Chapter 10: The Lights of Our Future

The morning sun shone over Vale as nineteen students entered the shopping district. They all gazed at the surroundings and took in the cheery atmosphere. It was the weekend, so the entire district was flooded with people.

"Alright!" Ruby stepped forward. "We'll all meet back here at exactly…"

"Four in the afternoon?" Harmon suggested.

"We'd never be able to finish in seven hours!" Avery complained.

"We can have dinner together." Aurum added.

"So six o'clock… yes, Mond?" Ruby pointed to the squirrel boy raising his hand.

"Overnight." Mond smiled.

"Okay... Six it is!" Ruby and the rest scattered, dividing themselves into pairs of two based on the partners they met during the initiation.

Brand followed Sable through a street to god knows where. He was still trying to open up to his brown haired friend since Brand tends to be quiet to people that weird him out.

"I'm glad you went with me." Sable said with his hands behind his head.

"Huh?" Brand stopped and looked to the archer.

"You barely talk to me about things other than school or fighting."

Sable was unfortunately telling the truth. To be honest, his personality scared Brand. It was like he was a bipolar sociopath.

"Well, uh… where do you want to start?" Brand asked.

"Hobbies." Sable answered.

"Weapons for one. Exploring. Ancient temples."

"You do any reading?"

Brand raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Encyclopedias, field guides-"

"No, dude. I mean stories. Novels?" his partner interrupted.

Brand shook his head.

"Well then!" Sable stopped in front of a store. "Let's get started!"

Brand realizing they were standing in front of a building, took a look at the sign and read it out loud. "Tukson's Book Trade?"

As they entered the store, Brand noticed that the room was filled with messy shelves with the slightly dusty books near the back and the spotless books were found near the cashier. A small crowd of people were walking around and browsing the collection.

A man with sideburns stood behind the main counter wearing a brown and black shirt. "Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade! Home to every book under the sun!" he called cheerily.

"Yes…" Sable approached the man with a smile. "I'm assuming you're Tukson?"

"The one and only. What can I do for ya?"

The archer held his chin. "Hm… I was wondering if you have the latest Hunter's Jump."

"Yes we do." Tukson pulled out a small book and handed it to Sable. "That'll be 2 Lien."

"Oh, well. My friend and I wanted to browse some books first."

"Alright. Feel free. As long as you don't run off with that." Tukson eyed the book in Sable's hand in a joking manner.

"Ooooh, I wouldn't dream of it…" Sable laughed nervously and turned around to whisper to Brand. "Damn it."

"What is that anyway?" Brand asked, pointing at the book Sable was holding.

"Oh, a collection of comics that release weekly. I like to expand my taste in literature. But that's not why we're here!" The archer dragged his blue haired friend by the coat to the novel section. "Okay, where to start!"

As Sable eyed the different books, Brand tried to find some that suited his taste. However, it seemed as if most of them in that section were romance novels.

"Well, first off!" Sable threw a book at Brand who caught it in his right hand.

"Ninjas of Love?" Brand read the cover out loud with an eyebrow raised.

"Decent characters you'll get attached to. Lots of… romance scenarios. Overall, great novel. Second book is even in the works…" Sable eyed another book and looked at its back. Nodding, he threw it at his partner. "Boundless! Tale of three friends going on an adventure across the land! Ooh! Way of Kings, another good read!"

"Um… Sable." Brand felt two more books pile on top of the others.

"Wait here, I'm gonna check out that section." Sable pointed across the store and immediately dashed to it.

Brand sighed as he lifted the heavy books. 'Why'd I agree to this…' he thought to himself.

"You…" an emotionless voice sounded.

Brand turned around to find a black haired girl with a bow looking up at him.

"Blake right? Sorry, I'm still trying to memorize everyone's names." Brand admitted.

"Yeah." Blake eyed the books in his arms. "You going to read all that?"

"Hopefully…" Brand lowered his head.

Suddenly, something caught Blake's eyes. Her eyes flashed, she immediately pulled out one of the books, making the pile shake and eventually topple.

Brand almost fell over, struggling to catch all the books. "Hey! What-"

"Why are you buying this?" Blake showed him the book she plucked out. He saw the cover of Ninjas of Love.

"Sable said it's good." Brand replied.

"Oh no…" Blake turned around only to be confronted by a smiling brown archer.

"Blake! Nice to see you again. I expected you to visit this shop." Sable said while pushing up his glasses.

