AN: Some of you may have missed the previous chapter, as the remaster compressed some short initial chapters together. Sorry for the confusion.
"There was a malaise in the air, everyone was on edge yet no realistic path showed itself. They hated things as they were, but it wasn't enough to spur them into action. Until that day." -Violet Rose
Beacon looked serene in the sunset glow, and only now did Violet realize how much he liked the place. Even as it interfered with his work, it was a sanctuary where he could separate himself from his rebellion, if only a little, and unwind.
"You avoided that place like the plague," Weiss said as she passed him, pulling a cart of baggage, "A little late to be reminiscing now?"
"What about you? You've changed a lot during your stay. Will you miss it?"
"Yes," she paused, her expression sorrowful, "I don't have much to look forward to at home. Every year it seems more and more lonely. Even Winter isn't in Atlas anymore."
"Must be a lonely existence for an heiress, to have all that pressure on you and everyone trying to ride your coattails to power."
"It's nothing. Others have it much worse."
"That doesn't make your pain any less important. We just have to appreciate what fate throws at us."
"Right," she gave a small smile.
"For example, this city will erupt into violence soon. Do you really want to be here for it?"
"You always seem to know how to comfort people. I'll see you around," she continued to her company airship, leaving him to contemplate his feelings.
Perhaps he was just being dramatic, he would only be absent for two weeks. But those two weeks would be critical. He turned around and got into the student airship. Sitting next to Pyrrha, he noticed the multitude of bags near her.
"You're leaving Vale?" he said. It was an accusation and she felt it.
"Yes, what else am I to do?"
"I was hoping you'd stay. Beacon lets students remain in their dorms over break. And we have so much to talk about."
"I know," she looked lost- guilty perhaps? "I… I had a lot of time to think about things, Blake helped a bunch."
"The authorities helped as well, I imagine."
She sighed, "That they did. I didn't grow up in Vale, so it took me time to adjust to the reality here. Argus was quite good in most respects. So…"
"Yes?"
"I said earlier that I wanted to help you in any way I could… And I intend to stand by that."
Violet nodded in approval. He could barely contain his excitement but he only let out a quick smile before growing serious again, "I'm glad I can count on you. Vale will be in a lot of danger in a few days, and I could really use your help."
"A- Already?"
"Yes. Your aid could be crucial."
"But- I thought we had more time, I already told my parents I'd meet them. It's been so long and so much has happened since I last saw them…"
"Really? You'd jeopardize lives to see your…" Violet was growing irritated.
"I mean… I promised them, and there would be a lot of questions and… I'll make it up to you, okay?" She gave him a guilty look.
Looking at her, Violet could tell he was treading on a tightrope. She was still unstable, one mistake and all his progress would be undone. He didn't know if he could force it, but he couldn't let Pyrrha distance herself from it all either, "Even if I don't think this is the right decision, I understand it. I won't force you to do anything you don't wish to, but I will ask you to consider what costs others may have to pay in your place."
She looked to be absolutely dripping with guilt, and she couldn't really muster a response. So it was lucky for her when the airship landed, and she excused herself in that all-too polite manner of hers and left.
Glaston sighed, before clearing his throat, "Zero, we have received around 800 serious applications in the first three days. I assume you trust our judgment, but I will be leaving a copy of the individual profiles to you."
They were all visibly tired and stressed from the immense workload of the past few days, so his gloomy demeanor was understandable, "We've been preparing for a sudden influx of recruits, but this went far beyond our wildest expectations! We've gone from 400 men to 1200 overnight, and we're not ready to equip and train them all."
"And those initial 400 aren't all exactly veteran," Zero said, "The soldier that patched me up during the Breach did a terrible job of it. We ought to further emphasize first-aid training."
"When we've cleared through our backlog, yes. But that will take an eternity."
There is a mitigating factor, though," Hawk said, "A significant amount of those applicants are ex-military or former police. When you factor that into consideration, we come out with around 500 reasonably well-trained members and about 700 relatively fresh recruits. The larger issue is weapons."
