"No plan survives contact with the enemy" - Atlesian proverb
Zero sat opposite the White Fang representative, the masked fox faunus has made himself an unwelcome guest in the base these past few days. A map of Vale City was sprawled out on the table of the dusty room, the faint light of an old lamp barely illuminating them. Blake was standing guard by the door, occasionally casting the two of them suspicious glances. She insisted she be included in the meeting. Ostensibly to guard him, but he suspected she doesn't trust him entirely when dealing with the Fang.
"So, Zero," the representative began to draw on the map with a marker, "In three days we plan to raid and sabotage the railway station here, as well as conduct a string of bombings and assassinations in the business district here and here."
"Right," Zero answered, "And we will be prepared to simultaneously sally out of the southern ghetto and strike at this outpost here." He circled a building in the industrial district.
"Only That?" he said with a dismissive voice, "From what I've seen during my stay here, you're strong enough to carry out a wider assault at multiple simultaneous targets."
While what the man said was true, Zero was still irritated at the accusation of timidness, "As Vale's security has been strengthened, we have decided to keep additional reserves in case things go badly. You too could be doing far more than that with your numbers, if my assessment of your strength is correct."
"We're preparing our forces elsewhere," the representative said.
"What for?"
"I can't share that, not that I know much to begin with."
"If you hold back, then we can't commit our all either."
The representative sighed, "I understand that it's a frustrating situation, Zero, but there is simply no reason for us to give sensitive intel to those who don't plan to use it."
After a moment of contemplation, Zero relented, "Very well. We'll figure out some secondary objectives in the area. We could send some hit teams to the nearby nightlife district to hunt down patrols."
"I would recommend against that. We're hosting a recruitment drive there, and we would rather not draw attention to it."
Zero's eyes widened behind his mask. He smiled at his opponents disastrous blunder, "Oh? I see… The residential area then?"
"Acceptable."
"Very well. I'm glad we can coordinate so effectively together."
The fox faunus seemed to be deep in thought, "Given your new commitments, I believe there's no harm in letting you know this much. The reason for the sudden security increase was not merely a decrease in Grimm attacks. The city perimeter has been reinforced by the Atlesian army, specifically by the 22nd and 23rd mechanized regiments, as well as the 1st experimental regiment."
"Experimental?" He was intrigued, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"We're not sure either, but we believe it to be some kind of armored unit. In any case, assuming they are at full strength it must mean they've brought some 5000-8000 soldiers with them."
"So now the police and Vale army can commit more to city security without foreign troops patrolling directly?"
"Well the Vale army is still mostly confined to the countryside. They don't trust them near the capital."
"I understand. Now things make a lot more sense. Thank you for bringing this information to me. You are dismissed."
Blake opened the door for him. As soon as the Fang man left, she slammed it shut and gave a frustrated sigh. Zero picked up on it, "I understand how you feel, Blake. But we're getting valuable intelligence from them. With it, we'll strike them down soon."
"So do you plan to tip off the authorities regarding their raid?" Blake asked.
He took off his mask, locking eyes with her, "No. It could be a test. And even if it wasn't, it would be suspicious. Say they're actually attacking at multiple points and only the one they told us about was met with a prepared response. It would be too risky."
Her eyes narrowed at him, "It seems awfully convenient for you to never make a move against the White Fang, you know."
"I'm merely holding out for a bigger catch." He grinned, "Besides, there is something we can do about them in the meantime."
Violet's dorm room was packed to the brim. All the members of teams RWBY and PRVN were present, their full attention focused on him and a map of Vale taped to the wall. It pleasantly reminded him of his briefings with the Black Knights.
"Blake and I have strong reason to believe the White Fang is hosting a recruitment drive in this part of town." he pointed to a place on the map, "We will search the area for it and disrupt their gathering. We will split into pairs to cover ground faster while providing sufficient security. Before we proceed, does anyone have any initial leads?" He looked over at Blake.
