Edan: Hey, it's finally here! And it's about freaking time! People were waiting to see me in action!

Ruby: I know! Especially since there's what's planned this chapter! oooh, I'm so excited!

Adam: Down, girl.

Yang: Still, he's a little late, isn't he?

Weiss: Well, he did ask everyone what kind of story he should work on once he returned from his long break. I assume that's why.

Ruby: Really? Oh, that's right! Actually, what story won anyway?

Yang: Um, hold on... No, no, not that one. Oh, here it is! "Chaldea in Remnant!"

Blake: Chaldea? What's that?

Edan: Who cares? The chapter's about to start! Quick! Grab the popcorn!

"False tears brings pain to those around you. A false smile brings pain to one self." -C.C.

RWBY: Black Rebellion

"Lelouch...Lamperouge?"

The name rolled off of Rouge's tongue with terrifying ease. His voice was tight while his head was throbbing, staring at the picture. What the hell was this? Some kind of sick joke? That was his face, wasn't it? But, why did he look older? Why didn't have a silver eye? No, this wasn't him. This was someone else, right? Dammit, why was his head hurting so much?

Either ignorant to his pain or uncaring of it, or playing along with the lie he was giving to his subordinates, C.C. nodded. "Yes. He was a rather brilliant young man, but he disappeared some time ago. I've been looking for him for the last few odd years or so."

"Huh..." Edan remarked, taking the picture from Rouge as he looked at it. "He kinda looks like my buddy Rouge."

'Kind of looks like him?' Blake wanted to hiss. 'More like exactly! Who in the hell even is this Lelouch person? No, the real question is, who in the hell is Cecaniah Lamperouge?!'

The very question has been in her mind ever since Rouge brought her up. As far as she knew, Cecaniah Lamperouge was a well known corporate figure. She had no idea she delved in projects like the ones around her.

And just why is she hiring them to search for this Rouge look-alike? Who even was this person? And why was he so important? "Why..." she swallowed a dry lump in her throat as she looked at CC with some mixed expressions. Confusion, agitation, etc. "Why exactly are you looking for him? Who is this person? If-if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all." The woman responded with an amused smirk. "As for the reason...you could say that he's quite precious to me. But more importantly, he still needs to fulfill his end of a little deal we have."

"Deal? What, he owe you something?"

"Something along those lines." CC shrugged her shoulders before leveling a stare at Rouge. "What do you say, Zero? Machines that can easily rival an Atlesian Paladin, in exchange for looking for a powerless little child...I find that to be quite the bargain, wouldn't you agree?"

Zero stood silent for a moment, pondering the offer in his mind as he shoved the headache aside. Here he was being given a bountiful offer for bolstered manpower and information, all for the favor of searching for his look-alike? It seemed too good to be true. Yet the nagging feeling remained in his mind.

However, they may not come across another deal like this again with so little of a cost.

The answer was a no-brainer.

"...we have a deal." Rouge shook her hand, fingers coiling around hers. There was a jolt running through his body as he did so, a shiver running down his spine. Once she loosened her grip, he hastily pulled his hand away from her, much to her amusement. "What can you tell us about him? Specifically his character and his last known location?"

"His last known location is rather hard to pin-point, I'm afraid." Obis informed the masked revolutionary. "As far as the world is concerned, Lelouch Lamperouge died after he was assassinated. His existence was primarily kept secret from the rest of the world, but we're quite certain he survived. Following the assassination attempt, he went into hiding and has been constantly on the move. We've only recently learned, however, that he appeared here in Vale."

"And as for his character, he's something of a prideful idiot." C.C. continued with a droll while she waved her hand about. "He has a poor habit of underestimating his opponents, but you'd be damned to find a more skilled tactician. He also has something of a sister complex." A giggle escaped her as the Black Fang gave her a blank stare. "I'd recommend not saying it to his face, however. He's quite touchy about it. On a more personal note, he's quite the chess player."

Zero raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"

"As far as I know, the only person who he was never able to beat was his brother. Aside from that, he's a magnificent chess player and has an undefeated streak. He also had a bad habit of gambling against though high up in power, playing on their idiotic pride to earn a hefty sum of money, just to keep him quiet."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Sounds like him and Zero would get along splendidly, then." she said, earning a curious look from the man himself.

Underneath the mask, Rouge let out a silent groan. He had been hoping that Yang hadn't caught on to one of the actual reasons he frequented Junior's bar. It was rather easy, to be perfectly frank. For a bunch of so called hardcore mobsters, they were horrible gamblers. Honestly, the only person who was of any real skill was a certain mafiaso that had been earning his interest as of late, but aside from that, everyone else was far too easy to swindle.

From the look on C.C.'s face, she seemed to agree with Blake. "Quite." she hummed as she retracted her fan and slid it back into her kimono. "I look forward to our continued partnership, Zero. Don't be a stranger, now~"

With a small bow, the woman turned on her heel to leave with her butler tailing behind her. Soon they were out of sight, and the Black Fang were left with their new weapons.

