A letter from the Headmaster of Beacon Academy to Qrow Branwen

Qrow,
I've received your latest report in regards to Salem's movements.
To say that she has pawns acting of her will is rather...disconcerting. By herself, the Grimm she spawned for each day that passes is troubling enough. To learn that she now has conspirators besides Hazel...it bodes trouble for us.
Ever since Amber's attackers had gone silent, the events that had transpired these last few months have been more than concerning. The White Fang conspiring with Roman Torchwick, one of the worst humans imaginable, as well as robbing several stores containing Dust...
I ask that you please continue your investigations.
On another note, I also ask that you please keep an eye on the Branwen Tribe's movements. The High Council has been growing concerned with their increasing movements after their foolish attempt at launching yet another doomed expedition into the Grimmlands.
At the rate things progress...I fear Salem's wish for a civil unrest may come to pass.

RWBY x Red vs Blue Crossover:

"Metastability"

Chapter III: Normalcy? Bitch, PLEASE!

"Remind me again." Church said as he sat atop Maine's shoulder, legs dangling over the appendage while he leaned on his hand. If he had a face, he'd look positively and utterly bored. "WHY are we here?"

"To help Jaune-er, Maine..." Pyrrha corrected herself, cursing her slip. She really needed to get used to calling him that. "Get back into the school curriculum. Unless, of course, Freelancer training also covered studying normal topics."

The Alpha scoffed. "Doubt it." He then looked over to where Team RWBY could be found, all of whom were playing a board game. "You know what? I'm gonna go and see what Red and Ice Queen are up to. If anything boring happens, don't call me." With that, he jumped off the former Freelancer's shoulder and flickered away, soon reappearing with Team RWBY.

'Finally.' Maine growled. 'I thought he'd never go away.'

The Spartan amazon smiled, giggling. "Now, now." she said, patting his shoulder. "Anyway, do you get what you're reading so far?"

Nov 12'So far, so good...' He shrugged. Despite his memories being shoddy still, he was able to obtain a grasp of the material he was reading. It was about battle tactics against Grimm. While he had experience in this field from Freelancer, he was more of the charge-in-headfirst-and-beat-the-crap-out-of-everything type of guy. The real strategist of the operations was Carolina.

Even so, fighting against other people and Aliens were different than fighting Grimm.

From what he's gathered, Grimm fight instinctively, drawn to negative emotions and behaving savagely. However, if they live long enough, they begin to learn and eventually formulate cognitive thought and adapt. That was what made them dangerous.

It was quite interesting. As for the more...school-oriented material, yeah, he was barely understanding any of it. Project Freelancer wasn't exactly an upper-division education center. As soldiers, as they needed to know were their individual skillsets and how to effectively eliminate enemies and complete the objective. Here, he was supposed to know crap like mathematics and history and the likes. He knew his grammar well, so there wasn't anything to worry about there. History might be easier. Just give him a history book and it will be a piece of cake. But math? A bigger headache than having an AI in your head!

"Just take your time." Ren advised him when he saw the frustrated look on his face. "After all, you've been gone for so long."

The blonde still glared at the math book in front of him, but smiled gratefully at his friend. 'Thanks, Ren.'

"Anytime." Even now, it was hard for Maine to understand how they could read his thoughts so easily. Was his face practically showing what he thought? Were they mind readers or something? Or did they just know him that well? Dammit, he wished he remembered more about his team! The Mistralian boy then looked at Nora, who was sleeping on the table and sighed. "Nora...we've talked about this. Libraries are meant for studying. Not sleeping."'

He gave her a slight nudge. "Zzz..." And she was still conked out.

"I don't understand this girl sometimes..." Pyrrha remarked with wry amusement. "How is it that a girl like her can sleep through class and yet still fall asleep here in the library?"

Ren shook his head. "You...tend to expect it from her." he said before he took a sip out of the small cup on the table. Unlike most libraries, they were allowed to bring in drinks, so long as they were willing to pay for whatever water damages done to the books they borrowed. "So then...what are your impressions on having Ms. Texas as our new hand-to-hand combat instructor?"

'We're fucked.' Maine stated simply. 'I don't remember much of what happened when Sigma started to mess with my head, but I can tell you, straight up, that we're boned. Hard. In a fight, I could beat anyone in Project Freelancer in brute strength alone. I even beat Carolina in that department, but she still kicks my ass. Texas?' He shook his head, waving a hand. 'She beat me like a drum.'

"I-I see..." Pyrrha laughed nervously, not wanting to mention how true that statement was based on their observations from his memories. "I guess she was ranked number 1 for a reason."

'Damn straight.' He paused briefly before shrugging his shoulders. 'Of course, Carolina's equal in that department. Her only real problem is her competitive streak. Once she thinks there's someone who has an edge over her, she tends to get too heated. It was understandable, since we were pretty much trying to earn the Director's approval, but she was worse that all of us.'

"I...can imagine."

"Nooooo!" Ruby cried from her table. "My fearlless soldiers!"

Church barked with laughter. "Hah! Shoulda seen that one coming, Red!"

"Shut up, Church!"

The AI laughed at the poor girl's loss of her forces. He manifested his hologram over to where RWBy was playing Remnant the Game, a card-based game where up to four players play for the conquest of Remnant. And right now, Yang had just destroyed Ruby's army with a Giant Nevermore care through a risky gamble.

Suffice to say, Church was entertained.

"Eh, most of them were probably androids." Yang shrugged before a grin formed on her face as she began to collect the spoils of victory. "And now I take my rewards! Which are double this round thanks to the Mistral Trade Route!"

The silver-eyed girl scowled. "Bah!" she said angrily. For a moment, it had stirred Nora awake, who from her startled gasp was probably thinking about pancakes. Irritated with her loss, she crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.