Instead, it was Yang who raised her hand, "I know some people from there, I could ask around the clubs and bars."
Violet nodded, "If you're planning to take your bike, I'd like to accompany you. We could quickly reinforce our teammates with it. On that note, we've also prepared flare guns for everyone should you find yourselves in immediate danger. Otherwise, use your cellphone to contact others more subtly." Yang smiled at him. He imagined she must be happy just to spend more time with him. He didn't mind it either, they had been drifting too far away even for his tastes.
"Am I getting this right? You mean to destroy an entire White Fang base with only the eight of us?" Weiss said, "There could be hundreds of them out there for all we know."
"Your concern is noted. We don't need to kill them all, just disrupt them. A burst of gunfire into the crowd, an assassination of their leader, and they'll scatter. Nobody present will want to join after such a display. That being said, we will still need to assess their numbers before attacking."
"Alright then. My father's company keeps detailed intelligence on White Fang activity. I could go to the CCT and request to download it. It could help us get a sense of scale, if nothing else." Weiss said.
"You and Ruby do that. Send it to my phone, then join us. Blake and Pyrrha will make up one pair searching on the ground, while Nora and Ren shall make up the other. The rest of us will join you as soon as we can."
Ren raised his hand, "A question. What exactly do we do if we encounter the White Fang? They outnumber us greatly, and they'll surely attack us on sight since we're humans."
"Are you now?" Blake had a devious smile on her face. Noticing everyone's questioning looks, she elaborated, "I've taken the time to prepare an assortment of disguises for you." She presented them with a bag, filled to the brim with various artificial animal tails and ears.
"Are… are you sure those will work?" Weiss was a little nervous as she emptied the bag on the floor, "Aren't they usually supposed to move on their own?"
Blake chuckled, "No one will pull on it to check, if that's what you mean. That would be incredibly rude. And these are high-end props, so they should look convincing at a glance. So which one's your favorite, Ice queen?"
"Dibs on the wolf ears!" Ruby said as she dived into the pile, catching her prey. The rest of the group followed suit. Yang took a pair of yellow cat ears, mimicking cat paws with her hands much to Blake's irritation. Pyrrha picked a fluffy tail, while Weiss found a pair of white fox ears. She looked herself over in the mirror, smiling while imagining what manner of outrage she would cause if found out. Nora took a pair of mouse ears, and Ren found a cat tail. Violet picked what was left, namely a pair of black cat ears similar to Blake's.
It felt a little embarrassing for him to wear it, but otherwise, he didn't object to Blake's plan. It was a good idea, and he didn't regret making her his vice-commander. They took turns looking each other over, making sure they knew how to put on their disguises properly. It reminded him of a mask festival, like the ones they occasionally had in elementary school, or once even at Signal. He knew Beacon had a fair amount of festivals, including an upcoming dance. He wondered if it could truly live up to its eccentric reputation. Only time would tell.
Blake almost smiled at the scene. But as much as it pained her to end it, she had a job to do. She neared the door, locking it with a click that got everyone's attention. Her face dead serious, she picked up a second bag, and emptied 8 Grimm masks on one of the beds.
The cheery murmurs were replaced by stunned silence. They all stared in shock at the pile of terrorist masks before them. Weiss tentatively reached out to touch one of them, almost as if she'd burn her hand if she wasn't careful, "These are… You don't mean to have us wear them?"
"Not until we've spotted the White Fang." Blake explained, "We will infiltrate them and take them by surprise."
"But… if we're caught wearing these masks, or just found to be carrying them," Weiss said, "Then we'd be treated as terrorists too."
"The rest of you aren't actually faunus, so they would believe you if you told them you were vigilantes. It would no doubt cause you trouble, but compared to being considered a terrorist it's nothing."
"Even so, it's… Well it's dishonorable." Pyrrha said.
"They don't follow those norms themselves, and they don't expect us to either. You won't be hurting their feelings, if that's what you're worried about."
"It still feels wrong." Ruby said, "To be wearing something like that…" Weiss nodded in agreement.