"...I call dibs on that one!" Edan pointed at the Knightmare that caught his fancy.

A subordinate shook his head in exasperation. "Of course you would. It has horns, for Dust's sake."

The following morning, while classes were underway (Port's, much to his slight dismay. His only saving grace was that the man paid more attention to his own voice than to his own students), Rouge had taken the moment to contact his various sources to investigate this "Lelouch Lamperouge."

It hadn't even been ten minutes, and he was already growing slightly agitated by the lack of information. Aside from what Cecaniah Lamperouge provided for them, there was very little about his apparent look alike. That was still bothering. Just why did Lelouch Lamperouge resemble him so much? Surely, he couldn't have had an older brother that his father had neglected to tell him he, Ruby and Yang had, could he? He would have told them if that had been the case.

'And both of his eyes are purple.' Rouge noted as he stared at the photo. 'Only my right eye is purple. Actually, now that I think about it...no one from Dad's side of the family has purple eyes. My silver eye is from mother, but...' Gingerly, he touched the only eye that wasn't hidden by his hair, frowning slightly. '...tch. I'm thinking about this too much. I'll ask Dad the next time I see him.'

"Ugh...kill me now." Ruby groaned next to him. "Why does he drone on and on like this...?"

"Could be worse." he shrugged, pretending to be reading his book as he flipped to the next page. Useless, really, since he already memorized the whole thing. "The story's actually somewhat reasonable this time. At least for now. Bet you ten lien it gets outlandish by the time he hits thirty minutes."

"I'm so bored that I might just take you up on that..." His sister mumbled with her head face down.

"Then we have a deal..." Rouge commented as he turned another page to hide his scroll.

"Hey, Rouge?" Ruby called out weakly. "Do you think you can help me with something later?"

"What is it?"

"It's Blake." Rouge blinked. He turned his head to look at the girl, tilting his head. "Well, you see... Yang's been catching her leaving late at night. Like, when we're asleep at night. And she's getting really worried, but we don't want to try and get her angry or dodge the issue, so..."

Rouge frowned. In hindsight, he should've specifically made a stronger sleeping agent for Yang. He had been naive to think that the normal version would work against her completely. Nevertheless, he had to amend this to keep her cover. "...I'll see what I can do."

Ruby shot him a look of gratitude before she tried to keep herself occupied while Port continued on with his rather useless stories. Half an hour later, Ruby grumpily handed him ten lien.

"So you're saying that Yang suspects something?" Blake asked when she and Rouge met alone. "I used the tranquilizer though."

"Apparently, it wasn't strong enough to fully affect my eldest sister." Rouge frowned. "I'll be upping the prescription to make sure she stays soundly asleep and doesn't interfere. Then again, she might also realize you've been drugging her drinks lately." The heterochromatic teen sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Between my sisters, Yang's by far the most invasive, even if she means well. Chances are, she won't let you go until you give her a proper explanation."

"So, what do we do?"

"...have they asked you why you've been so listless lately?" Rouge asked her suddenly. "They would be idiots to not notice how you've been running yourself ragged with our operations."

Blake shook her head. "No, only that they've noticed how tired I've been getting. But come tonight, I think so..."

"Hm..."

"What're you thinking?"

"Well, I was going to tell you when the timing was right, but PIECE managed to give us something interesting intel." he said, earning a look of curiosity from the Faunus-in-hiding. "Torchwick's going to be hosting a White Fang Recruitment event near the Warren District sometime next week. And thanks to Cinder Fall's connections, he's even got his hands on a prototype Atlesian Paladin." Blake's eyes widened while her jaw dropped. The idea of someone like Torchwick coming into possession of a weapon like that was just insane, for all manner of reasons. Whoever Cinder Fall was, she must have had some very interesting connections, especially considering that the Paladins had yet to be initialized and sent out to the Kingdom borders. "We're going to be crashing the party. It also serves as a test to see how C.C.'s Knightmare Frames hold up against a Paladin. An excellent test run, as well as a chance to gather some field data."

Blake tilted her head. "And this has to do with my Team interrogating me...how?"

"If you recall, you were obsessed with stopping the White Fang back at the docks." Rouge pointed out to her. He then smiled when he saw her look of realization. "They probably think that you're still hung up on the idea. You can use that as an excuse. And if I know my sisters, especially Ruby, she'll probably have you all go out and try to stop Torchwick."

"A-and your okay with that?!"

Rouge scoffed. "Hell no I'm not, but do you honestly think I can stop Yang or Ruby?" he retorted, folding his arms. "Those two are as stubborn as Dad is. And trust me, it isn't a good thing. That's why I'm trusting you to make sure they don't do anything too stupid."

