill you."

"I have full faith in Mr Arc's ability to resist such a temptation."

"You should not," Jaune said, seething. "There's a reason my family watches me." His voice dipped, vibrating at a lower timbre. It was like someone else speaking out his mouth. Or two voice overlaid on top of one another. "Do not push your luck, creature."

The man in white leaned back in his chair. "I see this conversation is heading in a poor direction. Allow me to leave my point there, then. Anomalous & Sons stands ready to represent you at any time of your choosing, and against anyone. I shall leave my card with Miss Belladonna here."

He placed it down with two fingers on the table, then gave it a little flick. The embossed – and to her eyes, blank – business card felt weighty and expensive. Though she wanted to crumple it into a ball, she could guess ARC Corp would want to test it, so pocketed it instead.

"Let's call time on our little meeting for now." He tapped the timer. "Thirty-six minutes and seventeen seconds. Let's call that thirty-seven minutes. That will be thirty-seven lien. Here is our invoice." He drew out a slip of paper and put it on the table, somehow maintaining a façade of calm even after casually revealing they'd been charged one thousand lien per minute. "You have thirty days to pay—"

"Blake," hissed Jaune. "Pay him."

"Yes sir." Blake stood and drew out a golden card, offering it to the man. He smiled, took it, and touched it once to the invoice, causing another burst of flames to consume it. Blake took it back and slid it into her pocket.

"The account is settled and this has been quite the productive meeting." He pushed his chair back and stood, then picked up his belongings and stored them in his briefcase one by one. "You have our number. Please do not hesitate to call if you have need of our services."

"I won't," Jaune growled.

"We shall see. We shall see. I shall bid you both farewell."

The man turned and walked through the door and then vanished. As in, he literally vanished. The door swung back and seemed to dissolve his presence, so that he was never seen through the door's window but had disappeared as the door closed over him. Jaune slumped, and Blake quickly tossed him his shirt and jacket, which he began to put back on. Blake pressed the button on the recording device, switching it off before she addressed the Goliath in the room.

"Jaune—"

"Leave it," he said. "I'm in control. He just wanted to get under my skin. And it worked. We need to report back to ARC Corp and see what they have to say."

"But your voice." It had gone back to normal now but it hadn't been before. "It's reached your lungs, hasn't it?"

"I've no idea. Probably. It's not like I can go for an X-ray when I look like this. It isn't killing me, though. Just changing me." He stood, pulling his arms through the jacket's sleeves. "It'll be fine as long as I can stay in control."

"And can you...?"

"There's no Winter Schnee to bait me anymore. No Twilight City, either." He flashed her a smile that offered little to no comfort. "I'll be fine. Let's go report this."

/-/

Blake stood behind Jaune as he sat down, the two of them visible to the people on screen as they talked. Her position and posture was mimicked from Terra, stood behind Saphron with her arms behind her back like some dangerous enforcer. The parallels of them being spouses didn't quite fit her and Jaune, but she wanted there to be no misunderstandings as to her loyalty – which was to her boss, and not to the organisation.

"The news is troubling," said Nicholas Arc. "Anomalous & Sons weren't lying when it comes to legal challenges. The news legislation we forced through is being attacked from every angle, and that's despite that it won't affect anyone."

"They don't know that," Jaune said. "To the average lawyer, this new law with vague terms and undefined categories looks like it's been made to be amended later to trap certain groups. It's easier to amend a law than it is to pass one."

"He's probably right," said Saphron. "They think it's a template for a worse law to come later. What are the odds we can simply force it through regardless? Can we exercise control on the courts to rule in our favour and dismiss their challenges?"

"It would set a bad precedent. It might also draw more attention to ARC Corp." Jaune had their attention at that. "They're not going to shrug and give up if we corrupt the courts. They'll dig into it and raise a stink. People will start to pay attention."

"They is worth the risk to erase these creatures," said Saphron.

