60

Chapter 60:

After their tumultuous weekend, RASP and RYNB did their best to slip back into their normal routines as much as possible. Once again, the details of their mission were hushed up by Ozpin, the police yet again getting credit for apprehending another handful of confirmed White Fang operatives, apparently in exchange for the chief ceasing his calls demanding that Ozpin hand over the Forrest Family.

Given the warning they had received, an unfortunate consequence was that the Forrest Family's freedom was restricted even further. Now that illusions were in play, any moment they spent outside of their room was a chance for an assailant to close in and strike, possibly even using some form of deception to swap with one of the family's escorts to get close. Against civilians, without unlocked Auras, it would take but a fraction of a second to deal a lethal wound.

Ruby and her friends visited as much as they possibly could, while trying to keep from neglecting their training. It made things a little awkward. But that was better than letting Ashley and her parents languish in isolation. Ozpin also informed them that he was in covert discussions with the VNN to bring Lisa Lavender over to Beacon, with a camera crew, to conduct an interview, to help get Ashley's story told.

RASP and RYNB had plenty to keep themselves occupied though. Their second semester of classes was proceeding much like their first. However, second semester carried with it the exciting prospect of the first-years first official missions, something that probably would have been far more exciting to RASP and RYNB, had they not conducted two unofficial missions (even if Ozpin had sanctioned the second one) already. Still, it was a chance to get a taste of the actual work that Huntsmen and Huntresses conducted regularly, maybe even learn from an active Huntsman directly.

"I still don't get it," said Weiss, taking a break from studying, the mere fact that she was doing so a sign of just how strange the conundrum was. "Why would Neo help us?"

"Well...she's a human," Jaune pointed out. "Maybe she doesn't really want to work with the White Fang. Even if she's working with them, I can't imagine they're making her feel welcome."

"Maybe..." mused Blake. "But why is she working with the White Fang to begin with or, for that matter, why would the White Fang work with a human, like her? I'd always thought that Adam would sooner run himself through with his own sword than work with a human."

"Maybe they weren't given a choice," said Ruby softly, her mind going over to Cinder, and the terrifying revelation that had lurked behind her pleasant facade.

According to Ozpin, Cinder had stolen a portion of the Fall Maiden's power. Ruby had been able to sense that stolen portion, unnaturally stitched to the woman's Aura. If she had access to that magic, even if only part of it, then Ruby could see her using that power to…influence…others into doing things they normally wouldn't do. Having seen a Maiden's power for herself, Ruby could admit that it was both impressive and daunting, especially so for someone who didn't know what was actually going on.

Of course, again, she had to remind herself that there was no proof that Cinder's group had any involvement with the White Fang. This was purely conjecture at best. And yet...it fit well with what was happening in Vale, with the White Fang.

"So, you think that someone is making Adam and a human work together?" asked Blake, looking at Ruby with a disbelieving gaze.

Ruby could understand Blake's skepticism. Having fought Adam twice now, Ruby knew full well just how formidable he was. The fact that she had won both times didn't change how near those victories had been, no matter how easy they might have seemed on the surface. The idea that there was someone out there who could force Adam to do anything he didn't want to seemed ludicrous. And yet...Ruby could think of someone like that, who was right here at Beacon...hiding in plain sight...not that she could actually say anything about that.

"Well, even if it's hard to believe, it also makes sense," said Jaune. "That's about the only way I could think of for someone to do it."

"But why would Neo go along with it?" asked Ren, setting aside his own textbook for the time being.

"Well, if someone is dangerous enough to force this Taurus-guy to do something, then it isn't hard to assume they could do the same for Neo," Yang pointed out.

"But she'd risk that to contact and warn us?" wondered Weiss.

"Well...maybe...there's something else," said Nora, humming thoughtfully.

"Something else..." Ruby frowned, thinking back over the encounters she'd had with both Adam and Neo. Then she remembered what Adam had said, back at the docks, the first time Neo had rescued him. "Well...if what Adam said is true, Neo works for Torchwick."

"So she's one of Torchwick's people," said Weiss. "But how does that change the situation?"

"Well...what if we assume Torchwick was the one who was supposed to be working with these guys?" suggested Jaune. "I mean, up until he was caught, he'd started raiding Dust shops too. Now, all of a sudden, it's the White Fang who are doing the Dust-stealing."

"That's right," said Pyrrha, nodding slowly. "But then Torchwick was caught...by Ruby."

"Well, if we're going with the theory that Neo and the White Fang were threatened into working together, then I think I get it," said Yang. "After all, if a person is gonna use intimidation to force someone to do something, then they probably aren't the sort to be all that forgiving, if one of the people working for them fails."