Blake bit her lip. If it were possible, she didn't want to drag in her team into this. But Rouge was right. Yang wouldn't stop until she got answers, and she would probably drag in Weiss and Ruby as well. She couldn't think of any other method to handle this issue. With a sigh, she nodded. "You can count on me. But what will you be doing during all of this?"

"Like I said, it would be a good test run for the Knightmares. Edan has been eager to give his a spin."the teen answered with a small smile. "The diagnostics Hue ran had some interesting results. Assuming it performs to my expectations, I expect to see Atlas fuming, and General Ironwood even more paranoid than he usually is."

"Those machines are really that powerful?" Blake asked with wide eyes. She didn't think there was anything that could surpass Atlesian technology.

"Indeed, and even more so. I could go on explaining their capabilities, but I think you'll better appreciate them seeing it in action In the meantime, why don't you head on back? I'll be sure to send you a message for when it's time to head out." Blake nodded. She then took her leave, heading on back to Team RWBY's dorm room.

Watching her leave, Rouge sighed as he ran his hand through his ebony locks, cursing Yang's astuteness. 'She definitely must have figured out that Blake had been drugging her so she could sneak out.' he thought, going through process of elimination. 'I should have remembered it takes a lot more than that to fully knock her out. I'll definitely have to amp up the dosage. Still, what a pain! If they're there when its time for us to get going and deal with Torchwick, then things won't be easy. Not only that, but this Cinder Fall woman worries me. Just what kind of connections does she have that would let her get her hands on a Paladin? Ironwood has those things locked down tighter than a drum!'

It was truly concerning. This unknown variable has him on alert. He needed to learn more about this woman so he could properly deal with her when the time arrived. From what Adam had informed him, she was just another enabler of this twisted and corrupt world.

Another element that must be eradicated.

'But she's much more than that. She has something planned for Remnant...but what could it be?'

Someone bumping into him pulled him out of his thoughts. "Sorry," he immediately apologized. "I was deep in thought." As he looked at the person he bumped into, his eyes widened, albeit only slightly.

'...speak of the Devil.'

"It's no worries." Cinder Fall assured him, a leisurely smile present on her lips. Behind her were two others, a girl with dark skin, red eyes and mint-green hair and the other a boy with messy silver hair and a cocky smile. "The fault was mine. I should be the one saying sorry."

"It's alright. By the way, I don't think I've seen you three around before. Are you part of the transfer students?" Rouge asked, acting oblivious and casual.

"Yes. We're from Haven. We were just looking for our dorms." Cinder answered smoothly.

"I see. Well, your building is just outside of this corridor. You can't miss it."

"Thank you." Cinder nodded her head. As the three of them were about to leave, she stopped momentarily to turn to him. "Might I ask for your name?"

"My name is Rouge Rose. And you are?" He asked cordially.

"Cinder Fall. A pleasure."

With that, the woman took her leave. As she did so, a curious smile touched her face.

'Those eyes...'

Despite the boy's polite demeanor, his eyes told of another story. They were observant, calculating. Focused. As if he was trying to analyze her. And, of course, the fact that he only had one Silver Eye. He was definitely the same boy she met earlier this year, but she not got the chance to examine his face up close like that.

How curious...

He seemed young. Even younger that the students here. Yet the way he carried himself indicated experience and confidence. And something even more. He was hiding away something, something that seemed strangely familiar to her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel it. In the back of her mind, something was calling out to her.

'Could it be the Maiden's power?' Cinder thought idly. She then recalled what her master had told her, how she hold a risk were she to face a Silver-Eyed Warrior. Thankfully, however, neither of those two seemed to have awakened to it yet. 'Still... I could have sworn Hazel told me that all members of that bloodline had both Silver Eyes, no exception.'

Yet she had just seen live evidence that refuted that statement. The boy Rouge only had a single silver eye. One would chalk it up to coincidence, but Cinder wasn't one to believe such. After all, there was no other bloodline that possessed such a unique ocular trait.

But why only have one Silver-Eye?

"Cinder?"

"It's nothing, Emerald." Cinder waved off her pawn's concern. So easy to manipulate this one. Even Mercury had the sense to doubt her whenever he suspected something was up. But Emerald? Poor girl thought the world of her. That she was the center of everything. It made her very easy to control and use. "Simply sorting through some thoughts is all."

'So, that's Cinder Fall...' Rouge thought, watching the woman's back as she vanished around the corner before he made a move to return to his own dorm room. 'So, she finally made her move. That explains why she's having Torchwick hold the recruitment event. While everyone is busy dealing with a criminal, nobody will notice miss femme fatale slipping into the school. If she was able to get her hands on a Paladin, then chances are, she also has connections to forge registration into Haven. Unless she does something to garner attention, Ozpin wouldn't even know a thing.'

It was quite disappointing, really. Ozpin is the man who is supposed to be perceptive and keep an eye out for any potential threats to humanity. Yet here was one, slipping right under his nose.

Cinder Fall must've possessed some great connections to pose as a Haven student, even though she doesn't appear to be one.

