Chapter 34
For the Record
You know, one day this is all going to bite me in the ass.
All the lying, the cheating, the stealing.
What would my Dad think of me? What would my Mom? Any of my friends from back home - any of my 'friends' now?
Seriously. All else being equal, if we win... I'll have either killed, imprisoned, lied, deceived, or cheated everyone that ever trusted me or called me friend.
I won't be able to go back to Earth because I'll either be not welcome there due to my powers, or not capable of returning due to Salem being dead.
So what am I going to do when I win? If I win?
Seriously. I think the only person alive who does not give a shit is Neo, and... Do I really have to explain that again?
Fuck, man. I need a day, or an hour, or a minute of not thinking about this - and my team somehow figured that out, but I did the 'me' thing and lied by telling a truth. I fed them the whole 'symbolism, great power' shtick, and yes, it's not a lie but... Do I really embody that? I'm not a hero, and once my secret is inevitably outed, the image I'm crafting of Goud Etiolate will die. I'm not lucky enough to have these people say they believe in Goud's ideals and not Aldric's.
What is worse, here? Lying to them? Or feeding them a belief that I don't embody?
It's moments like yesterday that really just make me pause and think about the why of things, and the what.
Fuck, man.
All's quiet on the homefront, Atlas/Mistral are almost done with their sweep of Anima, looking for the nuke's ground zero, and I haven't gotten any news from anyone about any new terran attacks.
And it's Watchmen meetup, today.
Fun.
Ever since the heart to heart with his team, he'd found it more and more difficult to pry himself away from them, which was nice, in theory, but in practice, there was a major issue. Namely, in him needing to make his getaway to meet with the Watchmen.
He ended up having to play a card he'd really hoped to never have to pull.
"Wait a second - you're going on a date?!" Ecru barked, eyes wide and mouth agape and covered by her hands.
His 'preparing for everything' vow was already bearing a little fruit, as he nodded and hummed in the affirmative, and opened his scroll. He'd had Neo create a disguise for herself if he ever needed to use her as an excuse to slip away from the Beacon contacts that weren't 'in the know'. Neo being Neo, sent him a picture of some character she'd thought up, damn near giving Aldric a heart attack when he opened his scroll in public and was greeted by a petite red head in pasties and a thong. Aldric pretty sure her hair being a very bloody shade of red wasn't on accident. The best he'd been able to do was to convince her to swap the clothes - or lack thereof, really - for anything else that wouldn't get him stared at.
His suspicion that Neo had been fucking with him was confirmed when she immediately had a picture of the same disguise, but in jeans and a t-shirt, prepared for him.
"What's her name?!" Ecru gasped, as three quarters of GEMS crowded around his scroll and gawked at the picture.
When they had come up with the character, Aldric had shot down each and every single name but, "Name of, Yuno Magenta." And before Ecru could ask, he provided, "met her back home, she goes to Haven, has friends in high places, is burning her weekend here."
"I honestly thought you were lying when you said you weren't dating Yang." Ecru blinked, leaning back upwards, and running a dark hand over her shaved head. "I think I agree with her, though. You've got yourself surrounded by..." She counted off heads, "three women all the time, five or six most of the time... And now a seventh just waiting on you."
Myrtle picked up, as she slinked back to her bed, "I'm calling shenanigans on all that hero stuff you said the other day. You became a Huntsman so you could get women."
"Oh, I think I'm in a coma, this is all a dream. It's the only way I can explain all the shit going on in my life." Aldric snapped his scroll shut as Srebro slowly stood up straight. "So now you can understand I actually am going to go relax on my day off."
"You come back with your clothes in a mess, I'm going to beat you, Etiolate." Myrtle said, waving him off.
"Oh, I'll do you one better." Said Ecru, as she slid on a hoodie and zipped it up. "I'm telling Yang." A beat, "like, right now!" And she ran for the door.
"Wait, wha -" The door opened and slammed before he could even react, and before Srebro made it to her bed. "Wonderful..." He breathed, "I'll be back later tonight, yeah?"
"Have fun." He heard Srebro murmur, as he slid on his own coat, and extended his white cane.
No sooner did he exit his dorm than did he hear, through the closed door and the thick walls, "WAIT, WHAT?!" From a familiar, brash voice.
"That's my cue." And he promptly fled the building.