"Noted." Violet said, "If you truly don't want to carry it, I won't force you. Just know that you'll be endangering your friends by fighting at a disadvantage."
"You're right, Vio," Ruby said as she picked up one of the masks. She put it on, and looked herself over in the mirror, an odd feeling of awe taking over her. "Huh. Only my upper face is hidden, and yet I look like a totally different person."
"Well, that and the wolf ears." Weiss said, "Our clothes might stand out, so we should wear more casual stuff." Murmurs of agreement could be heard in response.
Ruby picked up her Crescent Rose and unfolded it. Violet couldn't quite suppress a smile. Her black dress, red cloak… the white mask concealing those innocent eyes, not to mention the massive scythe, "You look positively dangerous. I'd be terrified to face you on the battlefield, little whirlwind."
Ruby giggled at him, playfully spinning her scythe in the air before taking off the mask and putting it in a backpack.
"Alright, any other objections?" Violet said.
After a few moments of silence Ruby spoke up, "In that case, operation 'White Fang infiltration' is a go!"
Yang's motorbike roared as it approached Blake and team PRVN. She was wearing her usual tan jacket and yellow tank top, along with a pair of sunglasses and Ember Celica. Her luscious, golden hair flowed freely in the wind as she circled them. She was in her element, a beacon of confidence that outshined the twilight sun.
"Hey Guys." She waved at them, revving her engine, "Look what I've got."
"That's awesome!" Nora gasped, "Can I ride on it? Pretty please."
"After we're done here, I'll take you on an unforgettable joyride, Valkyrie." her face held a devious grin, the promise of reckless adventure driving Nora to heights of excitement never seen before.
"Do try to be careful," Ren was more apprehensive about it, "Somehow I get the feeling that safety isn't Yang's top priority. I mean, you don't even have a helmet." Yang lowered her sunglasses so she could visibly roll her eyes.
"Don't worry about it Ren," Violet said, "At the speeds she usually rides, a helmet won't save her from splattering her brains on the pavement before hitting twenty."
"Vio," Yang said, "Don't spoil the mood, kay. Now hop on."
He reluctantly climbed behind Yang. "Okay, just… don't crash it." To say he was nervous would be an understatement.
"Scared, little bro? Just hold on to me tight." she revved the engine again.
"You wish," Violet said as the bike took off. He held onto Yang as if he was trying to crush her. As he expected, her driving was reckless. Her speed and general disregard for traffic rules could rival even his own crime spree. That being said, it did bring them to their destination quickly, and miraculously without any casualties.
He looked around where they stopped, recognizing the location, "So, Yang. You were saying you had a place in mind?"
"Yeah, there's this Junior guy just over there that knows practically everyone in Vale and-"
"And you trashed his club, right?" Violet teased her, "Unlike you, I'm sure he remembers it very well."
"Yeah… about that," She walked over to the club entrance, "Just don't worry about it. It's not the first time I've pissed him off, I'll figure something out." She opened the door to the club and confidently walked in, finding herself at the receiving end of many suspicious stares, though not quite as much hostility as she expected.
Yang sat at the counter and waved to the owner. Violet followed along, taking a seat next to her.
"See, Vio? It's all good here. They're chill."
"Only cus your little brother bailed you out." Junior appeared, his voice barely hiding his disdain, "Otherwise we would have started shooting by now, Blondie."
"Excuse me?" She looked over to Violet, "What did he have you do?"
"Nothing. I paid for the damages of my own volition."
"That must have cost a fortune. Have you been out gambling again? Honestly, Vio, we've talked about this."
"No use talking him out of anything. Believe me, I've tried." Junior reached below the counter and handed an envelope to Violet, "A woman came by yesterday, said this was for you. I've also got a package out back from her. Don't worry, I haven't looked. It's pretty heavy though."
"I'll come pick it up later, it's not what I came here for," He ignored Yang's suspicious glare, "Did the woman say anything? What was she like?"
