Yellow

Written by Red, read more of his stuff here. http://www.writerscafe.org/Virak123

Every nation in the world has undergone significant change at some point in its existence, for better or for worse. In the last two centuries, no nation had faced greater change than the People’s Republic Of China. The country had gone from one faced by exploitation and poverty to a global superpower that dominated entire regions. No longer were China’s major cities covered in vast slums and poverty. These cities became covered in modernization; skyscrapers and highways littered cities like Beijing and Shanghai, their people rich and prosperous in every sense of the word. The Chinese government welcomed this new era of prosperity with open arms and wide pockets. However, like every supposed utopia, there was always the darker sides of society lurking just below the surface. In the city of Hong Kong, one Hei Xiong, a.k.a. Junior, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Junior had been an enterprising sort ever since he was a young kid growing up in Beijing. While some with talents such as his would start up their own business or put their talents to better use, Hei was never one to take what was in his eyes the easy way out. He’d stayed relatively legitimate up until his graduation from university, when he’d been enlisted to help the local Triads on account of his natural talent and business degree. It helped that his father had connections. The young man had rapidly risen through the ranks until he ran a small chunk of the Triad’s less-than-legal business ventures in the formerly British city. While drug and weapons trafficking was simple for him, his best enterprise just so happened to be the slave trade. In particular, Hei Xiong’s slave fights were extremely well-known throughout the Hong Kong underworld. His club was quite exclusive and only the most elite of the underworld (and some of the more legitimate businessmen as well) were allowed in to watch the fights. It just so happens that Hei currently had a fight coming up. He smiled to himself as he thought about it and the participants. This would be one hell of a fight, one hell of a fight indeed. 

The young man gently moved his way through the attendants, trying to not suffocate on the excessive amount of cologne and perfume those around him were wearing. He hated formal events and disliked the types of people such events attracted; unfortunately, a part of his job description just so happened to include the need to attend such parties. No job was perfect and Second Lieutenant Jan Longwei knew this better than anyone. He’d been part of the Ministry of State Security, China’s well-known intelligence agency, for fifteen years and in that time he’d done a lot of things he’d hated as part of his job. But this assignment was particularly loathsome. Not only did he have to mingle with a bunch of stuffed suits and all manner of rich types, he’d also been ordered to remain in a strict surveillance capacity. This, of course, meant that he had to sit back and watch the underworld’s slaves pummel each other to death while he couldn’t do a thing. The only real reason he was here was to observe a supposed meeting between the head of Vale Inc., Roman Torchwick, and the head of this particular slave ring, one Hei Xiong. While infiltrating something like this was usually a job for the HKPD, it was the fact that the world’s biggest pharmaceutical corporations potentially had connections with the Chinese Triads that caused the government to intervene through the MSS. The Big Five, a group to which Vale Inc belonged too, were well-known as the near complete rulers of the world (as cliche as that was). Very few could escape their control; even the United States and the United Kingdom had fallen under their iron grip. China was one of those few and, as a result, held open hostility against the group. The country had taken a hit from isolating themselves from massive companies that controlled nearly every other business but both Russia and Germany had come to the country’s assistance. It helped that relations between the three were relatively friendly.Jan’s bosses had managed to get the agent the equivalent of a VIP pass to the fight, giving him a prime seat that gave him a view of Hei’s own personal viewbox but also gave him an exceptional view of the fight arena. Jan Longwei was no stranger to violence, the 35 year old having been in the military fighting terrorists and insurgents when he was younger before being recruited to the MSS, but he hated the idea that people were forced to fight each other for the enjoyment of others. Jan had begged his bosses to allow him a strike team in order to rescue the slaves but he’d been denied on the grounds that it was too risky; given the reach of the Triads and their potential allies, it was likely that such a large-scale operation would be discovered easily. So, that had led Jan to his current position, much to his disappointment. Luckily for the officer, it didn’t take long for one of his two targets to show up; Xiong strood into the center of the stage with a confident swagger that made Jan sick to his stomach in anger. The fact that the man could treat a thing such as this with such a casual attitude infuriated him. As the man cleared his throat, Jan Longwei settled in for the long haul, trying hard to ignore the sudden small yet nagging feeling of apprehension slowly growing in the back of his mind.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention! Welcome to my little fight club!” Hei Xiong announced, his arms spread wide. He wasn’t really big on theatrics, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy making an entrance like this. As he looked around at all those in attendance, he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly to himself. He recognized quite a few of the faces present, Chinese ruling elites who publically condemn everything the Triads dealt in yet privately enjoy the very things they condemned. Hei always found it funny how that worked. To be honest, neither Junior nor his bosses really cared what most of those people felt (although friendly relations and bribes never hurt) as long as they got the money they were owed. Luckily for Hei, his slave fights were one of the biggest money earners; it was amazing how much people pay to watch others beat the crap out of each other, especially if they’re enslaved. He’d thrown his moral compass away a long time ago, knowing that it would only hamper any and all of his future actions with the Triads. He couldn’t really complain of course, he drew a sort of sick enjoyment from watching the fights he put on; it was one of the main reasons he’d installed his own personal view box with the best seat in the house.

