Chapter Fourteen: Secret Tunnel
B.B. Laz had eyes everywhere.
When Confounder failed to check in, combined with the fact Roman Torchwick was seen entering the last place he'd been, it was clear to all what had happened. The seven—now six—strings mourned quietly for their interrogator, and prepared for war.
It was three days after his death that the six strings mobilized.
October 3rd, 7:50am
It was the third day in a row that Jaune took Rogue to school himself.
With the death of Chad Cest, he wasn't willing to risk leaving her on the bus on her own. So long as he was nearby, he could use September to protect her. The two were walking just in front of Rogue's elementary school, Jaune guiding her among the hordes of other students. He felt relatively safe, with so many witnesses, what were the chances that—
BANG!
September was up over Rogue and his back before his body had even moved.
It proved good that his reactions were so keen, given a bullet flew into September's gauntlet a moment later. Jaune grabbed Rogue, dashing past the panicking students and parents ahead of him and into the school itself.
He pulled Rogue against him before diving beneath a window. He must be across the street. That sounded like a high-caliber round—probably a long-range rifle. Not much bullet drop if he was able to hit me that quickly.
September rose from around the corner, eyes flicking around. Though, despite his best efforts, he didn't see anything outwardly suspicious. No obvious rifle, no clear room that was an issue—just a bunch of regular apartments.
BANG!
The bullet went through September, slamming into a nearby locker.
Okay, just a normal gun, then.
"Daddy, what's happening?"
Jaune held Rogue's quivering little hand as he moved into a sprinter's stance—ready to bolt at a moment's notice. "Just keep your head down, sweetie."
Jaune peeked up as September did the same, frantically searching for the shooter. His eyes finally found a flash of a scope on the third floor of a building well over three-hundred feet away, an otherwise blacked-out room. Crap, he's way out of my range—even throwing something.
He ducked just before a bullet whizzed past, slamming into a desk behind him.
"You killed Chad Cest, didn't you?"
Jaune's eyes widened as he turned, seeing two strange creatures behind him. Both of them were black, badger-like things, with armor plates covering them that slowly peeled off and orbited them. They spoke in unison, standing in the spots the bullets had landed. His stand, it's connected with the bullets?
BANG!
The bullet slammed into one of the plates, September flying back to Jaune. The bullet flashed between two plates before firing back at him—September launching it off to the side.
"GAH!"
Fire ran up Jaune's arm as he turned, seeing a third version of the man's stand on September's arm. He destroyed it in a split second, but the damage was done—and the bullet had slammed into his shoulder.
He dispatched the two next to him before another bullet came through—slamming into the ground. Dammit, I need to get somewhere less open, no time to heal this otherwise.
Jaune waited until he fired again before dashing forward, Rogue held tight in his arms as he dashed for the nearest classroom.
He grit his teeth as a bullet found his ankle, forcing him to limp into the room.
Rogue fell from Jaune's arms, rising and walking over to him. "Dad, you're—you're hurt!"
"I'll be…I'll be fine, sweetpea. Just keep your head down."
A bullet flew into a nearby locker, ricocheting into the classroom.
Rogue's eyes widened as she saw another stand emerge within the room, turning toward her father. September dashed forward, fists crashing against the armor plates with a loud clang. Though, unlike the smaller one on September's arm, this one didn't simply disappear, but rather slammed its large jaws onto September's leg.
Jaune cried out as he kicked at the thing, his leg twisting in a way that definitely wasn't natural.
Rogue looked out the hall, eyes widening as she saw each of those things standing where a bullet had been fired—but not moving. Wait…they come from wherever the bad guy shoots from! That means—
She dashed to the stand, grabbing the bullet beneath them and throwing it outside.
Sure enough, the stand flew with it.
Rogue bolted back upright, eyes flicking to her father as September went about healing his wounds. He can't keep doing this, he'll die! I have to buy him time!
She stood, eyes widening as she saw the stand dash toward her.
She instinctively blocked, only for the stand to chomp on her arm. And yet…there was no pain, only a vague pressure as it tried to snap her little arm in half. Wait, Dad's infusions! They're protecting me! Wait, doesn't that mean…?
She reared back a fist, punching it in the face.
Rogue grit her teeth as the stand staggered back, kicking it back into the hallway. "Get away from my dad!"
She slammed her fist into its armor plate, climbing onto its back before ripping the plate clean off.
BANG!
She fell back, a bullet bouncing off her chest.
She looked around before grabbing the bullet, throwing it away down the hall and turning back ahead. Her heart slammed in her chest as she held the armor plate in one hand, the other clenched into a fist. I can do this, I can do this!