"Hmh. I don't make a habit of violating the privacy of my clients. But no, she said nothing. Silent as a mute, she was."
"I see." he opened the envelope, finding a USB stick and a letter.
Insert the USB into a CCT administrator terminal. It should be heavily guarded and on a floor separate from ordinary users. After the upload is finished, you can bypass any password from any device within Beacon's local network with the access code 'Salem'
Good luck.
Yang tried to sneak a glance at the letter, but Violet crumpled it up before putting it in his pocket, "Thank you for this, Junior. But as I said, I'm here for a different reason. I need to know if you've heard anything about White Fang activity around these parts?"
"After even more trouble, eh? At least you've got some backup this time."
"Yeah, he does. Now tell us everything you know." Yang said.
"And why in the world would I help someone who beat the shit out of me last time?"
"Because if you don't, I'll do it again." Yang grabbed him by the collar. At that, several guns were drawn at her. In response, Yang aimed Ember Celica at Junior's heart.
"Calm your tits, Blondie. There's no need for a fight."
"They're enemies of everyone. Why in the fuck would you help them?"
"It's not that simple, girlie. I don't exactly run a charity over here, you know?"
Violet put down a pile of banknotes on the counter, "Haven't counted precisely, but should be around 2000 lien here."
Junior smiled, "Now you're speaking my language. Tell your roided-out freak of a sister to let me go and I'll tell you what I know."
"Do as he says." Violet said, his hand on the scythe on his back, "If he goes back on his word, we have enough aura to dome him and escape."
Yang tightened her grip, "I'm natty, you lazy fuck." She let go of Junior, letting him fall on his back. She sat back down and addressed the rest of the club, "Alright freaks, show's over. Back to getting wasted or whatever you degens do 'round here." She turned to Violet, "And you, Vio, don't think I've forgotten about you. We're gonna have a talk about what kinds of people you hang around."
Violet rolled his eyes, "Whatever do you mean, sis?" He did his best to ignore the death glare from Yang.
After composing himself, Junior spoke up, "Alright, I'll tell you now that you've paid. They're everywhere, recruiting every faunus lowlife they can get their hands on for their damn gang. They're offering crazy incentives and even crazier promises."
"That's not what we asked you." Yang said, "Where are they located?"
"They've got a place somewhere in the north, I don't know much more." he sighed at their unimpressed looks, "I guess I've also overheard that they've got advance guards in civilian clothes screening people that enter the general area. Things are spiraling, and I'd suggest you don't pick fights you can't win, kids."
"We'll be the judge of that," Yang said before storming off. Violet issued an apology before following along.
Once outside, Yang pulled him by the ear, "What the fuck was that? I can't believe you've been associating with that lowlife."
"I learned from the best, sis." He said between pained yelps, "He's actually a pretty nice guy if you bribe him every step of the way."
"I just can't keep up with you." She sighed, "Listen, I'm no saint either, so I'm trying to be nice and understanding. But you keep throwing me curveballs every other day. Like what the hell was that shady secret agent crap earlier?"
"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," he allowed himself a knowing smile, "Though I promise it'll be something quite interesting, sister."
"Right. I don't even care anymore. You do you." she took out her phone, "Let's just relay this to the others and get moving."
Gaining entry into the Cross Continental Transit tower took Ruby and Weiss longer than expected, even though it was located in Beacon. As if that wasn't frustrating enough, gaining access to the SDC internal database took even longer. The operator at the other end of the line kept asking Weiss question after inane question. "Yes, I already stated that I need it for a personal project," Weiss said
"Yes, I do know how to keep sensitive data safe, thank you."
"No, there is no scam involved, I've given you 3 different forms of identification already."
"At this rate, we're gonna miss our ship," Ruby said while tugging at her arm.
Weiss ignored her, instead focusing her growing ire on the other end of the line, "I am authorized to download whatever I want from my family company, now let me in before I have you fired." Weiss' voice was ice cold, and her gaze betrayed a murderous desire. The operator relented and gave her access to the data she requested. She turned to Ruby, speaking with an innocent smile, "See, they can speed things up when they want to."