"What do you want?" she asked in a tone with a hint of distaste.

"Do I really seem hostile to you?"

Blake narrowed her eyes.

'Now I'm stuck in this situation!' Brand thought dreadfully.

Sable sighed and grabbed the book from Blake. "Is it because you read this?"

"T-that's none of your business!" Blake pushed past Sable. "I just hate people who are too nosy."

Sable watched as Blake spirited away from the store without looking back, hoping the archer wouldn't follow her.

"Sable?" Brand tried to call his partner.

"Something about her doesn't seem right…"

"Sable."

"Here. You're paying for these by the way." The archer plopped Ninjas of Love back onto Brand's ever growing pile and headed to the counter to pay for his Hunter's Jump.

Brand looked at the massive pile of novels he had. 'Guess this is going to put a dent in my earnings.'

The sun shone bright as Meroch and Ace made their way downtown. The girl had her hands over her head and was attempting to shield herself from the sunlight. Meroch noticed this and chuckled.

"Here." Meroch spoke as he placed a large orange sunhat on Ace's head. "It'll keep you from cooking."

Ace gave her partner a smile before they arrived at the entrance of an alleyway.

"This is the place." Ace said as she and Meroch entered the alleyway behind the police precinct.

"Seems a bit shady…" Her partner commented.

"Well, it's the only way we can talk to him."

The back door of the police station opened as a man with short hair came out. He was wearing the standard Vale Police force uniform.

"Ms. Gale, never thought I'd see you again. Who's this chump?" He eyed Meroch.

"It's alright. He's my friend. We need information on Malkaush Aprikose. His background and criminal records."

The officer laughed. "Aprikose?! That kid from Beacon who got arrested in a fight club? It's going to cost you."

Meroch spoke up. "Well maybe we could-"

Ace immediately took off her sunhat. "You owe me, don't you? I took down Graves for you."

"What? You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

The policeman rubbed his temples. "Graves' transport vehicle was attacked. Drove off and fell down the cliffs."

Ace's eyes widened. "Any survivors?"

"None. Two officers' bodies were found far away while one remained in the truck. And Graves… around a few meters away from the van with a trail of blood. Looked like he put up a fight. Stab wounds on him and a couple others."

Ace took a moment to think. Who would want him dead?

"Ah great. You got me talking again. Probably that charm of yours."

Ace quickly dashed behind Meroch as he sighed.

"Look, can you at least give us something?" The violet boy asked.

"Sure." The cop took out a pen and a notepad. Writing an address down, he tore the page and handed it to Meroch. "This is the address of one of his old team members. I don't have the time for a story. We even now, Ms. Gale?"

Ace peeked from behind her partner. "Fine."

"Then that is all I can do for you. Ring me up if you need anything else." The officer entered the back door and closed it behind him.

"To think the Vale Police Department has members like him…" Meroch examined the paper. "It's not far. We can head there right away, Ace."

Ruben looked through the windows of a hobby shop. Inside, different drones with different sizes and functions were displayed in the front.

"See anything you like?" Avery asked him.

"Aves, nothing beats my drone. I'm just trying to look for spare parts because somebody destroyed the propellers." Ruben answered.

"Why don't we go in?" Pyrrha suggested as she caught up.

"By the way, where did Jaune say he had to go? It's not like him to miss something like this." Avery asked.

"I'm sure he's off with Cardin doing something important." Pyrrha said with an annoyed tone.

As the three students entered, they gazed upon the different collectibles, models, and other hobby items. Ruben approached the man behind the counter.

"Do you have any propellers? Specifically four made out of glass fiber reinforced composite?" The Crimson asked.

"Yeah. I'll check the back." The cashier entered the back room through the door behind him.

"Hey, take a look!" Avery held up a replica of a sword from the Great War.

"I've heard about those!" Pyrrha said. "They could cut through Grimm bones."

"Aves, put that down." Ruben said. "You might break it."

The girls stared as the scientist lowered his head.

"Are you okay, Ruben?" Pyrrha asked.

"Fine just fine, Pyrrha!" shouted the frustrated Ruben who turned around to find the cashier staring back at him.

"Uh, that'll be 40 Lien."

Ruben quickly took out his wallet and placed the exact amount of money on the counter. Grabbing, the box of propellers, he placed it in his coat and exited the store.