She dashed forward, faster than she'd ever dashed before as she slammed the armor plate into the head of the strange thing—watching as the bullet it was attached to shattered. It disappeared a moment later, leaving behind nothing but the crumbles of lead. So I just have to smash the bullets…great.
Unbeknownst to her, the ground beneath her had little, indented footprints in it, the plate she was holding bending in her hands like a lump of soft clay. Her body felt strong, powerful, as if nothing could stop her from protecting her father. Come and get me!
BANG!
She held her hand up, eyes widening as she saw the bullet slow down.
The bullet stopped just in front of her, slowly collapsing in on itself before crumbling to the floor in a pile of dust. She stared in awe as she felt something from behind her, a comforting presence resting on her shoulder.
She looked back and saw a large swan sitting there.
The moment her eyes met its, she knew its name.
"39."
…
Stand Name: 39 Act I
Stand User: Rogue Arc
Stats:
Power: A
Speed: C
Range: B
Persistence: C
Precision: C
Potential: A
…
"So, the girl's a stand user too?"
Tremor spoke absently, unseeing eyes gazing down the iron sights of a rifle. His eyes didn't see what was in front of him, but rather angles and reflections. Every reflection he could make off of his stand manifestations. And right now, they saw a little girl with a newly awakened stand standing between him and his target.
The room he was in was covered by black curtains, blocking out almost all light from the outside. An old trick he'd learned in his army days to keep a position from being compromised. "It won't matter, little girl. I doubt your stand's enough to stop me from killing your father."
He pulled back the bolt, preparing to fire again.
…
39 flexed its wings, sending several feathers forward.
Rogue watched in awe as a bullet flew into that nest of feathers, slowing significantly before flying back over her shoulder down the hallway. Woah. So 39's feathers can slow things down?
One of the bullet stands dashed forward, leaping ahead only to defy gravity and fall upward toward the feathers slammed into the ceiling. 39 promptly fired another barrage of feathers, destroying the stand and bullet alike. No, wait, it's like what Mrs. Miller was talking about earlier! Gravity! The feathers each emit their own gravitational pull! That's why the bullet stopped in mid-air, it got stuck in the gravity well!
Two more bullets flew in rapid succession, the first being deflected by the wings while the other slammed into 39's wing, shattering on impact. Her eyes flicked to where the first bullet landed, dashing forward and having 39 throw a wing at the bullet to shatter it.
Rogue turned her eyes ahead, watching another bullet bounce off one of the stand's armor plates before flying back toward her—getting caught in the web of gravity-producing feathers. Hold on, that stand's the one all the bullets are bouncing off of. If I get rid of that stand, the bullets won't be able to get anywhere near Dad!
She dashed forward, eyes narrowing on the stand as 39 reared back its wings, readying a strike. It didn't move to dodge, simply standing there, staring at her as if waiting to see what she'd do.
"39! Wing barrage!"
It crouched down as the wings flew toward it, its armor plates growing thicker and covering it in a shell a bit like a turtles. The wings pinged against it, flopping to the ground or bouncing off entirely—not one piercing its armor. "Stupid girl, Secret Tunnel has an unbreakable defense."
"How much weight can it handle?"
The stand was confused for only a moment before the ground beneath it caved down, its entire being collapsing into a hole in the tile. Rogue, meanwhile, stood back with a smirk as 39's feathers weighed the stand down—keeping it out of range of the sniper. "Apparently, not much."
Her eyes flicked back to the classroom she'd left her dad, eyes widening as said father dashed out of it. His eyes were wild until they landed on her, freezing as he saw the massive stand on her shoulder. "Rogue…"
"Dad! I finally got my powers!"
Jaune gave a faint smile as he dashed over, September up and ready. "That's great, sweetie, but now we—"
"ARA!"
September slammed its fist down, destroying a bullet mid-flight.
His eyes flicked to the stand, frowning as he scratched his chin. "The stand user is a sniper…you can control gravity with your feathers…" Jaune gave a faint smile. "Rogue, sweetie, would you like to help daddy take out a bad guy?"
"Yeah!"
Jaune stepped back behind the cone of feathers, moving his hand forward and aiming a small piece of tile with September. "He's right up there. Can you make your feathers make my tile go faster?"
"Yeah! Throw it!"
"ARA!"
The moment the tile flew through the feathers, it rocketed forward, flying through the roof of the school and toward Tremor himself. The blind man knew only a swift wind passing him, the sound of something slamming through his black curtain and into the wall of the hotel. What the hell?
"ARA!"
That was all he heard before he hit the ground, unconscious.
Toma "Tremor" Terrance. Taken into Custody By Authorities.
…
Stand Name: Secret Tunnel
Stand User: Toma "Tremor" Terrance
Stats:
Power: A
Speed: B
Range: A
Persistence: C
Precision: A
Potential: E