He couldn't avoid Yang, though - his scroll practically exploded with texts from her, all basically the same thing: Give me pictures. After the thirtieth one in half as many minutes, he killed the ringer and shut the scroll off. Exiting Beacon, Aldric took the express route to Vale. The meeting place had been selected by agreement of all parties, as unanimously the only place everyone in the Watchmen felt safe, and the one place both allies and enemies would never truly think to look for them.
The roof of Mogar's Grillin' Bar, in broad fucking daylight.
Neo let him in on the fact that Torchwick promptly bought 'a lifetime of favors' from the owner once they had agreed on the place, and that she had seen a few poorly disguised faunus casing the joint during her and Torchwick's time Al Caponing it. Aldric was willing to bet that Ozpin and Qrow had done similar things even though they'd all already been there once before. Aldric, meanwhile, merely had to show up to the highway above place and extend his radar pulse. No one following him, no one watching the place - no one that was a threat to him, anyways - and no one he felt he really had to worry about.
He still put on the Drake mask, though. Granted, he intended to take it off again - his reasoning being that everyone but Qrow knew what he looked like, so at this point, what was the point? Maybe if he hadn't revealed it to Taurus by proxy, and if Torchwick hadn't figured it out because of his fuckup, but with those two things together, there wasn't much of a point keeping his identity a secret from the Watchmen.
Aldric hanged out on the highway for a few hours in the chilly morning air, and around noon, people started showing up. First it was Taurus and Chainsword, they waited in the alley. Then it was Torchwick and Neo, with them waiting in a remarkably subtle car parked on the street, considering who he was dealing with. After them, he saw Qrow sidle into the bar and start fueling up, and at half past twleve, Ozpin appeared on the roof, being the only one to go straight for the roof and not wait for it. His presence seemed to be sensed by Qrow, who finished his sixth shot and filled his flask to go, before heading around back, running into Taurus and Chainsword, and following the former up. Torchwick knew they were up there based on his looking at the roof more often, but waited a few minutes so as to be fashionably late.
Once everyone was assembled, Aldric slid off the edge of the overpass and floated down to the roof. He greeted everyone with a nod, and then led by example, prying the Power Glove off of his gauntlets, and alongside his pistol and his lightsaber, deposited them on an AC vent in the center of the roof. Qrow was actually the first to follow suit, not saying a word as he dropped his scythe on top of Aldric's pile of nanites. Ozpin collapsed his and placed it down just as Torchwick laid his cudgel, and Taurus finished everything off by dropping his sword and rifle.
Aldric spared only one glance at the pile of weapons, suppressing a grin, as he slithered a small, practically invisible colony of nanites into everything present, his own included. After a moment of silence, Aldric pried his coverings off of his head and laid them down, followed by Taurus' mask, Torchwick's hat and, after a few moments, Qrow's flask and Ozpin's scroll. Everyone promptly dropped their scrolls in the pile, though Aldric had the wherewithall to keep his physically separate from the others, just in case.
Aldric did note how Qrow gave him a brief, appraising look, before he returned his gaze to the others present.
Now all bare and equal save for the clothes on their backs and the minds in their skulls, Nebo Aldric, Roman Torchwick, Adam Taurus, Qrow Branwen, and Professor Ozpin all stood across from eachother. The Watchmen, in all its glory, power, and terror. On one side, the teachers inside the law, and on the other, the criminals above it, and in the middle, the alien who influenced all of it.
Aldric began, attracting all eyes present. "We here are five men who, alone, can influence many, but together, can influence the world... And we watch over not just one, but two." He said, "but who watches the Watchmen?" He asked, "who checks and who balances our power?" He gave Torchwick and Taurus each a look in turn, "you two trusted me with a secret explicitly stated to be able to ruin you if it was merely suggested in a public sense. We are not in any position to have anyone watch us... But us." He turned to Ozpin and Qrow. "So we begin with that. We bare our secrets, we watch eachother... And will work together. Pool our influence, to guide the fate of our world and another.
"I... Am Nebo Aldric." He said, lifting a gloved hand, and sparking the atoms. "I come from this other world. The same place that bombed Atlas a month ago. The place that birthed the Wizard who created the four Maidens." The fire turned to ice, and then faded away. "I am outright betraying the people who rescued me because I don't believe in their cause, and I do so by making them think I support it." He lowered his hand, and stowed it back in his coat.
Silence.
