The nobles had finally gotten to the point. "Well, before we move on..." began Sylvia Scarlett. "To those dumbasses who are questioning our tower. Don't look so surprised. You're not exactly quiet. This duraglass is strong enough to withstand thirty Ursa Majors. Shut up."
Weiss sighed. "Lady Scarlett. That is irrelevant to the discussion. Moving on."
She gestured and a holoscreen flickered and turned on. The screen showed a tall, thin man with Mistrali features and greasy black hair.
"This is Doctor Francisco Narcissus Steiner. He was a top scientist at Schnee R and D. Until we fired him."
"I've heard of that. You never issued a statement why." said Percy Amber.
"But why are you bringing him up now?" asked Deidre.
Weiss sighed. "He is the top suspect for Saturday's attack."
The nobles all tensed.
Jim had been the bouncer at this club for close to twelve years. He knew how things worked.
And he knew kids trying to sneak in the moment he saw them.
"Ain't ya a bit young, kids?'
Medus tilted his head at the man who had appeared on screen. Yea this guy looks like he was on the road to crazytown long before he got fired. Probably looks like a seething maniac now.
"What was he working on before you canned him?" Medus asked, almost certainly speaking out of turn.
-dramatic music ensues-"Oh, shut up!" snapped Sylvia. Johnathan Violet looked at her.
"That is no way for a noble to act! This boy is a Hunter, he is entitled to ask his questions." he told her.
"I agree with Lord Violet. Milady Schnee, carry on." said Paul.
Weiss took a deep breath. "What he was working on was the reason we fired him."
She gestured, and the holoscreen showed an image of Schnee AK-130 androids destroying a lab.
"His works were illegal....not to mention inhumane."
The screen showed old news reports. Reports of missing children.
"Do you remember those cases? That was him. Steiner fancied himself a visionary. He...thought Hunters were obsolete. He thought that they would never win the war against the Grimm."
Weiss sighed. "He kidnapped the children. He...he...experimented on them. He...wanted them to be the perfect fusion of man and weapon."
Now Weiss's professional mask slipped. Her voice broke.
"I...I have only seen these files yesterday. See...see for yourselves."
The screen showed a girl, only ten, with her arm replaced by machinery. Her skull was cracked open, wires connecting her to a large computer. More wires were connected to her spine. Another machine pumped black liquid into her bloodstream.
Johnathan's eyes widened in horror. "Dust!"
Paul's uninjured fist smashed into the table. "What happened to him?!"
"You caught him, didn't you?!"
Weiss looked at him, now under control. "I don't know. Father didn't tell me. No one knows but him."
edited 3rd Apr '14 4:43:58 AM by GrimHelm
Medus reeled in horror from the image displayed on screen. Oh I was right, I hate it when I'm right. What in the name of all hells was this monster thinking?
However beneath his horror and disgust there was something in the footage that peaked his curiosity. That black substance, that couldn't be Grimm's blood could it? No one would be that insane.
Then the rocker grimaced as a thought occurred to him. No if he could do this to a child he certainly is that insane. What the hell would that kind of transfusion do to a person?
edited 3rd Apr '14 2:04:18 AM by guyshane
-dramatic music ensues-Team DRKR
Something was up with one of the guards. That Lucas knew. He had been turning on and off his Semblance, thinking that something was outside the windows the others kept mentioning, and he realized that he recognized one of the auras in the room. He would have sworn it was... No. His mom had mentioned that Father was on a business trip for the Ambers. There's no way it could have been him. Maybe he was mistaking Percy's aura as his...
Focus on something else, Lucas thought. He turned his attention to the conversation the nobles were having. Something about inhumane experiments on children. But he had no clue what.
"What's on the screen?" Lucas whispered to one of the others.
Team JWCK
Hiram was shocked to see his son here. He knew that Ozpin had sent some students over for the mission. But not his son. And now that he looked a little closer, wasn't that Oscar and Franseca's child here too? And the blue-haired boy had resembled the description Lupa gave of the boy she had adopted.
Ozpin set us up to work with our children, Hiram realized. But I don't think this will be a happy reunion here...
edited 3rd Apr '14 3:29:30 PM by Aquatica1000
Pius returned his attention to the meeting when he heard Medus ask the council directly. This meant that the grey-eyed Nobel also took in the same information that his new second-in-command did as well.
Even against the Grimm, we should never have to resort such extreme measures. He thought in utter disgust as he frowned at the screen. He flinched at the sound of his uncle slamming the table, but maintained his composure and began his visual patrol again to keep his eyes away from the sickening screen.
"You do not want to know, Lucas." Pius muttered back to his blind classmate.
