Mixed Signals

The vents, its always a very useful thing for any kind of infiltration. It was a requirement in the Command Center to provide a system where its workers could still operate even under lockdown in case of Grimm attacks.

It was a precaution since vents helped circulate indoor air from the outdoor air in a tight room or if it gets hard to breathe.

One such vent was the largest one, directed in the middle of a large room. That room was where the command center's most important space is, the Control Room.

It was where ships could be directed, advised, and provide reinforcements to locations and could display live feeds of the battle.

So now, it was very important to take these out for Hanns to succeed in getting more time for the more important of their objectives.

The first being taking the SDC's CEO, and their second and more fantastical objective was to make Ironwood lose face. Finally, Hanns' most impossible case yet was their third objective, take over Atlas itself.

Those were the things told to the group as they went in toward Atlas. They all had their doubts but belief in Hanns was still strong. Torchwick has been tagging along for a month now and their partnership did have benefits.

Unlike before, Torchwick had freedom. He still had that itch to steal and make a name for himself but Hanns' plan would not only put him and Neo in the news - it was going to make them part of history.

He was satisfied with the arrangement, some may even say it was one of his most memorable partnerships. Torchwick was going to enjoy Hanns' shenanigans, that's for sure.

That begs the question of why Torchwick was currently stuck in one of those aforementioned vents.

"Push harder, Blondie! Aren't you the one who keeps priding yourself on your strength!?"

Yang mocks an apology."Oh, sorry your highness I do believe this prideful girl can't possibly push your ass into the floor below! Just squeeze your shoulders and I'll ram into you."

"No, you imbecile! That's definitely going to catch someone's attention in this place." He hears shuffling behind him. "Blondie? Oi! Don't you dare-"

"Geronimo!" He hears a scream behind him.

"Oh for Gods' sake-"

*CRUNCH!*

The metal gave way hindering their infiltration. Crumpling under the stress of someone forcing themselves in as they drop to the Dust Power Room, Remnant's version of an electrical room.

The vent system was complex but Hanns successfully predicted ones that they should have like ones in tight working spaces or where the equipment needed to be ventilated properly.

"Remind me again why this isn't Neo's job?" Torchwick grunts out while on the floor.

"She's needed to expose Jacques for people to accept Weiss as the new CEO. We need definite proof for the world to accept her. With the Wehrmacht and the SDC under Hanns, the world could see a massive shift."

Torchwick stood first, looking around the Dust Power Room. "That was a rhetorical question, Blondie." He saw the sad state of the room. "First thing we do when we take over is change the color palette, this seriously is a boring room."

It was a shiny almost white room going by design, drab by Torchwick's standards, and way too monochrome. The generators there worked hard to pump out the power needed for the Command Center.

"Blondie, if you ever do something like that again I'm going to strangle you."

Yang stood up and dusted herself off as she gawks at the room. "Nu-uh, ain't going to let an old man like you do that to me."

"Old man?! I'll have you know I'm 31! I'm barely over a young adult, Blondie."

"Yeah keep coping, are you sure you don't need a wheelchair right now? Since I'm a pain in the ass and all." Yang laughs.

"Lunchbox forbade any of us from hurting each other but that does not include leaving you to die if you need my help."

*CLANK!*

The two looked in the direction of the sudden noise, weapons raised as they saw a man trying to sneak out. His hand was on the handle that was being turned.

The man gulps hard and raises an awkward smile. "Uhh, look it's a bird!" he points to the ceiling.

Torchwick dashes to his front before grabbing him by the collar. "Seriously? Bad luck being here. While we may have an amazing entrance we hope to not let you loose inside. So that means - goodnight."

"Wait-"

*THUNK!*

A solid smack from his cane send the man unconscious laying on the ground with his eyes turned upwards. Torchwick looks to his temporary partner in crime.

"Blondie, let's get to the-" he sees Yang looking to the ceiling behind her. "Are you that gullible or is this just some kind of trick to make me irritated, because if it is then it's working."