"Oh no. Ruben!" Avery quickly turned around before going out. "I'll find you again!" she exclaimed.

Pyrrha nodded before lowering her head, thinking about Jaune.

Harmon checked the items he had purchased. All of them were inside a big, brown paper bag.

"What are those anyway?" Malko asked as they made their way down a busy street.

"Lubricant for my weapon's mechanisms. Some sheet music notebooks for songwriting. And…" Harmon pulled out a box. "Chocolates for late night homework."

Malko laughed while nonchalantly reaching out for the brown sweets. "You better give me some."

"Buy your own," replied Harmon, who swatted his partner's greedy hand away.

As the two stopped at a crosswalk, Malko spotted four individuals across the street. They were the members of team CFVY. Velvet was smiling as she conversed with her teammates.

"Hey, Harms." Malko nudged his partner.

"Don't call me that."

"I forgot I wanted to check a store back there. I'll be right back."

"But I thought we were going to have lunch." Harmon frowned.

"It'll just take a second…" Malko said as he dragged Harmon elsewhere. He didn't have the guts to face Velvet yet. Maybe one day. But for now, he wanted to avoid hurting her again.

However, the two students did not notice a figure on the roof of the building across, watching them intently. He wore a black two tailed coat with circular discs on the back of each hand. His black and red hair stood up in the wind.

"Gotcha."

"This looks like the place." Meroch looked at the weapons shop in front of him. It was like an open garage with different weapons hanging from the walls and tools scattered everywhere. To be honest, it was a mess. No wonder it's at the end of the shopping district. Entering the establishment, the smell of metal and rust filled the air. Ace covered her nose as a big, bald man walked up to them.

"Anything I can do for ya kids?"

Meroch gulped. "Yeah… we're looking for an old Beacon student. I don't really know his name."

"Her."

A girl with a black tank top and long mechanic's pants approached them. Her purple hair waved in the wind as she spoke. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"I'm Meroch. And this is Ace."

Ace waved hello.

"Niv. Now I won't ask again. What do you want?"

"You studied at Beacon, right?"

"Used to. Dropped out in my first year. Been working here ever since."

'It is her.' Meroch thought about his words carefully. "Well… it's about one of your old teammates."

Niv stepped forward and grabbed Meroch by the collar. "Look, I already told the police! I had nothing to do with whatever that scumbag Aprikose did. He did those things behind our backs and managed to ruin all of our lives in the process."

Letting go, she went back to work on a grinder. "You better leave."

Meroch paused. He had no idea what to say.

"Miss…" Ace softly said. "Malko is currently trying to better himself."

"Repeating the year. I know. He has no sense of shame." Niv said.

"My friends and I want to give him a chance. Please, we need to know more."

Niv exhaled. "It's a long story."

"We have time." Meroch said.

"Well, where do I start?"

"Malko!" Niv called out. "Where is my hairbrush?!"

Her eyes lay across the room where her partner was unfortunately on a bed, snuggled up with his faunus girlfriend watching a movie on a scroll.

"No idea. Your hair is straight anyway." Malko laughed.

"You want to borrow mine?" Velvet reached for her bag and pulled out her brush.

"Thanks!" Niv faced the puppeteer. "And you better start looking."

"Yeah yeah…" Malko shooed his teammate away.

Sighing, Niv decided to go to the bathroom.

"Life was like that most of the time," Niv said. "Until that day…"

"Niv!"

The purple haired girl turned to see a guy with blue hair and indigo armor walk up to her.

"What is it, Damien?"

"Where the hell's Malko? He hasn't attended any classes today!"

Damien always made a big deal out of small things. He always wanted to be the perfect huntsman. She never knew why Ozpin appointed him as a leader of team DMND. She also had the unfortunate honor of locking eyes with him in the Emerald Forest.

"No idea. Have you asked Desmond? He is his partner after all."

"He's looking for him right now…" Damien curled his hand into a fist. "We have a team activity in the coming week. We need to prepare."

"I'll make sure to look out for him."

As the blue haired warrior walked out of their room, Niv's scroll lit up.

"Hello?" Desmond's voice came out of the device.

"Desmond! Where are you?!"

"Vale… it's Malko. Ms. Goodwitch tracked his scroll to his last known location and is taking a police force with her."

Niv's eyes widened. 'What have you done, Aprikose?!'

"Desmond, stay right there!" Niv picked up her bag and headed out the door. On the way out of the dorms, she ran across one of Velvet's teammates.