“We have quite a special fight planned for you all tonight, one that I’m sure you won’t soon forget!” Hei shouted, a chorus of claps and cheers roaring out in response. Hei swept his arm to the left, acting very much like a legitimate announcer at an equally legitimate fight. “To my left, we have our very own Mo Bai!” On cue, a tall and extremely muscular man walked out from the shadows of one tunnel, his wrists and ankles shackled with two armed Triads flanking him on either side. Mo Bai had been here ever since Junior had taken control of the slave ring. The guy had been relatively average when Hei had arrived, but he’d noticed that the guy had quite a bit of promise. As a result, he’d invested a lot of time and money training Bai until he was one of the best slave fighters the Triad’s, and Hei in particular, owned. People payed a lot of money to see a good fight, whether they were legitimate professional boxers or human slaves; to Hei, it seemed like people payed a lot more to see illegal fights. He just guessed it was because there weren’t any rules to restrict the entertainment. 

“And to my right is the flame serpent herself, Yang Xiao Long!” There was a brief bout of silence, so quiet that anyone could hear a pin drop. Eventually, the low clank of chains began emanating throughout the arena. The noise, combined with the complete silence, added to the growing ominous atmosphere.  After what seemed like an eternity, a girl in chains slowly walked out of the shadows; unlike Mo Bai, she was escorted by no one. She was dressed in what seemed to be very cheap clothes, although these didn’t  seem like they’d be suitable for even the most desperate person in need. Her bright blonde hair, clearly long at one point, was short and ragged; it appeared like it’d been cut by a knife or at the very least old, dull scissors. Her lilac eyes, dulled over and any emotion inside long gone, darted around the arena inspecting their surroundings before resting on Junior and Mo Bai. Both men reflexively flinched at the girl’s actions, not because of what those eyes held but for the exact opposite fact that they held nothing. No anger, no hatred, nothing. Out of all the fighters Junior managed, only Yang Xiao Long truly scared him. To be honest, he had no idea where she’d came from; the girl had been here when Hei took control. As the girl approached them, he couldn’t help but remember the first time he’d seen Yang Xiao Long fight. Long story short, they had to scrap what was left of the guy off of the walls and floor. If it wasn’t for Junior’s special guest, he would never risk a fight between an investment like Mo Bai and a merciless dragon like Xiao Long. As Junior bowed and left to his view box, he nodded at the referee to begin.

“Alright, you two. I’m sure I don’t have to explain the rules to you. Hell, the only real rule is to put on a good show for our guests. You get me?” the referee said, standing between the towering giant and the dead-eyed blonde. The former grunted what sounded like an acknowledgement while Yang simply nodded. As the referee backed away to get the fight started, he had a feeling that this bout would be a lot more than anyone bargained for.