Ruby was amazed, "Aaa, that was so cool Weiss!"
She wasn't quite as thrilled, "Yeah, whatever. By the time the download finishes and we get down, the airship will have taken off. It'll be half an hour before another one departs."
Ruby sighed in frustration. She thought about it for a moment, before coming to a realization, "So, Weissy… I may have an idea on how to speed that part up."
They were outside now, overlooking the rest of Vale from Beacon's cliffs. Ruby presented Weiss a sketch written on tissue paper. "See, if I carry you with my speed semblance horizontally, we'll cross just enough distance to get into Vale before we hit the ground. And you use your semblance to slow our fall. We should be able to just get across the cliffside."
Weiss was flabbergasted at the proposition. The situation made worse by the fact Ruby's diagram consisted of barely legible arrows and stick figures, which were depicted being in free fall for almost an entire mile. "I can't believe I even have to dignify that with an answer. Have you the slightest idea of how risky it would be? This won't work."
"Nuh uh, I took a course on ballistics when I was making Crescent Rose at 13. It's the same principle."
Weiss sighed, "You… are one reckless dolt. What if we get separated and I can't slow your fall?"
"Well just hold on to me and that won't happen," she looked at Weiss with her cutest pleading eyes, "Pretty please?"
This was not happening to her right now. "It's an unnecessary risk, and for what?"
"We should join them as soon as we can, so really we're putting them at risk by not hurrying. Besides, I wanted to try out this move. Think of it as a trust-building exercise."
Weiss gave an exasperated sigh, the sort of sigh you make when you put your life into the hands of a clueless 15 year old dolt, "Well, It's safer than what Violet plans to do. Getting hospitalized now will probably improve our chances of surviving the day."
"Yay! I knew you had it in you, princess," she giggled, before outstretching her arms, "Now hop on!"
"Excuse me?"
"You said we need to stick together, so let me carry you."
Her cheeks reddened, "Now hold on a moment. That's embarrassing. Outrageous even. Besides, I just remembered that this is probably against campus policy."
"That's okay, I'm sure they won't care enough to take action." She sped into Weiss with her semblance, knocking her off balance and into her arms. She giggled at Weiss' look of indignity at being in a bridal carry position, "Ready?"
She wanted to argue, yet for some odd reason she could not raise any protest. Of course, it was merely that this was important escape strategy practice. It totally wasn't some weird juvenile excitement at the prospect of violating a vague rule that might not even exist. She wouldn't do improper things like that. So she hugged Ruby tightly, "Just get it over with, you dol- Ahhhh" She was cut off by the rush of wind against her, the world seemingly disappearing into a cluster of stretched-out rays of light. She developed a new appreciation for how Ruby handled her semblance.
And as soon as it began, it was over, and they were in free fall far away from the academy. Looking down, she could see that they'd made enough distance to not crash on the cliffside. While the view from here wasn't much different from what they saw at Beacon, and this wasn't her first time in free fall, it still felt special somehow.
It wasn't a heavily monitored training environment like in Atlas, or even the more hands-off but still expected jump pad insertion at initiation. No, this was something they did on their own, completely unsupervised, with no safety rails. It felt like this was the first time she was truly living her life. She guessed that this was the same reason she decided to go along with Violet's ill advised plan. It reminded her of how Yang described herself, how she said that she was a shameless thrill-seeker. She didn't like the idea of being labeled an adrenaline junkie, but she felt like there were worse fates out there.
Fates like splattering their guts on the concrete if she didn't immediately slow down.
She summoned her glyphs at almost the last moment, slowing the two of them to a gentle stop. Had she been another second late, it would have been a very rough landing. Two seconds, and she really didn't want to dwell on it too much. Looking around, she found her bearings before slipping away into an alley. "Okay Ruby, we're not that far from where we're supposed to be. I think we should put our faunus disguises on."