"So Ruby beats Torchwick, and gets him arrested," said Weiss. "Then, whoever is behind all of this basically uses Torchwick's fate as a way to keep Neo in line. Basically, they're probably saying that, if Neo does a good enough job, they'll let Torchwick off the hook."

"But then why is Neo reaching out to us, now?" asked Pyrrha.

"That's the tricky part," Jaune admitted, frowning. "If she starts giving us info, she risks getting found out. If that happens, then she and Torchwick are probably up the creek without a paddle."

"Assuming her information is good," Weiss pointed out. "After all, she could still be working for the White Fang, or whoever this assumed third-party is. They might be using her to pass us false information."

"Except that that brings us back to where we were at our meeting with Ozpin," Ruby pointed out. "This kind of info would just make us take extra precautions. Sure, if she's lying to us, then we made things extra-complicated for nothing. But it's not exactly something that would be actively harmful, if it is false."

"It could be a ploy to gain our trust," countered Weiss. "Sure, this information seems harmless, if it turns out to be false; or even if it pans out, she could be using that to make us trust her more, and then use that trust to lure us into a trap or something."

"That makes sense," agreed Nora, folding her arms over her chest, and nodding slowly.

"Well...we won't know either way," said Ruby. "The best we can do now is take things as they come."

"I suppose," said Weiss, sighing. "But it's so frustrating to not have all the information on this."

The others nodded. But there wasn't really anything to be done about it at the moment. After their meeting with Ozpin, there had been no further contact from Neo. Ozpin had left Jaune's scroll with him, trusting them to inform him, if Neo sent any more messages. But Neo's name hadn't popped up on Jaune's scroll even once since.

In the end, the only thing they could do was hope for the best. So they got back to work. With their Thursday classes out of the way, they were finishing up their homework in the library, ensuring that their weekend would be clear. It wasn't the first time that their study session had been interrupted by an impromptu debate over recent events, said debates ranging from the topic of what they could do for Ashley and her family, to when it might be safe for the Forrests to move back to Vale. Unfortunately, those topics had reached dead ends in much the same way their latest one had.

Unfortunately for their homework, the sudden questioning of Neo's intentions wasn't fated to be the only interruption to their work, as Ruby's scroll sounded, announcing a message. Pulling it out, Ruby frowned at the message. A few seconds later, Ren's scroll sounded as well. Pulling his scroll out, he narrowed his eyes at the words on the screen.

"What is it?" asked Nora, trying to shift to read over Ren's shoulder.

"Professor Ozpin's calling our team to his office," said Ren.

"Ours too," said Ruby, holding up her scroll for everyone at the table to see.

"What now?" wondered Yang.

"Perhaps we're about to get more information," suggested Pyrrha.

"We'll just have to find out," said Ruby, already getting out of her seat, and gathering up her materials.

"Brother Adam's behavior is growing more erratic by the day. Lately, he has become even more prone to outbursts of temper, often at the slightest provocation. At this point, I fear it is only a matter of time before he turns these outbursts at one our brothers or sisters. I feel that his restraint in that area is hanging by a thread. The failure of his attempt to entrap and kill the Beacon Student who thwarted the theft at the docks has only caused his disposition to worsen all the more.

"These new allies of his are not helping matters. It is clear that Brother Adam has been working for them, rather than the other way around, and that they are the ones dictating the current course of our plans. The only one presently assisting us is the girl who was a former-associate of Roman Torchwick, Vale's primary crime lord, prior to his capture. She has proven reliable, and has rescued Brother Adam from capture, twice. But the others have broken off contact for the most part, and have not been seen for multiple weeks now, though it seems that Brother Adam is able to contact them, if he needs to.

"It is hard to say how Brother Adam came to work for these people, or what their end-goals are. He hasn't divulged any information on that front to me. However, seeing how this Cinder-woman deals with him, I have come to believe that coercion is involved at some level. Through her connections, we have been furnished with Dust and ordinance beyond what we have been able to obtain through our own actions. However, what we are to do with all of this is worrying.

"I haven't yet seen what Brother Adam and the others are doing in the southeast quadrant, that ruined extension. But it seems to me that the nature of this plan is far more destructive than I initially feared. Brother Adam has become less and less discriminating in his targets. Having taken all this into account, it is my recommendation..."

Ilia froze at the sound of knocking at her door. Quickly, she closed down her work station, and extracted the message tube from it, carefully stowing it in her chosen hiding place. Only then did she turn towards the door. "Yes?" she called out.

"Brother Adam wishes to speak with you," said a deep, harsh voice from the hallway. Ilia knew that it could only be Meinrad.

