13

"...Second?" Jaune managed to get the words out, his gaze drawn to the unusual view in the skies of Vale. He had gotten much better about not broadcasting their conversations lately, but a sight like this was enough to make him slip into old habits.

Yes, Jaune? His semblance replied.

"In what way is this necessary?" The blond didn't even need to gesture towards the thing in question. Everyone within eyesight, and likely everyone who could see the phenomena at all, had their gazes locked on the small Atlas fleet landing on Beacon grounds. Or rather, small in terms of Atlas military, as the number seemed to be a bit much for visiting a school for huntsmen.

Look, I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, but it is necessary. But now that he's here…

"Now that he's here…?" Jaune prompted.

I'm not quite sure what to do. I've been thinking about the best course of action since… well, since I manifested as your semblance, really, but trying to plan this stuff out when lives are on the line is more pressure than I really care for.

"Why not just tell Ozpin what you know? It worked out with the stuff at the docks, right?"

It did, but… things are about to get a bit more serious than that. I could let Ozpin have a few warnings, sure. Locations, people to look out for… but at the end of the day, he's not some all powerful being that can solve every problem thrown at him.

"Well… what if we told someone else then? It doesn't have to be Ozpin."

That just leads to the same issue again. People like Oobleck and your friends are more likely to take what I say at face value and trust my input, but they lack the power to accomplish much, at least not without many more problems popping up in their wake. People like Ozpin and Ironwood have the power to do a lot, but they're paranoid and might not ever trust me, no matter how many of my predictions prove to be correct. Although trusting the voice in a student's head is probably the unreasonable position to an outsider if I'm being honest with myself… and then even if we do convince them to listen, we can't stop them from going far beyond my suggestions. Give them too much information and then we'll find that I've got nothing left to give because they went and altered the timeline beyond recognition.

All of these problems can be resolved without warning, as can be seen by the timelines where you never get me as your semblance, but the endings of those stories aren't exactly… happy. Not for everyone. Good will triumph over evil, the sun shines after a dark day, but that sunlight hits graves.

Jaune didn't have a response to that. He knew the careful wording and caveats Second Thoughts had given in the past when it came to future knowledge, but to hear something like that when his predictions focused on the people around him…

I'm trying to do everything I can, Jaune. I want a happy ending for you guys. But I'm just a semblance trapped in your head.

"That's… kind of heavy. I don't want to even think about…"

I'm sorry.

The pair was quiet for a long while, though any passerby would only see a single student staring at the airships. Eventually, Jaune broke the silence.

"I think we should try Ozpin."

Can I ask your reasoning?

"I'll admit that a lot of what you say goes over my head, but if I'm understanding correctly… Normally we run around trying to solve stuff on our own, don't we? And not everyone makes it. Even if going down this route might cause new problems, ones that you aren't familiar with… it's like you said when I tried asking about the future before, right? Leading me to every solution would stunt my growth or something like that. No reward without the risks."

…I see. I suppose I am your semblance at the end of the day. If that's your decision, I'll stick with it. Let's head to Ozpin's office. Though we should probably send an invite as well..

"...I'm afraid that I can't allow you to leave just yet. It seems our business has not concluded." Ozpin called out as Ironwood turned to leave his office.

"What else is there to discuss? I believe we made our positions quite clear."

"I've just received word that my biggest headache as of late has deemed you worthy of joining in on the suffering."

"I don't have time for your riddles, just-"

The general's words were interrupted by the elevator door opening, two students walking out, though neither seemed all too happy to see the men already present. A Beacon student, blond and timid. An Atlas student, ginger and stiff. Ironwood raised a brow at the pair, while Ozpin seemed ready to drown himself in coffee.

Jaune chuckled awkwardly, sensing the tension in the room. "H-hey there, uh, General Ironwood, sir?" He threw up a sloppy salute, obviously unsure of how to address the man.

Ironwood wanted to roll his eyes, but he wasn't about to let his guard down when the boy had walked into this meeting with Penny at his side. "At ease. I'm afraid that I don't know your name, young man."