Ruby nodded and put on her wolf ears. Weiss put on a pair of sunglasses, her fox ears, and pulled over a hood with fox ear cutouts. When they emerged onto the street, they were proper faunus. On their way, they exchanged the gathered information on White Fang activity and suspected facilities with the rest of their friends.
"So, you and Violet are together?" Pyrrha asked.
Blake was checking a message on her phone while navigating the streets of Vale, "I suppose we are." she replied.
"You uh… don't seem entirely happy about it. Is something wrong?"
"What?" She raised her hands defensively, "I didn't mean for it to come off that way. It's just… a little complicated. That's all."
"I know he can be a bit absent-minded, but you can tell me if he's not treating you well or-"
"It's not like that at all. It's just that… we're not really together. It was mostly an excuse for us to secretly go do stupid dangerous stuff together without others questioning it."
"That's… not what I expected. But forgive me for thinking it a little weird. You could have found any number of other excuses, and you chose that?"
"Well, we also took great joy in messing with Yang." She chuckled to herself.
"I see. But you two seem to hang out with each other more than with anyone else. Even while at Beacon."
"We have a lot of shared experience, so we obviously have a stronger bond. And he is a good companion in general, even if he can be a bit cold-blooded at times."
Pyrrha gave her a questioning look, "That's not really the impression he gave me. Though, now that you mention it I guess there are some signs. I suppose he might have trouble trusting others."
"That's a hell of an understatement." She stopped and gestured for them to slip into a side path, "Hey Pyrrha, did he ever tell you his semblance? I figure he must have, since you're his partner and everything."
"I thought he told you. Since you two seem to have fought so much together."
"Well, he didn't."
While Blake was irked about it, Pyrrha didn't seem to mind it as much, "You know, he may be just embarrassed at not having unlocked it by now."
"Hmmm… I asked Yang about it." Blake began, "She said how after Ruby unlocked her superspeed, Violet could think of nothing other than unlocking his own semblance. He worked day and night, trying everything to get it, putting himself in more and more danger. One day he simply stopped, saying that he's done it. He wasn't too excited, but he didn't seem depressed either. He just seemed way too nonchalant about it. She said how he started growing more reclusive at around that time."
"So even they don't know?" This went far beyond what Pyrrha saw as normal behavior, "I'm a tournament fighter, so my semblance is a secret for good reason. Maybe it's the same with him? But even so, my team and family know of it." Pyrrha hoped to see the better side of her partner's deceptions.
"Hmmm… Yang said she suspected whatever he had helped with gambling."
"Wait what? Gambling? Him?"
"She says she's pretty sure in her theory. He financed Yang's motorbike out of the blue one day as well as one of Ruby's weapon upgrades. So naturally she started getting curious."
The whiplash from Blake's words felt not unlike when a fighter reveals their semblance in the finals to catch her off-guard. She wasn't sure what to think. Still, she had some measure of trust in Violet. He hadn't done anyone wrong, at least as far as she knew. Still… "One revelation after another. He does seem to wrap himself in lies. It's almost like I never knew him."
"Yang said the same thing to me. But I've gotten to know him pretty well, at least I think so. And he truly is a good person at heart. I'm sure of it." Blake gave her a soft smile, which she returned.
Pyrrha could feel a headache approaching. She'd love to reach out to Violet directly and have him here to defend himself. She didn't want to jump to any wrong conclusions, so she calmed herself as much as she could, "Good or not, he certainly pays little attention to the law. Not that I like gambling or the White Fang. But if what you say is true, it very well could be that he's just embarrassed at his semblance? Maybe it allows him to, I don't know, spy on people? Or it might not be that useful and you're just overthinking things and making assumptions."
"I don't think so. I think I may have caught a glimpse of it, during a fight against the Fang."
"A glimpse?"
"I heard one of the enemies say how they figured out his semblance, but that it somehow failed Violet in the moment. They unambiguously stated how it was very useful."