Taurus, "the event that allowed me to galvanize my faction of the White Fang was the collapse of a Schnee Dust Company mine, and its subsequent explosion. I knew that the contractors hired to build the mine were lowest bidders and had cut corners, turning the entire place into a bomb waiting to go off, and I did nothing, because I want a war with the humans." He said, after only a moment's hesitation. "But... I found myself humbled recently. Twice, and both times by a human. My views have not changed... But I know the true threat that we all face, now. A threat that can control Grimm, slaughter the Maidens of myth, and steal their powers. I may be willing to let faunus die, but I don't want my species to die."
"Oh, bravo." Torchwick clapped, "I double deal on pretty much everyone I work with - even that pretty little assassin down in the alley." And he waved a hand at Aldric, "don't worry, she surely knows." Aldric couldn't bring himself to care in the slightest, and his neutral expression reflected this. "And at the moment, I'm sweeping over all of Vale like a vacuum cleaner, stealing its Dust for purposes I certainly don't know... With funds and bodies certainly not procured by a certain CEO of a certain multinational Dust exporter." A beat, "whose name certainly isn't Jacques Schnee." He added, with a grin. "See, he doesn't quite know the long-term plans of our mutual enemy, and is under the impression he may make far more of a profit than he would lose from my thefts."
All eyes on the Huntsmen, now. Qrow sighed, and made the motion to grab his flask off his hip, before remembering he'd dropped it. "I was sent to Beacon by the bandit tribe that raised me. My sister and I had the most aura in the tribe, so they sent us off to learn how to kill Huntsman."
A beat.
"That would ruin you?" Torchwick arced an eyebrow.
"I'm a teacher." Qrow growled.
That got a sidewards nod from the gangster, "that would do it."
And to Ozpin, "the wizard who created the Maidens, and the man you see before you, are one in the same." A beat, "in a way. I was cursed a very long time ago, my soul never leaves this world, always attaching itself to a new, young host, when I fall... And indeed, I did originally share a home with our benefactor." He nodded at Aldric, "and I lied to the other headmasters, when telling them I would hide my relic in Beacon. I quite literally put it in a bag and dropped it in the ocean, with the understanding that the sheer size of our planet and random chance would hide and protect it just as good as a secure vault could."
Son of a bitch hid the dragonball in a Faraday cage. No radar's going to find that. Aldric would give Ozpin some points for that, that took balls.
"Would you care to elaborate, my dear Headmaster? 'Relic'?" Torchwick requested.
"The same Deity Brothers that created our people and the Grimm, and cursed me, so too created four relics of great power. Three rest in each of the Huntsman academies, and one at the bottom of the ocean." Ozpin explained, with a carefree smile.
Aldric stepped in, "we all have secrets, we all have strengths, and we all have weaknesses. As of this moment, all five of us, are all of those things to eachother." He explained, "because with what we do..." He shook his head, "we cannot afford to lose ourselves to our own power. Two planets, and all of our species, rely on us being able to work together amicably, if they want to survive to the next generation." He nodded to Taurus, "faunus." To Torchwick, Qrow, and even Ozpin, "human." And then indicated himself, "terran.
"The woman we fight against... The White Witch, she seeks to destroy all of us. The why of it is unknown and, frankly, irrelevant to seek out. The how of it... Is what we know and must focus on." He explained, "she intends both to seek out and claim the abilities of each of the four Maidens, and use them to locate and retrieve the four relics. While she does this, she intends to pit my planet against yours, in a war of such size and devastation that all war before it pale in comparison.
"Gentlemen, if we do nothing to stop it, to stop her... Everything we hold dear. Our power, our people, our homes, and our lives, it could all be gone by this time next decade." He said, "so I ask you... What do we intend to do about it?" A beat, as he gave everyone a firm look. "And what will we give to do it?"
Torchwick, as usual, was the first to speak. "Well, fortunately for our 'Watchmen', I am a simple creature. I require merely three things: Power, influence, and favors. Any one can buy the other, so I do hope you will acquiesce." He said, with a low nod and a sweep of the arms.
Taurus went next, "when this is done, everyone here is still human." He said, though not as scathingly as Aldric would have expected. "I want the weight of your names, and all of our deeds, and all of our influence, behind my bid to lead my people when it is done."
He noticed Qrow set his jaw, but Ozpin spoke before he could do anything. "All I desire is everyone present's word, that no matter their goals for after the threat of the White Witch is ended, they shall not, intentionally or otherwise, seek to resume her work."
Interesting choice of words... Aldric thought, as Qrow picked up.