Yang stops looking and coughs into her hand. "I mean… a bird could really be there."

"What- You- Argh! Never mind, sheesh this is why I don't plan on having any kids anytime soon. Those little gremlins are supposed to be younger than you but I feel like blowing my brains out already. You're supposed to be considered an adult, act like one. We're kind of on a mission that's supposed to affect the whole world."

"Relax, Old man! I'm confident we can finish this one without any trouble. Hanns said to us he'd be the largest distraction outside. Speaking of him what's he doing outside that attracts so much attention anyways?"

Meanwhile…

"Status report!"

The woman salutes, she takes out a clipboard before listing off what's been happening. "Sir! The flying object is not yet identified, the pilot is also unknown. It's make and model is being analyzed - the intruder in question is flying around Atlas using smoke."

"What?! Why haven't our ships at least knocked it down? How come we haven't lost any yet?" He asked.

The woman repeatedly salutes before and after every response. "Sir! It's been doing stunts in the air while scaring the population. It seems they are beginning to lose confidence in us."

"Drats! Relay this to the council. We need an immediate response, one attack from that thing and we're doomed. Get Ironwood's location so we can bolster the troop's morale."

"Sir! There's also something I must report on the smoke." She repeats her salute.

The man remembers the tests they did on the mysterious smoke, they feared gas but were relieved to hear it was normal-colored smoke. "Smoke? Didn't we confirm it's not harmful?"

"Sir! Remember what I said about doing stunts?" She recounts.

"Yes I do, you said it seconds ago. What about it?"

"Sir! It seems it has been spelling out something above Atlas. We don't know the origin of the language, it's foreign to the scientist."

He grabbed the woman's shoulder and shook while the woman was still saluting. "What's the message? A taunt? A warning? A declaration? Tell me!"

"Sir! It's spelling out 'L + Ratio + Irondick + Get better ships + Ez RP + Ez SL + Scrub + Skill issue.' We tried to decypher its meaning but I sense hostility with it. Like it's taunting us with something."

"We need to relay this to the council, the people might see us as weak - the defenses must hold."

The woman suddenly reaches for her earpiece, she nods several times before moving her hand away from the earpiece and writing something on her clipboard.

"Sir! I just received another report!"

"What is it?"

"It seems the unidentified vehicle is now drawing something phallic in the sky, right above where the council building is. The citizens are now apparently taking a picture of it."

"Ok, now that's just uncouth."

Back to Yang and Torchwick…

"Whatever his strategy is, it's doing work since I haven't heard anyone outside. Let's go - activate your sensor and listen closely; if we're caught, knock anyone out and hide them. Lunchbox specifically told us not to bathe this place in blood"

Yang opens the door, "Let's head out. We need to find a terminal and an advanced access keycard or scroll. Does that guy have one?"

"One step ahead of you, Blondie. I already checked, just some intern they hired to do the boring stuff. Let's head to some kind of control room or office. They might have something there."

With a few cautious steps to the unfamiliar layout, the duo made their way through the Command Center, using their extremely expensive sensors, as Hanns put it.

Yang inches closer to Torchwick in front, and she whispers while they walked. "We've been wandering around for a good while, why isn't anyone here?"

"There's a good chance everyone's been mobilized at this point. The hangar must be busy with refueling and rearming since they've been trying to chase off Lunchbox-"

"Ouch, why'd you suddenly-"

Torchwick slams his hand over Yang's mouth while peeking around the corner. "Two of them standing guard, if they're standing guard then it must be important. You take the one on the left I take the right, got it?"

"Short and simple-"

Torchwick cuts Yang off. "-Easy enough to understand. Yes, of course. Just follow me on the count of three."

One of the two guards yawned as he rested his weapon loosely on his arms. "Why do we need to stand around in front of this, it's not like we're needed here. Shouldn't we secure the city first?"