"Oh, and what's this? Smugglers of the Wind Path?"

Ruby's irritation grew. Unbelievable! Her dear sister! Milking her dry for cash! Oh the horror! "Bah! Bah I say!"

'They...' Maine frowned, unsure of whether or not he should console the girl. 'Certainly look like they're having fun.'

"Well, Remnant the game is pretty popular." Pyrrha answered.

"Have you no heart?!" Ruby whined pitifully as she soon collapsed on the table, weeping. "No..."

Church snickered. "Better luck next time, Red." he said before turning to Weiss. "You're up, Ice Queen. Wonder how long you'll last?"

"I have said it before, and I will say it again." the heiress growled. "Will you people quit calling me that?! And secondly..." She glanced down at the cards in her hand, unsure of what exactly she was looking at. She had read the rules, but she still didn't quite understood the purpose of the game. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on."

Yang snickered as she slid over to Weiss, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and tapping at the cards. "Look, it's easy! You're playing as Vacuo which means that all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus."

"That sounds dumb." Weiss scoffed.

"See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge..." Though one might consider it cheating, Yang began to look through Weiss' cards and found something of interest. "Oh, oh! Resourceful Raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet—"

Ruby let out a pitiful whine. "Nooo!"

"—and put it in your hand!"

The girl slowly raised an eyebrow. "...Okay?"

"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against Natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom!" The blonde brawler then developed a cold look, aiming a finger at her as she slowly returned to her seat. "Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war."

The explanation didn't really help Weiss at all. She scratched the back of her head, staring at the cards in confusion before looking back at Yang. "And that means...what exactly?"

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!"

Upon registering this, Weiss rose from her seat with an evil grin on her face.

"Oh boy...cue megalomania..." Church murmured.

"Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!"

Maine sweatdropped, noting how eccentric Team RWBY was while Ren sighed. "I thought the library was supposed to be for studying..." he muttered before going back to his studies.

"Sorry, Weiss." Yang grinned as she held up a card. "Trap card." Instantly, the heiress' melodrama came to an abrupt end as she watched Yang scoop up her newfound rewards. "Your armies have been destroyed."

Like her partner before her, Weiss could only slump in her seat as tears threatened to spill from her face. "I-I hate this game of emotions we play!"

"And then!" Church waved a hand dramatically as if he were reciting Shakespeare. "There was one!"

Ruby hopped into Weiss' lap and held her consolingly. "Don't worry, Weiss. Well get through this together."

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" The heiress hugged the red cloaked girl with tear stained eyes.

Yang giggled madly at the sight. It was so sweet, she was tempted to take a picture. Instead, though, she turned to Blake and put her hands behind her head. "Alright Blake, you're up!

Up until this point, the Faunus in hiding had been listless and barely paid any attention to the game. "Oh, um..." she said,s napping out of whatever deep thoughts she was in. "Sorry, what am I doing?

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the Kingdoms of Remnant!"

"Right."

Church snickered, turning to the blonde. "Bet you ten bucks she kicks your ass."

"Challenge accepted, little man." Yang grinned viciously, cracking her fingers. Blake rolled her eyes at her partner's antics. Her ears twitched slightly as she heard faintly familiar footsteps approaching. Looking over, she found a familiar mess of blonde hair, complete with a ripped chest open in front of everyone present. "Hey, monkey boy. What up?"

Sun grinned. "Sup, losers?" he said, giving them a two-finger salute.

By this point, Ruby had returned to her chair and greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, Sun."

"Yo. Ruby, Yang, Blake-" he gave a small wink at the girl, causing her to blink. Hadn't he done that before when they first met as well? "-and Ice Queen."

Weiss growled. "Oh, for the love of-! WILL YOU ALL QUIT CALLING ME THAT?!"

"And it's reactions like that that make us keep calling you that, princess." Church quipped.

"Shut it, you!"

"And I rest my case." Church smirked in amusement.

Sun rolled his eyes at the AI's antics before gesturing to Neptune beside him. "Never got the chance to introduce you to my teammate." he said. "Guys, this is my partner, Neptune. Also known as Nep-nep!"

"Dude, we've talked about this." Neptune sighed. "I refuse to be called by the nickname of a video game character. Even if we do share the same freakin' name!" He then raised a finger. "And secondly, aren't libraries for studying and reading?"

"THANK YOU!" Ren exclaimed in gratitude. Clearly someone gets it!

"Ah! Pancakes!" Nora exclaimed upon waking up.

Sun shook his head. "Dude, don't be a nerd."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Neptune wagged his fingers. "Not nerd. Intellectual, remember?" He then turned to the girls and smiled, offering a wave. "Hey."

The girls waved back, though Church and Maine noticed how he seemed to stare at Weiss the most, eliciting a curious look from the two, thus leaning in. Also noticing this was Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR.

"So, Neptune." Weiss said. "Where are you from?"

The blue-haired teen cracked a wide smile as he stepped forward. "And I don't believe I got your name, snow angel."

"Oh, its Weiss..."

The boy smiled as he gently took her hand, giving it a chaste kiss. "Pleasure, madam~"

The result was rather hilarious. Weiss' face exploded into atomic red, and also left a stuttering mess much to the wry amusement of everyone present. "Wow..." Church said, looking at Neptune. "And here I thought a Carolina clone and Texas' long lost BDSM sis was all I had to be reminded about that damn canyon. Now I find this world's Tucker!" He gave a small groan, flickering back over to Maine. "I swear, if I find out this world has a Sarge, I'm gonna lose it."

'Sarge...' Maine frowned. 'Was he the one with the shotgun?'