Jaune's sweaty palms fell to his sides. "Jaune Arc, sir. We were hoping to speak to you about some… security issues we're aware of."

That was a good way to get the general's attention, but Penny's follow up threw him off.

"We were? I am afraid that I do not understand, friend Jaune. I have no memory of such a thing. You simply contacted me and asked me to meet you at the elevator. Are you feeling alright? I'm told that head trauma can sometimes cause memory problems."

"When Mr. Arc says 'we', he does not refer to the two of you Penny." Ozpin interrupted, fighting off a sigh. "He means himself and… his semblance."

"Are you suggesting that his semblance is a separate entity?" Ironwood asked, doubt obvious on his face.

"In a manner of speaking. Would you care to explain for our guests, Mr. Arc?" Ozpin rubbed at his brow, already feeling the headache coming on.

"Well, um," despite having explained his situation several times now, Jaune still found himself nervous about making these claims to the top dog of Atlas, even if he knew them to be factual, "My semblance is like… a voice in my head. Like how some people think of their conscience? Except instead of helping me tell right from wrong it's an entirely different person. Different personality, memories, abilities. We call him Second Thoughts."

Ironwood found himself nodding along. "Perhaps not the strangest semblance I've seen in my time, but certainly a unique one… however, I fail to see what this has to do with any potential security issues, or why Penny is here."

"I'll, ah, be relaying Second's words now," Jaune seemed hesitant to do so, but continued speaking all the same. "General Ironwood, allow me to begin by stating that I wholeheartedly wish for us to work together in reaching a peaceful future. That said, I expect many roadbumps in our relationship due to the nature of our abilities."

Ironwood almost cut the boy off there, but the resigned look on Ozpin's face made him reconsider. There's not much that a mere… first year? Could know about what he was capable of.

"I am aware of your semblance, Mettle. A passive ability, it would not be surprising if many didn't consider it a semblance at all. It allows for a strengthened resolve, swift action, being able to put your emotions to the side. Or at least, that's my understanding of it. It makes you an ideal leader. It also makes you more susceptible to paranoia.

You're probably asking yourself how I know such a thing, given that we have never met before. The answer lies in my own abilities. You see, I am… let's say "vaguely aware" of the future surrounding Jaune. I am familiar with several timelines, some of them branching, some of them parallel to the one we're in currently. I won't bore you with the intricate details for now, but the important thing to note here is that knowing the future, or at least, a few possible futures, means that I am privy to many details which are not exactly public information. This includes various state secrets, the ongoings of several criminal elements, personal details, etc."

Second gave the man a moment to process that, the other occupants of the room remaining silent through the interaction, even if Penny looked like she desperately wanted to ask some questions. But Ironwood wasn't focused on her.

"...and I suppose you have some method of proving such a bold claim? It's not every day that someone walks up to the general of Atlas and declares that they know state secrets, you know."

Jaune turned to Penny, but his expression made it clear that this was at Second's behest. "Penny. We are friends, are we not? Or rather, you and Jaune are, though I hope I can be included in the future. Jaune has decided to trust you with the secret of my existence, would it be alright for me to reveal one of yours to him?"

"I…" the girl seemed like she wanted to agree, but she looked to James for permission. It was not granted immediately.

"You don't share all of your knowledge with your…host?" His tone was obviously skeptical.

"I do not, and please do not call Jaune my host. It makes me sound like a parasite." Jaune made an odd expression at that sentiment. "I believe that suddenly becoming aware of many of your friends' secrets is not a very good approach to making those friendships long lasting. Much of what I could share with him, he is not prepared for. Much of it is made up of events that I hope do not come to pass. And beyond that, my knowledge of the future does not update with every change that is made. Reveal too much, change too much, and the knowledge that I hold quickly becomes useless. If we were playing a game of chess, and I was certain that I knew your next 20 moves, would it make sense for me to change my entire game plan to account for the position at the end? Of course not. You can react with each turn. You must instead slowly lead your foe into the optimal positions, slowly making your plays, watching how they adapt to every change in the battlefield. Blindly moving your pieces to counter moves far away and not yet made only serves to let your enemy know that something is amiss."