'Seriously. How could others mistake her for a student. She obviously looks older than the teenagers here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she'd trying too hard to appear younger than she might be.'

Perhaps Ozpin's true age was showing? Either that, or the man finally went senile after thousands of years. Whatever the case may be, he would have to be careful around Cinder for the time being. If she was as good as he thought she was, then Rouge was going to have to take the necessary precautions.

'Thankfully, though, everything should be ready within the week.' he thought with a small grin. 'It's just getting him here that will be tricky.'

Surprisingly, Blake had managed to do it. Just as Rouge had predicted, they had all thought that she was still hung up about the White Fang. As much as she tried to dissuade them, Ruby was surprisingly adamant, leading them her to eventually just give up. Even so, she kept her promise with Rouge to make sure they were safe in her mind.

Once the weekend rolled around, everyone was ready for the upcoming operation. The roles were relatively simple. Weiss and Ruby would go to the Cross Continental Tower, where Weiss would get information about any shipments that had gone missing following their arrival at the ports. Yang would be going to a club in the shady part of town, which was home to an information broker. Blake would be going to the White Fang Recruitment event. At least, that had been the initial plan, until Sun and Neptune's arrival forced them to change a few things.

Blake had tried to pull Sun away from all of this, but the Monkey Faunus was adamant about helping her. In the end, she had no choice but to let him come with her while Neptune went with Yang, much to Weiss' dismay and her amusement. The Ice Queen had found someone that managed to earn her fancy, it seemed.

'I hope things go according to plan here...' Blake thought with trepidation as she and Sun made their way to where the recruitment event was going to be held. She soon stopped, however, when she saw a familiar blue-haired teen waving at her. 'Oh dear god...'

"He~y, Kitty Cat! Was waiting for you!" Edan Flaemis, the Blue Devil said with a chipper tone. "Oh, you brought your date with you too. This should be fun!"

Sun spluttered. "D-date?" he said, clearly not expecting that before he waved his hands frantically with a look of panic. "W-whoa, hold up. We-we're not dating!"

"Your blush says otherwise, monkey boy."

"Edan." Blake sighed deeply. "Why are you here?" Edan only gave her a grin. Blake waited until she realized the answer was staring her in the face. "He put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Just added insurance. 'course, Leader was expecting you to be alone. Change of plans, I take it?"

"Sort of." Blake stepped to the side for a moment. "Sun, this is Edan Flaemis. He's a...friend of mine. Edan, this is Sun Wukong."

"Nice to meet ya. Nice abs, by the way."

Sun sweatdropped. "Um...thanks?"

While the monkey Faunus was aware that his abs was one of his great points, it was kind of odd to hear that from the new guy given the current situation.

"Seriously though." Blake continued. "Why would he even think that sending you here with us was a good idea? You're human. The recruits and the White Fang will eat you alive...and don't even get me started on your 'excitement' for battle. You being here would be more detrimental than beneficial. If he was going to send back up, why didn't he send Goe or someone else?"

At her words, Edan's smile visibly faded. "...Look, I know I seem like a trigger-happy...or sword-happy kind of guy. But trust me, I know how to keep my cover. Also...what made you think I was even human in the first place?"

His rhetorical question surprised both teens. Edan...wasn't human? "...what do you mean? You look totally human to me..." Sun responded.

Silently, the blue haired teen lowered his hood and pulled back his hair for them to see. To see two patches of scar tissue and fragments where a pair of horns used to be. Immediately, Sun and Blake gasped in horror. Edan didn't seem bothered by their stares, instead offering a weak laugh. "Kind of freaky, huh? I was a Goat Faunus, or was until my 'owner' decided I needed to have them sawed off."

"O-Owner?" Blake was almost afraid to ask that question. "You can't mean..."

"My foster father...wasn't exactly the nicest person. Let's leave it at that." Edan then pulled his hood back over his head. "It's also why I prefer wearing my hoodie. I don't like it when people stare, you know?"

"Holy shit dude..." Sun couldn't find the words. "That's...that's just..."

"It's fine. I got over it a long time ago. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about that bastard ever again..." He shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked...yet she felt like she already knew the answer if the chill running down her spine was of any indication.

"Like I said, let's leave it at that. Besides, enough about me. Let's get this show on the road, yeah? Since you know I'm a Faunus now, there's no issue, right?"

Blake nodded, albeit numbly. She felt horrible. Worse, she felt sick as she led the two boys towards the building. The signs were already there, the markings of the White Fang. And if it didn't already give it away, there was a guard standing out front, rifle on his shoulder.

'What kind of person does that to a Faunus?'

She had experienced cruelty before. Some more than others, but to hear that someone had gone out of their way to do something like that - ripping off a part of a Faunus' heritage and identity... It made her stomach churn. She felt nauseous, ready to throw up. She steeled her stomach, trying her hardest not to think on it. Her mind raced back to what Rouge preached, of how there were people in this world of untold cruelty. Some of which included Faunus themselves. And the absolute scum of the human race.