Getting up, Ilia moved to the door and opened it, putting her mask onto her face as she did so. Opening the door, she could see the burly, masked man already heading down the hall. Wordlessly, Ilia followed him. Reaching the warehouse's "office," a small folding table, set up in an out-of-the-way corner, Ilia saw Adam poring over a few maps of Vale and the surrounding area.

"You called me?" asked Ilia.

Adam looked up, a smile appearing on his face. "Sister Ilia...it's good to see you."

You're talking as though you don't see me everyday, Ilia mused silently, fighting to keep her face from adopting a deadpan expression. Though, with her eyes covered, and the hard-set she kept her mouth to, it wasn't that difficult to keep her feelings concealed. The fact that Adam appeared to be in such a good mood shouldn't have been as disturbing as it was. The sight of that smile was setting off all kinds of warning bells in her head.

"What is it?" asked Ilia.

"I have decided to charge you with delivering the seminal speech at our next rally," declared Adam, smirking. "Meinrad will be on hand to assist, should you need it. But I have confidence in your ability to rally the new recruits to us."

Ilia frowned. "You're not going to deliver it yourself."

"I need to head out to the staging point," said Adam. "Considering how things are going out there, I shall need to be on hand to make sure that work does not flag."

That's good, thought Ilia. It was much harder for her to slip her messages out, while Adam was present. It was always tricky, dealing with his incredible alertness, though she supposed that was why he was such an effective fighter and leader in the first place.

"But first, I want to show you something," said Adam, his smirk becoming a grin. He led Ilia away from the table, and into another section of the warehouse, Meinrad following behind them. Ilia felt only more uneasy at Adam's increasing enthusiasm.

Ilia wondered just what Adam was going to show her. However, she didn't need to ask, as they rounded a corner, and she laid eyes on the enormous bulk that almost completely filled up the warehouse's loading dock. Her eyes widened behind her mask, and her jaw dropped, her gaze slowly moving upward, tracing every deadly line of Adam's new acquisition.

"It was just dropped off," explained Adam, "one of a full dozen. This one will be the showpiece of our next rally, a demonstration of just how powerful we've become. With these in our hands, we will be able to truly deal a telling blow to the human scum."

Ilia didn't share Adam's excitement. In fact, the sight of the thing looming over them only served to fill her with dread. There will be no going back after this, she realized. If he unleashes this within the Kingdom, he might as well be declaring war on behalf of all the White Fang. This is too much.

All the same, she kept her true feelings to herself, already having an idea of how Adam would respond to any expression of reluctance to agree with him. Her message back home had suddenly become all the more urgent.

"You want me to spy...on Brother Adam?" Ilia didn't even bother to keep her disbelief from her voice.

After all, this was Adam Taurus they were talking about, one of their greatest warriors, perhaps the greatest warrior in the White Fang. Every operation he had led so far had been an unqualified success. He was an inspiration to their organization's members in every corner of every Kingdom. Even outside the Vale Branch, he was practically legendary, with many looking up to him, even here.

The woman sitting before Ilia nodded. Her wild-looking black hair, with its chin-length, asymmetrical bob-cut swaying with the movement. Her orange eyes focused on Ilia with a piercing intensity, the orange-furred ears atop her head standing up attentively. It was hard not to look at the small, red, diamond-shaped jewel that rested in the center of her forehead, just above those eyes.

Leaning back in her seat, the woman folded her arms, the black-striped tattoos standing out against her tanned skin, matching the color of the black, form-fitting dress she wore, over which was an orange cape, set, like her dress, to reveal a generous portion of her shoulders and back.

"The news coming out of Vale has become worrying, lately," said Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang. "Have you heard about Sister Blake?"

"I...have," said Ilia, glancing down. "I'm having a hard time believing it. She's not a coward, unlike her father."

"SILENCE!" barked Sienna, rising from her seat, glaring down with an intensity that turned the look into a force in its own right, forcing a quailing squeak from Ilia. "Do not ever call Ghira Belladonna a coward!"

Sienna took a few breaths to calm herself, before sitting back down. "I realize that this is the view that many have. But they are fools. Ghira Belladonna was many things; naive, hopelessly idealistic, soft even; but never a coward. His methods were insufficient, which is why I forced him to step down. But understand this, Sister Ilia, I hold Ghira in the highest esteem. Even now, he dedicates himself to the administration of Menagerie, supervising the sole true safe haven for our people, an immense task, given the circumstances."

She leaned forward in her seat. "So...if I hear you calling him a coward again, I will cut out your tongue, myself. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes," stammered Ilia, completely cowed by Sienna's display of temper.

Sienna sighed. "My apologies. Because I respect Ghira, I tend to react harshly to those who mock him. I know that many view him as a coward for refusing to resort to violence. But he did so out of genuine belief, not fear or weakness. I refuse to accept or encourage such talk."