"We've been resourceful thus far," Zero said, "But if the authorities are going to respond, they'll do it soon. We need to get ready for a fight immediately, and to that end I am writing you a blank check to clean out the black market of anything resembling a firearm."
"Really?" Hawk wasn't sure he'd heard properly. He was practically salivating at the thought.
"Really. I'll entrust you and Blake with the task. We'll again prioritize raids on suspected weapon depots, and I'll hand the engineer corps even more resources to scale up arms production. I'm also entrusting defensive preparations around the base to them, make sure all the bridges are set to blow at a moment's notice."
He continued, "Blake already gave her report earlier today, so next up would be…"
Two quick knocks came from the door. Without even waiting for a response, they opened and a very disheveled Marrow Amin walked in, "M'sorry for bein' late," he mumbled before sitting down and clutching his head, "There was umm… traffic."
"Right…" Zero said. After years around his uncle, he could tell a hangover when he saw one. Watching the traitor spiral lost its charm a long time ago, by now it was getting sad and annoying. He just hoped he would show up when the battle came, to serve his part. "You didn't miss much, they were mostly reiterating yesterday's news for me. You're all dismissed."
They scattered to go about their business, and Zero couldn't stay for long himself as he'd have to go to Patch in a couple hours. So he went about absentmindedly inspecting the goings-on of the base, delighting in how it was visibly growing day after day. Enthusiastic people working with unbridled passion on making the base not only an impenetrable fortress, but also a livable one. It filled him with pride to have inspired so many capable people.
That was why walking in the hallway leading to the mess hall felt weird. Unlike the rest of the base, it was totally deserted. It wasn't the first time his paranoia was justified, as he saw Marrow walking up to him from the other end. He still looked just as awful, but his eyes held a deadly purpose.
Violet bolted it immediately, and he could hear the dog faunus following close behind. If he got near enough to use his freeze semblance, Violet would be as good as dead. Just as he was rounding a corner, Marrow screamed, "Stay!"
He could feel some of his muscles seize up for a moment, but he was just out of range. He busted through one of the doors, finding himself within a crowd of his Knights. He certainly drew attention with his dramatic entrance, and when Marrow caught up with him it was he that stood in the entrance frozen. Zero turned to address him, "Sorry, but I have urgent business, Amin. You were calling for me?"
The man looked dumbfounded, "Yes… you were running somewhere so I followed you."
"Right… Well, there's no need to do so, you have your duties to return to."
The whole room looked with curiosity at the surreal interaction, "Of course. I'm sorry if I acted improperly," Marrow turned to the watching Knights, "Continue on, don't mind us."
Zero watched him leave with a smirk behind his helmet. He'd just noticed the people were celebrating the arrival of team CFVY. He approached them, shook their hands, the whole deal. He really wasn't in the mood for anything more after that close call so he promised to take them on a raid before departing.
The sun had set by the time Violet made it to the car. An expectant Qrow awaited along with Ruby and Yang.
"You're late," Qrow said. Again, he had that odd expression on his face that Violet simply couldn't decipher.
"Not by much. I couldn't bail from accompanying my friend."
"Yeah, friend… I've heard a lot from your sisters. So, which girlfriend was it?" He said with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah, never heard that one before. You grabbed my bag as well?"
"It's in the trunk," Yang said, "We left space for your weapon too."
"Thanks," he opened it before depositing the Mordred inside. Only then did he realize he hadn't cleaned it thoroughly since the Breach, and they could smell the scent of blood clinging to it. Sure, they didn't say anything, but it instantly soured the mood.
Nobody spoke much during the trip. Luckily, it wasn't a long one, it was a short half an hour ride to the ferry and the distance to their old home was even less.
Just as they had parked, Tai exited the building and rushed to greet them, "You're back!" He tightly hugged Violet as he was getting out, "When I heard you got injured I was beside myself… I can't tell you how glad I am to see you."
Violet hugged him back, "I'm glad to see you too, Dad."
He went over to give both Ruby and Yang an embrace as well, "Come on in, dinner's ready! We can catch up inside."