"Coco, right?!"

"Yeah…" Coco pulled her shades down.

"Can you tell Velvet that Malko's in trouble? He's somewhere in Vale."

"Alright. I'll try to find her."

"Thanks!" Niv rushed out and headed for the landing platform.

The sun was setting as Desmond watched Niv's bullhead land. He wore his white and red hoodie along with black jogging pants. His hair was short and black.

"Des!" Niv jumped out, dressed in her violet jumpsuit with purple pads on her shoulders, elbows, and knees. "Where is he?!"

"I don't know. Even Goodwitch is having a hard time tracking him down."

"Oh!" Niv pulled out her scroll.

"What are you doing?" Desmond asked.

"An old trick I taught him." Niv tapped the system apps and selected the map of Vale. "You can scramble your scroll's signal as long as you have a jammer or if you're underground."

"I see." Desmond leaned over.

"Here are the list of all known underground tunnels in Vale." She swiped up the names of different underground passageways. "And this is Malko's last known location."

She pointed at the entrance to one of those tunnels.

"Goodwitch checked that place already. She found nothing." Desmond said.

"Yeah. But that's the thing, how do we know there's no secret entrance or something?" Niv zoomed in to the tunnel schematics. "There."

She pointed to a maintenance door on the map.

"Maintenance rooms are supposed to be at least ten kilometers apart. This one's too close."

"Niv, you're awesome!" Desmond commended. "Wait… do we go after him?"

"Well, duh." Niv started walking but stopped when she found out Desmond wasn't following. "Des?"

"I think we should inform Ms. Goodwitch. She's been at it all day."

"Des, you know what'll happen if he gets caught, right? He'll get kicked out, heck, we might even get kicked out."

"We aren't true huntsmen if we don't tell the truth, Niv."

She took a step back. To think, for him to turn against his own partner. To be honest, Malko was never really there for his team. But that didn't mean he deserved this.

"I don't know what he's been doing this past month! For all we know, he might be a criminal of some sort." Desmond said.

Niv thought for a moment. Maybe this was the right thing to do.

"Fine then. Let's get Goodwitch."

"We informed Glynda and the police. And they found him in an illegal fighting den!" Niv said with a bitter tone. "After that, our team was in pieces. We had a choice, to repeat the year or get expelled. Even if it wasn't our fault. Malko was the only one who stayed. Desmond and Damien are god knows where and me… well, I'm here as a mechanic."

Meroch and Ace lowered their heads after hearing Niv's story.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ace said.

"It's fine. I get a decent pay and I'm actually very good at what I do." Niv smiled. However, that smile faded. "I just wish I could say the same for the rest."

Meroch nodded. "We have what we need. Thank you again, Niv."

"No problem. And…" She stopped them before they left the shop. "Thank you for giving Malko a chance. Make the right decision I never made."

"We will." Ace assured.

"Ruben!" Avery shouted as she turned a corner. She found Ruben sitting in an alleyway, staring at the ground.

"How many times are you going to make me run after you?!" Avery said.

"Am I useless?" Ruben asked.

Avery was shocked at his question.

"Weiss was right. She would've beaten me without my gadgets." Ruben explained. "I always rely on them too much. I guess I'm not much of a fighter."

Avery plopped herself beside her partner. "Why do you beat yourself up over these things?"

Ruben noticed that her voice wavered.

"I look up to you, you know? I always have. You're smart, charismatic, and you always know what to say…"

Ruben felt Avery's hand on his shoulder. "You're the reason I'm here after all… so why? Why do you beat yourself up so much?"

The Crimson's face turned red as he thought about her words. Did she really think about him like that? Avery always hurt him one way or another playfully. She always smiled and spoke in the happiest tone ever. Heck, she was on the floor, laughing when he confessed to her back in Mistral. This was the first time he saw her like this. And it was because of him.

Ruben started chuckling. And then it turned into laughter.

"Huh?" Avery raised her head.

"You... you complimented me!" Ruben felt a large rock hit his face. However, it was not a rock, it was a fist. "Ow!"

"Shut up!" Avery blushed. "It's your fault for moping in the first place!"

"Oh my dear, Daggry. I wasn't moping, it was all a part of my master plan to make a comeback! I shall defeat that dastardly Schnee one day!" Ruben raised his fist while he lay on the ground. "And Aves?"