"Yep." the AI nodded, emphasizing the 'p'. He then looked back over to Sun, who was talking to Blake. Going by the girl's face, though, it was obvious something was eating away at her. She had paid little to no attention to the game at all. Eventually, she just seemed to be fed up and stood up abruptly, gently pushing Sun away. This, of course, earned her concerned looks from her teammates. "I've said it again, is Cat Girl over there on her period or something?"

Pyrrha frowned in concern, folding her hands on her lap. "Maybe she's just...worried about what happened at the docks a few months ago. She's been oddly distant, ever since it happened."

Maine furrowed his brow. 'The docks?'

"What Vomit Boy said." Church nodded, ignoring the baneful glare the blonde sent his way. "What happened at the docks? Well, other than Penny supposedly being a badass and all."

"Well, I don't know much other than what Ruby told me and what was on the news, but supposedly...the White Fang was working with Roman Torchwick to steal a cargo of Dust."

Church cocked his head. "The who what now?"

"The White Fang," Ren explained to the holographic soldier. "Used to be a peaceful protest organization up until five years ago. It changed leaders, and since then, they've become a terrorist organization. They're quite hateful of humans, given that we've been suppressing them for ages. The Schnee Dust Corporation has not made things any easier, as they've been increasing Faunus labor."

The red-haired Carolina lookalike nodded. "And Roman Torchwick is a well-known mobster. Some have even taken to calling him the greatest criminal mastermind in all of Vale."

Church bobbed his head, folding his arms. "So then...a bunch of furry angsty and majorly ticked off animal people are working with a guy who's not only human, but a guy with a major stick rammed up his ass?" Though a crude summary, it was accurate as the two nodded. "And...why is Cat Girl so concerned?"

Suddenly, the two looked uneasy. Maine frowned at this. Why would his friends be uneasy. 'Pyrrha.' He gently put a hand over hers, looking at her in worry. 'Why is Blake so worried about the White Fang working with Roman?'

"Because..." Pyrrha struggled to say. She knew that it was horrible to reveal the truth, especially when she promised she wouldn't say it to anyone. Jaune, initially, also knew the truth, so it would be okay if she revealed it to him, right? Eventually, she sighed. "...because Blake used to be apart of the White Fang."

'Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?!'

'Didn't you get the memo, kid? The White Fang and I are going on a little joint business venture together!'

The memory of what happened back at the dock freighter area on the outskirts of Vale city replayed over and over in Blake's mind as she sat on her bed, reading her book. It was a vein attempt to try and remove herself from what happened, but no matter how hard she tried, she always came back to that day.

It just would not leave her mind. Questions plagued her. Why did the White Fang attack? Why did they need so much Dust? Why were they working with Torchwick? None of it made any sense. Sienna would not have worked with humans at all.

She didn't know the woman well enough other than that her father thought highly of her. Enough so that he chose to allow her to succeed him. Since then, their methods had changed significantly. Yes, they were well on their own, and their actions were having an impact...but Blake doubted what they were doing. Things only got worse when Adam had started to change. As he rose up the ranks, he became more violent. More vengeful. Consumed by rage.

It scared her. Nowhere did she see the boy she used to have a childish crush on. All she saw was a man willing to spill blood.

She knew Adam. And she knew Sienna well enough to know that they wouldn't work with humans.

So why...?

Why were they working for someone like Roman Torchwick?!

As she pondered, she failed to notice the dorm room door swinging open, the rest of her team walking in "Agh!" Yang growled, stomping in with a fiery scowl on her face and her eyes blazing red. "We should have never let him play!"

"You're just mad you lost on the first round..." Weiss responded.

Ruby snickered, utterly and totally pleased by how Neptune had dominated her sister. Ah, revenge. So sweet.

Blake looked at her friends. They acted so carefree, even though they knew exactly what happened at the docks that night. Especially Ruby. She saw the last moments before Roman's plans went completely FUBAR. So how could they act so cheerful? Weren't they worried about Roman and the White Fang?! Groaning out of frustration, she threw her back back to her nightstand and hopped out of her bed. However, just as she past Weiss, her arm snatched around her wrist.

"Stop." The heiress was practically daring her to challenge that command. Her grip was solid, despite how frail her hands looked. "Lately, you have been antisocial, withdrawn, and most importantly moody." With a swift, yet also gentle tug, Blake looked at her team, all of whom stared at her with the utmost concern. It touched her, it really did...but she didn't understand how they couldn't be so more concerned about the situation. "And we want to know why!"

Yang nodded, crossing her arms. "Normally, I'd say its you, but...you've been getting away from us less and less these days. Hell, even way before Vomit Boy wrecked us back at Forever Fall!"

"And it's unacceptable!" Weiss crossed her arms, eyes chilly. "You made a promise to me-" she stopped herself before throwing her arm, gesturing to the rest of Team RWBY. "-to us that you'd tell us if something was wrong! So, Blake Belladonna..." Out of complete nowhere, the white-haired girl whipped out a chair from seemingly thin air and proceeded to stand on it, aiming a finger, which was dangerously close to Blake's nose. "...what is wrong with you?!"

A few seconds passed before the moment of insanity ended as Weiss quickly put the chair back from where she got it.

Insanity and weird moment aside, Blake looked at her friends. She let out a small, frustrated sigh that she had been building up before she balled her fists. "It's just...I don't understand why everyone can be so calm."

Ruby immediately knew what she was talking about. Softly, she touched her arm. "You're still thinking about Torchwick?" she asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it!" she snapped, throwing her arms in the air and pacing around the room. "Something BIG is happening, and no one is doing anything about it!"

"The Headmaster told us not to worry." Yang said, not seeing the bigger issue here. "Between the police and the Huntsman, I'm sure they can handle it."