The ramp opened with a hiss, and Winter Schnee marched out of the airship, flanked by several bodyguards. She was met by a delegation of high-ranking people from the police department and the Atlas military police.
"Specialist Schnee," one of the fancy Atlesian men gave a relaxed salute, "To what do we owe the visit?"
"That's Lieutenant General Schnee to you now," Her harsh tone made them wince, "General Ironwood has ordered me to take command of all armed forces within Vale, and the council has approved of the decision as of 20 minutes ago. I demand a report as to why the Black Knights still remain operative, and further why they've been so emboldened as to act in the open."
"I… We understand the urgency of the issue. Rest assured, an investigation into the root causes has been undergoing for-" He was cut off by the shing of her saber, which was now pointed at his throat.
"I am not interested in your excuses. Too many have died under your watch for no gain. I will have the truth, or heads will roll."
She delighted in how the sniveling worm shook. Of course, she had a background check done on all the senior officers in Vale. The results were as depressing as they were unsurprising, she estimated some 80% of them would have to be replaced. It would delay the instant response she desired, but she couldn't work with a rotten core, "Whoever talks first gets to live."
One of the diminutive officers spoke up, "T- they've proven difficult to dislodge, any attempt on them ends with a dozen casualties before they slip into the civilian population."
She wasn't having any of it, "That excuse might have worked a month ago, but now they're working in the open and with permanent bases. Explain yourself already!"
"They…" he sighed, "They've destroyed our entire spy network before making their move. We're desperately trying to re-establish intelligence before moving to take them down."
"All of them?" She was incredulous, enraged even, "We sent you one of our best agents from Atlas, and you managed to lose him?"
"Not him… He's the only one alive, and he's in a high position. But Ma'am, Marrow is unreliable at best. The faunus could easily have been the one responsible for-" His words were cut off by the swoosh of her saber, as was his throat. She watched dispassionately as he stared at her in disbelief, before falling unceremoniously to the ground, blood pooling around him.
She stood there in silence for several moments, surprised at herself. The threat wasn't meant to be literal, and even though she didn't mourn the worm, she despised her lapse of self-control, "Marrow Amin is one of our best and most trusted agents. He's easily worth double all of you combined and I have no doubt the failure was on your hands." This will complicate things, but setting up another intel network would take too long.
Atlas liked to fight with the full picture of the battlefield, something Amin as a single person couldn't provide. It seemed they'd just have to compensate with numbers, something they fortunately had in spades.
She turned to one of her men, "Clover, go to their databanks and download everything before they can delete it. Nothing will remain hidden from me. It is high time we introduced some Atlesian excellence to this den of scum."
"I can't describe how glad I am to have you all here," Tai said as they were eating dinner.
"So, how are you feeling now Vio? Better yet?" He held a kind expression, but Violet could tell he was on edge. He was too loving, like he hadn't realized until now that he had signed up his kids to be warriors, and that they would almost certainly meet a premature end. It felt as if he was trying to cram in as much love as he could before he got the inevitable tragic news one day.
"I'm fine, I guess," He was getting tired of everyone asking him the same inane questions.
"Like hell you are. Qrow sent me the hospital report: Multiple deep cuts, electric scars, chest mauled by an Ursa, and a gunshot for good measure. You realize it's a miracle you're still alive?"
"Yes, Dad."
"You might have been lucky in that instance," Qrow said, "But trust me, luck never lasts. If you are in danger of losing your aura, you have to retreat. Understood?"
"Oh, he understands it," Yang said, "He gets worried beyond belief whenever Ruby's aura drops below half. The problem is he just doesn't like following his own advice."
"I can handle myself better than you."
Qrow glared at him, "Is that why you were the one found unconscious in an alley with combat drugs in your system?"
"For the last time Qrow, the Black Knight paramedics did that."
"A likely story. That's not the treatment I'd give to a bleeding student, you know. It could have caused severe heart complica-"
"Well I'm sorry I wasn't in charge of training them myself," Violet said, "Honestly, what more do you expect from those rebels? I bet some idiot told them to just inject their guys with drugs and toss some rags on their wounds."
