Chapter 24

The door to the Central Intelligence room flew off their hinges due to the force of the explosion. Every White Fang soldier in the room didn't even hesitate to begin firing into the cloud of smoke. Both Lionel and Qrow began walking out of the smoke cloud as the soldier tried to shoot them, but, tray as they might, their rifles had not affect. Lionel had his hand raised, creating a barely visible haze of intense heat immediately in front of himself and Qrow.

The heat as so great that the energy, fired from their rifles, immediately underwent fission upon contact. The fission turned the high-velocity energy into a pathetic dispersal of energy sparks which would only slightly sting on contact with the skin. "It kinda' tickles…" Lionel said.

"Reminds me of frying up some bacon and the grease splashing on me!" Qrow joked.

It didn't take long for the White Fang to realize that their weapons were useless as they pulled out their sidearm and began firing .45 caliber rounds at them. The bullets had obviously been treated with different forms of dust due to the different effects the heat shield had on them. Lionel raised his second hand, the gem glowed white, and with a slight motion, he sent the energy shield firing outward as it expanded, hitting everyone in the room as well as most of the electronics. Those that were fortunate enough to remember their armor and helmets were simply knocked out, but the officers, who rarely wore armor, were burned beyond saving.

With the firing of rifles ending, a loud banging could finally be heard from the small room that connected both of the wings with the central intelligence room. Lionel and Qrow looked back to see their handiwork. The doors hand been melted and were nothing more than a part of the wall at this point. "We should hurry…at some point, they're going to realize that knocking won't work and they'll grab some explosives." Qrow said.

"Agreed." Lionel said as he found the main control terminal which he had strategically left unharmed. He began to hack into the system with ease. "This will probably take a bit, find something to occupy yourself." He finished.

"I already did…look!" Qrow said with annoyance.

Lionel looked to his right to be met with a visually unstable video of the Vale's shipping docks in a harsh condition. "What the hell happened?" Lionel asked.

"I don't know. These bastards were communicating with a submarine in the area." Qrow stated.

"An invasion?" Lionel asked as he went back to typing.

"No. It's a single submarine." Qrow informed. "And why the hell is this camera moving so much?" Qrow asked before a massive tentacle flew out from behind the camera to attack another building.

"What was that?" Lionel asked as he walked closer to the monitor since his hacking was completed and he had only to wait for the files to load. "A tentacle?" he asked again.

"Then that's a big-ass squid." Qrow said sarcastically before a tentacle came swinging down from above the camera, cutting off the feed. "Hove you found anything to tell us where Yang is?" he asked.

"Yes, let me load the camera footage." Lionel said as he ran back to the main terminal and opened the video files. They both fast forwarded the videos, which were being displayed on many different screens, for any sign of a commotion. "She isn't in any of these." Lionel said after a short while.

"But she is here?" Qrow asked.

"Yes. The tracker I put on her bike is in the same place. It should be at the gated entrance to this forest about a kilometer to the west. It wouldn't make any sense to walk back, so she must still be in the forest." Lionel explained with worry in his voice.

"She's too strong for these damn forest animals to kill her…" Qrow said confidently.

"I know that, but she was in critical condition when she left. Honestly, she wouldn't have been able to move if it weren't for her semblance." Lionel stated. "But, I agree. Still, she has to have gone somewhere." He finished.

"Are there any cameras from the gate?" Qrow asked.

"Not from here. The gate was erected by the kingdom, not the White Fang." Lionel answered.

"So the only possibility is that she is still in the forest or she got killed?" Qrow said with frustration. After a few seconds, Qrow's attitude seemed to completely change to one of hope. "I know. Find out where her kidnapped friend is. That's where we'll find Yang." He said.

Lionel nodded and began to search through the White Fang orders. "There's a ton of files I want to read when I get back home…" he muttered as he passed by most of the file names. He came across a report of the events of the Beacon attack. "Here…" he said as he opened the file and began skimming through the report.

"Right there. It says she was given to a 'Lieutenant Synther' at…Solomon Shipping Docks? Are they in league with the White Fang?" Qrow wondered.

"I've heard that name…Blake told me that she would be a valuable person to get information on AND she is the one that hid the presence of the White Fang during their attacks on Beacon, Atlas, and all of the other places. As for the docks…well, it makes sense." Lionel said.

"How so?" Qrow asked.

"Solomon Shipping Docks is one of, if not the biggest competitor of shipping with the Schnee's Company. They manage to have just as many ships and customers as the Schnee's but with a mere fraction of the spending. If we assume they are in league with the White Fang, then we can see where they're getting most of their funding and…" Lionel explained.