"Well, I'm not!" Blake hadn't meant to say it so hostily, nor as fierceful as she did. She pulled back, noticing how Yang seemed to recoil. Reigning in her panic, she took another deep breath. The anxiety and fear in her heart hadn't quelled in the least. "They don't know the White Fang like I do."

"But we're just students. We're not ready-" Weiss started.

"And we'll never BE ready!" Blake argued. "Roman and the White Fang are out there doing who knows what, and nothing is being done. They're not going t stand by and wait until we graduate!" She grit her teeth and shook her head, unable to rid herself of these horrible thoughts. "They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"

A silence followed. No one in the room spoke. They were uncertain of what to say. Weiss bit her lip, unable to raise any argument. She knew Blake was right...but what could they possibly do? They were still students. Children. What could mere Huntresses-in-Training possibly do?

Sadly, as she expected, Ruby, the leader of the Team and resident optimist, waved her hands around while looking rather manic. Before she could even hope to stop her, it was too late. "Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly taking down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale... Say aye!"

She was slightly out of breath afterwards. Weiss groaned, palming her face. Sometimes, she envied what went on in that little girl's head. "Yes!" Yang grinned, immediately liking the idea, being the hellraiser fun-lover she was. "I love it when your feisty!"

"Well..." Realizing that she was outvoted and had no chance of convincing them, she shook her head. "I suppose it could be fun."

Blake was stunned at first by how easily her friends wanted to help. Soon after, a smile spread across her face. "Thank you." she said from the bottom of her heart. "All of you. We're in this together then."

"Damn right we are!" Yang said, flicking her finger before looking at her younger sister. "Right, Rubes?"

"I FORGOT MY BOARD GAME!"

Weiss face-palmed. "We're doomed."

In a burst of rose petals, Ruby dashed right out of the room, plowing into the hallway and running through the hallway straight to the library. Or, at least, that was the plan until she met an immovable object. At full force, she found herself slamming against something firm and tough before recoiling and hitting the floor, lying on her back. "Ow..." she groaned, rubbing her nose which received the full brunt of the slam. "Anyone got the number of the Goliath that ran me over...?"

"Wow, Red." a dry voice said with amusement. Ruby looked up and found the immovable object, none other than Maine with Church on his shoulder, both of whom were looking down at her. "Way to come at us. What's next? Cartwheels?"

"Hi, Church." she greeted. "Hi, Maune."

Maine quirked an eyebrow. 'Was she saying Maine, or Jaune?'

"I think both." the AI said. "Oi, Red. You okay in the head?"

"Fine." Ruby said as she got up to her feet. "Sorry about that. I forgot my board game at the library and-" She stopped mid-sentence when she found a familiar box held under the blonde soldier's arm, causing her eyes to light up. "My game!" Maine smiled as he held it out for her to take, which she accepted gratefully. "Did you grab it for me?"

"Well, personally speaking, I wanted to take it, but Vomit Boy wouldn't let me. Next time, keep an eye on your crap, alright pipsqueak?" Ruby blushed, embarrassed as she scratched her cheek before thanking the two, returning back to her room. The two watched her close the door behind her before they turned to each other. "By the way, I want access to the porn channels as compensation."

Maine rolled his eyes. 'Fine. Just tell me what you got out of what you heard in their room.'

Unknown to Team RWBY, Maine had 'persuaded' Church to hide in Ruby's Scroll and listen in on their conversation. It was an invasion of Privacy, he knew, but when he heard that Blake was once a member of the White Fang...memories of his old life as a member of Project Freelancer came back, and with them, memories of Connie. He knew it was unfair to compare them, but...her betrayal still hit her hard. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind before he returned himself back to the conversation.

"Fine." Church grunted. "Red and her girlfriends are gonna do something stupid. They're gonna try and play hero and stop the Furries and the Kingpin wannabe."

'WHAT?!' Maine silently screamed. Are they going to chase after terrorists and criminals? 'Are they stupid?!'

"Yeah, I think that pretty much sums up their plan, blondie." Church nodded. "I swear, not even my team and the reds were that stupid or suicidal...and that's saying something. Well, excluding Caboose and the stupid part."

'Weren't you team killed by one of your men?'

"Like I said, excluding Caboose."

The leader of JNPR groaned, face-palming. What the hell were they thinking? They were kids for god's sake. What could they do against a bunch of terrorists? Especially ones that hated humans with a passion? He knew Ruby was childish, but idiotic as well? He gave a sigh of frustration, shaking his head. If they were really this stupid, then-

"Excuse me? You a student here?" Turning, Maine found three people behind him. Their uniforms were the same, but they were different from the ones worn here in Beacon. They were completely black with white trims. It was two girls and a boy. The male in question had messy silver hair with his belt buckle hanging down to the left side. The other females were quite eye-catching, with the youngest-looking having dark skin and mint-green hair with red eyes. The oldest, and perhaps the leader of the group, had long black hair and golden eyes. The male of the trio was the one speaking to him. "We're students from Haven. You know where the dorm is?"

Church stared at the trio flatly. "...who the fuck are you three?"

'Alpha...' Maine growled, glaring at the AI. In response, the cobalt-colored soldier flipped him the bird.

The green-haired girl blinked in surprise. "What the heck is that?"

"And why's the dude growling?" the boy asked.

The golden-eyed girl gave them a curt look, and they instantly shut up. She then turned back to the blonde before her and smiled. "My name is Cinder Fall, leader of Team CNEM. The girl behind is Emerald Sustrai, and the boy next to her is Mercury Black. We're from Mistral, participating in the Vytal Festival."

"Oh, the big fighting tournament or whatever." Church remembered how Texas was talking about that during Combat Class as he watched the other students get the shit kicked out of each other. "What makes you think we know anything?" Maine gave him another look, and he sighed. "Fine." The AI then turned to the door. "Hey, Red!"