"Is it? I'd be the first to agree if this was an anomalous as dangerous as the Twilight City but Anomalous & Sons aren't on that level. They're a thorn in our side, and not even a particularly large thorn. We shouldn't overreact."

"The Containments Office preaching for the peaceful solution once more. How very unusual."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit," said Blake.

"Control your intern, Director."

"ARC Corp does not benefit from its Associate Director taking potshots at another Director," Jaune replied, making Saphron grimace. "This is an official cross-office meeting. I believe we should get back on track."

"Indeed." Director Nicholas Arc did not sound pleased with either of them. "The Burns Office is still reeling and recovering from Mountain Glenn. Lavender has completed her internship and will be opening the Pierce Office in Vacuo next month. Even so, ARC Corp is at the weakest it has been for the past decade. That is why this development of an anomalous organisation is so concerning – and never mind their claims or mission statement. Anomalous & Sons may not become the true threat but if others see their success, they may start to organise themselves. We could eventually face an anomalous version of ARC Corp dedicated to defending and exposing anomalies. That is something we cannot allow."

An inverse ARC Corp. Blake considered it and shuddered. As much as she hated their methods and agreed that not all anomalies were bad, she didn't think they should be publicly known. That much, she agreed with ARC Corp on. There were just too many horrible creatures out there that would drive people to despair, and then yet more that groups would fight to control.

Their agents would be strong, too. Intelligent and capable anomalies trained and equipped as ARC Corp was, with financial backing and a whole host of grateful anomalies to draw from. Remnant wasn't prepared to face something like that.

And, luckily, she didn't think that was Anomalous & Sons' goal.

If it was, they could have done it already.

"The problem is not what they directly represent but what other anomalies might learn from them. All of us know that there are anomalies staying hidden in the wilderness, avoiding us and the human gaze." Nicholas Arc let that sink in, even as Jaune and Blake tried not to react. Half those anomalies were here in Vale living normal lives. "We do not enjoy this, but we allow it. We accept that it is a better reality than having them vie for control of population centres. Better yet, we must always leave the anomalies this retreat path. A cornered for will fight to the last, while those with a chance to escape may yet take it."

"Better a dead anomaly," hissed Saphron.

"Worse an organised group of them!" Nicholas fired back, his own temper showing. "I don't care if Anomalous & Sons are raising puppies and plotting world peace, we need to destroy them. Not because of what they are and what they do, but because others may see their example and realise that they can stand in defiance of us if they work together! ARC Corp is not invincible. You have seen that with your own eyes. We can be felled – and quite easily. But we must keep to the illusion of being an unstoppable force! We must crush them wholly!"

"Yes sir!"

"Yes, father."

"Understood, father."

Every director reported back immediately, heads bowed. Even Blake nodded, not enjoying the decision but understanding the reasoning behind it. There was still the chance Anomalous & Sons had more going on behind the scenes than they knew, too. It just didn't seem reasonable for anomalies with so much power to hoard wealth. What were they spending it on? How much did they need? There had to be a purpose.

"The Fist and Blades Office will take the lead against Anomalous & Sons for now. We may call on other offices as required, but the Containments Office is off the case. Anomalous & Sons has too much interest in its director for my liking."

"Father," Saphron piped up. "Have you considered that Director Jaune might be compromised? From the recording, his voice—"

Blake bristled.

Nicholas slammed a fist on the table. "ENOUGH! You are Associate-Director of ARC Corp. I will not put up with childish bickering from you!"

Saphron stiffened, and then bowed her head. "Understood, sir. I apologise."

"Meeting adjourned. Director Jaune, stay behind for a further debrief."

The other screens blinked off and soon it was just Jaune, his father and Blake.

"Do you understand why the Containments Office is being removed from this case, Director?"

"I believe I do, sir," Jaune replied. "Anomalous & Sons showed a vested interest in me, particularly in wanting me to disrobe so they could see the extent of my infection. There is a chance they have plans involving me, and placing myself within their reach would be a needless risk."