"Yes…" Qrow carefully said, "About that, did you not feel any apprehension at approaching such infamous terrorists?"
Violet grew irritated at his line of questioning, "Why of course, how dare I run away from the swarms of timely Vale troops and their equally courageous paramedics."
Before Qrow could respond, Tai interjected, "Let him be. What's come over you tonight, Qrow? He's been through so much, and here you are pestering him for no good reason. I'm sure he's learned his lesson at the hands of the Fang, he's tired of you reminding him."
"He did do a lot of good, uncle." Ruby said.
"Yeah. I guess he did," he sat up and walked out of the room, "I'm going for a walk. Talk to you later, Tai."
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, they talked some more with dad about their experiences at Beacon, sharing anecdotes back and forth. Eventually Qrow joined back, apologizing for his behavior and joining in the conversation, which lasted well into the night.
He was dead tired when he woke up the following day, but as he walked down to the living room, he found Tai to be in an even worse state. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. Only only that, but he was also giving Violet a strange, worried look, "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I was going to visit some friends from Signal. Why?"
"Nothing. A couple of them have gone missing a few months back, you know?"
"So I've heard. I doubt I'll be in any danger though."
"They went missing on the day of Zero's debut. Isn't that odd?"
"What are you getting at?" His heart began to race, but he did his best to maintain a neutral demeanor.
"You're smart enough to know what they did. Don't let them rope you into anything."
Violet forced a chuckle, "Don't worry about that. I've got better things to do than roam the countryside waiting for trains. Honestly I've had enough of trains in general." He feigned ignorance, mixing up the Knights and the Fang should hopefully throw him off.
"In any case, I'm not gonna stop you from seeing your friends. Just be careful. And don't go heading into any forests, there's still Beowolves roaming around."
"Of course. I'll keep it in mind." He was glad for the excuse to grab his Scythe. It wasn't that he expected a fight, but given how every normal interaction now sends him into a paranoid panic it provided peace of mind.
He hoped a stay in Patch would have helped him relax a bit, but everyone seemed so unnecessarily grating as of late. And the anticipation of the impending battle was killing him, he had to be working on something,
The Patch cemetery had grown a lot since the last time he was there. Partly his own fault, he was reminded of as he looked upon a row of black marble graves bearing the same date of death. A few of the names he recognized, if barely. Students from Signal, acquaintances he'd mechanically built up rapport with to recruit them.
"So you did show up, huh? I'm surprised." Azul found his way next to him, neither making eye contact. Violet had hoped for an enthusiastic lieutenant when he picked him, but he's since learned to like his less ideological subordinates more.
"Much as you love to pretend you're the only one with a heart," Violet sneered at him, "I do care about the cost of my mission."
In truth, their deaths didn't disturb him nearly as much as the idea of him not being disturbed by them. So many stories use carelessness towards children as an easy way to showcase a character as unjustifiably evil. But those are just that, fanciful stories made by hypocritical adults. These were not children. They were being trained as warriors, just for someone else. Either way they would have met an early end, what difference does a decade make?
"How are the rest of the students doing?" he asked.
"You're also not that good at pretending. Just ask for the reports like usual."
Some of the carved out names he had no recollection of. Looking at the dates of birth, he realized these people were more than likely soldiers killed in that same battle. Of course some of them would be from his small town, why hadn't he considered that before? Did he see them before? Did he kill them and forget their screaming faces? Of course he did, how else would he remain sane?
"Fine. How many more students are we getting?"
Azul sighed, "I suppose congratulations are in order, Violet. You've managed to steal progeny from half of Vale's huntsmen."
He rolled his eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."
"You might as well have. I've got almost a hundred of them on board. It's doubtful they'll all be able to join on the eve of the battle, but I'm sure you'll find a way to make martyrs of them."
"Yeah, I trust I will. I'll be seeing you soon."
It broke Qrow's heart to ruin Tai's family time, but he had a job to do and with his help it will all be done sooner. The help took the form of making sure the house was empty for the day. So Tai took Ruby out to town, while Yang and Violet went to Vale. The nature of his frequent excursions was another thing he should investigate, but first he wanted to search his belongings.