As he twirled his cane, waiting for his host to show up, Roman Torchwick began wondering why he was here exactly. Sure, he understood his orders: make contact with a high-ranking Triad officer, strike whatever deal would be appropriate, and from there branch out through the Chinese underworld. Eventually, in theory, all this wheeling and dealing with a little extra on the side would eventually undermine the Chinese government and allow the ‘Big Five’ (Roman personally thought that the nickname was a little underwhelming) to move in and take subtle control like they’d done nearly everywhere else. However, Torchwick also knew that things rarely went according to plan. He’d been setting up plenty of backups just in case but even then the CEO wasn’t entirely sure those would work. Sometimes the last resort was the one and only option. Nevertheless, Roman remained optimistic and tried to make sure this little deal would go as smoothly as possible. The sound of footsteps alerted Roman and the man reflexively tensed until he saw his host, Hei ‘Junior’ Xiong. From what he’d read on the way here, Hei was in charge of a highly successful Triad slave fighting ring based here in Hong Kong. Apparently, they were famous in the underworld and even among China’s rich & famous. That particular fact presented plenty of potential future opportunities to the devious company head, ones that he’d likely exploit sooner rather than later if he had anything to say about it. 

“Ah, Mr. Torchwick! So sorry to keep you waiting, had to help set up our entertainment for the evening” Hei said, extending his hand in greeting. Roman reciprocated the gesture, unfazed about the what the entertainment really was. In his time as CEO of a world-spanning pharmaceutical corporation, he’d seen plenty worse than two human slaves beating the crap out of each other.

“No need to apologize, Mr. Xiong, I understand perfectly. Hosting a guest always requires everything to be perfect” Roman answered, throwing in a handwave for emphasis. In reality, Roman was more than a little irritated. He wasn’t a man to be kept waiting and certainly wasn’t known for his patience, but the whole point of this little meeting was to establish friendly relations and gain potential allies. Roman may be impatient, but even he knew that treating someone as influential as Hei Xiong like he would usually treat someone below him would only hinder his efforts. 

“I’m sure this entertainment you’ve organized will live up to your establishment’s reputation” Roman said as both he and Hei made their way to their seats. The Triad boss simply smirked and released a small chuckle.

“Oh, I’m sure it will exceed your expectations. I’ve put two of my best on the roster tonight” he answered as the arrived at the viewbox entrance. Roman followed the man onto what was essentially a fancy and ornate balcony, complete with rather expensive looking furniture and a tray holding what appeared to be scotch or whisky.

“Gotta hand it to him, even though his place is a shithole, he at least has some taste” Roman mused thoughtfully before his eyes fell on two women standing by the door, one in a fancy and expensive looking white dress with various accessories including a large hairpin in the shape of a white flower while the other wore an equally fancy and expensive dress and accessories only instead of a hairpin she wore red and white feathers in her hair. Roman’s eyebrow cocked as he realized who exactly he was looking at.

“Ah, the infamous Malachite twins. Enforcers loyal only to Junior. Dangerous as enemies but they could be useful if all goes well tonight. Project material, maybe?”  he thought as he looked them over, although both girls ignored him, or at the very least seemed to be. He caught subtle glimpses in his direction but they seemed more curious than hostile. As Roman took the seat offered to him by Junior, he made one more quick glance in the twin’s direction.

“Eh, they’d definitely need some mental conditioning both ways to break their loyalty and switch it over, maybe even some augments. Nonetheless, I’ll bring this up to Raven next time I see her” Roman thought has he took a glass of what was definitely scotch from the tray. Project Remnant was always looking for new ‘volunteers’ and Roman had a feeling Raven would readily accept the sisters. That woman and her endless schemes and plans always unnerved Torchwick, something that not many could claim, not even Cinder. As Roman looked out over the arena, he watched as a referee finished talking to an overly large Chinese mand and a younger girl with short, ragged blonde hair. 