"But you never saw him using it? Or at least trying to use it?"
"That's right. Since then he's managed to dodge every single question regarding it."
"Huh. Now that I think back on it, he did the same exact thing to me. He seems to be good at that sort of stuff. I never noticed, but he never outright lied about anything. It worries me. I'm not used to dealing with this like you are."
"I understand. He's dangerous company."
"And you still like him? Why?"
"Do I? I don't know." She motioned for Pyrrha to stop, "I hear someone." She peeked around the corner, "Two faunus in the distance. No masks, but I can see holsters. Must be the advance guards Violet messaged us about. We're getting close."
"If you think so. You're the expert here."
"I think the time has come for us to put our masks on."
"Already? Surely we can go further without them? They wouldn't fire at every passer-by."
"My face is recognizable in the fang, and possibly even my voice. So you will also be the one to ask them for directions."
"I understand." She looked around for pedestrians three times over, before putting on her Grimm mask. Blake put her mask and hood on without a fuss. She ventured forth with confidence, and Pyrrha followed behind.
The two faunus stopped chatting and put their hands on their holsters, but relaxed after a moment. "Identify yourselves," one of them said.
"We… we heard you were accepting new recruits into the Fang." Pyrrha said, "Can you point us to where we're supposed to go?"
The man raised his eyebrow, "As far as I know, you were supposed to get your masks at the warehouse itself."
Pyrrha gasped, "We didn't know. We just heard a rumor in passing, so we made our own. We're so sorry." she averted her gaze, and readied her semblance.
The two guards shared a look before shrugging, "Sure. Continue down the alley, turn left, and 3 blocks later you'll find it. Oh, and don't worry about carrying the masks here. This place is swarming with fellow members tonight."
"Uh, thank you very much, sir," she said before running off.
The trek to the hideout was surreal, to put it mildly. They were wearing terrorist outfits in the open, and nobody seemed to bother them. Some people also wore such masks, walking down the road without a care in the world. Most that didn't exchanged knowing looks, and they even got to see one human boy get the fright of his life at the sight of them, before being jumped by one of the advance guards. The two of them tried to ignore it.
They arrived at the warehouse that was the hideout, and a woman guarding the door showed them inside. It wasn't anything special, just a large empty space and an improvised stage covered by curtains. She directed them towards a catwalk overlooking the place, before returning to her post. There were only a couple dozen people there, but more were coming in steadily.
Ruby and Weiss were getting close to the location Blake sent them. Nobody paid extra attention to Weiss, so she figured her disguise was good. Though there was such a thing as too good, as demonstrated by a burly man shooing them away as they were passing by a dust store. She turned her head away in shame and continued walking. She almost wanted to take off her disguise just to see the expression on his face, or maybe to put on that mask from her backpack to give him something real to worry about, but she had a more important task ahead of her.
"They told us not to put on masks immediately. They're supposed to be handed out at the place itself." Weiss said. They easily passed by the guards surrounding the hideout, finding themselves in front of it. A woman approached them, "New gals, eh?"
The two of them nodded. The woman gave them their masks, "Continue on, the speech is about to start." Weiss turned away to exchange her sunglasses for the mask. The warehouse was populated by at least a hundred people by now, probably more. They found themselves in the middle of the crowd, the two of them holding hands so as to not be separated. They tried to locate Blake and Pyrrha, but they didn't have much success, and they figured using cellphones publicly would just invite suspicion during the meeting. It didn't matter, Blake said everyone was notified of the location so they should be making it soon. But now the show was starting, and a muscular man appeared from behind the curtain to gesture for silence.
"Welcome, current and future members of the White Fang." The crowd grew silent, their full attention solely focused on him.
"We have gathered here tonight from many different places, from many different backgrounds, facing many different problems. But we have all come for a single purpose." The silence was eerie. A mild panic overtook Weiss, she began looking around the people next to her, expecting them to suddenly recognize her.