"I u-understand," said Ilia.

"Which means that I very much doubt that Sister Blake deserted out of cowardice either," continued Sienna. "Granted, I did not know her well. But she and Adam were very close."

"Yes," said Ilia, a slight hint of bitterness sneaking into her voice, "they were."

"Which makes it all the more troubling that she would abandon him," said Sienna. "I choose to see Sister's Blake's actions as a bellwether of Adam's own...and what I've discerned is troubling, namely that Blake's desertion was not reported by Adam directly."

Ilia nodded. Had Adam reported Blake's desertion, they would have known within a week or two of it. However, the information had instead filtered in through the channels of rumor, before being confirmed. Because of what they did, the White Fang were not so foolish as to make use of the CCT for long-range communications, which meant that they had to rely on older, slower methods. As a result, by the time the knowledge of Blake's actions had reached them, it was already over a month old.

"What Adam has reported is troubling, through its omission of details," continued Sienna. "He is no longer submitting detailed operation reports. Again, what details we are getting come through more indirect paths. And again, what I am hearing is troubling. Adam's actions have become unnecessarily destructive.

"I was one of the first to suggest the use of violence. I opposed Ghira, because I saw that peace had bred complacency. I will not allow the humans to push us down without us pushing back. To that end, I want them to fear and respect the faunus. However, I am beginning to suspect that Adam is taking things too far.

"What we do not need is war. War between the humans and faunus will be one we cannot win. This will not be one of revolution, but one of extermination. If Adam continues to push things past the breaking point, that may well be what we face in the future."

Ilia nodded, though she wasn't sure if she completely agreed.

Sienna sighed. "So, I need you to go to Vale. The official reason is that you were sent because of your long history with Sister Blake, with the intention of trying to convince her to return to the fold, should the opportunity arise. Belladonna's daughter is a potentially powerful and important figure, however unofficial that power might be.

"But your real reason is to learn what you can about the situation, and what Adam is doing. Do whatever he needs you to, but report back to me; your actions, his, your impressions, the general situation; I want to know what Adam has been keeping from me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, High Leader," said Ilia, bowing her head.

Returning to her room, Ilia carefully locked the door, before retrieving the message-tube, and plugging it back into her workstation. She'd finish her report, then submit it via short-range transmission. From there, the message would be carried through a combination of hidden relays, and by hand, making its way across Sanus to Anima, then to the White Fang's headquarters, near Mistral. It was a slower method than calling Sienna up on her scroll (not that Ilia had Sienna's contact information), but much more secure.

The CCT System that was supposed to link all four Kingdoms together through the nigh-instantaneous sharing of information across continents was a wonderful thing. But, in its shadow lurked a hidden danger. Because all intercontinental communications were routed through one or more of the central towers, that meant that nearly everything that was being said over the CCT was passing through those centralized systems, where they could be monitored easily. While Atlas, the Kingdom behind the creation of the system, promised that the privacy of users conversations would be upheld, no one in the White Fang was naive enough to believe that they would uphold that stance, not when it was such a tempting way to spy on potential enemies.

So the White Fang retained a network of short-ranged relays and messengers, utilizing their scrolls only for local area communications. Such communications were slower, and sometimes unreliable, thanks to the Grimm. But it was better than their movements, plans, or dispositions being picked up by the enemy.

As such, it would be a few days, at least, before Ilia's report made it to Sienna's hand. It would be weeks before Ilia had any notion of what Sienna would make of that information, as she was not in a position to receive replies without giving herself away. As it was, it was extremely difficult to write and send these reports without anyone else finding out. If Adam learned what she was doing, and what she was saying...Ilia dreaded being the focus of his anger, suspecting it would be completely unrestrained.

So it was with trepidation that she extracted the message tube, preparing to take it to their transmitter, and sending the message along on the first leg of its journey. Opening the door to her room, Ilia glanced both ways, making sure that the coast was clear, before making her way down the hallway towards their communications station. Behind her, Ilia was unaware that someone had been in the room with her, from the moment she'd returned from her conversation with Adam.

In the darkness of Ilia's empty room, a pair of eyes blinked open, pink and brown appearing, before disappearing with a blink, then reappearing opposite where they'd been before.

The doors slid open, and the two teams spilled out of the crowded elevator, quickly spreading out into the less-cramped confines of Ozpin's considerably roomier office. Once again, eight chairs had been set out for them, with two being set slightly ahead of the other six. Ozpin waited in his own seat, on the other side of the desk. Behind him, on his right, was Glynda, which wasn't all that surprising. However, the person who flanked his chair on the left was much more surprising.