Ironwood considered his words, before giving Penny a subtle nod.

"I agree to the sharing of my secret."

"Thank you very much Penny. You're very human, you know. I'm quite impressed with your father's work. You are perhaps even more human than some who qualify by their flesh and blood." Although the words came out of Jaune's mouth, it was clear that they confused him. "You're the first artificial person. A robotic body, but a soul all the same. A word of advice for you, it would be wise to inform Pyrrha, at a minimum, of your constitution, lest we run into any unfortunate accidents."

Ironwood had quite a bit to say to that, but Ozpin beat him to the punch.

"That would indeed be unfortunate, Second. I dare say it would end in tragedy should a student with a polarity semblance go up against a student of inorganic nature, not knowing the truth of the situation. If only the dear general here would have been so kind as to inform me of the fact that one of his supposed students was secretly advanced weaponry in disguise."

"Penny is as much a person as you are, Oz. Keep your problems with Ironwood's methods separate from how you view her."

James would not allow himself to be distracted, even if the boy was seemingly in shock at the secret he had just revealed.

"I'll admit that I'm impressed." He said through gritted teeth. "Are there any other state secrets that are no longer secret? Or perhaps you'd like to explain why this isn't just a mind reading semblance, peeling the information out of my brain?"

"If it's important, it is probably best to assume that I know about it. Though, like I said before, I don't exactly go around throwing sensitive information to the wind. As for the second question, perhaps you would like a demonstration?"

"I believe one is in order, yes." Ironwood was practically glaring at them at this point.

"Calm down, James, his information has already proven reliable." Ozpin cut them off, knowing better than to cast his own doubts with the students in the room. "Roman Torchwick was captured because of it. Speaking of which, since you brought your flying prison with you, I have a favor to ask."

"Your favor can wait. Prove it to me, Arc."

"Jaune isn't the one proving anything, but I suppose I can overlook your attitude. If, instead of being aware of the future, I was instead prying the information from your mind as you suggest, then I would not be able to provide information that those who have interacted with me are not aware of, correct?"

"That cannot be confirmed, but I will admit that it is unlikely a semblance of that nature has a great range."

"Then using the information available to the staff here, you will be able to confirm that I have had no interaction with Headmaster Lionheart of Haven. However, if you confront him properly, you will discover that the man is a coward and your enemy."

"Now, hold on Second." Ozpin interrupted yet again. "Surely you must be mistaken there. Leo is one of my most trusted-"

"I am unsure of when he becomes a turncoat. It could be that it has not yet happened, it could be that he has been at it for some time now. I can only speak of certainty when Jaune is directly involved, and he is not due to visit Haven for a while longer yet. But at some point, he is approached by the enemy, and made an offer that he does not refuse. In exchange for his life, he sells out Mistral's huntsmen. The minions of the queen see to it that they are swiftly taken care of, conveniently falling left and right to the grimm, or at least, that would make for a good cover story, wouldn't it?"

Penny seemed horrified by the accusation, and the old men in the room seemed disbelieving.

"Believe me or don't. The information is in your hands now. I will ask that you decide quickly whether or not you will at least attempt to act on my information, however. With Roman's arrest, the butterfly effect will likely start to take its toll rather soon. The next event of note is coming up rather quickly, and the way that I know of it, Roman should have been involved. I can only hope that his arrest did not lead to your missing paladin being moved to a more secure location, general."

Nobody said anything for a moment, the tense silence leaving Jaune even more nervous than before.

"Well…" Jaune let out a frantic, nervous, laugh, "I think that's our cue to go find our friends, isn't that right, Penny?" He grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards the elevator. "You guys know where to find me if you have questions!"

He pressed the button rapidly, hoping to get out of there quickly. Sure, he had been the one to decide on doing something, but that didn't make confronting two of the most powerful people in the world any easier!

"Please don't have questions!"

The doors closed on the students, leaving Ironwood and Ozpin alone.

"...I think I see what you mean about the headaches, Oz."

"I'm afraid it only gets worse from here."