The door creaked open, showing Ruby. "Yeah?"

"These guys-" he nudged his head at Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. "-are here for that tournament thing you brats are going to be in. They're asking where the dorms for Haven are."

"They're just east of here!"

"Thanks, Red." Smiling and waving at the three newcomers, Ruby ducked her head back into her room. He then turned back to the trio. "Well, there you go."

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "You're...not the most friendly of people, are you little dude?"

"Fuck off." Church snapped. Maine growled again, glaring at the AI. "What? Hey, just cause I'm stuck as your damn translator doesn't mean I have to be nice!" Another growl. "Hey, don't pin that shit on me! I'm not the idiot who let himself get mindfucked!"

"If..." Cinder slowly spoke, looking curiously at Church. "I may ask, what exactly are you?"

"A motherfucking ghost." came the response. "A ghost that's stuck as Vomit Boy's translator."

"Translator?" Emerald asked. "What for?"

"Would you believe me if I told you he got shot in the throat point blank nine times?"

Mercury whistled. "Damn. That sounds hardcore. Third or second year?"

Maine held up a finger. 'First year.'

"Seriously?! Damn, dude." the boy laughed, patting the blonde on the shoulder. "Well, thanks again. It was nice meetin' ya."

With a wave, the boy walked past him, the green haired girl following suit. The amber-eyed girl eyes the blonde teen for a bit before smirking.

"You are pretty interesting. I hope to see you around before the tournament starts." Without another word, she left as well.

Maine turned and watched her go, frowning in confusion before he turned to Church. 'The hell was that about?'

"Dude." Church said flatly. "Girls make no sense. I learned that when I met Texas."

'Is this because she kicked your ass on several occasions?...and stealing your wallet after sleeping together?'

The AI sighed, shaking his head. "Hell if I know. I don't even know if half of these memories are actually supposed to be that old codger who had a thing for his dead wife or Private Jimmy!" He paused a bit before putting a hand at the "chin" of his helmet. "You know, it's actually weird, now that I think about it. I was stuck in the body of a guy who I thought was my best bud for a long time. Who knows if what I remember is actually right?"

'Hey now. Don't go getting philosophical on me.'

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Shot in the throat at point blank." Mercury repeated with a grin. "Nine times. That is badass."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Boys..." she muttered under her breath. Honestly, what was so impressive about surviving something like that? Okay, on second thought, it did sound very impressive, but it was just a trophy wound. She imagined it must have been hard and very frustrating, being unable to talk and whatnot. Of course, that also made her wonder what in the hell that thing from earlier was. "What was that...holograph? And why was it so rude?"

"Something of interest." Cinder remarked with a mysterious smile. "The armor was quite similar to the one worn by Mrs. Church here at Beacon. There may be a connection."

"So..." Mercury put his hands behind his back, swinging his legs up in the air. "Keep an eye on him?"

"Yes. Also, Emerald."

The girl straightened her back, standing to full attention. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Inform Roman that it's just about time to begin Phase 2."

"So, how goes restoring Theta, Penny?" Ironwood asked as he and the mechanical girl sat in a rather lofty room. It was a luxury suite, apart of the rather peculiar cruiser heading to Beacon Academy. It had been a few days since his last visit there, though it was more or less mere formality and inquiring and sharing information about the armor he received. On the subject, with Delta's help, they were steadily getting closer to unlocking the system firewalls protecting the data held inside. What lay inside just may give them the edge they needed to push back against the Grimm once and for all.

Back to the matter at hand, this time he was arriving at Vale for two purposes. The first was the most natural: the Vytal Festival. As the Headmaster of Atlas, he naturally wanted to show his students that he believed in their capabilities. The second was actually held in the cargo bay, which he intended to show to Ozpin. The fruits of labor.

Penny Polendina smiled widely. "Thanks to Friend Ruby's suggestion, I was able to make headway." she said giddily. "He's cooperating well. As for Omega..." A sheepish look touched upon her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm afraid it is taking a bit more time with him."

"Understandable." the man said, taking a sip of his coffee before he smiled. "I'm happy to hear you made some friends in Vale already. Ruby Rose must be a wonderful person." Though that went without saying, given who her mother and father were. "Also, I talked with the Professor. It took a bit of work, but...before the Festival starts, you're free to walk around Vale and visit Beacon to go see your friend."

Penny's eyes widened. Moments later, the largest smile spread across her face. "Oh, thank you, General!"

She was completely ecstatic! She can freely visit Ruby! They can talk, paint each other's nails, share stories, and talk about cute boys!

"And I know this goes without saying," Ironwood continued. "But under no circumstances are you to share with your friends your secret." That put a slight damper on the mood, but otherwise, understandable. She gave a nod of affirmation, pleasing the man before he turned his head to the side, where his Scroll rested at the corner of the table. "Delta, how is the current progress regarding the decryption?"

Emerging from the Scroll was a familiar holographic green soldier. [At our current pace, all data will be accessible within the next 1,906 hours.] he answered. [And that is taking into account all technician shifts and all-nighters.]

"I see..." Ironwood frowned in disappointment. 1906 hours...that's almost 80 days. And that estimation is based on continuous work. To think such an encryption could be so complex and secure.

As much as he hated to admit it...Project Freelancer's Director was thorough in his security.

[While on the subject of decryption and hacking, I would like to bring up a point of concern regarding the Cross Continental Transmit system.]

"How so?"

[Based on current analysis, it seems that the system has an outdated firewall and anti-virus system. I have also located at least five backdoors within the system where it is possible for hackers to bypass security and access delicate software and information. Additionally, there is their dependence on each other. All it would take is someone to effectively disable or destroy one of the towers and render all communication between kingdoms inoperable.]