"General Ironwood!" gasped Weiss, her eyes going wide.

Just behind her, Ruby picked up a startling change in Blake, her posture going completely rigid, eyes narrowing, ears stretching up beneath the concealment of her bow, the muscles of her limbs tightening. It was accompanied by a flare of intense anger, an anger that Blake was struggling to keep contained.

If either of the three adults on the other side of the desk noticed Blake's reaction, they chose not to show it. Instead, Ironwood smiled, a friendly expression that looked surprisingly at-home on his face. "Ms. Schnee, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Sir," said Weiss, pausing in her approach to drop into a polite curtsy, nearly tripping up Jaune, who'd been following behind her.

"Please," said Ironwood, holding up his gloved right hand to forestall any further attempts at formality. "This isn't a social engagement, Ms. Schnee. Be at ease. You needn't bother with such things here."

"Yes, Sir," said Weiss, her tone still completely polite.

"By the way, your sister sends her regards," added Ironwood. "While she isn't in Vale presently, she might be through sometime in the near future."

"I look forward to it," said Weiss, her smile becoming more genuine and enthusiastic.

"Well then, I suppose introductions aren't necessary," said Ozpin with a dry chuckle, as the students took their seats. "It would appear that you all know General Ironwood...or at least know of him."

They all nodded, save for Blake, who averted her eyes angrily. "What does he want?" she asked irritably.

"Is there a problem Miss...?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow.

"Belladonna," Blake replied coldly, glaring steadily at the general.

"Oh..." said Ironwood, his expression faltering, before being replaced by a frown of his own. "I see..." He turned to Ozpin. "I'm beginning to have my doubts about this, Oz."

"Your doubts are noted," replied Ozpin, with the tone of one who would then immediately discard said notes.

"What are you doing, allowing a White Fang member into Beacon, in the first place?" asked Ironwood, his tone becoming harsher.

"Former-member," replied Ozpin, cutting off a harsh rejoinder from Blake. "Ms. Belladonna has become a staunch opponent of the White Fang's current direction, and committed to stopping whatever it is they are planning."

"I have my doubts," growled Ironwood.

"I can tell you what to do with your doubts," Blake hissed back.

"Blake! What's gotten into you?" asked Weiss, shocked by Blake's attitude towards Ironwood. "General Ironwood is incredibly progressive. You should know about all the reforms for faunus equality he's instated in the Atlesian Military."

Blake turned an angry look on Weiss, who quailed away from it. "And yet, he's still your father's biggest enabler, isn't he?"

Weiss' protests died on her tongue, and she averted her gaze from Blake, who returned her glare to Ironwood. "After all, the SDC's Number One customer is the Atlesian Military. So, as long as you get all the Dust and fancy tech you want, you'll let Jacques Schnee do whatever he wants with his workers, won't you? I guess that shows how 'progressive' you really are."

"I think that's enough out of you," said Ironwood, clearly trying his hardest to maintain his composure. "There are factors in play that you couldn't even begin to understand. It is not as though I can do anything I want."

"That's rich, coming from the one-man majority of the Atlesian Council," replied Blake. "That's about as close to absolute power as you can get, until you get around to taking over for a third member too. Yet you still act as though you're powerless to change anything, when, in reality, it's just inconvenient for you."

Ironwood's jaw clenched tightly.

"Enough!"

To everyone's surprise, the harsh bark came, not from any of the three teachers, but from Ren, who'd turned in his seat to look intently at Blake. Meeting Ren's magenta eyes, she quailed before the intense look he was giving her, her jaw closing.

Ren sighed, before turning back to the teachers. "I apologize for my teammate's outburst," he said. "Whatever grievances she might have, this is clearly not the time or place. That having been said, it is probably best to get to the reason you called us here. We obviously do not want to draw this out."

Ozpin smiled, while Glynda adjusted her spectacles, using the motion to mask her own surprise. It was always a shock to see Ren behave so assertively. Behind him, Nora was fighting down an expression of glee...and failing...while her cheeks turned pink.

Ruby nodded in agreement with Ren, focusing on Ozpin. "What did you call us for, Professor?"

"It so happens that I have a mission for you," said Ozpin. "The General has a particular task, and I have suggested you as the ones to undertake it, mainly due to your record of success on previous missions...even if one of them was unofficial." His eyes drifted to Blake. "It also serves as an opportunity for you to continue your investigation, Ms. Belladonna..."

Blake gasped, sitting up in her seat, ears perking beneath her bow.

"...assuming you can show proper self-control," added Ozpin, somewhat wryly.

Blake's bow flattened, the ears under it drooping, while she slumped down slightly, averting her gaze, abashed.