The fiery girl lowered her fist.

"Thanks for saving me again."

Avery looked down. "It was nothing… you're my best friend after all."

"Ouch. No need to remind-" Ruben suddenly saw a black silhouette jump across the roof. He immediately stood up.

"Ruben?" Avery said.

"I saw something… come on!" Ruben grabbed Avery's hand as he ran after the figure.

"Sora!" Mond shouted as he and Melo entered the store.

"Oh no." The red haired cashier sighed. "Hi Mond…"

"We were in town so we decided to visit!"

"We?" Sora eyed the boy wearing black.

"This is Melo! He's my partner for the next four years."

"Poor guy, I mean-" Sora raised his hand. "Hi, I'm Sora."

"Yeah… Mond told me about you." Melo said.

"Anyway, I'm guessing you didn't come here just to visit." The cashier crossed his arms.

"I'll have the usual."

Sora reached behind the counter and pulled out a cardboard box.

"Let's see… one box of Valeden, ten packets of cheese cream, and… a jar of assorted peanuts." Sora placed the items on the counter as he called them out.

Mond tried to grab at the food but was stopped by the clerk's arms.

"30 Lien…"

The squirrel boy gulped as he heard the price. "Can I pay you later?"

"Now. Mond."

"Melo?"

"Yeah?" His partner answered

"Half." Mond said with big eyes.

Melo sighed as he placed 15 Lien on the counter.

"Thanks!" Mond cheered as he placed his share down.

"Don't be too easy on him, kid." Sora told Melo. "Thanks for shopping, please come again!"

"Why do you buy so much cheese?" Melo asked as they left the store. Night had already fallen.

"I like cheese!" Mond exclaimed as he opened a sachet of cheese cream and filled his mouth.

Melo chuckled. "Don't eat too much. You'll ruin your appetite. We still have to meet up with-"

Melo stopped in his tracks. He spotted a figure on the roof across the street. He was wearing black light armor while his hair was black with a red streak. On his arm, a white symbol was visible. However, before Melo could analyze any more, the figure ran across the roof and jumped onto another building.

"Melo?" Mond said. "What's wrong?"

Melo gritted his teeth. He was sure. It was Penumbra.

"Mond, go ahead to the meeting area. I gotta do something."

"What? But Melo-"

Mond's partner dashed off into an alleyway before he could say anything else.

"Ruben! Slow down!" Avery yelled as she caught up to Ruben. She then felt her scroll vibrate.

Picking it up, she found some sort of symbol on her screen. It was a white P surrounded by a black circle. The curve of the P was not a curve but a jagged edge.

"Who's this?" Ruben asked.

Avery noticed that her partner was receiving the same call. She inhaled before sliding the screen to answer it. Ruben did the same.

"Hello, everyone. You might be wondering why I'm calling you all at the same time." A voice came out from the device. "I'll make it simple. I want Malkaush Aprikose. You are all in his team so I thought I'd let you know. You have one hour to send him my way in binds… or she dies. Malko knows where I am."

A picture suddenly popped up on their scroll. Avery almost dropped the device at the sight. It was Velvet bound by her hands and feet and blindfolded.

"No…" Avery said.

"If any of you tell anyone about this, I'll make sure she dies slowly. One hour, Malko… tick tock…"

"Damn it…" The puppeteer was sure he heard the voice of someone he knew.

The scroll immediately shut off before Harmon took a step back. "Velvet…"

Before any of them moved, their scrolls rang once more. It was Ruben calling this time. The pair quickly answered.

"Guys, we need to meet up," Their leader said.

"Yes but where?" Harmon replied.

"How about the alley behind the coffee shop?" Avery's voice suddenly appeared.

"Sounds good."

"And remember, no one can know or else he's going to kill Velvet." Ruben added.

"Right." Harmon agreed. "We'll meet you guys there immediately; I'll inform Weiss that they can go ahead to supper."

The pianist then shut off the call. "Malko, we have to get going."

The puppeteer nodded and followed with his head down.

"So what are we going to do?" Avery leaned against the wall as she crossed her arms.

"I'm assuming whoever this guy is isn't alone." Ruben said. "There might be more waiting to ambush us."

"Besides, Velvet's a hostage. He'd kill her before we'd even get the chance to get to her." Harmon added.

"We're running out of time." The fiery girl stomped her foot. "We need to decide on something."