Nicholas nodded. "That is correct. It is good you recognise it. That said, the Associate-Directors concerns are not entirely invalid."

Blake tensed.

"I am in control of myself, sir."

"I can see that. However, the extent of your anomalous infection has spread and there is no telling for how much longer you will be in control. Show me Crocea Mors."

Jaune hefted it from beside his chair.

"You're keeping it on you. Good. It should stay close at all times. Your performance of late has been above expectation. Your capture rate remains a concern but you have shown willingness to exterminate dangerous anomalies where necessary, and your work on acquiring Tomorrow's News for the organisation has earned you much favour."

"I'm just doing my job, sir. There's no need for anything more."

"Good. There may be concerns from the others – as there were with Director Coral – but I believe you have the best interest of the company at heart. I believe my son is loyal." Nicholas Arc drew a deep breath. "I simply question how much of my son remains. Know that you are watched."

"I understand."

"Operation Blackout is still in effect."

"I understand, sir. I accept your judgment on the matter."

"Agent Belladonna..."

Blake tensed. "Sir...?"

"Your performance in Mountain Glenn exceeded expectation. By all accounts you are a valued employee." The praise was rare, and suspicious. It made her think a kill team was coming at that exact moment to execute them. "I can see you are loyal to your director, as any good assistant should be. However, remember that Director Jaune is the man you see before you. He is a human. My son. The anomaly that is consuming him is not human, it is not my son, and it is not the man to whom you have given your respect and loyalty. Should it take over, I – and my son – would expect you to do what is required. For the good of all."

"I understand," she replied.

She understood, but she did not agree, nor did she promise him anything.

Blake had a feeling he could tell from her voice.

"I shall end the review here. Keep up the good work and avoid Anomalous & Sons."

The screen blinked out.

"Well..." Blake sagged over Jaune's shoulders, leaning her elbows down on them. "That was a harrowing conversation. Do I even want to know what Operation Blackout is, or shall I just assume it's some final contingency where all of Vale gets destroyed if you go rogue?"

"It's not all of Vale. But you're not wrong about its aims." Jaune leaned back into her. "You know, this is the first time he's complimented me since my mother died. A part of me always wanted to hear him say those words, and yet I was terrified when he did. I really thought he was going to tell me to kill myself on Crocea Mors for a moment there."

"It's not your Slaved Anomaly, is it?"

"No." Jaune chuckled. "Rather, I'm slaved to it. The sword is my father's – an anti-anomalous anomaly that burns and blinds, and which can cut through almost any anomalous defence. The reason I have it is because it was thought me using it might fight back the spread of my anomaly, which it hasn't. if I was to attack a huntsman and disarm them, they'd naturally go for my sword to use it against me – which would be the perfect way to kill me."

"So, it's to have you carrying around the instrument of your own doom?"

"Yep. Not that it hasn't been useful in a hundred other ways." He tapped the scabbard. "It's not the sword's fault for what it's being used for, and I think I'd be dead if not for it. But if I ever do lose control, you should go for it."

"I'm not killing you, Jaune."

"Maybe not, but blinding me could save your life, and I don't want to kill you." He stared at her meaningfully, until Blake swallowed and looked away. "The only chance of me coming back from that state is to regain my humanity and mind, and that won't happen if I know I've taken your life. I'll be too filled with grief to care." He smiled, then, breaking the mood. "Plus, there's a chance the flash of Crocea Mors might snap me out of it anyway."

"R—Right. I... I'll make a note to go for it."

"And that's if I ever do lose control. The closest I ever came was when Winter threw you off that roof, and she's dead and gone."

"You don't think Anomalous & Sons will make a similar play?"

"Not if they want me on their side, which is what I felt like they were implying. If I lost control and killed you, or if they killed you to make me lose control, I'd go out in a blaze of glory hunting them down and burning the flesh from their bones." Jaune said it casually, and she believed him. It was no different than what she'd try if ARC Corp killed him. "Their best bet would be to trick ARC Corp into killing you instead, pushing me to them, but with me knowing that now and being as paranoid as I am..."