“You sure those are your best fighters? Seems a little mismatched to me” Roman asked Hei, who took a long sip from his glass. Much to Roman’s annoyance, the Triad simply offered up yet another chuckle. 

“Last week, some rich kid thought the same thing when he saw her. Demanded he fight her. I told him it’d end badly, but the guy was insistent. So I let him, especially with all the cash he waved in my face” Hei said, taking another drink from his glass and intentionally leaving the story unfinished. Roman just watched him, waiting for the guy to continue. This amused Hei to no end. 

“If I remember correctly, he ended up with a shattered jaw, broken nose, several broken ribs, a leg that was definitely NOT supposed to bend at the angle it was at, and a severed hand” Hei said nonchalantly, silently laughing at Roman’s pale and dumbfounded expression.

“That girl did THAT? The hell do you feed her?!” Roman said, legitimately shocked that a slave fighter could do that much damage. 

“The best part was that I got to keep the guys money! Bought some nice stuff with it too” Junior exclaimed happily, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had actually let some poor kid basically be crippled for life. As the exchange ended and the two began watching the beginnings of the fight, Junior failed to notice the mad grin slowly spreading across Roman Torchwick’s face as he watched the blond girl in particular.

“Looks like Raven’ll be getting three new toys this time”

Jan had to admit, as much as he hated the fact that he had to watch this fight, that the Yang Xiao Long girl was quite an impressive fighter. She was not only holding her own against a significantly larger opponent but it was clear to even the most stubborn viewers that the girl was winning. Sure, she took a few hits from Mo Bai but at the same time Jan had watched her repay whatever damage the larger man did almost tenfold. He could tell that Junior knew it too, as he’d seen the man subtly tense every time Yang had landed a hit against her opponent; although it was clear that the Triad leader favoured Mo Bai, it was clear that the man had little faith in his golden boy by now. However, Hei’s special guest was a completely different story. Vale Inc.’s CEO Roman Torchwick appeared to favour no one and simply appeared to be relishing in the carnage. Given the man’s infamous reputation, the MSS agent wasn’t all that surprised. Seeing nothing overly suspicious for the time being, Longwei decided to focus on the fight, Yang in particular. The blonde fighter moved with a fluidity that he rarely saw even among his best close-combat instructors yet at the same time she was relentless and, if given a chance, wouldn’t hesitate to kill her opponent. 

Jan winced as he watched a vicious right hook from Mo Bai connect with Yang’s cheek, tossing her hard across the arena. The girl laid still for a moment before staggering to her feet and spitting out a large glob of blood. Both combatants stood still for a moment, as if time ground to a halt. Before anyone could react, Yang rushed forward and collided like a truck into Mo Bai, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying into the barricade behind him. Before the man could recover, the blonde girl was instantly on the man, raining blow after blow all over his torso and face; both areas quickly became black and purple from the sheer amount of broken and burst blood vessels underneath the skin. The muscular man tried desperately  to fight back but before he could even swing, several large cracks resounded across the arena. Jan recognized that immediately as the sound of broken bones but he was astonished all the same.

“She disabled his arms before he even tried to strike?! Her reaction time and perception is amazing!” he thought, wincing even more as Yang bashed Mo Bai over and over, now completely unimpeded. Longwei looked to Junior’s viewbox, trying to gauge the emotions and reactions of the two occupants. Junior was clearly mortified at the scene in front of him and, frankly, was likely terrified of Yang herself; to be honest, Jan wasn’t overly surprised. Even to him, the girl was unnerving and it was likely that she could beat him in a one-on-one fight, something he was specialized at. Roman, however, had a completely different disposition. The CEO was on the edge of his seat, his eyes wide with joy and a jubilant grin on his face. Jan almost expected him to jump over the railing and join the fray. He could also feel the overall mood of the crowd. Frankly, he wasn’t surprised. The rich around him would clearly be unaccustomed to the level of violence displayed before them; Jan had noticed what seemed like some ex-military types however so he doubted they were affected as much. Before long, it was clear that Mo Bai wouldn’t be getting back up. His face was almost completely destroyed, both arms and a leg twisted at odd angles. His wheezing breath was almost certainly an indication of a punctured lung. His body was almost entirely different shades of blue and black; barely a trace of undamaged skin was visible. All the while, Yang Xiao Long stood over the crumpled form with the look of a predatory animal in her eyes; Jan couldn’t help but find himself shaking at a look such as hers from someone Yang’s age. He hated it but at the same time drew a small measure of satisfaction from the fact that Junior’s favorite was nothing but dust now. That satisfaction only grew as Jan looked to the man-in-charge himself, amused at the terrified look on his face.