"That uniting purpose was informed by the shared experience of every single person here. The great indignities faced by every faunus on Remnant. The constant and consistent persecution of our brothers and sisters in every part of every human society." Ruby felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She understood it was propaganda and not fully representative of the world. Yet she also knew he wasn't entirely wrong. There was so much resentment everywhere, too much for her to right. On the street, at Signal, and even at Beacon faunus get mistreated regularly before her eyes, and she found herself incapable of standing up for them.
"Do not be fooled by those humans that claim to be your friends, for they do not love you. No, they fear you. They fear our growing strength. We have tried to fix things peacefully. Heavens know we've tried, and we have received nothing but violence and mockery in return. But now that we've embraced the use of force, we are finally being treated with the respect we deserve."
The audience started cheering, their hands beating against their chest. Blake cast her gaze downward, well aware of how much she once subscribed to such rhetoric. How she'd terrorized her family with demands to take up arms, and how she ran off with Adam once it became apparent they wouldn't agree to it. Even now, the temptation tugs at her. The ease at which she could come back to the Fang. Back to him.
"And yet, our task is not done. No, the world is still rotten. But the day of reckoning shall come, and it shall come sooner than you think. For today I present you two gifts. First, a man who shall lead us to victory. And second, the war machine that shall spearhead our charge." The curtains lifted, and the room collectively gasped.
On one side was a tall, red haired bull faunus with a fearsome mask, black blazer, and massive katana. On the other side was a gigantic bipedal mech, with two massive cannons, two rotary machine guns, and shoulder mounted rocket launchers containing at least twenty tubes. Truly it looked unlike anything anyone present had ever seen.
Looking confused at the revelation, Pyrrha elbowed Blake, "Who's that supposed to be?"
Blake, too, was stunned by the appearance, "That… That's Adam. Adam Taurus. He's the second in command of the Fang. For him to be here… Come on you guys, what's taking so long?"
"Comrades!" Adam spoke, "As my lieutenant said, the day of reckoning is fast approaching. I present to you the brand new Paladin-290, taken directly from the Atlesian arsenal." Another round of gasps could be heard, "Its acquisition is a testament to the many allies we have gained recently. A plan years in the making is coming to fruition, and the hour of our rising is fast approaching."
He drew his katana, the swoosh cutting through the dead silence, "And when it does, I expect every last one of you to remember your duty. To unleash your righteous wrath upon the human masses. To harden your hearts for the grim task ahead. I want you all to swear it."
The regular White Fang members put their fists on their hearts, the new members following their lead. Adam spoke, "You will not forget your brothers and sisters who still languish in chains."
The reply came in unison, "We will not forget our brothers and sisters who still languish in chains."
"You will kill all the mercy within you. You will kill all the weakness within you."
"We will kill all the mercy within us. We will kill all the weakness within us." A terrific energy overtook those present, their voices deafening by now. The infiltrators too mumbled the words in shame.
"You will dedicate your bodies and souls in service of the White Fang."
"We will dedicate our bodies and souls in service of the White Fang."
Adam smiled for the first time since his appearance, "Then let us start here and now, by cleansing the traitors from our midst. Isn't that right, Blake Belladonna?" He pointed his blade at the catwalk where Pyrrha and Blake stood. She cursed herself, she should have known someone would recognize her even a year later and a thousand miles away. She was a fool for thinking she could run from her past just like that. She had to act now, while those around her were in a state of momentary confusion. So she drew Gambol Shroud, and readied herself to fight for her life like the cornered animal that she was.
AN: Okay, so it's been a little while, and I know I just set a schedule for myself last chapter. But in my defense, this was a much more ambitious chapter than I had originally planned, and the extra delay meant I had to do some additional uni stuff. I've actually written about double of what I've published just now, so the new chapter should drop in a couple of days once I revise it.
In other news, I'm glad that I'm starting to get the hang of writing the characters somewhat decently. Especially Weiss and Yang. I was worried that they were a bit too OOC previously.