Day 4 End - With Cinder
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AndrewJTalon
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The dimly lit war room beneath Vale's abandoned warehouse district hummed with tension, the air thick with the acrid scent of Dust residue and stale cigar smoke from Roman Torchwick's ever-present habit. Holographic screens flickered, displaying news feeds and satellite imagery of Mount Glenn: a massive crater where the White Fang base and the hijacked train had once been. Shockingly, reports confirmed all White Fang operatives had escaped—warned away just in time. Cinder Fall stood rigid, her amber eyes fixed on the black void where her meticulously laid plan now lay in ruins.
Mercury Black leaned over her shoulder, whistling low. "Well… that's not good."
Roman paced, his cane tapping furiously against the concrete floor. "FUCK! Are you kidding me?! You know how much that Dust cost?! Do you?!"
Neo, silent as ever, signed a large sum with exaggerated gestures.
"AT LEAST!" Roman roared, throwing his hands up.
Cinder's fists clenched, flames flickering at her fingertips, but her voice remained cold. "Enough."
Iridescent, lounging nearby with her scroll, typed calmly, her expression unreadable.
Roman whirled on her. "And the new girl isn't paying any attention! Big help you fucking are! Brought in a lot of mercenaries who haven't done jack shit—!"
Iridescent's hand shot up, phasing through Roman's chest like mist. She looked up, all smiles, even as Neo drew her knife in a blur.
"You need to do your best to protect your heart, don't you?" Iridescent purred, her grip intangible yet threatening.
Roman gurgled. "Urk… I-I didn't mean anything—!"
"IRIDESCENT! Enough! Let him go!" Cinder barked.
"As you wish." Iridescent yanked her hand free. Roman staggered back, gasping. Neo's knife remained poised, her mismatched eyes glaring.
"Neo… stand down," Cinder ordered.
Neo scowled, glanced at Roman—he grimaced but nodded—and lowered her blade.
Mercury snorted, rolling his eyes. "So I'm assuming you still have a plan then?"
Cinder's gaze returned to the crater imagery. "I do have a backup."
Iridescent's smile widened. "Yes… please, tell them, Lady Cinder! Does it involve your twins?"
Silence fell, thick and heavy.
Cinder's voice was steel. "…Yes. We're going to take Arc hostage—using them."
Roman's eyes widened. "You'd use your own children…"
"Yes," Cinder said flatly. "To accomplish the mission."
Iridescent clapped softly. "Oh, splendid! But if I may, Lady Cinder? I have a suggestion. From what I can see, while the base and train were destroyed… the special Grimm in the mountain were not disturbed."
She gestured to a screen, pulling up seismic data and old schematics. "They're still there. Dormant."
Mercury leaned in. "…Wait, back up. How are we using the kids?"
Iridescent's eyes gleamed. "It's quite simple! Lady Cinder did say she wanted to meet with Arc at some point, yes? We use them to arrange the meeting. No doubt Ozpin's forces will be there, ready to spring into action…"
Cinder frowned. "Yes…"
"But I have a plan for that," Iridescent continued smoothly. "You see… the camera network in Vale is still ours. They keep forcing us out, but I'm still getting data." She pulled up footage: Jaune and Winter in a café, Theodore appearing via glyph. "His son asks for a boost of Arc's Semblance. It increases Aura—and massively increases the power of your Semblance."
Roman crossed his arms. "So? How does that help us?"
Iridescent's smile turned predatory. "Very simple. We're going to try to kill ourselves."
Mercury blinked. "…Say what?"
Cinder's eyes narrowed. "You'll have to run that by me again."
"It's very simple!" Iridescent repeated, delighted. "Arc clearly cares about you. About your children. His Semblance can heal any injury and supercharge our powers. If both of us are nearly fatally wounded while meeting with him, he will heal us… and supercharge our powers."
She spread her hands. "After that? We can take care of the rest of our plans."
Roman rubbed his temples. "And our mercenaries? What are they gonna be doing?"