"Is complaining a fad around here now? The others explicitly said we're needed here just in case anyone attacks-"

*THUD!*

Torchwick and Yang both rushed as they were talking, one swift cane to the helmet and a solid punch to the face is what made the soldiers fold on the floor.

"Hooo, that was a nice warm-up. So Old man, where do we put them? There's nothing here-" She spots trash cans nearby. "Maybe that could work?"

Torchwick looks at what Yang is referring to. "Blondie, there's no way that a simple trash can is going to fit-"

It fit.

"Well, it's certainly bigger than it looks on the inside," Yang states.

To Torchwick's surprise, the trashcan could fit a single person inside. "I don't even want to know how that works."

"Hey don't complain. If it works; it works."

Torchwick examines the room's nameplate. "Looks like it's a security room but we need a higher clearance than these guards. Still, it's useful to know where this is. A terminal should be there so we can find an accurate layout of this place and then lock out the vents once we find where they're connected to. I'll be the one to stay behind to lock it out, I'll hand you my gas bombs when we find the Control Room."

"I may have an idea, Torchwick. Say, when someone's taking a break where do they go?" Yang asks.

"A breakroom, somewhere where any employee can access. What you're saying is a decent idea. It's not like we know a whole lot about this place so it's an idea. First, where do we find the breakroom? We lack any kind of intel around here thanks to Atlas being so secretive."

"Here, there's a Janitor's number on one of the scrolls of the guards we took out. I already checked, we could send him a message to get over here. The janitor might know where the Control Room is as well."

"Well, I didn't expect you to be competent in making sound ideas."

"I'm one step ahead of you Old man."

Torchwick groans on the inside. Yang using his phrase to throw back at him made him irritated. "You- fine I'll concede that." He relents.

"Hah! Now let's get to some interrogation."

~

A janitor walks towards the Security room, he had received a message from one of the employees that the room started to smell.

He was not one to remember everyone's face, he had one simple job and that was to clean where he was asked to. A simple life but he didn't mind honest work.

He rounds the corner to see no one guarding the room. He approaches, not paying mind to the lack of people. Thinking it was normal that people would slack ever so often. Multiple times he was told that a lot of people in the Command Center were bored and tired of their jobs, but not this janitor.

"Weird, doesn't smell bad to me- mmmph!"

He gets dragged to the side where Yang and Torchwick had been lying in wait. "Hello there, we would like something simple. Give us the location of the Breakroom and Control Room and I won't have to gouge your eyes out and slit your throat."

Yang releases his mouth.

"Help-"

Yang shuts him back up after he tried to call for help. "How do we get answers from him, Old man?"

"I'll break your fingers for every time you lie to us. Hey, Blondie? Don't you think he already lied to us by trying to scream for help? That's already one strike right?"

"Mmmphh!"

*SNAP!*

A muted shrill of pain tries to escape the janitor, stopped by the secured mouth done by Yang, who was grimacing at Torchwick using his cane's handle to snap a finger on the second joint.

"Tell us what want we want. Blondie?"

At his call she releases his mouth. The janitor coughs out before replying. "I don't know where the Command Center is, I swear! The Breakroom is left and go straight, once you find a vending machine, look nearby and you'll see it."

Yang closes his mouth shut before Torchwick raises his cane again, to the horror of the janitor.

*SNAP!*

"Mmmmmphhh! Mmmph!" The janitor wrestles from the pain. After a while, Yang releases his mouth.

"I really don't know! I'm telling you the truth. Please, I have a wife and a kid!"

"Do you have any idea how much that matters to me? The kid can live for himself, it's not like both parents are needed."

*SNAP!*

"Arghh—mmphh!"

"Torchwick! Why'd you done that for?! He said he doesn't know, just release him already we don't need to kill him."

"His comment irritated me, we got what we need. I'll put him to sleep."

*THUNK!*

His cane crashes down onto the janitor, now with three of his fingers bruised and broken from Torchwick. They shove the janitor in the trolley he came with and proceeded to the Breakroom.