"Now then, right to the point," said Ozpin, before turning his eyes to Ironwood. "James, if you would explain..."

Ironwood hesitated, clearly rethinking the situation, his gaze flicking to Blake again, before he took a breath, and produced his scroll, laying it out on Ozpin's desk. There was a flicker of light, as the scroll synched with the desk's interface. Above the desk, a flickering hologram appeared, illuminating a hulking figure, the sight of it drawing a collective gasp from the assembled students.

A blocky chassis was suspended from a pair of tall legs, with two broad arms emerging on either side of it, each arm supporting several large gun barrels. Mounted on its back were blocky projections that looked like missile launchers of some kind. Somehow, despite the fact that the hologram hovering over the desk was obviously considerably smaller than real-life, the image still managed to convey a sense of immensity. It was obvious that this thing was big.

"What is that?" gasped Jaune.

"This is the Atlesian Paladin-290," explained Ironwood, his voice reverting to a crisp tone of a military man giving a report. "It was designed to support our latest generation of Knight-class androids in the field, a piloted mech, supported by the best armor and weaponry our Kingdom has to offer, ensuring that we have a human presence of the battlefield, as necessary."

"Okay..." said Nora dubiously. "So...it's a really big robot-thing...run by a person?"

"...Yes," said Ironwood, after a noticeable hesitation.

"Right...and what does this have to do with us?" asked Yang equally dubiously.

To their surprise, Ironwood's stiff posture faltered, his head lowering, and his gaze averting away from them.

"Oh no," mumbled Blake. "Please don't tell me..."

"The shipment of Paladins that was bound for Vale has been hijacked...and lost," said Ironwood, clearly reluctant to say so. "And we suspect...the White Fang was behind it."

"Are you kidding me!?" snapped Blake, shooting to her feet. "So much for your vaunted Atlesian security!"

Ironwood winced visibly. Glynda's eyelid twitched, and she began to shift forward to reprimand Blake for her outburst.

But Glynda was preempted by Ren. "Blake! Sit down!"

Blake quailed beneath the commanding glare that Ren leveled at her, sinking back down into her seat.

"Why the heck were you bringing these things to Vale, in the first place?" asked Yang, still staring in shock at the war-machine hovering over Ozpin's desk.

"A question I share," Glynda muttered under her breath.

"That's classified," said Ironwood.

"Sure it is," muttered Yang irritably.

"So...I'm assuming you want our help in locating these machines?" asked Pyrrha.

"That would be correct, Ms. Nikos," said Ozpin, glad to be getting their briefing back on track. "As James has said, we suspect the White Fang to be responsible for this theft. That being the case, it is imperative that we find the missing Paladins as soon as possible, before they are...put to use."

The students before him paled at the implications of such a machine unleashing its destructive power, particularly within the confines of Vale.

"Since the White Fang is the chief suspect, we were hoping that Ms. Belladonna could apply her knowledge of the organization, and see if there is a way to figure out where they are presently located."

Blake frowned thoughtfully, her eyes lowering.

"That makes sense," said Ruby, more to herself. She and Ren turned to Blake. "What do you think?"

"Me...but you're the leaders?" asked Blake, looking between the two of them.

"Yet, the impetus of this plan is on you," said Ren. "Given what Professor Ozpin is suggesting, you will be the one putting yourself at the most risk."

Blake met their eyes, then nodded slowly. "All right," she said, before looking past them at Ozpin, pointedly avoiding looking at Ironwood. "We'll do it."

"You will?" asked Ironwood, surprised by her decision.

Blake glared at him. "I don't like you, General," she said plainly. "And I like even less that you saw fit to ship-how many...?"

"Twelve," said Ironwood weakly.

Blake's eyes widened, while Yang sputtered in shock and anger. Then Blake narrowed her eyes again. "-a dozen of your new war-machines to Vale for God-knows what reason. But, if there's one thing I can be certain of, it's that we can't allow the White Fang to use them. If the White Fang has them, then that means that Adam has them. I don't doubt that he's working out a way to use them to inflict the maximum amount of damage and casualties he possibly can."

The other students swallowed at the thought of that.

Still, Ruby found it in herself to give the three adults in front of her a reassuring smile. "Well, there you have it," she said. "We'll take the mission."

"Thank you," said Ozpin, evidently relieved.

"So then, we're gonna need all the information you have on this Paladin-thing," said Ruby.

"Absolutely not!" snapped Ironwood. "The schematics of this weapon are Top Secret."

"A secret the White Fang already have access to," scoffed Blake. "You're closing the stable doors, after the horse has bolted...and the rest of the stable has already burned to the ground."