"It'd look like something they set up."

"Yep. I honestly think their plan is just to exist until my father dies and Saphron takes over, then wait for Saphron to make a move against me."

"That bitch would totally do that."

"I know. Which is why they don't need to take aggressive action against us. Our lives are on a clock anyway. But Saphron won't be able to kill us with no involvement from the other offices. It won't be a unilateral decision. As long as we keep a good record, and I stay in control, we should be fine."

"And as long as what we did with the anomalies and the White Fang doesn't get out."

"Definitely that." Jaune laughed awkwardly. "We're fucking dead if that gets out. Hoo boy. We would be so very dead."

"..."

Jaune gulped.

"Shall I arrange for a job to Menagerie so we can check in on them?" Blake offered.

"I think you're due another holiday to meet your family," he agreed, "And I'd love to come along. Thank you for offering!"

Blake sighed. "I'll contact Sienna Khan."

/-/

In the end Sienna Khan put her through to the Albain brothers, which wasn't a conversation Blake was happy having – but one that needed to be had. They'd been understandably suspicious at first but, since they already knew about ARC Corp, she could tell them the truth and warn them that Menagerie itself might be in danger if ARC Corp found out, so she and Jaune just wanted to come by and make sure they were taking their secrecy seriously.

"It's just to make sure the anomalies know to keep themselves secret. We have no interest in causing problems for the White Fang."

"Further problems, you mean. Your murder of Adam was already a setback."

"Adam was planning an unsanctioned attack on Vale during the Vytal Festival. You'd have been lucky to survive that." Blake shook her head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that ARC Corp are on the warpath and we'll all be in the crosshairs if your new recruits are discovered. We need that to happen quietly. How is it happening?"

Corsac hesitated for a few moments.

"There are some teething difficulties..."

"Corsac!"

"Nothing too bad. They understand the necessity of remaining hidden but we did promise them inclusion and we're working on that. Those who can be trusted in the White Fang have been introduced to them and we're building them a small village on the island. The problem has more been keeping curious people from Kuo Kuana away. We're not yet ready to reveal them and we don't have much of a plan on how to do that. It's a work in progress."

"Are you cooperating with Sienna on it?"

"Yes, but we can't cooperate with your parents. Although... it would be a great help if they could assist us."

"They don't know about anomalies."

"That could change. And maybe it should change. They are de facto leaders of Menagerie and have a lot of sway over the people. Having them vouch for the safety of these anomalies would do a lot to calm people down."

"Are they safe?"

"We've not had any deaths. A few injuries in training them, but that's to be expected. We're teaching them to fight, not farm. I don't think they're any more a risk than our average recruit. The concern is how well the people will take their varied and different appearances. We can't very well disguise them as faunus when they look so utterly inhuman."

That was something they should have thought of before offering those anomalies a home, she personally thought, but the Albain brothers hadn't been able to see past the alluring idea of a whole bunch of powerful people ready to fight and die for the cause. They were recruiters at the end of the day. Their job was to get people into the White Fang first, and fix problems later. No matter how it could sometimes look, the White Fang was still a terrorist organisation, and that meant it had little in the way of real organisational structure.

It was a strength when Atlas couldn't crush them by breaking down said structure, but a weakness when you couldn't rely on it to fix problems that a dedicated military would be able to solve with relative ease.

"We'll be coming in a few days. We need you to prepare Sienna Khan and make sure no one from the White Fang bothers us."

"Consider it done. We'll show you around the new village we made for the anomalies. I don't expect they'll be happy to see you – given the manner of their leaving Vale – but it may well do them good to know they're not beyond all reproach."

"It sounds like you're having second thoughts already."

"Almost every recruit we get is a problem case at first, Blake. You and Adam were no different. They'll learn to fit in given time, but your attendance could serve to poke them into doing so a little more hastily. And we would be glad to accept whatever aid you can offer in keeping them secret. We have no interest in provoking your organisation, especially not after hearing so many horror stories from our new allies. You have quite the violent reputations. I hope you know that."