With the terrible things that we see each other do, human or Faunus, Pius contemplated as his grayed eyes searched beyond the walls and windows. Sometimes it's better to be blind.
edited 3rd Apr '14 6:24:12 AM by Insano
Allurand and surrounding world loading, 28%...Jack turned to Lucas, in a somewhat hushed whisper he said, "You really don't wanna know....Why are you looking around? Do you sense them?" Jack sincerely wished he would be able to get his hands on this guy, he'd ensure that Dr. Stiener's death, would not come quickly.
edited 3rd Apr '14 7:19:32 AM by TroyandHawk
Good to be back"We don't know what happened to Steiner. Nobody does." said Weiss.
Percy and Deidre seemed very interested in that fact. Perhaps glad that even the mighty Schnee lacks information. Or, glad that a possible leverage had presented itself. Withholding info....
"We do however, have another lead." Weiss gestured and the screen showed the image of an older man, probably fifty. He had graying brown hair, and looked very nervous.
"Jefferson Patrick Etton, formerly Steiner's partner. He swore he wasn't part of it..."
Sylvia snorted in disbelief.
"That's what Father thought too. We fired him anyway."
"Last time we checked, he's gotten back up. He's quite wealthy these days, has his own lab in the city."
"....If we go after him, we might find Steiner. According to the intel Headmaster Ozpin sent us, the attackers attacked as a test run. I'm willing to bet they were the ones behind the earlier attacks as well. We find Steiner, we take him down, we stop this."
Weiss sighed. "Let us take a break. Council reconvenes in twenty minutes."
As the nobles left, Paul walked over to Pius.
"I know that look. You're thinking, aren't you? Me, I think this is too big to be the work of one man. We don't even know what happened to Steiner. Lord Schnee is hiding something."
"Of course he is, Paul." Pius replied as he continued his patrol, knowing that his uncle would be listening and could be heard while his nephew's glowing eyes searched beyond the room.
"After all, he's a Schnee. Powerful men always have powerful secrets. But, the question is: could he be responsible for the attack on Saturday? How does that even make sense? His daughter and the princess are good friends, last time I checked. What reason would he have to endanger either of them?"
edited 3rd Apr '14 7:51:35 AM by Insano
Allurand and surrounding world loading, 28%...DRKR
"Lucas is right. However you guys are forgetting that we were sent here to provide backup protection for the nobles. Going out to chase a lead that may lead to nowhere instead of staying here where we are more certain we will be needed would be foolish." Remus tried to put a gentle authority into his words. Like the alpha wolf calming down a riled pack.
Paul looked thoughtful. "I don't think he was behind the attack. Definitely not. I saw him last Saturday. Scared, and very angry. He almost fired Albert."
"But, I do think he knows more about Steiner than he lets on..."
Meanwhile, Percy Amber had walked over to Lucas. "Lucas." His voice was even, controlled.
Then he laughed. "Natalie thinks you're a jerk, by the way."
Weiss simply sat on her chair, looking quite harried.
"Well then, what shall we do, Paul? Do you think he'd know who was behind the attack, even he was not responsible?" Pius replied, with a tint of surprise in his voice when his uncle told him of Lord's Schnee's departure from his usual stoicism.
After running his eyes around the room once more, the gray-eyed Nobel took a moment to glance at his peer, seeing her glyph Semblance before returning to his patrol.
"You know, I was expecting an attack today, Paul. But nothing's happened yet. What are they waiting for?" He clenched his right hand tighter over Dies Irae as he spoke, as a part of him that he would rather ignore itched for combat.
Allurand and surrounding world loading, 28%...Ieria had tried not to gag at the sights on the screen, choosing to focus on the face of her parents, like she had when she was small. If her mother was here too, the stakes must have been higher than they had thought...
Oscar looked at the video and clenched his fist as a layer of black armor began to form over him, until Francesca grabbed his hand. "Calm down. That's not helping anyone, Oscar." She whispered. Oscar sighed and released his semblance, his aura backing down to a much quieter level. Francesca turned to Harim. "Seer, what do you see?" She asked him.
Break
The very first thing Oscar did? Rush over and embrace his daughter in a crushing hug. Ieria all but squeaked as she was swept up into his arms before returning it.
Francesca stared at the sight before shaking her head and sighing, electing to stay by her comrades. She could shower her daughter with affection later.
"I am nature's weapon. You are unfit to carry on your species, and I shall ensure that you do not do so!" - Charles Darwin, XCOM Sniper"Alright." She said with a grunt. "Don't mind Oscar, you know he's still wary. Hmm, coming in through the window would be far too obvious. What if they cfame from below?"
"I am nature's weapon. You are unfit to carry on your species, and I shall ensure that you do not do so!" - Charles Darwin, XCOM Sniper

Ieria rolled her serpentine eyes at him. "Not what I meant Medus, I just don't see why you were so surprised by it." She said before turning her attention back to her observations. "I think it's best if we keep on our toes, no?"
"I am nature's weapon. You are unfit to carry on your species, and I shall ensure that you do not do so!" - Charles Darwin, XCOM Sniper