"Shit." He said, shaking his head. "There are only two things I care about. I know nothing I demand can guarantee their safety, but I just want it agreed that direct, concerted, offensive, and unprovoked action against them remain outlawed, else all bets are off."
Again, interesting choice of words. Here Qrow was basically saying he knew damn well and good no one here could, or would, agree to doing nothing to Yang and Ruby directly, but that he at least wanted it agreed that unless it was reactionary and defensive, no one here would specifically aim to kill them.
He was pretty damn sure Qrow was actually referring to him more than everyone, considering present circumstances.
Nevertheless, it was his turn. "I want it understood the nature of my work." He said, "of what I do. That to protect my role, and to benefit our shared goal, I may find myself forced to do things. Be they good or bad, that may have impact upon the goals or desires of others here." He explained, "I want it understood that while I may have to do things, I do not do them out of malice or ill intent, and I will, if ever possible, attempt to mitigate the damage of my actions as great as possible." A beat, and then he let out a long, hollow sigh. "And if we win, I don't want to have to work another day in my life." He made sure to emphasize 'have', because he knew damn well and good that he'd go stir crazy and mad with boredom after a year of postwar retirement, and he'd need something to do.
Though, he said that, and he knew damn well and good that he probably wouldn't be able to sit idly by while Taurus tore apart innocent human lives with his war lust. At least he was already prepared for his reputation to be ruined, he had that going for him.
"Would it..." Slowly began Ozpin, attracting all eyes. "Be reasonable to assume that the resources of everyone here, are open, to those who do not possess those resources?"
As the 'benefactor', all eyes turned to him, now this would be fun. He was in a political game now - if he showed favoritism to any one side, he'd alienate the other, but if he didn't provide enough help when asked, he'd risk alliances.
"Within reason, I would say." He responded, "I can't go up and, say, murder the Council of Three, get caught, and then expect you four to risk your lives and the mission to get me out."
"Oh, please tell me that's a hint." Torchwick smiled wide, "that would make for great television."
"Keep in mind who we are and where we do our work, Headmaster." Taurus replied, "I cannot be seen openly helping a human without risking my entire standing with the Fang."
"And I can't just murder a rival gang boss because I'd be good at it." Qrow added.
"Oh please, dear Qrow. What makes you think I have any rivals left alive that haven't sought refuge and withered away in the Garden?" Torchwick waved the huntsman away. "But I feel that this is something that can be agreed to. Should we, for instance, suddenly have need of a terrorist attack... Or require over and under world services, you understand." He explained, for everyone present.
"Then it's agreed."
"What about the wild cards?" Torchwick asked. "Say, someone inside of our respective spheres of influence should decide to work against one of us." He eyed Qrow a moment longer than anyone else, before continuing. "How would the other Watchmen be expected to respond to such a thing?"
"I believe the way Qrow put it earlier may best answer the question. So long as we do not blatantly pursue offensive actions against the interests of our allies..." A pause, "I would say at least do try not to cause permanent damage." The message was clear: Don't kill Ruby Rose.
"Hm..." Torchwick shrugged, "I suppose that is the best we can ask for."
"I would add." Taurus said, gaining the attention. "That if they retreated to their respective leader's borders... A third party be used as neutral grounds to solve the issue."
Aldric was honestly just surprised he hadn't angled for some kind of non-extradition stance; maybe he really had been humbled? Aldric wondered if this hadn't had something to do with the word 'Albain' as much as it did the Legion handing Taurus his ass the last time they all met.
Or... It could have something to do with Blake. Aldric bit back a curse, that would be a sticky situation he'd immediately get caught in the middle of. It may behoove me to make friends with her, so I can claim bias... Then Qrow or Torchwick will have to deal with it. "I can agree to that." And with Qrow, Torchwick, and Ozpin's support, the 'ayes' had it.
Aldric decided to throw in his two cents, "the Maidens." Holy shit he felt the temperature drop on Ozpin's side, despite the lack of a change in his expression. "The fact of the matter is that they will, in some way, shape, or form, be involved in this war, and through my boss and our other mutual enemy, already have."
"What do you suggest, kid?" Qrow rasped, sneaking another glance at his flask.
"Complete transparency." He said, "if one of us finds a Maiden, we do not hide her from the others, and instead openly identify her." Ozpin cooled off a bit at this, but Aldric could tell he wasn't fully happy. "You talked about wild cards..." He nodded to Torchwick, "well there is not one more wild, and that applies to us as well. If we tear eachother apart over a hidden Maiden, everything we work for will be lost."