"I'll go." At that point everyone turned to Malko.

"Malko… no. He's going to kill you." Harmon told his partner.

"And what good have I done in my life? Velvet's more important than me. It's my fault she's there in the first place."

"No. We're not sacrificing anyone!" Avery yelled. "If you're going to face him, we're going to face him together."

"Who is he? Why does he want Malko dead anyway?" Harmon asked.

"Judging by the tone… he spoke to Malko as if it was from an old friend." Ruben explained. "He even used Malko's nickname."

"He also knew to kidnap Velvet." The pianist added. "She's special to him."

"Alright." Avery clapped her hands together. "It's probably a trap but we have to save Velvet. Any ideas?"

Ruben held his chin. "I think I got something. We trap the trappers."

Everyone else nodded.

"Alright we need Malko to…" Ruben looked around. "Where is he?"

The rest of team RADR frantically searched for the guy with the orange beanie.

"Oh dear…" Harmon said.

"Where is this guy anyway?" Avery asked.

"He said Malko knows where he is." Ruben answered.

"Hey guys!" Meroch called out as he ran to them with Ace right beside him. "I think we know where he's headed."

Malko stood at the entrance of his old fight club. Readying his strings, he entered the abandoned establishment. He was going to pay for bringing Velvet into this fight. Entering the viewing platforms, he recalled the dozens of cheering spectators of every fight he had. The seats were dusty and moldy while the cage surrounding the main ring had rust all over. Suddenly, a spotlight shone over the arena. In the middle was Velvet, tied up and crying.

"Velvet!" Malko attached his strings to the cage and pried it open. He jumped down and ran to the faunus. "I'm sorry, Velvet! I shouldn't have-"

The puppeteer tried to untie her but as soon as he touched her, his hand went through. "What?!"

Velvet flickered for a moment before disappearing.

"Oh how advanced technology is today!" A voice came from the rafts.

"Where is she, Damien?!" Malko shouted.

"Out. Probably having dinner with her team. You didn't think I'd actually put her in danger, did you?" Damien dropped down onto the arena and smiled. "After all, she's a victim too."

Malko breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was safe.

"Remember this place? Where you fought and fought and eventually ruined our lives?! The scene of the crime. Where you will die!" Damien swung his arms to the side as saw blades came out of the discs on the back of his hands. The edges glowed green. "It's a shame though. I was hoping your friends would show up. Oh well, I can always make contracts for them."

Malko let his strings loose as he whipped at his old leader. The blades on Damien's hands started spinning as he parried each attack the puppeteer threw at him, laughing the entire time.

At this point, Malko decided on another tactic. Shooting the strings into the roof, he pulled himself up and jumped behind Damien. He had fought in this arena for over a year. He knew all the tricks. He immediately launched his strings and threw Damien across the arena. Landing with a thud, the assassin got up, giggling.

"Hard way it is then." The crazed ex-leader pulled out a pistol from his pocket and shot Malko. The bullet pierced his aura and dug itself into his leg, making him fall onto the ground in pain. "Aura Penetrating bullets! Exactly why I joined Penumbra."

The rest of team RADR as well as Meroch and Ace stopped in front of the entrance of the underground tunnel. Ruben had explained everything to them on the way since Ace had eavesdropped on their conversation.

"This is it." Meroch said.

"Alright." Ruben nodded. "We need to discern how many enemies we're facing. We can't just go in blindly when Malko and Velvet's life is at risk."

"Actually." Ace said with her scroll out. "I just texted Coco. She said Velvet's with her."

"She's fine?!" Avery yelled as Ace showed them the text.

"So it is a trap." Meroch said.

Without hesitation, Harmon kicked the door open. "Guys! We have to move!"

"Wait! Can't we call the others or even the police?" Avery asked.

"By the time they get here, Malko will have a bullet in his head! We need to move now!" Harmon shouted as he pulled out Relentless Harmony.

The students made their way through the dimly lit tunnel until before Meroch stopped them.

"Everyone, down!" Meroch immediately threw his ice charged chakrams forward. Gunfire echoed as bullets flew towards them. The ice dust managed to freeze the speeding projectiles in mid-air, causing them to drop onto the ground. Several men in black soldier armor came out of the shadows with handguns that glowed green.

"Mercenaries?" Harmon asked.

Meroch stepped back as his chakrams appeared in his hands. "That's Atlas grade military armor."