If she was still uncertain about the true atrocities human and faunus could commit, then any reluctance was now dispelled.

But still...how could Edan still act like this after experiencing such trauma and pain? She glanced back to the blue haired faunus, who had a neutral expression on his face, his eyes visible from the shadows of his hood. With how grievous a wound, she wondered if the man hid his pain well. Perhaps more than she hid her own feelings from her team. Now that she thought about it, all Blake really knew Edan was his reputation. The Blue Devil of the Black Fang, who incinerates everything that got in the way of his superior. Zero's right hand man.

Over the past few weeks, she also grew to know him as a flirt who has a light-hearted nature, even in the face of danger. Yet he is capable of being serious when the situation calls for it. Not to mention his added bloodlust and battle mania.

But beyond all of that, she doesn't truly know him at all.

'Who are you really underneath all that, Edan...?'

"Whoa, hey now." Blake blinked, realizing that said teen was looking at her with a grin. "If you stare at me that much, I'll start thinking you got a thing for me, Kitty Cat."

"I do not." Blake quickly turned away from him. She just remembered the fact that he was a flirt. But even so, the timing that he responded...it was as if he read her thoughts and quickly changed the subject. Or was she overthinking this?

Honestly, which was the real Edan Flaemis?

"Hue, how's loading up the Knightmare Frames?" Zero asked his subordinate.

"Quite well. Edan's should be ready to roll out soon. That is, assuming we can get it to him. Seriously, you'd think that corporate woman would at least think to install some kind of AI system in this thing. It's all monologue. Hell, it operates a system completely independent of the CCT Tower!"

"And for good reason, I assume. What do you suppose would happen if the CCT Tower became infected with a virus?"

"...good point."

"Regarding the deal for these Knightmare Frames, any new leads in regards to our...target?" Zero hesitated for a moment, frowning. He was still on edge because of that photograph, and all the more irritated for it. He hated not knowing something.

"Unfortunately, no. We've had our agents scour the four landmasses, but so far nothing."

"I see. And what of any database records?"

"Goe is still searching through every record to find a match. But so far no luck." The skunk Faunus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Whoever this Lelouch person is, he either doesn't exist or he's hiding his tracks pretty damn well. For the record, of this turns out to be some wild goose chase, I'm gonna kill that woman."

'I wouldn't put it past her.' Rouge thought before he blinked in confusion. Why in the world had he thought that? Cecaniah Lamperouge may have seemed whimsical, but he sincerely doubted she would offer them such incredible technology and have them search for someone who didn't even exist. Besides, he wouldn't have felt so agitated if this had been a wild goose chase. "Where is Edan right now? Has he rendezvoused with Blake?"

"Seems like." Hyain shrugged his shoulders while Hue went back to working on the Knightmare Frame. "PIECE went dark two days ago, as we expected. Seems like that Cinder chick is starting to realize something's up." The wolf Faunus frowned heavily. "H-hey, boss, what do we do if he gets caught? I mean, the whole reason our operations have succeeded so far is because we've got someone high up feeding us intel. If we lose him now-"

"If we lose him now, it won't hinder us." Zero cut him off, waving a hand before speaking to his subordinate in assurance. "I already have a few contingency plans in mind. For now, let's focus on the task at hand."

"R-right..."

The Raccoon and Skunk Faunus returned to their work, leaving Zero to his thoughts. While it would be...annoying for PIECE's position to be compromised, it would not be detrimental in the long run. He had back up plans upon backup plans for any occasion.

He just had to make sure to pull PIECE out of there quickly if he ever were to be compromised. After all, Adam was far too important for his plans, especially in the long run. More than that, however, Adam was a dear friend of his. Both understood that they couldn't allow personal feelings to get involved in their work, but Rouge preferred not to lose valuable assets. And more importantly, his friends.

'So long as PIECE's true allegiances haven't been discovered, a meeting with her isn't completely impossible.' he thought with a small smile. Admittedly, it was something of a long shot, but if there was a chance that a meeting between him and Sienna Khan could be made real, and the possibility of them working together, even if it would be a one-sided relationship, then he couldn't afford to lose Adam. 'At any rate, if things go the way I expect them to, we'll need to prepare the Knightmare as soon as possible.'

Still, though...

Was it his imagination, or had he seen these machines before?

When Ruby reunited with Penny while she and Weiss were in the middle of their current task, the last thing she would have expected as to know that Penny was secretly an android. More than that, however, she was an android that could project Aura. A machine that possessed a soul. It sounded like something from a sci-fi comic, and Ruby would never have believed it, had she not seen the metallic skin that was underneath the damaged bits of flesh on her hands, after having protected Ruby from being struck by a truck.