Every step he took towards Violet's room filled him with guilt, but he would rather be the one to do it than some stranger Ironwood picked. He carefully opened the door and observed the lay of the room. At first glance it didn't seem much different from any other kid's room, and for a moment he laughed at just how silly their whole theory was.
The place may have lacked Ruby's scattered weapon projects and eccentric decor (Ruby's term for absolute mess), or Yang's tastefully chaotic poster wall, but it had a sort of charm of its own. It was busy, yet orderly, and it still remembered its childhood roots. There were old action figures and fairy tale books sitting on the shelves, collecting dust.
Now that he had gotten a better look at it, he noticed some interesting entries on those shelves. The vibrant colors of the kid's books were contrasted by the grays of some of the most mindnumbingly boring titles he'd ever seen in his life. Absolute edge of your seat thrillers on economics and political science. Odd, but certainly not as suspicious as titles like, "History of the Vale conflicts" and "On War."
Now, it was totally possible that he just had a fascination with history and large wars, something relatively normal for a guy his age. But it would also line up with someone that was getting radicalized. He poured over the room carefully, trying to find anything to support either theory.
He ended up finding two things of interest. First, one of his desk drawers hid a well-hidden handgun & a dust grenade. He's seen senior huntsmen keep quick access weapons, and he would respect it if it didn't also raise some additional questions. Was he expecting to be surprised in the night? In his own house? A Grimm would not only be rare, but would be heard breaking in. He would have more than enough time to get his scythe. He would also have several people ready to defend him. Unless he was concerned with someone sneaking in, or law-enforcement confronting him and his family not intervening?
He would say he was overthinking it, if not for the second item of interest. He managed to uncover a series of annotated maps of Vale city. He immediately clocked several of them as sites of past armed incidents, the dates stretching to Zero's debut. It was an exhaustive list, and had a notation he could not totally decipher yet, so he took a photo and left it where he found it. He did the same for the rest of the room, making sure he would not arouse suspicion.
He really did not like his findings. He certainly had taken an interest in the conflict, but the question remained if it was merely a curiosity or if he had a larger role in it. He didn't really want to admit the latter held more weight, but if that was the case he'd have no trouble finding that out with his semblance. There was no need to panic Ironwood into doing something stupid by reporting this. He would come back with definitive proof of either guilt or innocence.
He jumped in surprise at the sound of Yang's bike approaching. His search may have taken a bit too long. He was supposed to be out on an assignment, which he technically was. So he opened one of the hallway windows and jumped out, transforming himself into a crow.
"You're late, Zero," Blake said. She was observing a police station with a pair of binoculars, "I handled things in your place, but you're making a poor first impression on the newcomers."
The small station looked no different from an ordinary peacetime one, if you ignored that the windows were barred with metal plates, that was. It was deceptively calm, they've grown wise to his tricks and are especially wary of hit and run attacks on small patrols. Though this has made them more survivable, it has also blinded them to his movements.
"Yeah, yeah, spare me. Yang took her sweet time getting ready."
"You shouldn't be relying on her for this."
"I know. That's why I've got this," he tossed a small object into the air, before catching it and showing it up close.
"A key?"
"A key for Yang's bike. I got around to making a replica in the workshop today. It's surprisingly easy to do, you know?"
"I'm very aware. Still, not a very good idea to be so far away, we won't have that much time to prepare for an attack."
"Oh, but we will. That's why we're here, after all."
She rolled her eyes, "You could have told me the purpose of this beforehand. I would have prepared better if I knew what we were truly after."
"It's not a big deal. Besides, I had to do some last minute interrogation to determine this would even work. We need to capture the vice-chief of the police so I can 'interrogate' him, so to say. He should be able to grant us a backdoor into their communication network. That way, we will have advance warning of their movements."
"Fair," she responded, "I've got a support squad ready to provide fire from the rooftops. In the meantime, CFVY and the two of us should be able to storm the building. Six strong aura users should be more than enough to take them on."
He put on his mask and they went to an alley where team CFVY was waiting for them. Slight surprise showed on their faces at the sight.