"…and if the White Fang wins, then the Schnee's will be out of business, leaving Solomon Shipping without any real competitors. Yeah, I see what you mean; they have everything to gain from this relationship." Qrow stated before hearing an explosion come from the entrance of the room. Both of the men looked back to see White Fang coming through the doors. Neither man hesitated as Qrow pulled out a remote and flicked a switch, causing a massive explosion from inside the small room that connected the wings of the building with the central intelligence room. "That'll hold 'em off for another minute or so…" Qrow stated as the rubble finished falling from the ceiling of that room, creating an impenetrable wall of debris.

Lionel began to search for the White Fang's information on Solomon Shipping, which didn't take very long. "Damn!" He said with annoyance.

Qrow began to read what Lionel had pulled up. "It's just a front for a naval base…" he stated.

"Probably one of their largest ones." Lionel said as he looked through the cargo and passenger lists until he found where Blake was. "Here! She was taken on a…" Lionel trailed off.

"What? …a submarine. Fuck!" Qrow shouted after glancing at the file.

"It's called the UFS Atonement…a…P-74 Menagerie-class submarine." Lionel sighed. "What's the designation and classification of the vessel over there on the communication channel." He asked, already knowing the answer.

Qrow looked and was just as unsurprised. "Designation: UFS Atonement. Classification: P-74 Menagerie-class." He stated.

"They're using her as a shield. If we just blow the damn sub up, then the world thinks that the kingdom really doesn't care about faunus…even the ones on our side. If we don't blow it up, then the people think that the kingdom doesn't care about its' own citizens." Lionel stated.

"They have us in a corner." Qrow said. "But…" he started.

"…if Yang is on board, and we send a small team to infiltrate, then we could stand a chance." Lionel finished with a sigh. A thought suddenly popped into his head, "There's no sign that Yang made it anywhere near this far into the base. SO how did she find out to go to the docks…assuming that's the case?" he wondered. Lionel backed out of the files and searched for recent injuries in their medical records.

"What're you doing?" Qrow asked.

"If Yang didn't make it this far to find out where Blake went, then she had to have beaten the information out of someone." Lionel explained as he found a particularly strange record. "Here. Found in the boiler room with serious burns…perfect cover; still unconscious...and he had just finished his shift as the quartermaster." He stated.

"Where was he at during his shift?" Qrow asked.

"The cargo bay, though when I made it down here, I noticed it is standard protocol for them to take small teams up the elevator to personally oversee the cargo…delivery." Lionel said as he trailed off toward the end of his sentence. He began to search the flight path of the recent cargo shipments. "Look, this is the shipment that was delivered when I was coming down the elevator. After unloading its' cargo onto that elevator, it flew to one of the other elevators to receive munitions." Lionel explained.

"Let me guess: it's taking the munitions to a certain submarine?" Qrow stated.

"Not just a submarine. It looks like most of their bases are contributing to the supply line. They're taking more supplies to an entire fleet at Solomon Shipping Docks. Whatever is happening with this one submarine is just a distraction…they're going to flank us." Lionel stated clearly.

"There are no reports of anyone being caught at Solomon shipping, so we can assume that Yang made it onboard unnoticed." Qrow said.

"We need to contact Ozpin." Lionel stated as he began looking for a communication area. He looked at the monitor, showing a disconnected communication channel with the submarine, and saw a port that would be compatible with his scroll. He pulled his scroll out and plugged it in and waited for it to give him a secure connection. When his scroll buzzed he immediately joined a chat that Ozpin was having with the rest of the task force.

"What's happening Ozpin?" Lionel asked as he walked back to the main terminal to look through the loaded files.

"Lionel, a Kraken is attacking the city." Ruby yelled through many grunts and heavy heaving.

"Who's fighting it? You?" he asked.

"Yeah. And Weiss and Teams CFVY, CRDL, and JNPR. Everyone else is on search and rescue for civilians." Ruby said.

"Ozpin, do you already know about the submarine?" Qrow asked.

"Yes, we believe it is manipulating the Kraken into attacking." Ozpin stated.

"Uncle Qrow? What are you doing there?" Ruby asked.

"Crazy turn of events. I'll explain later, pipsqueak." Qrow replied mockingly.

"The submarine had a communication channel opened up with the base that we're at. We cut it off when we took control of the intelligence room, but we cannot attack it!" Lionel said.

"Why?" Ironwood asked.

"Because both Yang and Blake are onboard." Lionel said.