Ironwood gritted his teeth. "Your mission is to find the location of the missing Paladins. Once you have, and reported it properly, I will take charge of assembling a strike team to reclaim them. So you have no use for it."

"Even so, if we're looking for these machines, there's a good chance we could wind up fighting them," Pyrrha countered, "whether we want to or not."

Ruby nodded. "I'm sorry, but we aren't negotiating on this, General. We need that information. If you don't provide it, then we won't accept this mission."

Ironwood ground his teeth together, his jaw clenching.

"James..."

Ozpin's voice cut through the tense air of the office, prompting a sharp flinch from Ironwood, who turned to look down at him in surprise. Ozpin looked back up, a stern expression on his face. "Give them the information they require."

"I can't just-!" Ironwood began to protest.

"I agree with them," said Ozpin firmly. "They are right to require detailed information about their quarry, particularly when there is a substantial risk it might be used against them. So, please..."

Ironwood locked eyes with Ozpin for a long moment. Seeing that Beacon's Headmaster was not going to budge, he let out a long sigh, sagging in defeat, before turning his eyes back towards the two teams in front of him. "Fine then. But you will make sure that this information is kept confidential. If I find out that you have leaked it-"

"Spare us the threats," grumbled Blake, rolling her eyes. "Like I said, it's already leaked, since the White Fang has the machines themselves."

"We won't share it," said Ren, throwing another glare Blake's way. "You have our word."

Ironwood frowned, clearly unhappy with the situation. However, he nodded. Ren and Ruby reached into their pockets to retrieve their own scrolls, before setting the devices onto Ozpin's desk. There was a flicker of light, illuminating the files that were sent from Ironwood's device to those of the team leaders. Retrieving their scrolls, Ren and Ruby looked over the files in question briefly, before exchanging a look and a nod.

"Now then, the mission shall commence at your discretion," said Ozpin. "Obviously, time is of the essence, but you shall need to come up with a plan of action. Once you do, please inform me, and then tell me whatever you need, and I shall do my best to provide whatever aid I can."

"I already have an idea," said Blake firmly. "The White Fang holds regular faction rallies. Considering what Ashley has told us, they use those to recruit new members, and issue orders to those already initiated. It gives the newcomers an idea of what they'll be doing."

"You think they'd actually be so foolish as to reveal information about the Paladins at a recruitment rally?" asked Ironwood skeptically.

Blake flashed him a quick glare, before continuing. "If Adam has these things in his possession, then he'd practically be tripping over himself to show them off. It would be the perfect way for him to declare how much power the White Fang has now, especially since they managed to pull one over on Atlas at the same time."

Ironwood growled under his breath, but remained silent, at a warning look from Ozpin. "And do you know when and where these rallies will be?" Ozpin asked.

"I think I can find out," said Blake.

"So...you'd be infiltrating one of those rallies then?" asked Yang.

"It's the only way," Blake replied. "Only a faunus would be able to enter, and anyone working security would be able to spot someone faking. Trust me, it's been tried before."

"That still seems really risky," said Ruby. "We can't let you go in by yourself."

"I agree," said Ren.

"Maybe we should get another faunus in on this," said Jaune.

"Velvet?" ventured Pyrrha.

"Unfortunately," interjected Ozpin, interrupting the impromptu strategy discussion that had just begun in the middle of his office, "Ms. Scarlatina is presently indisposed, as Team Coffee is away on a mission of their own." He was smiling slightly, as he spoke.

Behind him, Glynda was smiling as well, admiring the students' initiative, and their willingness to plan things out. On the other hand, Ironwood was clearly unhappy with the idea of someone else being brought in on this affair.

"Well...darn," said Yang.

Abruptly, Ruby began to smirk, a sly smile spreading across her face. "But there is someone we can ask," she said.

Weiss clued in first. "No! Absolutely not! We are not bringing that...that...scamp in on this."

"Oh! I see," said Yang, developing a sly smirk of her own. "Ruby's right, Ice Queen. He's perfect. Besides, we know he'd jump at this in a heartbeat, especially if it's to help Blake."

"That is hardly the basis for determining whether or not to invite someone into such an extremely sensitive operation!" Weiss protested.

"Excuse me." Now it was Glynda who spoke, starling RASP and RYNB into silence, as she looked sternly down at them. "Just who are you proposing you invite along on this mission?"

Ruby and Yang immediately adopted sheepish expressions. "Well..." said Ruby, a little reluctantly.

"I do not approve of this," said Ironwood firmly, staring at the elevator doors that had closed behind the eight students.

"Unfortunate," said Ozpin. "However, I do not fault them for wanting to have additional support, particularly for Ms. Belladonna's part of their mission."

"But entrusting a vital role to someone completely unknown, someone who's not even from Vale or Atlas...?" said Ironwood.