"Every one of them is earned. Believe me."

"Hmhmhm. There's no need for threats, We've been informed how you kept your war up against the Schnee, even killing them. That's earned ARC Corp a lot of favour in the circles that know of them, so you needn't worry about the White Fang targeting you while you're here. I'd worry more about the anomalies who turned their backs on you. But I shall talk to the most hot-headed of them – those that have heads – and impress on them the need for peace. Let me get back to you on whether they agree."

"Thank you." It burned to thank him but he was being helpful. "I'll talk with Jaune about the viability of introducing my parents to the truth. It wouldn't be bad from ARC Corp's point of view to have the leaders of the island in the know."

"As long as your parents aren't convinced by them to rat us out, you mean."

"They wouldn't do that if they knew my life would be forfeit."

"I would hope so. Give me a day to get back to you."

It took over a day, but Corsac did get back in touch and assured her that the White Fang wouldn't cause them any issues. They'd also be allowed to visit the new "community" made for the anomalies who, despite their best efforts, were having problems settling in. Having her and Jaune there, who they hated, probably wasn't going to improve their moods any, but even the Albain brothers knew it might serve as a useful reminder that they had to toe the line on Menagerie.

Less well went the conversation over her parents.

"It's not that I disagree," said Jaune. "It's not even that ARC Corp would. They'd genuinely be happy to know you can put them in touch with the government running Menagerie. The problem is that they'd then want to meet with them in person to impress upon them the history of anomalies and how dangerous they are, and that'd mean my father or one of my sisters on the island potentially able to see the community we've smuggled there."

That'd be bad. "Couldn't they leave us to do all that? They're my parents."

"If we were any other office, yes, but we're the Containments Office. We're soft, misplaced, weak. We'd fill your parents' heads with ideas that some anomalies are safe and need only be contained, and that's wrong!" He said the last word with a heavy voice, as if he were a judge sentencing someone for murder. "At least, that's how the rest will see it. They'd send someone more... right-minded to teach your parents. Someone who is more properly able to make them terrified of anomalies so that they toe the line and report any they see. They might even be frightened enough to panic at the idea of their daughter working with one."

"Mom and dad aren't that bad but I see your point. If nothing else, they'd be poisoned even more against the White Fang than they already are."

It would only take one incident to spark a civil war there, and whomever won would have devastating knock-on effects. Worse when the anomalies would fight on the side of the Albain brothers against her parents and expose themselves.

"I just don't like the idea of them being blind to the danger," she said. "Menagerie doesn't have an office so they're already free game for any dangerous anomalies."

"Loathe as I am to suggest it, the White Fang might have to serve on that front."

Blake grunted unhappily.

"I'm not a fan of it either but they a) already know about anomalies and b) have other anomalies they can use against them. It's not an elegant solution but it's in their interests to protect Menagerie already, so it's not like we can't trust them to do it."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," she grumbled. "But whatever. We can head over whenever."

"We'll leave tomorrow morning," he said.

Of course, that meant the office was in need of a babysitter again.

"Reeeeeeeeee!"

"Skreeeeeeeee!"

Ruby and Timothy were already rolling around on the floor.

"This is the date we'll be back," Jaune said, trying to sound patient. "I will staple it to the door. Make sure the place is cleaned. And for the love of your own health, Ruby, eat something more than takeout! There's a kitchen in here."

"Yang and dad are the ones that cooked at home."

"Your sister can't be your mother forever."

"Hey! I can cook lots of things!"

"What like?"

"Cereal—"

"That's not cooking!"

"Microwave soup—"

"Ruby..."

"And I can make a mean cup of coffee." Ruby paused. "Like, really mean. It almost made Yang pass out from the sugar and cream overdose."

Jaune sighed and shoved several hundred lien in bills into her hand. "Here's some money. Order whatever takeout you need."

"Yaaaayyy!"


Next Chapter: 12th February

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