Of course, Ruby didn't think too much of it. After all, even if she was just made up of scrap, bolts and wires, she had a soul. That made her a person. And that, of course, elicited another bone-crushing hug. And thankfully, Ruby had managed to lead Penny away from a group of Atlesian soldiers that were chasing after them, despite Penny's protests that she would be fine. To be on the safe side, however, Ruby suggested that Penny should tell whoever her father was that she was okay and with her, considering Penny already had her Scroll number.

And naturally, the tidbit about her discovering her true nature was to be kept secret.

"So, um, besides the General, does anybody else know about your...condition?" Ruby asked curiously before she winced when she referred to Penny's true nature like it was some kind of disease.

Thankfully, the woefully naive girl was none the wiser. "Aside from General Ironwood and father, I believe the only other person that would know is Jacques Schnee." she answered. "He did provide the funds for my creation, though he did initially believe he was investing in another sort of project."

"Wait, Weiss' dad knows?"

"Of course! Now that I think about it, all special military personnel in Atlas knows!"

"...and, uh, what happens if somebody outside the chain of command or outside of Atlas found out? Like, you know, me?"

"Oh, don't worry, Friend Ruby! At best, you'd only be looking at a few years in a Federal Kingdom Prison!" Penny chirped, ignorant of Ruby's utter look of horror. "At worst, however, I believe you would face life imprisonment! Even so, you would be treated very well! The facilities in Atlas are all asked to treat prisoners with the utmost level of respect, and as humanely as possible!"

Despite Penny's attempt to comfort Ruby, the red hooded girl felt the complete opposite as her face paled as white as a sheet. Prison?! She didn't want to go to jail! She wanted to be a Huntress! What would Yang say? What would Uncle Qrow say? What would Dad say? What would Rouge say?!

She was doomed! She wouldn't last in prison! She's too cute and adorable! And Atlas facilities tended to house some of the most dangerous criminals! And she heard what happens if you drop the soap!

She needed to think of some thing! She didn't want to go to prison! "...then, c-can you not tell anyone I know?" Ruby pleaded. "Please?"

"Know what?"

"EEEP!"

Ruby yelped and leaped into the arms of Penny, who tilted her head in confusion. Weiss, who had arrived after she concluded her phone call to the Schnee Dust Company, looked at Ruby weirdly. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Ruby quickly cried in a panic. "I don't know a thing! I swear!"

Weiss quirked a brow at her partner's strange behavior. Normally, when people acted like that, they were definitely hiding something. Plus, she was easy to read. But then again, she doubted it was anything of relevance. "Whatever. I got the information we needed. All that's left is to regroup with The others."

"O-oh..." Ruby calmed down immediately and lowered her head. Then she realized that she was sitting in Penny's arms and blushed, climbing out of her arms.

Weiss shook her head before she nodded to Penny. "Sorry if the dunce was a bit troublesome."

"Oh, it was fine! In fact, I dare say Friend Ruby and I have bonded!" Penny said with a smile before she tilted her head. "If I may ask, what brings you all here to the Cross Continental Tower? A school asignment?"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, only for her and Weiss' Scroll to start ringing. Simultaneously, at that. Looking at each other in confusion, they took out their Scrolls, finding that it was Blake calling them. Immediately, they feared for the worst and answered the call.

Then they heard Sun screaming, followed by the excited yells of a second male voice. [HEEEEEEEELP!]

[WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!]

"...what in the world?" Weiss wondered. "Blake? What's going on?"

[Long story short, Torchwick was at the recruitment event, and we're being chased by-]

[-A ROBOT! BIG GIANT ROBOT! AND IT'S SHOOTING AT US!]

[AND WE'RE HAVING THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!]

[NO WE'RE NOT!]

The two males argued. The girls looked at each other in confusion before Blake answered again. [As I was saying, we're being chased by Torchwick inside of an Atlesian Paladin!]

Penny gasped. "What?! How did a criminal like him obtain a Paladin?!"

[Wait, is that Penny?!]

"Long story!" Ruby said. "Where are you right now?!" She heard Sun scream again...but it wasn't from their Scroll. Rather, it came close by. On cue, on the other side of the street, a giant metal construction rampaged straight through, chasing after a hooded teen with Sun and Blake following close behind. "...okay, nevermind then."

"Torchwick's on the move." Goe reported to Zero from her computer. "Edan's in position, Boss."

"Good." Zero nodded, smiling beneath his mask. "Send in the Knightmare. It's time for a test run..."

If you were the average evening driver, chances are, you would very likely find yourself scared out of your mind. And you might ask, why would you be scared?

The answer came in the form of a ten-foot robot, barreling straight through the street as it knocked cars out of its path, charging straight ahead and after three young teenagers as they attempted to escape from it. "This is freaking awesome!" Edan cried as he leaped onto a truck, Blake following after him. "I want one of those!"

"You already have one!" Blake hissed, questioning his sanity before she looked around. "Wait, where's Sun?!"