Hei couldn’t believe this. His golden boy, his money maker. Tossed around like paper by a girl who he dwarfed and should have easily outmatched. Yet there he was, a heap of broken flesh curled up in the corner of the arena, looking like complete crap and currently facing a very good likelihood of being unsalvageable. Hei had to stop himself from jumping back in terror when the blazing lilac eyes of Yang Xiao Long turned to him, boring into him with a desire to kill. The man calmed himself by quickly downing two glasses of scotch he’d poured for himself when it seemed like Mo Bai was losing. 

“Having some trouble, Mr. Xiong? You look like quite pale” Roman said, snapping Hei out of his shocked state.

“N...no, sir. I’m fine” Junior told the man, putting on the best fake smile he could muster. He knew that Roman easily saw through it but it was better to put on a confident front then to show his true emotions.Hei nearly fell out of his chair when Roman unexpectedly leaped up from his chair, a wicked smile on his face.

“Wonderful! Come than. I wish to speak with your fighter!” Roman said, picking up and twirling his cane for emphasis. Hei didn’t really like the sound of that; he’d been getting bad vibes from the CEO ever since the man had shown up. He never trusted men like Roman, even if he was to do business with them. The man didn’t have much choice in following his guest, considering the man was already out the door, so he followed, making sure to grab the gun he’d stashed under his chair. It never hurt to have a little insurance after all.

Roman was ecstatic. It had been quite a long time since he’d seen a fight like that. The ferocity, the brutality of it all. Roman positively loved it. He knew Raven would have a test candidate more than worthy for the project. This Yang Xiao Long could potentially be the best agent they’d ever have. As he walked towards the arena, Roman could hear Xiong struggling to keep up. He had to admit, the Triad knew how to put on one hell of a show; all things considered, the trip to Hong Kong might end well for both parties after all. Especially if he managed to get his hands on Xiao Long; sure, he’d get the twins as a bonus (whether Xiong liked it or not) but getting that blonde brawler was one of his paramount objectives. Roman walked in just as the arena medics (what he presumed to be medics, anyway) hauled the piece of meat that was once Mo Bai away to God knows where; Roman didn’t give a crap but it was interesting to think what Junior would do with his broken boy all the same. Meanwhile. Yang was being re-chained and led back towards the tunnel she’d come from at the beginning. Knowing that privacy would be paramount given the surroundings, he moved to intercept the chained blonde once they were in the shade of the tunnel entrance. 

“Hold it, hold it! I want to talk to her” Roman told the slaver leading Yang away, holding his cane in front of the man to emphasize his point. The slaver tensed up at the unexpected interruption and Roman noticed him reaching for what he assumed was a gun but relaxed when Hei gave him a nod, indicating that it was alright. Roman scoffed internally; even if the man had pulled a gun, Roman would have ended it before anyone could even blink. He found it interesting, however, that Yang simply glared at him; barely contained rage blazed behind the girl’s eyes, rage Roman was only to happy to utilize.

“Well, hello there Miss Xiao Long. My name is Roman Torchwick, a guest of your owner. I must say, your fight was absolutely wonderful. It had me on the edge of my seat! Your fighting style is particularly interesting; a combination of brute force and agility, rarely have I seen something like that work so well” Roman told the girl, hand held behind his back and his cane set on the ground. While he may be unorthodox and obnoxious (according to Cinder, anyway), Roman was no fool. He was set up so he could quickly react to anything Yang could potentially throw at him; judging by the hateful glare she directed at him, she was just barely containing herself. The chains on her arms and legs wouldn’t hold her, Torchwick knew this. He was just hoping to minimize any potential damage. 