"Welcome, huntsmen and huntresses. As promised, I will be personally participating in this raid to evaluate your skills, as well as your willingness to fight. I expect you to follow orders precisely and have no mercy towards the enemy."
Coco looked him over, her eyes narrowing and a smile creeping on her face, "Vio?"
"W- what?" he stammered, "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, you're Violet. That's-" she giggled. How dare she giggle, this is serious. "I can't believe it. That's why you weren't at the base."
"You're making a baseless accusation."
"You're so funny. Blake clings to you almost exclusively at Beacon. Of course, there's also the scythe, and your build is on point."
"That's…"
"Come on," Blake said, "We should get ready to attack."
"About that," Yatsuhashi said, "We've noticed a number of cameras on the site. Though our faces may be covered, our fighting styles should make our identities easy to spot."
"Doubtful. They're overwhelmed and unlikely to be forwarding everything to Beacon staff. Still, our fire support will tear down the power lines running to it. They've usually got backup generators, but they'll take time to turn on, so we've got a short window of opportunity to attack."
"And the escape?"
"As we speak, several diversionary attacks are happening across the city. Speaking of, our objective will be to capture a VIP," He gave them a picture of the person of interest to study. Everyone else is to be executed on sight, and the station is to be destroyed on exit."
They grew uncomfortable at it, but didn't object. Good.
"Get ready, we're starting soon."
A series of bangs cut the power lines, and the surrounding cityscape went dark. Not only did it disable many of the security mechanisms, but it also provided the cover of darkness. Their support had a handful of recoilless guns which they used to target fire into some of the more exposed spots while they entered the building silently and without opposition.
Once inside, they split into two teams, lead by the two faunus present, Blake and Velvet. Their night vision capabilities helped them achieve total surprise in the dark- It wasn't much of a struggle in the end. Violet, Blake, and Coco strolled through the station at a leasurly pace, with Blake taking out stragglers. For any larger concentration of enemies, she directed Coco's minigun in the right direction and watched them get cut down.
The target was easily apprehended, and after a short interrogation on the spot (while Coco was guarding the hallway) they had the means to access their encrypted communications. In the meantime, Velvet's team had destroyed the generator, and used its dust fuel to set fire to the facility before making for the exit.
"That was… Surprisingly easy," Coco said as she sipped on a mug of hot chocolate on a comfortable sofa.
"It wasn't always this way," Blake said, "Our intelligence network had grown exponentially and now we know their every movement and procedure intimately. Our previous raids were excellent, but with more time and resources they've reached perfection."
"Not to mention, we had cleaned the Knights from subversive elements," Violet added, examining the helmet in his hands.
"It was… exciting though," Coco said, "I can see it on you guys too," she said to her team.
"I guess it was," Velvet said, her eyes downcast, "It felt unlike any other mission we'd been on."
"You are better than them, don't forget that," Violet approached her and put his hand on her shoulders. "We faced cowards that have abandoned their citizens to the Grimm, people who knew only to terrorize the unarmed."
"We were so much stronger, it was effortless. It felt wrong."
"You're stronger than you think, Velvet. You're taking this very well, but I can understand your apprehension. One day, all the news stations will hail us heroes and will condemn them as villains. Then, you will breathe a sigh of relief and embrace your actions fully and without guilt."
She smiled back at that. They ended up staying with the Knights, they showed up regularly, trained the rookies, and went on occasional small missions. But the volume of raids and counter-raids had slowed down as both sides were preparing for the ultimate showdown, it was only a question of the time.
Violet's days were split between resting with his family and tireless work for the Knights. He had received an update to his file that he was officially being investigated by a huntsman, so he did his best to disguise his movements as innocent party going and the like, before slipping away in some valley or other to change into a stranger, before going to a hideout to change into the role of Zero. It was exciting, yet unnerving. He saw no trace of the alleged huntsman who was supposed to be after him. Either Violet was a master of misdirection, or the agent was somehow inadequate.
The routine he had grown comfortable with was broken on one cloudy morning by a notification from his burner phone. It was from Blake, "It's time. They're preparing to do it."