Ironwood's face darkened, sighing as he folded his hands. "Believe me, I'm fully aware of the glaring flaws." he said grimly. "Unfortunately, convincing a group of senile old fools is much harder than you think."

No matter how much he pleaded the high council to make innovations to the CCT towers, ignored him. They claimed that they were good enough as is, that they were in a time of peace and no one would ever risk war.

They were naive and selfish.

Even with his position as a high-ranking member, even holding two seats in the Counsel, he was still unable to sway them. Of course, Ozpin nor Leonardo were able to convince their respective authorities, either. As things stood, Delta's assumptions about someone attacking the CCT just might come to pass. Then again, that was why he was bringing his fleet with him. To ensure that the CCT would be protected if such a thing was to happen.

Even if Oz disapproved of it, he found it cautious, risks be damned.

[There is also another matter I would like to discuss.] Delta continued, regaining the general's attention. [Regarding the STRIKER Unit, it was clearly designed with all of the same modifications that all Freelancer tech was installed with. Particularly, it was equipped with the same equipment as Agent Maine's.]

Ironwood quirked an eyebrow. "Yes. After our first attempt at creating our own variant of this MJOLNER Powered Assault Armor, which is now in possession of Agent Texas, it's the first successful prototype unit designed to match Freelancer equipment. Of course, in terms of technology, it is significantly inferior to the original suit itself."

[However, there is the problem with the suit's power.] the AI Fragment of Logic countered. [Though it is much more stable and allows its user to use one of the enhancements, such as Agent North's Dome Energy Shield, it would quickly run out of power. The only way to stabilize it would be with the aid of an AI. That being said, there is another problem.]

"The compatibility." Penny said rather than Ironwood. "According to our tests with Delta, almost none of our selected personell capable of using the unit to its full potential were able to properly synchronize with the AIs. The only way to circumvent this would be to use the same method that the Director of Project Freelancer did and implant the AIs directly into the neural system."

"Which I refuse to do." Ironwood said, wagging a finger. "Under no circumstance will I risk the mentality of my men simply to increase their fighting capability."

Delta nodded. [A wise decision, given the records of such experiments.]

"So, why bring this up, Delta?"

[While it would take a great deal of time to find a suitable candidate that can properly synchronize with AIs such as myself, there is ONE person that could utilize the unit properly and efficiently, as well as synchronize with AI.]

The General already knew who he meant: Jaune Arc, also known as ex-Freelancer Agent Maine.

"What?!" Pyrrha shouted in alarm, shooting up from her bed with wide eyes. "Ruby and her friends are going to attack the White Fang?!"

Church scowled. "Hey, pipe down!" he snapped. "You want the whole damn neighborhood to hear?!"

"That's completely reckless." Ren frowned. "I don't understand why Ruby would even agree to such a crazy plan."

"You got me. I'm just the messenger. Got no clue what's going on in Red's head...not that I want to."

"Then I say we go!" Nora raised her arm in cheer. "They're gonna need backup!"

"E-excuse me?" Church choked. "I'm sorry. What part of, 'they're going on a suicide mission to stop a mobster and a bunch of murdering furries,' did you not understand?!"

"Uh...none of it. If they're going on a dangerous mission...then we should totally help out!"

"...good god, you are like Caboose." If he had a human face, he would have face-palmed. He didn't, but he did it anyway, slapping a hand against his helmet. "Why, oh why, did I agree to this shit?!"

Maine rolled his eyes. 'Oh, quit being so dramatic.'

"I think we should inform the staff." Ren suggested. "They're more qualified to handle something like this."

"But Blake does have a point." Pyrrha said, waving her hand. "Why on Earth would the White Fang work for a human like Torchwick? It is odd."

"Yeah. Why would a bunch of Faunus like them work with a mobster like Torchwick? I can't be the only one who sees something weird with that picture." Nora said.

The gunslinger of the group bit his lip. "Even still..."

"C'mon, flower boy!" Church urged him. "Do the right thing, and stop your friends from going on a suicide mission. You're the smart one of the group, man!"

Ren's expression was pensive. He was clearly thinking deeply on the matter. On one hand, Blake had a strong point. As a former White Fang member, she knew what the group was like better than anyone. It was quite strange how they were willing to work with a human. On the other hand, they were just kids. What could they possibly hope to do? It was suicide, trying to fight against a bunch of people. It was one thing to fight against Grimm. It was another thing ENTIRELY to try and go up against opponents who were more than willing to kill you. Ruby was young, so maybe she hadn't taken such a thing into account.

But...

"...what's your call, leader?" the magenta-eyed boy asked, looking at Maine. He blinked and pointed a finger at himself, as if making sure. "You're the one who brought up the issue. Whether or not we get involved is up to you."

"Hear that? Looks like you're calling the shots on this one. To save us the insanity and our lives, I hope you pick the smart choice." Church commented.

'Thanks a lot...' He muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome."

Maine scoffed. Nora and Pyrrha seemed to be on the side that wanted to help RWBY, but Ren was apprehensive about the whole thing. As for him, he already knew what to do. While he still had little memory about Ruby and her team, they were still friends.

'We're going in.'

"OH DAMMIT ALL!"

'Hey, you said I'd be calling the shots, and I just called it. We're going!'

"Motherfucker!" Church kicked the air in frustration. Nora laughed exitedly, a sinister gleam in her eyes while Pyrrha smiled widely, clasping her hands together in relief. Ren merely closed his eyes, nodding and accepting his leader's decision. "I swear to God...if you get us killed on this mission...I'm am haunting your asses in the afterlife..."