"Guys! Now's not the time!" Ruben charged forward as they raised their pistols and fired.

"Ruben! Wait!" Avery reached out.

Three bullets headed towards the leader of team RADR as he raised his Aura shield. However, the bullets immediately broke through the shield, barely missing Ruben and draining his Aura right away. Kneeling on the ground out of exhaustion, the scientist took heavy breaths.

'My Aura depleted almost instantaneously. What the hell were those?!' Ruben gritted his teeth and stood up before Harmon blocked more incoming bullets with his sword.

"What the hell?!" One of the men said.

Melo watched the battle unfold as he jumped into the shadows and sped past the assailants who moved forward with their guns while some pulled out dual blades.

"I count twenty." Ace said.

"Alright everyone, don't get hit by the bullets!" Ruben shouted as he led the charge with part of his aura regenerated.

"Ah sweet music to my ears." Damien smiled as he crouched over his bleeding ex-teammate. "Looks like I get to kill you and your friends after all."

"They'll kick all of your asses." Malko grunted as he began to lose consciousness.

"Maybe. But they won't be able to make it out of this tunnel in one piece." Damien held up a black detonator with a red flick switch. "I guess I'll start with you then."

The assassin put the detonator back on his belt and pulled out a second pistol, aiming it at Malko's head. Before he could pull the trigger, a swift kick hit his head, making him stagger back. Melo landed across the arena on his knees.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns." Damien grinned.

"Zip it!" Melo said as he threw a firebomb at the assassin.

Meanwhile, the rest of the teenagers fought against their opponents in a flurry of strikes. Ruben fired sniper rounds into a soldier and used him as a shield against the barrage of bullets. Looking to his right, a mercenary raised his handgun only to be pummeled into the wall by his partner who was on fire.

"Thanks, Aves!" The scientist transformed his weapon and spun the sword around; slashing at each mercenary he passed.

Meroch threw his chakrams at two assailants, knocking them into Harmon's wave of fire. Avery grabbed the remaining flames and used it to blow another attacker into the wall. Ace alternated between attacks, each one landing on different assassins.

"Ah!" Harmon raised his sword as bullets grazed the surface.

"Harmon!" Ace combined her blades and threw the giant shuriken at the pianist's attackers.

Ruben and Avery defended the front of the group as they took out more mercenaries. Soon, silence fell upon the tunnel.

"Please tell me that was all of them." Meroch said with heavy breaths.

"Argh!" Damien rolled to his right, avoiding another firebomb. He fired both of his pistols as Melo retreated into the shadows.

The bomb wielder jumped out from behind the assassin and gave him a kick in the back. Damien turned around and swung his right blade at Melo who ducked and threw a punch to his side. Damien grunted and swung his left blade only to be kicked away by his attacker. Melo took his head and kneed him in the face, depleting his Aura. Damien fell to the ground with a bloody nose.

"Why did you run away? You were a great member of Penumbra. I looked up to people like you." Damien let out a chuckle. "Go ahead. Kill me."

"No. That isn't me. Not anymore." Melo said with a dark expression on his face.

"Well then. It's been a pleasure, Mr. Umbra. Truly." The assassin pulled out his detonator and flicked the switch. Explosions suddenly shook the ground beneath them as the roof began to collapse.

Melo's eyes widened as he looked back at Damien.

"May we find light in the dark."

"Woah!" Avery yelled as she fell back.

"What was that?!" Harmon yelled.

"Guys!" Melo emerged with Malko on his shoulder. "We need to get out of here!"

"Melo?!" Ruben said in a surprised tone.

"The whole tunnel's collapsing!" Meroch shouted. "We'll never make it in time!"

Ruben's eyes suddenly lit up. "Everyone, gather around!"

The rest of the students nodded as they grouped up. More and more rocks fell as they huddled together.

"Ruben! What are you doing?!" Avery asked.

"Something clever!" Ruben raised his left arm at the ceiling as he activated his gauntlet. The device absorbed everyone's Aura and projected it as a flat shield on top of them. The rest of the tunnel caved in as the debris stacked on top of the force field.

"Aaaaaah!" Ruben held his arm up as long as he could as the weight of the rocks increased.

"Ruben! Keep the shield up!" Melo grabbed the gauntlet on Ruben's arm and emitted a large amount of wind dust, lifting the rocks up long enough for the Crimson's shield to retract.

