Emercury Week 2022 Day 1: Rival Spies/Assassins AU
- Mercury and Emerald work for GRMM which is run by director Salem. They're fairly low men on the totem pole but because Cinder has "taken them under her wing" they are present at some higher ranking meetings and a lot of Salem and Cinder meetings. Mercury started out as assassin and Emerald as a quick job person (walk into a secure room, take info, leave; pickpocket targets).
- GRMM is similar to Carmen Sandiego's VILE, their operatives work to sow chaos, create monetary opportunities, and eliminate targets. Some operative positions and departments are unofficially named after certain folklore creatures ("beowolves, geist, lancers, nevermore, etc)
- Ozpin is the director of BCON, and created this agency specifically to counter Salem's. BCON works by assembling operatives into teams of four, they’re given a color name derived from each members initials, and he essentially sends them in as clean up crews and damage control for GRMM. They call their operatives "huntsmen" and "huntresses". These "hunters" try to limit and stop GRMM's destructive projects and plans.
- Emerald and Mercury have been partners for over two years now. They got off to a rocky start but quickly fell into their reportar. Mercury has trouble opening up to people, and Emerald would argue he still doesn't open up to her, but Mercury has let his guard down significantly with Emerald and has grown to care for her. So, when Emerald is revealed as a traitor, it absolutely guts him.
- Emerald had a run in with Oscar a few months back, and they were trapped together for two days. Emerald acted like what Oscar said didn't get to her, but she started seriously doubting her loyalties and actions. A few months later she manages to get into contact with Oscar, says she has information BCON needs, but they have to extract her from GRMM if they want it. Emerald has spent the last month gathering intel on the Atlas Mission, and GRMM plans to strike within the week. Oscar argues for getting Emerald out, while Yang is convinced it’s a trap. Ozpin makes the final call: they will extract Emerald. Due to short notice team ROJY is put together for this mission.
- Emerald’s extraction gets messy by the end. The first part goes off without a hitch, besides Yang openly disliking Emerald. Jaune decides they can’t leave without seriously damaging the headquarters, to buy BCON more time to prepare for Atlas. They strap explosives to the computers. Emerald is twitchy the entire time. They get caught, and what accounts as basic security goons are sent after them. Hazel was in the area, so he joined in. While ROJY and Emerald are being restrained and pulled from the room, Hazel grabs the explosives remote, winks at Emerald, yells a statement, and pushes the button. Everyone is discombobulated, ROJY manage to get out of there, Emerald is distraught the entire ride home.
- Emerald is taken straight to Ozpin, and she hands over two flash drives. Oscar escorts her out.
- Mercury was just beginning a mission with Tyrian when they're recalled back. After the attack at Monstra GRMM is recalling all missions as they may be compromised. Mercury texts Emerald, asking what’s going on and talking about how this is all a pain in the ass, unknowing that she left her phone behind. Mercury finds out Emerald was a part of the attack, and while he tries to grapple with that Tyrian starts harassing him over it. Mercury has to go through an interrogation to make sure he was not involved. In the end he's just angry. Angry he trusted Emerald, angry he let her in enough for this to devastate him, angry Emerald's actions have caused a major inconvenience for him, and deep down angry that Emerald did not confide in him.
- Emerald decides she can’t just sit by and watch GRMM destroy the world. She officially becomes a Huntress for BCON. She's assigned Oscar as a partner. They are not currently on a four person team.
- Mercury is given the mission to assassinate Emerald. It is both a test and punishment for him. He takes it with false glee. He fully intends to go through with it, if he doesn't kill Emerald they'll just send someone else. And if they send someone like Tyrian her death won’t be quick or painless.
- The day comes. Emerald and Oscar are stationed in Vale for the week. Mercury watches them, learns their schedule. Sees how Emerald is struggling but genuinely trying. He wonders why Emerald didn't tell him she was unhappy, and he realizes its either because he refuses to have conversations about emotions or he was a part of her unhappiness. He gets several long-range shots at her, but each time he just ends up watching her instead of pulling the trigger. He decided he'll have to do this up close.
- Emerald leaves to go pick up carry out, Mercury confronts her on the way home. Emerald is shocked to see him. Mercury says he's been sent to kill her. Emerald hasn't moved, she's still holding the food bag, she just says "okay" before closing her eyes. Mercury raises his gun. A tear rolls down Emerald's cheek. She still doesn't move. Mercury's arm starts shaking. He shifts his grip. He looks at Emerald doing what he's always told her he finds a cowardly reaction to an assassination: accepting death without even a fight. It’s pathetic, really. But all he sees is Emerald, his partner, his best friend. The girl he flirts with and picks on and looks out for. The girl who stayed every time he pushed her away, no matter how cruel he was. The girl who listened to her heart more often than her head and it always landed her in trouble. Like now. Mercury realizes he's crying too. He leaves. Emerald eventually opens her eyes, saying "well aren't you gonna do it! At least do me the favor of not drawing this out", only to see she's standing alone on this abandoned side-street. She returns to Oscar. She goes to bed without eating.