"Last I saw, he was trying to distract the Paladin!" Edan pointed out behind them. Blake glanced behind them and saw a couple of gold, Aura clones leap onto the monstrous mech, courtesy of the Monkey Faunus. He was positioned on top of another car, palms pressed against each other while his face bore a look of the utmost concentration, albeit pained with sweat dripping from his forehead.

Not far behind the Paladin, however, Yang and Neptune were zooming straight through the oncoming traffic and damage Roman Torchwick was creating in his attempts to kill the three. "Think you can slow him down?!" Yang shouted at Neptune.

"I can try!" he told her as he positioned himself as best as possible on her bike, grabbing his weapon. "Think you can get us any closer?!"

"Hold on!"

"Uwah!" Neptune cried as he nearly flew off from the motrocycle. Thankfully, he used his legs to hang on and reoriented himself. He unholstered the rifle from his back and shot off electrical blasts. Unfortunately, the blasts failed to do any significant damage. Yang sped up again until they were right next to each other. Neptune stood from his seat and transformed his weapon into a Trident. He leaped up and stabbed the three prongs into the Paladin's shoulder joint.

The damage done to the machine was immediately relayed to Roman, who scowled as a monitor showed Neptune trying to pull his weapon out, in an attempt to severe the arm. The Paladin then began to move erratically, causing Neptune to hold on for dear life. "Hang on buddy!" Sun cried, taking out his weapon and leaping forward. Unfortunately, this was the opportunity the mobster was looking for, grabbing Neptune and throwing him at Sun, causing the two to clash and tumble out from the highway. Blake's eyes widened immediately in horror, dearly hoping they were going to be okay. If it weren't for their Aura, she was sure they would have died from this height.

"My turn, asshole!" Edan said with a vicious grin as he drew his sword, sending a crescent wave of blue flames at the Paladin. Roman's eyes widened and immediately pulled the machine to the side, evading it. As a result, the street became covered in flames and scorch marks. As Roman prepared to attack again, Edan readied his sword.

Then the communicator in his ear sparked to life. "The package is in position." Goe's voice told him, no doubt grinning. "Break away from Team RWBY."

"Got it! Time for some fun!" Edan grinned. He sheathed his sword and immediately broke off to the side and jumped off the highway.

"Edan!" Blake cried at his sudden action.

"Be back in a sec!" Was what he said before he completely disappeared off the edge. Before Blake could continue, another voice interjected.

"Blake! I'm in position!"

Not far up ahead, Weiss was standing in the middle of the highway, Myrtenaster held firmly in hand as her icy blue eyes watched as Roman Torchwick in his stolen Paladin approached. A car with Blake riding on top passed her by. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Blake leaping down, no doubt having already been informed of the plan. Smiling, she returned her attention to Torchwick. Aura flaring through her being and glyph forming underneath her, she spun around and slammed her rapier into the road. Minutes later, the road in front of her became coated in ice. Thus, when Roman approached, the Paladin was unable to keep its footing and fell on its iron rear, sliding off the hallway and falling down to street level, where Team RWBY was waiting for him.

Chuckling at this opportune moment, Roman advanced the Paladin with the intent to crush them.

"Freezerburn!" Ruby shouted. She and Blake stepped back while Weiss and Yang remained. The former spun to stab her rapier to the ground, creating a sheet of ice while the latter jumped up and slammed a blazing fist onto the frozen patch.

The result was a thick mass of fog that disrupted the Paladin's visual sensors. It waked forward, trying to search its targets through the mist, unable to see the shadow speed by it.

"Tch, god dammit...!"

Two more blurs moved past him. Roman swung the Paladin around to fire off a couple of energy blasts at them, only to miss. He then noticed the paths of two blurs crossing, so he shot at the point of intersection. The explosion blew Yang and Blake away, yet Ruby used this opening to shoot herself at the Paladin and stab into it with Crescent Rose. However, the blade didn't pierce through the hull deep enough. Left dangling, Roman grabbed her and threw her aside, sending her body flying through the air. With her locked in his sights, Roman aimed the turrets straight at her.

Then the Paladn was knocked right off its feet and flung aside like it was a paperweight. "The hell?!" The hull screeched as it slid across the pavement. Roman himself jostled slightly inside his cockpit. When the shaking stopped, he rubbed the side of his head and stood the Paladin up straight, getting back to his feet. "Okay...what the hell was..."

He soon trailed off, as his jaw went slack, kissing the console.

Penny Polendina stood her ground, green eyes glaring down the Paladin, blades dancing around her, all ready to take him down. "Roman Torchwick! You are hereby under arrest!"

"...god dammit. These kids today! They just keep getting weirder!

The orange haired android then flung her blades forward, piercing the metal hull. She then pulled her arms back and the swords followed the motion. The resulting jerk in movement sent the Paladin slamming into the ground. With the Paladin down, Weiss and Yang were able to move in. The former spun on her heel and stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, creating a series of yellow glyphs that danced underneath the blonde brawler's feet. Her movements increased, her body moved faster. She leaped up and she came down like a missile on steroids, fist clenched, only to miss when Roman managed to pull the Paladin away with a quick toss to its side, bouncing the oversized machine back up to its feet.