"All in good time, my dear Roman," Iridescent purred. "All in good time."
She turned to Cinder. "After all… your reactions need to be genuine for the plan to work. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Cinder? The director gets the best reactions out of their actors when they don't know everything that's going to happen."
Cinder's gaze was distant, calculating. "…Yes. We all have our roles we must play out."
"We will need to time this carefully," she added.
Roman groaned. "Still, ya know, if they know the future—"
"The future, clearly, can be changed," Cinder said coldly. "Which means we are now more unpredictable."
Mercury whistled. "Hey, um… small problem. A) We don't know if the others would let him heal any of us—kids' opinion be damned, since we're trying to destroy everyone and everything they love. It'd be stupid of them to heal us just so some kids don't cry. B) Even if he cares about her, that doesn't extend to any of us. What's stopping them from healing Cinder with loads of terms and conditions, then leaving us to die?"
Iridescent's smile didn't waver. "Because I've looked at Arc's eyes. Look at them closely." She pulled up a close-up still of Jaune with his son. "See what's in his eyes when he looks at his child."
Cinder's voice was soft. "…Love."
"Yes," Iridescent said. "He loves his son. He looked at you like that, didn't he, Lady Cinder?"
Cinder swallowed. "…Yes."
"Love is his strength," Iridescent continued, "and his weakness. And we'll use it to get him. And of course, Lord Zaroff will provide fire support for the next phase of the plan."
Roman raised an eyebrow. "And… that is?"
"Kill the Maiden," Iridescent said simply. "Get Raven under our control… and let loose the Wyvern on Vale."
She smiled wider. "When this is done, we will have the powers of two Maidens—and the most powerful Grimm in Vale under our control. After that? I believe you will have no further questions. Just demands of the authorities who jailed you and dismissed you as a mere thug."
Roman exhaled slowly. "Yes… and Arc?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Iridescent said. "With him as our trump card, Ozpin won't be able to move against us. We'll have all the power… Isn't that right, Lady Cinder?"
Cinder's eyes burned with renewed fire. "…Yes. Yes it is."
The war room fell silent, the holographic crater on Mount Glenn a stark reminder of their setback—and the dangerous new path ahead.
---
Just an insert for the end of Day 4. The story is still alive!
Mercury Black leaned over her shoulder, whistling low. "Well… that's not good."
Roman paced, his cane tapping furiously against the concrete floor. "FUCK! Are you kidding me?! You know how much that Dust cost?! Do you?!"
Neo, silent as ever, signed a large sum with exaggerated gestures.
"AT LEAST!" Roman roared, throwing his hands up.
Cinder's fists clenched, flames flickering at her fingertips, but her voice remained cold. "Enough."
Iridescent, lounging nearby with her scroll, typed calmly, her expression unreadable.
Roman whirled on her. "And the new girl isn't paying any attention! Big help you fucking are! Brought in a lot of mercenaries who haven't done jack shit—!"
Iridescent's hand shot up, phasing through Roman's chest like mist. She looked up, all smiles, even as Neo drew her knife in a blur.
"You need to do your best to protect your heart, don't you?" Iridescent purred, her grip intangible yet threatening.
Roman gurgled. "Urk… I-I didn't mean anything—!"
"IRIDESCENT! Enough! Let him go!" Cinder barked.
"As you wish." Iridescent yanked her hand free. Roman staggered back, gasping. Neo's knife remained poised, her mismatched eyes glaring.
"Neo… stand down," Cinder ordered.
Neo scowled, glanced at Roman—he grimaced but nodded—and lowered her blade.
Mercury snorted, rolling his eyes. "So I'm assuming you still have a plan then?"
Cinder's gaze returned to the crater imagery. "I do have a backup."
Iridescent's smile widened. "Yes… please, tell them, Lady Cinder! Does it involve your twins?"
Silence fell, thick and heavy.
Cinder's voice was steel. "…Yes. We're going to take Arc hostage—using them."