"I can agree." Said Taurus, "but what do we do with the Maiden if we find her?"
Ozpin put the foot down with, "absolutely nothing." He even gave Qrow a fierce look with this. "They are their own people. We identify and, if need be, protect. But we do not influence. Entire volumes of text exist to prove how wrong such a thing could go."
Torchwick nodded, "I'd say aye to that. I don't need or even really want the trouble. I've already one angry vixen in my life, don't need another."
Qrow shrugged, "hey, I work for you." He said.
"The ayes have it." Aldric finished.
"Now how about Earth?" Qrow asked, "what do we do about the terrans?"
"I have a theory about them that I can't substantiate." Aldric responded, "over there we are literally dealing with an alien planet and an alien people, that we have little to no intel on. Until we even know a fact, let alone enough of them to operate, any wars or battles we wage should be defensive ones. Take prisoners. Accept surrenders."
Torchwick actually was the one to say, "uh - Mister Taurus. Looking at our mutual friend here, I can't help but notice a lot of similarities between him and myself." A beat, "when this is over, is he human?" And, the question was implied, would Taurus pursue his oh-so-wanted war against the terrans, as well?
Taurus and Aldric eyed eachother down at this, as the former mulled over his thoughts.
"He specifically is human." Taurus finally said. "But I don't care about the terrans so long as they don't care about us."
"Oh what a piece of work is man, Taurus." Aldric reminded him, "they think we've declared war on them." Aldric said, "if they kill faunus under this false understanding, would they remain not human?"
Taurus removed his gaze from Aldric, and stared at the pile of weapons for a long time. "I guess we all have to make tough decisions, don't we?" He breathed, before shaking his head. "Until we can open a dialogue with them... They will remain not human." He said, "but I warn all of you... And through you -" He nodded to Aldric, "them. That even if I gain power if and when we win... I can't control popular opinion. I can try, but if the terrans do something bad..." He shook his head.
"I can accept that." Aldric nodded, "may not be happy about it, but I can accept it."
"And now for the big question." Taurus said, after a deep breath. "What happens when we find the White Witch?"
"Something I've learned very well the last few months is that it's an exercise in futility to make concrete plans when she's involved." Aldric responded, "last time I tried, an alien race came through and destroyed five Atlesian airships with a little over three times that many fighter ships." He explained, "as such, we cannot make any ironclad plans until such a time as we can locate the White Witch on a map." He rested his hands behind his back, and saw Qrow tense, as he knew what was about to come. "Which means Beacon needs to go off without a hitch."
"Yes -" Qrow growled, "let's hear your reasoning for this." Clearly, no matter how much convincing Ozpin had done, Qrow was still pissed.
What surprised Aldric, however, was that he didn't have to. Taurus spoke up in his defense, "first rule in war is to know what battles to fight and which ones to let go." He said, glaring at Qrow. "This more than anything before it, the Maiden included, will likely be their single greatest test of loyalty for him. They've spent..." He gave Aldric a look.
"Six."
"Six months grooming him. But are now giving him freedom, and more than that, are letting him run free, and outside of their influence, for a year." He stressed, "this is a test of loyalty. If he chooses them over the alliances and friendships he builds in Beacon, there will never again be a question of their trust in him, or his in them."
"And you would know?" Qrow rasped.
"Yes."
"The point is..." Aldric said, before things could escalate. "I won't ever be brought to the White Witch if they don't trust me. I can't figure out how or why they're launching invasions on Earth unless they think I'm loyal. I can't do anything to stop any of that without locating her, and rallying all of our collective armies and resources against her." He explained, "so bar none, their planned attack on Beacon must happen, and must succeed, if we want the best possible shot at tearing her down." He gave Qrow a firm look, "that puts lives at risk, but this is war. Lives are at risk anyways. The best we can do is try to mitigate the damage as best we can."
Qrow clenched a tan fist, and let out a long breath, before he took a step back and nodded. "Just remember what I said, kid."
Aldric grunted, and turned to Torchwick. "Now. I've been led to believe you've had this place bought and paid for, before we came here." Torchwick had the grace to look a little guilty as he grinned, "that's good. Give us the owner's contact information, tell him we're your associates." He explained, "we can't be seen with eachother's information in their scrolls... But the owner of a bar and grill will create fewer questions. If we need to set up another meeting, we send it to him, and he sends it to us." He said, casting a glance around. "Yes?" Everyone assented, "good. Does anyone have anything else?"