"How the hell is that thing so freaking fast?" Yang questioned. "Shouldn't it be, you know, slow because of its size?"

"Unfortunately, the Paladin's have been equipped with boosters and specially made joints and limbs for added dexterity and agility." Penny informed as she regrouped with the others.

Blake paled at that. "...and aside from turrets and missiles, what else is it equipped with?"

"It has semi-collapsible fists for melee combat and capable of cannon fire."

"Great..." Weiss groaned.

"Is everyone in position?" Zero called.

"Yes sir!" The rest of his troops cried.

"What about you, Edan?"

"All ready and rearing to go, glorious Leader! I can't wait to see what this badass mother can do!"

The man chuckled. So much enthusiasm. "And what about Team RWBY and the girl?"

"Still in the crossfire. Do we continue?"

"Yes. Just be sure not to harm any of them. Especially the silver-eyed girl and the blonde one." His voice grew deeper, primal almost as he spoke his next words. "If either one of them comes to harm, I'll have your heads."

"Whatever you say, ya sister-complex nut." Edan laughed. "Now, how did that line in that one show go? Oh, right! Edan Flaemis, in Knightmare Frame Diablos! MOVING OUT!"

"Bumblebee!" Ruby cried out. Weiss switched out with Blake and threw her weapon while keeping ho,d of the ribbon. Yang took hold of the other end and used her gauntlets to propel herself around th Paladin hike Blake added to her momentum by swinging her around.

Roman clicked his tongue, bouncing out of the way and avoiding Yang's strike, only to then find himself promptly propelled forward when Penny reeled him in after stabbing the giant mech with her swords. Yang swooped in low, going for its leg to knock it back down to the ground. She then jumped on top of its main body and continued to punch it repeatedly. Roman got his bearings and pulled up the Paladin and charged forward, slamming the brawler into one of the concrete pillars supporting the highway. He then used the Paladin's fist to smack her into the ground.

"Yang!" Blake cried in worry, about to rush to her partner in worry.

Ruby stopped her. "It's fine! Yang's Semblance takes whatever someone throws at her, and she hits back harder!" As evidence, Yang stood up, albeit staggering a bit before she raised her head, yellow hair lit aflame and lilac eyes burning red. "C'mon, we need to push! Just a bit more!"

"Um... Friend Ruby?" Penny said, suddenly confused. Either her sensors were playing tricks on her, or... "Out of curiosity, did Torchick acquire a second Paladin?"

"What? I-I don't know! Blake, did he?"

"I don't know, but he might have. Why?"

"I'm detecting a-"

[WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]

Before penny could finish, a massive shadow jumped off the highway above. It descended quickly, one leg extended and kicked the Paladin into the ground. It then nimbly jumped off and landed on the ground in a smooth skid.

The girls were speechless. What they were now witnessing...it definitely was NOT a Paladin.

Yang stared at it, her earlier excitement and desire of revenge gone.

Weiss' jaw became unhinged, meeting the floor.

Blake groaned and face-palmed.

Penny tilted her head.

Ruby stared at it with stars in her awes.

"...that. Is. AWESOME!"

Standing in the middle of the clearing was a large, mechanical body with navy blue armor plating and gold edging. Its form was sleek and stream-lined compared to the Paladin. On its back was a large, metal canister, presumable where the cockpit was. On its waist was a sheathed sword and a battle rifle that fit its size. It seemed to have some sort of claws on top of its gauntlets. The most eye-catching feature of course, were the horns on its head.

"What-" Weiss gasped, struggling to breathe. "What in the hell is that?!"

'...well. It seems Edan has a flare for the dramatic...' Blake thought with a twitching eyebrow. Seriously, his thought of an entrance was a flying drop kick?

Well, it certainly got their attention at least.

The teen in the Knightmare cackled as the paladin pushed itself up. [Gotta say. These things work like a dream. Much better than that piece of shit tin can you're piloting, Torchwick.]

[And who the fuck are you?]

[Ever heard of the Black Fang?]

Weiss choked. "Excuse me?!"

'And subtly is not his strong suit either.' Blake added, shaking her head mournfully. 'Really, what was I expecting?'

[Heard of them?! If I recall, it was you bastards who ruined my heist at the docks!]

[Oh yeah. We do that, didn't we? Well, here's to ruining another one of your ventures!] He quickly upholstered his battle rifle and open fired. The shells impacted the Paladin's armor, causing noticeable damage. [And then some! Besides, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for getting involved with someone like Cinder Fall!]

Unknown to either party, however, a small black bird was watching the whole thing unfold, red eyes keenly locked on to its target before it cawed and flapped its wings, flying away and into the night sky...

A Night to Remember...END

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." -Winston Churchill