"Mr. Wukong's...method of arrival...is certainly dubious," said Ozpin. "However, he is a legitimate part of the Vytal Festival's exchange program."

"So are Cinder Fall and her cohorts," Ironwood countered, "at least, so far as the paperwork is concerned. How do we know that we can trust him anymore than we can trust them?"

"Ms. Rose's intuition has served her well, thus far," said Ozpin. "She seems to consider Mr. Wukong trustworthy enough, and he has already aided them in battle against the White Fang before."

"It could just be an act," Ironwood pointed out. "It's just the sort of thing that an infiltrator would do to gain trust."

"Perhaps," said Ozpin. "However, risks must be taken at some point. If Ms. Rose and Mr. Ren feel sufficiently confident enough in taking this one, then that is their prerogative. This is their mission, after all."

"I pray that you're right about this, Oz," said Ironwood reluctantly.

"So do I," said Ozpin.

With the sound of fluttering wings, a black crow swooped low over the house. It was a fine building, assembled in the style of a classic log cabin, looking perfectly rustic and homey, blending in naturally with the forest that grew up around it. The crow arced its flight around, coming by for another pass, before dipping low...

A human landed on the ground in front of the house, his legs bending to absorb the impact of his landing. The lanky body of Qrow Branwen rose up, his tattered red cape fluttering behind him as he took in the sight of the house...and frowned darkly. After all, this house had been Ruby's prison for four years of her life.

Having been on mission at the time, Qrow hadn't heard about Taiyang's little...altercation...with Ruby and her friends until well after the fact. In fact, he was more than a little frustrated that he had found out through a news broadcast, on the network, rather than a direct message from Ozpin. However, part of that had been because he was on mission...and had been keeping communication to a minimum as much as necessary. Once he'd found out, he'd contacted Ozpin, and found himself in for a surprise, as Ozpin had been about to contact him anyway, informing Qrow that there had been a development in Autumn's situation, and that he needed to return to Beacon.

The message had been urgent, as had been the request Ozpin had sent. But Qrow still found the time to pay a visit to Taiyang's house on Patch. Sure, it was probably just a waste of time, and he'd probably just wind up in another fruitless shouting match with Taiyang again. But it was worth it to try one more time to get Ruby and Yang's father to see reason. Having checked, Qrow knew that Taiyang had taken an extended leave of absence from his work at Signal. Now, as he approached the front door of the house, he dreaded what he was about to find.

Qrow's hand closed around the knob, and turned it. To his surprise, the door was locked. That made Qrow frown. Taiyang tended to leave the front door unlocked, when he was home, before he went to bed anyway. If the house was locked at this time of day, then something was off. Reaching into his pocket, Qrow retrieved his key, and inserted into the lock. The key turned, which was a relief. Qrow was always worried that, at some point, Taiyang would change the locks on the house, just to spite him. However, he never seemed to get around to it. It helped that these were the old-fashioned, manual locks, rather than the kind of fancy electronic ones that were keyed to a code on somebody's scroll. Taiyang had always had a fondness for that kind of thing, and it made them harder to change out than changing an electronic code, which worked for Qrow.

The door opened with a click, and Qrow stepped into the entryway, his frown deepening as he saw that the lights were all out. The house was silent and still, with no sign of anyone inside. A growing feeling of foreboding rising within him, Qrow moved down to reach the door to the living room.

His first thought, after finding out about Taiyang's leave of absence, was that he had gravitated back to bad habits. So, when Qrow entered the living room, he'd expected to see every horizontal surface littered with empty liquor bottles. However, the room was empty, with no sign of any such detritus.

Prowling farther into the room, Qrow looked around for any signs of what might have happened, if anything. Looking down at the end-table, set beside the arm of the couch, Qrow ran his finger across the surface, pulling it away to look at the dry, gray residue that clung to the tip, and then looking down at the streak his finger had left through the layer of dust that had accumulated on the tabletop. It suggested more than a few days had passed since Taiyang had last cleaned up. Taiyang wasn't a neat-freak, but he was definitely an effective homemaker, and not the sort to allow dust to pile up to this extent on his furniture. Taiyang hadn't been in the house for a week or more.

That set off alarm bells in Qrow's head. When he got to Beacon, he resolved to check and see if Taiyang had taken a mission. If so, that would have been reassuring. Perhaps he had decided to channel his frustration into something productive. But Qrow knew better than to get his hopes up. Something about this; Taiyang's absence from work, the empty home, and the lack of knowledge about where the father of Qrow's nieces had gone; it all gave Qrow the impression that Taiyang was up to something. And, when he found out, Qrow was sure that he wouldn't like what that something was.