Torchwick raised a hand.
"Of course you do."
Torchwick grinned, as though he hadn't heard it. "A gift." He said, "a show of good faith." And he produced a glasses case from his pocket, tossing it to Aldric.
Aldric saw two clearly cybernetic eyes and ocular nerves inside the case, and it prompted him to look up at Torchwick, arcing an eyebrow. "Don't you need some major surgery in order to gt these installed?" He asked, cracking the case open with a pulse of his semblance, and picking up one of the eyes.
Torchwick scoffed, "hardly." He said, as Aldric saw the ocular nerve collapse into the mechanical eyeball itself. "Just put it in and it will do the rest. The Garden has very thorough connections, dear 'benefactor'." He turned to Ozpin, "indeed, I've a little something for everyone here, today. As a show of good faith."
"Oh?" Ozpin tilted his head, an amused grin playing his features, as Aldric debated the merits of trusting Torchwick in this instance.
"Indeed. Do you remember a certain starry night, about three years ago? Had quite a few books stolen from your personal library, if I recall."
Ozpin blinked, "you had something to do with that?"
Torchwick shook his head, "hardly. Rather I took over for the man who did so - he happens to be one of the men I mentioned wasting away in the Garden." He said, "but I would reccomend checking the... Oh..." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes dramatically, "seventeenth? I think - yes, seventeenth window from the left of the entrance. You'll find one of the floor tiles there to be far less secure than it looks, and the efforts of one rather determined group of criminals underneath it."
Ozpin hummed, as Aldric slid his glasses off and, as though he were inserting a contact lens, pried open his right eye with two fingers, and promptly slipped the metal orb inside. What followed was the single strangest and most foreign sensation he had ever felt in his life, as he felt something strange slither and snake through the empty space between the cybernetic eye and what remained of his organic ocular nerves. Aldric was morbidly fascinated by the fact that he was actually able to watch what was happening inside his head, thanks to his radar. The fake nerve he had seen in the case was growing back out and searching for what remained of what he'd been born with, and, once it was found, a moment later there was a harsh, stabbing pain, as the mechanical eye extended a needle and jabbed it into Aldric's nerve. It then appeared to 'grow' around it, enveloping the nerve until it almost appeared as though a spiderweb had been spun up around it.
"And for you, dear sir." Torchwick said, turning to Qrow.
"Oh this'll be good." Qrow crossed his arms as Aldric felt another series of sharp stabs in his right eye.
"Oh, I certainly hope it would." Said Torchwick, "because our mutual enemy has been using my contacts in Mistral. She seems rather keen on discovering the location of your former tribe... It may not be the worst idea to find out why."
"I'd second that." Taurus piped in, as a wash of color flooded Aldric's brain. "He's been told to search the city, but I've been told to have scouts search the country. She wants something from that tribe, but what she hasn't said."
"Consider..." Aldric added his two cents, as the color faded away and the eye began to activate. "What two things she's been doing ever since we've all known her." He straightened up, cradling the second eye in his metal palm. "And since Beacon isn't in Anima..."
"You think my sister has a Maiden." Qrow deadpanned, looking between the three.
"I'm an alien, we're all demon hunters, and more aliens shot down five Atlesian airships. It's not the strangest thing you've heard. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if she was a Maiden" And as he finished speaking, the eye finished booting up.
And promptly popped out of his skull.
Aldric caught it deftly, but turned to frown at Torchwick.
"What - you think you'd be able to perform software updates or mechanical fixes with it still inside your head?" Torchwick chuckled, "my dear boy, they're designed to be inserted and removed. It's far cheaper to give it to a mechanic than it is to have a surgeon remove it whenever you get hit on the head too hard."
Makes sense, actually. Aldric again slid the false eye into his head, and when it clicked into the bowl-like plate connected to his nerve, it sealed itself to it just like his arm would against his shoulder, and a moment later, he found himself seeing not only through his radar, but through his eye as well. Oh depth perception... Thought Aldric, as he rubbed his eye - his actual eye and not just an empty pit! How I've missed you.
He brandished the second eye, "thanks." Before he slid it into the remaining pit, and the strange process from before repeated itself.
"I'd recommend playing with it with your scroll. You'll find that it has far more useful features than just vision." Torchwick gave him a bow.
"Nothing for him?" Qrow nodded to Taurus.
"Oh, I already gave him his gift. Helped him fix a few problems with his little army" Torchwick smiled.