They reach the Breakroom as Torchwick stands guard while Yang approached the room with a device in hand. Given to her by Merlot and Ruby.

"My sensors say there's three in there. Could be one with a higher clearance in there. It's early into lunch by now so these could be early birds."

Torchwick affixes his hat which remained even after his uniform was given. "We need to go fast just barge in and take everyone out. They're at their lowest guard so it best to take advantage and strike like lightning."

They speed into the room with three men eating what looked like a bastardized version of a burger on the plate. An Atlesian special if Torchwick had ever seen one.

"Who are you-"

A cane to the face followed by a massive punch sent two careening to the wall while the third stood there shocked. Not a moment later he was subjected to a cane to the knee and a right hook to his head, knocking him out.

"Torchwick! This person has a level 5. We can enter both the security and Control Room. We can look for it in the layout from the terminal."

"Good, let's be fast. Lunchbox may be running out of time soon. We need to sabotage them fast."

"On it."

Yang carries the man just in case as they sped towards the Security room. Torchwick hid the other two inside some trashcans and followed suit.

The door opened with a beep and inside was a security room with a man asleep on the desk.

"So that's why the guards were being carefree. Must be tired here from just doing nothing every day. The addition of the room is neutral as heck and doesn't help either. C'mon, help me tie these people up and shut the door."

They soon enter the card into a slot on the terminal and its display blares to life. A few navigations by Torchwick and found the rough layout of the building in the form of a recent schematic for maintenance purposes.

"The vent goes from here to here." Torchwick points at the vent connecting to the Control Room. "I lock out the vents after you crawl inside and pump in the gas. We might be compromised but we need to do this to make Atlas look like a bunch of fools. The panic must be starting to set in so Grimm will roam around Atlas."

"Alright, I'll hand my grenades to you and give me your gas bombs," Yang told him.

"Good, you know what to do. I'll head on over after I make sure no one can roam around this place safely. Make sure you don't trip on the wires if we're escaping. The hangar is here, remember where we will meet. Now go!"

Yang did as mentioned, taking the gas bombs and giving her grenades just in case they were discovered. It would slow down pursuers once they get found out.

Yang rushes to the vent and sees the opening in the ceiling, she reaches for it and enters. She crawls along the wider space and finds the Control Room with a lot of people manning it.

"Here goes, and send." She finishes texting Torchwick before pulling the pins on the gas bombs and throwing them directly into the room.

Seconds later the room below her panics from the gas as they tried to exit before the doors suddenly seal shut from anyone exiting.

"Who initiated the lockdown?!" Someone said while covering his breath.

"We don't-" one of them suddenly collapses.

The vents finally shut with their flaps closing and sealing everything. Yang couldn't see but she could hear everyone inside falling to the floor, stiff as bricks from the gas flowing through their system.

The vents open as she puts on the mask provided by the uniform she wore. She exits the vent as she slams it hard and crawls to the Control Room itself.

The door opens to reveal Torchwick with his own mask on as he closes the door with the level 5 keycard and the man on his shoulders.

"Right! Let's get to work then shall we?"

Yang quickly takes a position on one side of the terminals. "I don't know how to use this thing Torchwick!"

"Just accept calls and direct them to some bogus command. See the map here? Their positions will light up, just say anything contradictory or useless while giving out bad commands."

The display suddenly flashes a small triangle on the map. "The Grimm is starting to get affected! We need backup on sector C-6! What're the orders?"

Torchwick ushers Yang to answer. She took a deep breath before answering. "Proceed to sector F-3, we will send more squads in, we will rotate you with the others."

"Alright!"

Yang sighed out. "This is going to be easier than I thought. Why don't they talk all military stuff?"

"It's panic all around, they still have codes for locations. We're the Command Center, it's not like they'll doubt our words."

As soon as Torchwick says that, another prompt opens on a display as a squadron of Bullheads are reporting something on another monitor inside the room.

"Time to cause chaos."