Roman's eyes widened. "You'd use your own children…"
"Yes," Cinder said flatly. "To accomplish the mission."
Iridescent clapped softly. "Oh, splendid! But if I may, Lady Cinder? I have a suggestion. From what I can see, while the base and train were destroyed… the special Grimm in the mountain were not disturbed."
She gestured to a screen, pulling up seismic data and old schematics. "They're still there. Dormant."
Mercury leaned in. "…Wait, back up. How are we using the kids?"
Iridescent's eyes gleamed. "It's quite simple! Lady Cinder did say she wanted to meet with Arc at some point, yes? We use them to arrange the meeting. No doubt Ozpin's forces will be there, ready to spring into action…"
Cinder frowned. "Yes…"
"But I have a plan for that," Iridescent continued smoothly. "You see… the camera network in Vale is still ours. They keep forcing us out, but I'm still getting data." She pulled up footage: Jaune and Winter in a café, Theodore appearing via glyph. "His son asks for a boost of Arc's Semblance. It increases Aura—and massively increases the power of your Semblance."
Roman crossed his arms. "So? How does that help us?"
Iridescent's smile turned predatory. "Very simple. We're going to try to kill ourselves."
Mercury blinked. "…Say what?"
Cinder's eyes narrowed. "You'll have to run that by me again."
"It's very simple!" Iridescent repeated, delighted. "Arc clearly cares about you. About your children. His Semblance can heal any injury and supercharge our powers. If both of us are nearly fatally wounded while meeting with him, he will heal us… and supercharge our powers."
She spread her hands. "After that? We can take care of the rest of our plans."
Roman rubbed his temples. "And our mercenaries? What are they gonna be doing?"
"All in good time, my dear Roman," Iridescent purred. "All in good time."
She turned to Cinder. "After all… your reactions need to be genuine for the plan to work. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Cinder? The director gets the best reactions out of their actors when they don't know everything that's going to happen."
Cinder's gaze was distant, calculating. "…Yes. We all have our roles we must play out."
"We will need to time this carefully," she added.
Roman groaned. "Still, ya know, if they know the future—"
"The future, clearly, can be changed," Cinder said coldly. "Which means we are now more unpredictable."
Mercury whistled. "Hey, um… small problem. A) We don't know if the others would let him heal any of us—kids' opinion be damned, since we're trying to destroy everyone and everything they love. It'd be stupid of them to heal us just so some kids don't cry. B) Even if he cares about her, that doesn't extend to any of us. What's stopping them from healing Cinder with loads of terms and conditions, then leaving us to die?"
Iridescent's smile didn't waver. "Because I've looked at Arc's eyes. Look at them closely." She pulled up a close-up still of Jaune with his son. "See what's in his eyes when he looks at his child."
Cinder's voice was soft. "…Love."
"Yes," Iridescent said. "He loves his son. He looked at you like that, didn't he, Lady Cinder?"
Cinder swallowed. "…Yes."
"Love is his strength," Iridescent continued, "and his weakness. And we'll use it to get him. And of course, Lord Zaroff will provide fire support for the next phase of the plan."
Roman raised an eyebrow. "And… that is?"
"Kill the Maiden," Iridescent said simply. "Get Raven under our control… and let loose the Wyvern on Vale."
She smiled wider. "When this is done, we will have the powers of two Maidens—and the most powerful Grimm in Vale under our control. After that? I believe you will have no further questions. Just demands of the authorities who jailed you and dismissed you as a mere thug."
Roman exhaled slowly. "Yes… and Arc?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Iridescent said. "With him as our trump card, Ozpin won't be able to move against us. We'll have all the power… Isn't that right, Lady Cinder?"
Cinder's eyes burned with renewed fire. "…Yes. Yes it is."
The war room fell silent, the holographic crater on Mount Glenn a stark reminder of their setback—and the dangerous new path ahead.
---
Just an insert for the end of Day 4. The story is still alive!