As Aldric's second eye booted up, he knew what Torchwick's real game was: Curry favor and good will from his new allies. It was the same game he'd been playing from the start, and joining this 'higher cause' of his wouldn't change the kind of man he was, merely give him opportunities to remain that man. But damn if he wasn't good at that game, Aldric would give him credit for that - the last he'd heard about his eyes, he wouldn't be seeing them until around the time people started streaming in for the Vytal festival. Somehow Torchwick had either moved him up on the list, or had thrown enough coin and favors around to get the work done faster.
Perhaps a bit of both... Aldric thought, as, with two eyes now again in his head and working, he looked up and saw the sky for the first time.
And something else, off in the distance, but drawing closer.
Aldric frowned, as conversations continued between Watchmen, and focused on it. Was it a bird? He didn't discount the possibility - what he'd read about the eyes made him understand that they were as good, if not better, than an eagle's eyes, so he'd be able to see something so small, so far. But as it grew closer, he found that it couldn't be a bird, it was too large, and angular, too many straight lines and not enough -
Oh fuck.
"Your have terribly fantastic timing, Torchwick." Aldric grunted, raising a hand and calling his weapons and effects to him.
This action put everyone on guard, but their eyes followed his gaze, where the one 'bird' was soon joined by a second, and those two by two more, and more, and more, all flying in a perfect formation.
"It can't be..." Ozpin breathed.
"It is." Aldric pointed at Taurus, "Taurus. Are you about to tell me you have no one of yours in this city?" He demanded.
Taurus blinked, but his confused expression was wiped away as he realized what Aldric was implying. "I can't be seen here." He warned.
"You don't have to be. Just wait until ten minutes after the bullets start flying, to give the air that you're merely being given information. Then order yours to help wherever they're needed. Evacuation, defense, attack, whathaveyou. You will garner a lot of support, potentially recruits and power, and Lady In Red can't get pissed, because either she doesn't know, or she hasn't let us know. Go."
Taurus nodded once, snatching his mask and his weapon from the AC unit and leaping off of the roof, grabbing Chainsword and sprinting away, as the planes grew ever closer.
Aldric turned to Torchwick, "favors." Torchwick turned down to him. "you can gain a lot if you play your cards right, today."
Torchwick grinned, and grabbed his own equipment. "I may not be able to help in the defense, but the aftermath..." He nodded, twirling his hat in one hand, and then planting it on his head. "I like the way you think, Mister Aldric." He spun on one foot and, just as Neo down below leapt up, having sensed the change in the air, he began his own flight from the area about to get bombed.
Aldric turned to Ozpin and Qrow, but didn't even have to say anything to them. "If they know anything, they will go for the tower." Ozpin said, firmly, grabbing his cane and his scroll, and opening the former.
"Their jets will." Aldric corrected, "but they'll only be the beginning. That's way more than sixteen, and it's been a month since we've heard from them. So we have to assume they're operating from somewhere. That this isn't an attack, this is an invasion."
"I don't..." Ozpin frowned, as several Vale fighter ships launched from the ground and began rushing up to meet the terran jets. "Disagree." The airships hardly made it a kilometer into the sky before they were destroyed by a hail of missiles, and then the terran jets began breaking formation - no doubt half of them surging down to Vale proper, to take out targets of importance, while the rest surged towards Beacon.
Ozpin hit a button on his scroll, and then air raid sirens began sounding throughout all of Vale.
Aldric, meanwhile, pulled out his own scroll, and opened it up, but not to call his team or to summon his locker.
No, he dialed Cinder.
It wasn't any surprise that she picked up quickly, "what is it?"
"Are you outside?"
"No."
"Get out of the ship, and look up. Tell me I'm dreaming." He said, nodding to Qrow and Ozpin, and then leaping into the sky, hurtling towards Beacon.
"Why would I do that, Aldric?"
"Are you in the ship?"
"Yes."
"Then get out before the entire United States Airforce BLOWS IT UP, LADY!"
"Excuse me?!" Bingo: Salem had to be compartmentalizing all of this. Cinder never sounded pissed quite like that, except when something wasn't going according to plan. "Isn't that your..." She said over the sound of footsteps, before trailing off when she no doubt got to a mirror and looked up. "Home..."
"ET phoned home, hot stuff!" Aldric hollered over the rushing air, "you have any fucking idea what's going on?!"
"None at all, Aldric -" Her voice grew more distant as she raised it, "Mercury! Mercury we need to get out!"