“In fact, I was so impressed that I decided to come down here and make you an offer, one that I’m sure you’ll find interesting” Roman told the girl, amused when he noticed her glare soften slightly in curiosity. The man could still feel the tension of Hei and the slaver beside Yang, but at this point they were nothing more than background objects. 

“You see, a program is being run jointly by both my own company and one of my compatriots, one that I feel you’d be perfect for. I can’t discuss the full specifics in public, as I’m sure you understand, but the benefits far outweigh the con. What do you say?” Roman asked, holding out his hand. Of course, he had a backup in case this little meeting didn’t go as planned but he more than hoped to avoid that. He’d rather not end up like Hei’s ex-golden boy.

Yang simply looked at Roman’s hand with a blank look, the previous tinge of curiosity gone from her face. She looked back up at Roman, his false smile holding strong against a rather awkward situation. The girl then flashed a quick glance behind the man, making Hei reflexively flinch when her gaze rested on him. The girl’s gaze finally settled back on Torchwick, who’s previously solid façade had begun to crack from irritation and impatience.

A small smirk stretched across Yang’s face, a slight scoff admitting from her. Suddenly, before anyone could react, Torchwick flew back courtesy of Yang’s foot to his chest. The man jammed his cane into the ground and skidded across the dirt floor. Hei and the slaver in charge of Yang’s chains simply stood there in shock, unable to process what had happened. However, Roman’s reaction was even more surprising. The man simply got up, brushed himself off, checked his cane over, and stared back into Yang’s angry glare.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice” Roman said nonchalantly, as if someone had bumped into him while on the street. He began walking back towards the small group, chuckling to himself and twirling his cane. He stopped and looked back into Yang’s rage-filled eyes with a  mix of annoyance and amusement. Before Yang could react, Roman whipped his cane into the back of the girl’s legs and levelled it at her head. Flicking a switch on the handle, the end popped open and the blonde brawler found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

“Raven may brush it off, but I am not one for disobedience amongst my henchmen, both current and future. You will be coming with me whether you wish to or not; if I have to damage you, than so be it. Raven can fix anything I do” Roman told the kneeling girl, a look of impassiveness on his face. For a brief moment, however, the look changed from one of apathy to a sneer.

“Although, we both know you’re damaged enough already. Isn’t that right, Yang Xiao Long?” the man said, a look of malice and joy dancing across his eyes. Yang couldn’t do much except glare; she may have been a relentless slave fighter, but even she knew that a gun levelled at your head meant you were screwed. It didn’t matter much to her, however. Roman was right, she was broken. Her time as a slave hadn’t been kind and the girl had long given up hope about escape or even seeing her family again. Hell, she could barely remember what they looked like. Weirdly enough, she was thankful in a way that she was about to die (or at least get brain wiped if what Roman said was true). Maybe that's why she decided to close her eyes and wait for Roman to pull the trigger. Only the shot never came. Instead of a bang, she heard a much more subtle click and Roman mumbling what must have been an expletive under his breath. Opening her eyes, Yang found herself looking down the barrel of a gun, yet the man behind that barrel currently found himself in similar circumstances. The new guy in question was strangely dressed in old-school Oriental robes and had a pink hair braid running down the right side of his face. He also happened to have zero emotion evident on his face. Yang couldn’t help but suppress her rising urge to laugh at the whole randomness and absurdity of a situation like this. It was a welcome change from the usual, she had to admit. 

Roman Torchwick was a punctual, if slightly unorthodox, man. He liked getting things done quickly. Yet sometimes he found himself indulging his much more disorganized and brutal side every once in a while. The current situation was a perfect example. He couldn’t help but gloat and watch the rather rude girl kneeling before him to angrily realize that she couldn’t do a damned thing about Roman getting ready to blow her brains out. However, the little interruption that he was currently facing was much more irritating to his punctual self. After all, he had places to be.