- Mercury tries again from a distance. He ends up shooting a foot away from her to warn her and Oscar the building is about to be swamped by a third party. He leaves before seeing if they make it out.
- He follows her like this for three weeks. GRMM does not intervene because this is a test. Emerald knows he's following her, she knows how he operates. She doesn't know why he won’t just kill her, if he doesn't GRMM will send someone else. She doesn't tell Oscar about Mercury. She doesn't want to test his trust and their friendship, but if she's going to die she'd rather not have Oscar panic over it. She's fairly certain Oscar is not a target.
- It gets to the point where Emerald can’t take this anymore, and confronts Mercury. He'll see her coming before she even finds him, so she goes to a public park and glares at where she thinks he is. He comes out about 40 minutes later, sliding next to her on the bench. She glances at him when he sits down but they both won’t look at each other while they talk.
"Why are you out here? Why are you waiting for me?"
"Just do it already. You don’t normally play with your food. Just get it over with."
Mercury stays silent. "Why did you do it?"
Emerald takes a moment to think. "Every time we did something- every time I did something, I couldn’t help but think 'this is not the right thing. Why am I doing this?' And Oscar, he got to me. I guess I just grew a moral compass one day."
"You never said anything."
"Of course I didn’t. Anytime I’ve ever brought up something like that in the past you wouldn't listen to me. You'd tell me to stop thinking like that, or that I was showing weakness. Besides, it’s not like you would’ve helped me."
Emerald gives a sad laugh. "Yes, yes I do. Youve made it clear this is the only life you’ve ever known, that you won’t leave it because you're 'built for this'. Heck, I really only stayed as long as I did for you and Cinder. But you made it clear over and over again how little Cinder cares, how you’d drop me if I was dead weight. I guess in the end Hazel was the only one who cared about me, or maybe he was just fed up with Salem, and Tyrian was right about both of us.”
Mercury looks over at her before looking away again. There’s a moment of silence. "If you had asked, I think I would’ve run away with you."
"What," Emerald's head turns so fast Mercury wonders how she didn’t get whiplash.
"I would’ve tried to talk you out of it. Running away is a stupid move. We'd probably have been running for a few years before they decided we weren't worth the effort or resources to kill. And we'd be moving constantly, and we both know you're no fun when you don’t get your beauty sleep-"
"-but yeah, if it came down to it, and you were dead set on leaving, I wouldn’t let you go alone Emerald. We're partners."
"Wow look at you, almost talking about your emotions." They both laugh.
"Are you going to kill me? Because I’m getting antsy and Oscar is starting to notice."
"You don’t know? It’s been three weeks."
"And they didn’t pull you from this mission?"
"No, it’s a test. If I wait any longer they might though."
"So, why don’t you do it? I’m gonna die either way. At least this way you can benefit from it."
Mercury's posture relaxes, "True. I’ve never had emotions get in the way of a job before."
Emerald laughs. "Starting to think I should just drink poison and do your job for you."
"Well that would make my life easier..."
They both laugh. Emerald gives Mercury a playful shove. Her posture beginning to relax too. "So you really would’ve run away with me?"
"Yeah, I guess all Watts' pair-bonded jokes had some truth."
"Would you still run away with me?"
"It’s stupid, I know, we'll just both die that way. But I had to ask."
Mercury is silent for a long time. "Yes."
"Yes. A chance where we both live, and live together? I'd take it."
Emerald just stares slack jawed at him. She eventually faces forward again and leans back, before taking Mercury's hand. He surprises her again by flipping his upward and finding the gap between her fingers with his.
"You're willing to leave BCON?"
"I think we might be able to find a spot for you."
Mercury gives a small laugh. "Really now?"
"Mhm. They have teams of four you know. Me and Oscar have room for two more."
"Do you really think BCON can protect us?"
"I think our chances with BCON are better than us on our own."
- Mercury pulls their clasped hands up, and puts his arm around her shoulders. She leans into him, still holding his hand, her arm diagonal over her chest. They sit there for a while. Enjoying each other's company, watching kids chase birds around the fountain. Emerald's missed him. She just basks in his presence, breathes him in, she always complains he stinks but the truth is she's always liked the way he smells, how it lingers on his jackets which she very occasionally gets away with wearing, and enjoys his touch, Mercury is not a touchy person and Emerald expects that to continue after this moment.
- At one point Mercury turns his head so his nose is in her hair. It’s the closet he'll get to kissing her head. He stays there for a while.