"Huh?" He heard, even more distant than hers. "Why?"
"Lady, only people I know can cross universes are the ones I'm working for. How can you not know how an entire fucking army of jets are flying through the air right now?!" Aldric righted himself and landed heavily at the airship landing pads at Beacon, before removing the phone from his face and opening the rocket-locker app.
No... Wait. He turned around, frowning. They see lockers launching, they'll - yup. No sooner than had the idea occured to him than did some poor student launch their locker to them, and as it curved towards Vale, the jets saw it, locked onto it once it entered their range, and blew it out of the sky.
"They came loaded for bear, lady! They're shooting the students' lockers out of the sky!" He added, taking off again, flying low to the ground now as he hurtled towards the locker room, the jets now passing directly over the city and mere minutes away from Beacon.
"Aldric, I assure you I know nothing of this."
"Is that permission to keep up my Ash disguise? Because I can't ignore this call!" Aldric hollered, as he zoomed over confused students pouring out of their dorms and classrooms and squinting up at the sky, trying to figure out what was happening to warrant the air raid sirens; and as he did so, more students spending their weekend in Vale summoned more lockers, but they too were blown out of the sky, soon joined by explosions on the ground, as jets passed over the city and took out Vale military installations, probably police stations too, if Aldric had to guess. Whatever would hinder the ground forces that had to be coming.
And then Cinder said, "do what you have to. Whatever is happening, this is a good opportunity for Goud." She said, over the sound of an explosion on her end. "But Mercury and I cannot be seen in Vale yet. Not until students come in for the festival. We will be retreating to the Garden."
"Good luck, Hot Stuff." And Aldric killed the scroll and landed with a crash in front of the locker room, where more ill-fated lockers were launching.
"Students of Beacon Academy." Aldric heard Ozpin's voice over the loudspeakers, as he rushed inside, sliding his coat from his arms and abandoning it on the ground. "This is not a drill. Vale is under attack from an unknown enemy. They have aerial superiority and are firing on any and all airborne objects. Do not summon your lockers to your location, as they will be shot down and your weapons destroyed. Retrieve your weapons personally.
"Do not report to the landing platforms, the enemy is focusing their attack on targets of opportunity, specifically those that would allow direct air to air combat." He continued, as Aldric found his locker and practically tore the door off of it, to reveal the red white and blue disc inside. "Anyone with anti-aircraft capabilities report to the main hall. Anyone with flight capabilities, report to the main hall. Anyone lacking in those two qualities, report to the cafeteria where our staff will provide you with your orders." Aldric noticed that Ecru's Lovely Lady had been deployed, as he slid the shield onto his arm, and then broke the White Cane off of his lightsaber. "This is not a drill. This is not a drill."
Aldric sprinted back outside, wondering what would behoove him more: To follow Ozpin's instructions and report to the main hall, or to lead the attack. But when he got outside, and saw the horde of students sprinting towards him, recognizing some of them, one look up told him what his immediate action had to be, and made him realize that this attack was far less off the cuff than he initially thought, it had been planned, and thoroughly at that. Moreover, Aldric realized that this wasn't just an attack and it wasn't just an invasion: It had to be a blitzkrieg. The terran military intended to overwhelm Vale's capacity to resist against them in its entirety and then dominate them before they could get on a proper defensive footing, because they knew even one properly armed huntsman could play hell with their plans.
And there was no better proof of this than half of the jets heading for Beacon broke off from their approach of the main tower.
Hurtling straight towards the locker rooms.
"SCATTER!" Aldric screamed to the approaching students, as more than a dozen jets launched more than a dozen missiles.
Some had the reflexes to duck and cover, most of them being the upper classmen, whereas the rest made the mistake of looking over their heads to see what it was Aldric was screaming about, or continued running forward. As showers of missiles came screaming through the air, right towards all of them, ready to turn them all into a cloud of red paste and a crater of scattered limbs.
Oh this is going to hurt! Aldric clenched his jaw, grasped of both of the shield straps and thrust it forward, reaching out with his semblance until he felt the missiles entering his awareness, one by one.
He grunted with exertion and pain as he clenched his gut tightly, and grabbed ahold of every one of the missiles, mid-flight. But where he wanted them to stop fast, they were only slowed - and were still making their way down, their speed noticeably lessened but their progress still clear and still visible.
And as some of the jets pulled up and passed them by, clearing the way for others to launch their payloads, meaning only more missiles were coming.
He couldn't stop them.