Church said angrily. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with these people?! If he didn't know any better, everyone was just like the guys back at the canyon!

At least back there, the people knew what they were doing was stupid half the time!

The next day had more or less been preparations for Team RWBY. During the entirety of Professor Port's class, which was conveniently overtaken by ramblings of his days of glory, they went over their plan of attack. Once classes were said and done with, they reconvened back at their room. Strangely, though, Ruby decided that they were in need of a wardrobe change - spy outfits she remarked. Weiss, for her part, was still unsure of what to think, but she was secretly happy that Ruby had chosen her to select the outfits, even though she knew it would be pointless since their faces would still be seen.

Ruby's new outfit, dubbed "Slayer" (for the record, her idea, not Weiss') outfit consisted of a long-sleeve, light gray shirt with black belted cuffs near the ends of the sleeves. Over top of the gray shirt was a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resemble the lacing on a corset. She wore a red skirt with a large black print of her emblem on the side and matching black tulle underneath. Her stockings and shoes remained the same as her usual outfit, though the boots lacked the red trim that decorated the top. A few pieces of metal were arranged in an abstract shape that are attached to the shoulder of her left sleeve, and her cloak's hood wrapped around her neck in a scarf-like fashion, while the rest hung down like normal.

Weiss' outfit, dubbed "Snow Pea", was relatively more simple than Ruby's. She wore a white, double-breasted jacket with black piping, cuffs and buttons over a white, pleated full skirt with a black lace trim. She also wore a pair of white, thigh high boots with black heels and lace-topped black stockings.

Blake's outfit, "Intruder", consisted of a white, v-neck, zip-up crop shirt with a black hem and three quarter sleeves. Her emblem was printed in off-white on the left side of the shirt. She wore black pants that had a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg and a black belt. Attached to the rear of the belt was a black piece of fabric that covered her from hip to hip. Underneath was a longer, translucent, purple piece of fabric. She also wore black high-heel boots with two straps and buckles and purple undersoles, reaching to mid-calf. She still wore the black wraps around her arms, along with her ever-present black bow.

Yang's outfit, "Hunter", was arguably the hardest to put together, given what Yang had asked for. Still, she made it look good. She wore a deep-collared cream vest worn over a low cut black shirt; both were covered by a dark gray shrug with a raised collar, three quarter sleeves adorned with a single black stripe down the outside of each sleeve, and gold cuffs. A black miniskirt was worn under the cream vest. A pair of crooked black belts with gold accents were slung around her hip, with a purple piece of fabric attached to the left-rear section of the lower belt. She wore thigh high stockings attached to her miniskirt by garter-belts on the front and back of each thigh, decorated with four golden studs above her knee and her emblem on the outside of each thigh in gold. She also wore black ankle boots with multiple buckles and white ribbons on the back tied in a bow. Around her neck was a purple pendant set in silver.

As they made the final preparations, Blake who was fastening the the wraps on her forearms. "I thought class would NEVER end." she said.

Atop her bed, Ruby smiled widely. "Alright guys, today's the day!" she said, hopping down and flicking her nose. "It's just about time for the mission to start!"

"You remember not to lose your board game?" Yang asked with a teasing grin, causing her sister to groan and shoot her a cute glare. "Just makin' sure, Ruby. On another note, nobody knows we're doing this, right?"

Weiss scoffed. "Of course not!" she said fervently. "Unless Ruby was on a sugar rush, which I made sure of, nobody is even remotely aware of what we're doing."

"GUESS AGAIN, BITCHES!"

The four girls jumped at the sudden scream. They all whirled around with their weapons at ready, thinking it was an intruder.

They were greeted by the sight of Maine standing by the door with Church projected on his shoulder. And he wasn't alone. Behind him was the rest of Team JNPR, though much to their surprise, they were not the only one to receive a wardrobe change.

Pyrrha no longer had a Spartan slash Amazon look going for her. She wore a white top with gold accents, along with a lace corset at her naval. The sleeves were rather puffy and split open to show off the bracers she wore around her wrists. Below, she wore a dark red skirt with a black design resembling dancing flames, complete with long leather boots that reached up to the thighs. Beneath that, she wore black stockings.

Nora's look had also changed. She wore a dark pink blazer with dark blue lines along the sleeves and sides of the jacket, complete with her emblem printed on her left shoulder and back. Underneath that was a turtleneck with a zipper that ran down to the center of the chest, which was split open to reveal a white shirt underneath it. Below, she wore tight-fitting jeans that hugged her hips rather tightly, complete with bulky white sneakers that definitely seemed to be several times her own size.

Ren's wardrobe change was by far the most modest. He wore a green tunic with only a single sleeve, reaching down to the knuckles of his hand. His right arm was completely exposed, but had a bracer wrapped around the forearm with his own emblem branded on it. He wore simple gray pants with shin guards, along with a holster for his signature weapon Storm Flower, strapped to his left pants leg. He also wore simple wooden sandals.

Maine, on the other hand, remained in his typical clothes, though the girls found a small grin on his face as he held up two fingers in greeting. Nora grinned madly as she held up two victory signs. Pyrrha smiled nervously as she waved while Ren bowed his head to them with an apologetic look on his face.

"For the record," Church said. "This was not my idea. Blame Vomit Boy over here."

"What?" All eyes snapped over to the towering blonde. "Jaune!"

'Hey...I'm not about to let you all run into a suicide mission.' He shrugged. 'Had enough of that back with the other idiots in Project Freelancer.'

"We're not about let you do something so dangerous by yourselves." Pyrrha added. "So, whether or you like it or not-"

"We're coming along for the ride!" Nora finished, pumping a fist in the air. "No buts!"

"But-!"

Nora cut Ruby off. "I said no buts!"