"Hold on!" Harmon then used a large blast of wind to propel the rocks away from them.

Finally, the students stood in the crater that used to be the maintenance tunnel, staring the faint glow of the shattered moon. They had survived.

"We did it?" Meroch asked.

"We did it!" Avery raised her fist while the rest of them cheered.

Police sirens could be heard as flashlights shone down into the crater.

"Guys!" Grei stood at the edge of the crater with the rest of their friends right behind him.

Against all odds, they had triumphed.

"I guess we have some explaining to do, huh?" Ruben laughed nervously.

After the weekend had passed, classes resumed. The first day was tiring especially after everything that had happened. Teams RADR and JNPR roamed through the halls.

"I can't believe they made us go to school." Malko told his partner. "I think almost getting killed by my old psychopathic leader is a good reason to take a day off."

"I presume school is as important." Harmon answered. "I'm just glad that's all sorted out."

"My leg still hurts like hell though." Malko looked past Harmon and locked eyes with Velvet who was passing by. Raising his hand, he smiled and waved hello. She smiled back and waved as well before continuing her way.

"Well, you two seem to be on good terms."

"Baby steps, Harms. Baby steps."

"And that was so cool when you raised your arm and like whooosh!" Nora waved her arms around as Ren tried to avoid the incoming fire.

Ruben laughed at her comment. "Still needs a bit more tweaking though. Gotta fix the energy usage. I'm trying to make it so it consumes less Aura."

"That's the spirit!" Avery grinned. "Keep innovating!"

"Crimson…" Weiss, as well as Ruby, walked up to the boy with red hair.

Ruben rolled his eyes. "What is it, Schnee? Come to gloat?"

"Well… I've…" Weiss felt a slight nudge from her partner. "Ruby!"

"Sorry." The scythe wielder smiled innocently.

"Look, what I want to say is sorry. I know I have been a bit of a-"

"Hag?" Ruben said with a smile.

"No! A… bad friend." Weiss held out her right hand. "I'm sorry I said negative things about your family."

Ruben pushed up his glasses and took the handshake from the heiress. "I'm also sorry for calling you out as well. I guess I was a jerk too."

"Yay!" Ruby raised her hands. "We're all friends!"

Weiss suddenly found herself forced into a group hug with Ruben and Avery.

"You did well." Meroch told his partner as he and the rest of his team exited the classroom.

"Thanks." Ace smiled.

"So you have connections in Vale, huh?" Aurum stoked his chin. "Do you mind sharing them with me?"

Ace shook her head and hid behind Meroch.

"Back off, Aurum." Grei chuckled. "Just to be clear, you guys include us in your next adventure, alright?"

"That depends on the situation." Meroch replied.

"As long as Aurum stays away." Ace peeked out.

"Again with this?" Aurum pouted. "I'll gain your trust someday…"

"Melo!" Mond waved to his partner who was sitting on a bench. "You alright?"

"Yeah…" Melo looked down. Hopefully no one relayed the information of his whereabouts to Penumbra.

"You want one?" Mond held out a cheese packet.

"Hm?" The bomb user glanced at his friend.

"I don't usually share but this is a special occasion." The squirrel boy grinned.

Melo smiled and accepted the offer. Peeling off the wrapper, he bit into the luscious dairy product. "This is good."

"I know right?!"

"Sir, he failed." Pyonn said as his boss grunted.

"Of course he did. Damien was stupid to take the assignment for himself. This mission was far too personal for him. Oh well, his money still stays with us."

"Speaking of personal matters, we have confirmation. It's him." A holographic picture of Melo popped up.

"Melano…"

"Father." the woman in black stood beside him. "What shall we do?"

Scratching his scar, he stood up. "Prepare a bullhead, Pyonn. We're going to Vale. Melania, pack your belongings."

"Yes, father." Melania bowed.

The man stood by the window, examining the moonlight. He was Pendragon the third. Head of the Umbra family and of Penumbra. Now, his son was in Vale. Luckily, he had planned to go there for a shipment meeting.

Going outside his dark room, he stood on a platform above a factory. The machines grinded and twirled as the production line continued. Hundreds of dark green bullets moved through a conveyor belt and were sorted into boxes.

"How's the progress on bullet production?" Umbra asked.

"We should be ready to ship by tomorrow." Pyonn replied from a small screen next to his door.

"Good. It's almost time. Soon, mankind will have the power to start another Great War."