He didn't need to be told twice, "I see. Tell the patrols to let a yellow bike pass if they see it."
He cursed himself for not having reassembled his scythe since cleaning it, but he would have to make do with his secondaries until he got to HQ. It was too early for anyone to be up, so he snuck out of his room and went down to the garage. He had little experience driving a motorcycle, but he would have to learn.
He got onto Bumblebee and inserted his duplicate key. He turned it and the bike roared in response, almost as if it was happy to partake in a bit of mischief. He checked the time, and he figured he had to hurry if he was going to make it to the ferry. No time for subtlety. Explanations could come later, he had to go now.
It was a cold and gloomy morning as he rode across the highway. It took him a minute to get used to the controls, but he had some experience riding it in the backseat so it wasn't totally foreign to him. He steadily pushed himself further and further, until he achieved the rather reckless speed of 'The speedometer is broken.' Truly a testament to Yang's tireless modding work behind Dad's back.
He had made it to the ferry just in the nick of time, and after the short ride he immediately went flat out again, arriving at Vale in a stunning 20 minutes, only to be stopped at the entrance of the city. The police looked on edge, and the checkpoint had maybe a dozen people total. An officer approached him, "We apologize for the inconvenience, but the city's on lockdown for the time being. You'll have to go back."
Violet couldn't help but notice the man was holding an SMG and had plenty of grenades on him. No doubt, they were doing it, "I really do have to be in Vale this morning. You can search me though, no problem. I'm unarmed." Not exactly true, but he had hidden them well and he was doubtful the officer would actually check.
"I'm sorry kiddo, but orders are orders. No exceptions."
Was this going to be the thing to stop him, after everything? No, it wasn't. "It is as you said, I'm just a kid. I rented out this bike, and I need to return it. I can't possibly pay the late fees. Have some heart."
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as the officer grew irritated instead, "No means no. I'll need to see your license and registration."
"Uh…" Things were going from bad to worse. If I have to waste my semblance on him, I'll make sure he pays.
"Your driving license & registration. And an ID please."
"Sure," He pulled out his ID and as the man approached, Violet locked eyes with him and whispered, "You will let me through this checkpoint by any means necessary. Ten minutes later, you will detonate the explosives on your belt."
"Yes, of course," the man turned to the rest of the waiting cops, "Everything is in order. Let him through."
"But sir-"
"Don't ask too many questions, private. Just let him through."
Though he protested, the man ended up letting him go. He didn't get to see the end of their argument, nor did he care to. He was too angry at wasting his semblance right before the battle to care. After making some distance he stopped to remove the license plates before driving straight for the ghetto.
This way, he could rush through the checkpoints that were being set up. Like the one he was just approaching- he just drove through it, dropping his dust grenade near their car so they could not give chase. Even if they could, he was nearing friendly territory.
It wasn't long before he burst into the heavily guarded area of the ghetto settlement, rushing straight to the Black Knight HQ and parking at the entrance where Blake was waiting for him. No one had bothered him, just as he asked. She directed one of the men to take the bike somewhere safe, before leading him to a private room and handing him his outfit.
"It's lucky you even made it here, they've started putting up checkpoints everywhere."
"Yeah, tell me about it. What's the overall situation?"
"From what we've heard, we think we've still got some half an hour until they're in a position to attack. We've also had most of our men successfully mobilize and gather here. Our exercises paid off."
"Excellent. Any word on their strategy?"
"They've talked about a police perimeter, but they've got no info of their own on what the Atlesian army is doing."
"I assume Atlas will be the ones doing the bulk of the fighting," Violet said.
"Even if only a fraction of their force is participating, it's going to be a massive battle." She gave him a determined look, "This will be a difficult and bloody day, but we put our trust in your hands, Zero. We only need your instructions."
AN: Next up: The Storm
It's been a while, huh? Yup, another instance of me getting stuck on some relatively simple stuff while I can only think about future chapters. Honestly I didn't love how much this chapter jumped around, even if it was necessary. I should stop worrying about minor details and just move forward with the story.