Ren sighed. "You may as well give it up, Ruby." he told her. "Nora can be quite forceful. And apparently, leader is just as bad."

"I still think this is a bad idea." Church grumbled. "Why does nobody realize the fact that we're pretty much walking to our deaths here?!"

'What are you complaining about?' Maine gave him a small stare. 'You're an AI. You can't die, nimrod.'

"Ghost. And doesn't mean I can't not feel pain asshole."

'How is that even possible? You don't even have a body.'

"Tell that to your Sigma pal when he beat the shit out of me in your head!"

"So then!" Pyrrha clapped her hands. "We're helping you guys, and that is that!"

Ruby and the rest of RWBY was stunned. How in the world did they even know what they were planning? More importantly, they were willing to help them out? Seriously? They initially planned to do this themselves without telling anyone. Now they were receiving backup? From JNPR? Weiss certainly saw the merits. Chances of success would be greater if they had someone like Maine around, but even then...there was a lot to consider.

"Yeah, no use pondering this kids." Church spoke. "We're coming, and that's that."

Despite hating the situation, Church found it useless to argue any further. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to get dragged along for the ride.

Eventually, Blake sighed. "...I guess there is no point in arguing." she said before turning to Weiss. "Okay, Weiss. What's the plan?"

"Right." the heiress snapped out of it. "To put it simply, me and Ruby will head to the CCT tower. Once we're there, I'll check the SDC for any Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Since I'm family, that shouldn't be much of a problem."

"The White Fang has regular initiation meetings to recruit new members." Blake continued on. "So long as no one there can recognize me, I should be able to learn something."

"I've got a friend in a shady part of town." Yang finished up. "Nothing happens in Vale without him knowing about it."

Ren nodded, folding his arms. "Alright, then." he said in understanding. "In that case, Pyrrha and I can go with Weiss and Ruby. Nora can go with Yang." He paused briefly and gave his childhood friend a small glare. "And please, Nora. Don't cause any trouble." The resident hyperactive girl of the group grinned innocently, putting her hands behind her head. He sighed and shook his head. "And Maine can go with Blake. So long as he keeps his hood up, no one should notice anything. Plus, his scar should be a good cover."

"They'll think a human did it to him." Blake surmised with a small smile. "Sounds real enough."

Ruby smiled widely. "Alright, we have a plan!" she cheered. "We'll meet up again later tonight near Yang and go over what we found out. Let's do this!"

A chorus of cheers came from everyone. Church groaned and flatly raised up a fist. A familiar voice also joined in. "Yeah!" Their heads turned to find none other than Sun Wukong outside the window, hanging upside down by his tale with a grin on his face. "What up, dudes and dudettes?"

Blake gawked. "S-Sun?!"

"How'd you get up here?" Yang asked curiously. They were on the third floor, after all.

The Monkey Faunus waved a hand. "Ah, it's easy! I do it all the time!" he said, ignoring the shocked look from Weiss. He then swung into the room, landing on the windowsill before hopping inside the room. "At least with trees. So, we finally getting payback with that Torchwick guy or something?"

"Well, we are going to gather information about their operations...as a team." Blake emphasized the words. "Sorry Sun...we really don't want to get friends involved...well, no more involved than now."

She looked at Church and Maine, both shrugging.

"Pft! That's dumb, you should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune along!" He pointed a thumb out at the window behind him.

All bodies moved to the opening and all heads poked outside, seeing the blue-haired teen standing on the ledge. "Sup?"

"How...how did you even get up here?" Weiss asked.

"I have my ways..." He answered smoothly before his expression became panicked. "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like, REALLY high up right now."

Church shook his head, once again palming his helmet. "Remind me again," he asked. "Why did I sign up for this crap?"

A response from Qrow Branwen

Oz,

Believe me, I'm aware of what kind of crap goes on. Trust me, I'm not surprised or shocked by the slightest by the idiots running this whole thing. Hell, even someone like the old tin man back at Atlas does more good, and half the time he just screws shit up.
I still don't have a damn lead on whoever attacked Amber. All I know is, whoever did it, they're definitely connected to Salem. If anyone knew how to take a Maiden's power, it'd be her.
On the subject...I think I have a lead on the Spring Maiden. And before you get excited, it ain't exactly good news.
If my guess is right...she's with Raven.
I might be wrong. I'll keep investigating on my end. If I learn anything new, I'll send ya a new report.
Now, if you excuse me...I have my trusty flask waiting for me.

P.S., tell Ironwood to keep that green little shit he calls Delta out of my Scroll! Last time he did it, I damn near shit my pants! I don't care if it makes communication and relaying messages easier!

AN: Kept you waiting, huh? XD Well, let's just say I've been busy. First I get sick, then I got started on a couple new stories, and apparently one of which you RWBY nuts like, considering its Rose Garden. Look up "Clockwork Spectrum" if you bookbites are interested! It's already pretty popular! Another reason why this chapter is late is because my computer got screwed up. The hard drive kept crashing for some reason and its charging port got fucked up, so its being fixed right now.

Now, a lot of you guys thought that, because of last chapter's ending, the Blood Gulch Crew was coming to Remnant. That was more or less a prelude to them crash landing on Chorus. Sorry to disappoint. As an apology, I will tell you that, once we finish up Volume 3, the RWBY Cast and the Blood Gulch Crew WILL meet! Just not the way you guys might expect...or maybe exactly what you expect. Fuck if I know. I ain't a mind reader.

Also, small little rant after the craziness that was Volume 5's introduction of the White Fang leader, Sienna Khan. God dammit, Adam! Stop killing off potential wives!

Well, that should be it. Hopefully the next update comes a bit sooner, especially since we're practically blasting straight through this!

Later losers, and I'll see you guys later!