“Lower the cane, Torchwick” the newcomer growled, a gun to the back of Roman’s head and a blade at his throat. It took him a few seconds, but Roman realized who exactly he was dealing with.

“Ah, Lie Ren! Glad that you could join us! Here to reconsider the deal I offered?” Roman asked happily, uncaring that a gun was being held to the back of his head. He noticed a subtle smirk on Xiao Long’s face, one which sent a wave of irritation coursing through him. He didn’t let it show, of course; he’d learned long ago that emotions could be your worst enemy in such a delicate situation. That, and he wouldn’t give the girl the satisfaction in the fact that she deeply annoyed him.

“Shut up. I said, drop the cane” Ren said angrily, pressing his gun harder into Roman’s head to emphasize his point. A smirk slowly plastered itself on Roman’s face. 

“Well, you said lower it but alright” he told Ren. Dropping the cane from his grasp, Ren’s attention was diverted momentarily. That was all Roman needed. Before Ren could react, Roman grabbed the cane from midair and jammed it backwards into the man’s stomach. Smiling as he heard Ren gasp and struggle for air, Roman then re-focused on Yang, who had watched the scene unfold with a look of surprise on her face. He grinned maliciously at the girl as he cocked the cane back and swung the weapon forward, striking her viciously in the temple. The blond collapsed to the floor unconscious, blood running down the side of her head from the brutal hit. Roman kicked the girl for good measure. He’d been having a good day so far but this girl’s stubbornness had ruined his mood. Not only that, one of Beacon’s top agents had come calling and had managed to get the drop on him; he’d need a hell of a drink once he left Hong Kong.

“You were worth the trip. Truly, you were” Roman sneered at an unconscious Xiong as he walked past, dusting off the last bits of dirt and grime on his jacket. He found the arena empty and devoid of spectators, probably escorted out by Hei’s people when he’d chased down Yang. The telltale cocking of a hammer, however, told Roman that he wasn’t entirely alone. 

“MSS! Stop!” the man behind him yelled. Roman just rolled his eyes. Joy. First Beacon, now Chinese state security too. This just keeps getting better and better Roman thought as he turned to look at the new annoyance. He wore a suit, much like the other guests, with his jet black hair tastefully combed to the side. His most prominent feature, however, was the large scar running down the right side of his face. 

“You’ll put the cane down and come with me, otherwise I will u-” The man didn’t finish as Roman shot him. He’d made sure to load non-lethal rounds (although he still carried plenty of regular ammo) before he’d got here and as he watched the MSS agent slump to the ground, he praised himself for his forethought. Last thing he needed was to be blacklisted and get into a potential shadow war with China; a hostile Chinese government wasn’t worth the trouble anyway, no matter how much they annoyed him. Taking off down the main tunnel, it wasn’t long before Roman ran into yet one more obstacle in the form of two armed soldiers; judging from their uniforms, Roman guessed they were Ren’s men.

“Halt!” one of the soldiers said, levelling his SG 552 assault rifle at Roman’s face. 

“Oh for God’s sake, again? This is the third damn time I’ve had a gun levelled at me. Can’t you guys just turn around and pretend I was never here? Be a lot easier for everyone” Roman asked, rolling his eyes and moving towards the two men. He froze when the first man tensed while his partner joined his comrade’s side and turned his own rifle on Roman. If it was only one man, then Roman might have a chance but with the fact that one guy was covering the other meant that by the time he took one the other would have filled him full of holes. He was a skilled fighter but there were times when even he knew that he was outmatched. However, the glint of steel from behind the two men informed him that his backup had arrived.

“Well, you boys got me, truly you have. Although, I must say, how’re you against ghosts?” said Roman with a smug smirk on his face. Both soldiers looked at Roman with a confused look on their face.

“Alright, buddy. Nice to know you’re nuts” the one on the right said as he produced a pair of cuffs and moved towards Roman. Before he could put them on however, they both heard a sickening squelch from behind the soldier. Looking behind him, he saw his friend fall to the ground with a neat hole bunched into where his right eye would be. Before the other man could react, Roman slammed his cane into the side of the man’s head with a sickening crack, causing him to go limp and crumple to the ground.

“About time you got here, Neo. Where the hell did you go?” A small girl appeared out of thin air, a smirk plastered on her face. Her hair was three different colours and her eyes were heterochromatic. In her hand she twirled a parasol with a sharp, blood-stained blade at the end. ‘I was here, but I decided to take a nap after I got those things you told me to grab. You and those soldiers woke me up’’ Neo signed, earning a sigh from Roman, who began massaging the bridge of his nose.

“Of course you did. At least you got what I asked for. Come on, this whole thing went south so we need to get the hell out of here” he said, moving past Neo and towards the exit, the small girl following close behind.‘Oh yeah, got a message from Wonderland’ Neo told Roman as they boarded the small civilian dropship outside the arena. Roman shivered at the thought of the message’s content; Agent Wonderland wasn’t the most stable human being in the world and tended to leave quite a mess.“Oh wonderful, Wonderland got into the corpses again” Roman deadpanned as he opened up the message. It was a picture of a room littered with bodies in various states of dismemberment. In the very center was a morbid tree made from human body parts, a head stuck at the very top like a morbid star. Above it, written in blood, were the words For you, Uncle!. It was not uncommon for things like this to come from Wonderland and Roman had gotten used to receiving pictures like this but it still unnerved him nonetheless. ‘Aww, I think its kinda cute’ Neo signed to Roman, taking the tablet back from him. He just looked at the small girl seated beside him.Joy, I have two sadistic short people as henchmen, Roman thought as he left Hong Kong’s airspace. Yet at the same time, he didn’t overly mind too much. Sure, they rejoiced in causing people pain but that always made things more interesting. Roman had a feeling that things would get a lot more interesting very soon. 

“Hey, wake the hell up. Since when do you of all people sleep on the job?”Ren felt himself being nudged in the ribs and registered someone standing above him. He forced his eyes open, letting them adjust to the light also emanating above him. Looking up, he found himself staring at a man with platinum hair and strange pink eyes with purple flecks scattered throughout.

“When the hell did you get here?” Ren asked, lifting himself off the ground and dusting his robes off. He found his Storm Flowers sitting nearby, near the unconscious body of the Triad boss Hei Xiong. 

“Oz sent me to look after you in case anything went wrong. Clearly, it did” the young man said, patting down Xiong’s body and pocketing his cellphone and any other useful pieces of information and evidence. 

“What do you wanna do with her?” he asked, motioning to the girl lying at Ren’s feet. He recognized her as the girl who’d fought in tonight’s match and the one who Roman had been ready to shoot before Ren had arrived. He pondered what to do briefly before deciding on a course of action.

“It looked like Roman wanted her for something but I guess they didn’t see eye-to-eye. He was about to execute her when I showed up,” Ren told his compatriot. 

“We’ll bring her with us, see what Ozpin thinks. Don’t think she’ll mind too much, doesn’t exactly seem like she liked it here anyway” The man simply nodded and hefted the girl over his shoulder; she let out a small moan at the interruption in her unintentional sleep. 

“I placed an anonymous call to the HKPD, by the way. Should be coming down on this place any minute now. With luck, they’ll find our State Security friend outside as well” the young man said as he and Ren escaped the underworld arena. Jumping into Ren’s car, a black Nissan GT-R, they took off towards Hong Kong International and a plane home; they’d laid the girl in the backseat, making sure she was comfortable. As Ren drove, he couldn’t get that ominous feeling out of his gut. The feeling that, very soon, the world would erupt in flames big enough to swallow it whole. 

Author's Note

Written by Red, read more of his stuff here. http://www.writerscafe.org/Virak123