Ironwood relaxed slightly and began in a less aggressive tone, "Listen. I know they're young, but do you honestly expect me to just forget about the safety of–"

"AND." Qrow interrupted. "We have evidence that they are sending an entire fleet to attack as well; it makes sense now. A Kraken has never attacked a city before, so causing one to do so would throw all of our plans out the window since we've never needed to worry about this. Our military will be in disarray and not be ready for an all-out attack." Qrow stated.

"I'm sending all of the files I have from their intelligence room." Lionel said as he began uploading the files to Ozpin's network. "Listen, a Kraken is large and strong, but otherwise no different from a huge Grimm. Don't send the entire military to attack it, just alter our Goliath-killing tactics. Station the military in key locations and ready the navy and air force for an attack. We only need three teams to kill the Kraken, so JNPR, CFVY, and CRDL, you're it. Weiss and Ruby, I need you two for an infiltration mission." Lionel said quickly.

"Where?" Weiss asked.

"The submarine. You're going to get Yang and Blake out so we can destroy the vessel." Lionel said.

"I've forwarded the information to everyone else and the military has been notified." Ozpin said.

"I'll have my soldiers make adjustments for this attack as well." Ironwood stated.

"You know we haven't actually killed any Goliaths before…right?" Coco asked sarcastically.

"Yep. Good thing we're not attacking any Goliaths right now, huh?" Lionel retorted with just as much sarcasm. "I know this isn't ideal, but it's the hand we've been dealt and this plan is the best poker face we have. They're putting a lot into this assault, so if we can come out on top, then a counterattack will hurt them even more." He said confidently, filling everyone with motivation.

"What about you two?" Ruby asked.

"We'll be back as soon as possible, pipsqueak. For now, we're going to gather any information we can and raise hell." Qrow stated.

"Indeed. Be careful, and watch each other's backs. Ruby and Weiss, I'm going to open a private channel for us to talk on." Lionel said.

"Okay, we'll be waiting." Weiss said before seeing Lionel disappear from the chat.

"Okay, guys; be safe! I want to hear all about your awesome battle when we get back!" Ruby said.

"Easier said than done, Ruby." Jaune stated with a nervous grin.

"If Rose thinks we can do this, then I don't have anything to worry about." Coco said.

Ruby and Weiss' scroll began to vibrate. They both placed their earpieces in and answered the call. "Sir. We're ready whenever you are." Weiss stated.

"Okay, I asked Ozpin to send you some diving gear to you; it will probably be there in two minutes. The submarine is in relatively shallow water, only about three hundred feet below sea level, so we need it to surface from the water. You will both gear up and covertly dive to said depth. When you have the vessel in your sights, you need swim to the engine, the propellers, and attack them." Lionel explained.

"Is the submarine stationary?" Weiss asked.

"No, it's moving at a slow pace of about two knots. You shouldn't have to worry about the current created by the propellers, just don't get too close." Lionel said.

"After we attack the engine, it will surface, and we will board from the top of the sub?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. Make sure you're on your toes because they will know something is up. And Ruby, make sure you're careful in there. You won't be able to expand Crescent Rose to its full size due to the compact space in the sub, so you'll only have the rifle form to use." Lionel stated clearly.

"Did Yang get captured also? Why is she on the ship?" Weiss asked.

"No, we don't think she got caught. We think she snuck on board to help Blake, so when things go down, she'll probably take advantage of the situation." Qrow said.

A Beacon armored m car came to a sudden stop close to where Weiss and Ruby were waiting at. No one stepped out, but the door opened and the diving gear was placed outside by a Vale soldier. "Good luck, ladies." He said before closing the door and driving away.

"We just got the diving gear. We're going to get ready and head out to the ship." Ruby said as they both began to strip their clothes from their body with the exception of their undergarments.

"Good thing nobody is around to see this." Weiss said with annoyance. They both slipped the wetsuits on with ease before removing their undergarments when the wetsuit comfortably covered their bodies. They zipped up the skin-tight suit and began to check their oxygen tanks for any leaks.

"Everything looks good over here. No leaks in the tank or tube, the mask fits, and the fins are on." Ruby said.

"Same here…I'm ready to go." Weiss said as they made their way back to the docks, but still remaining out of the sight of the battle.

"We're heading to the docks now." Ruby said.

"No. There will be a manhole cover before actually getting to the docks, take that instead. It should lead out to the ocean." Lionel said quickly.

Weiss and Ruby made it to the last building before the docks opened up. "I can see why; we would have to cover to get to the ocean; they would see us coming a mile away." Weiss said before locating the manhole cover to her right and attempting to lift it. "That's not happening." Weiss said after a quick struggle to lift the metal plate. She lifted Myrtenaster from her holster on her side and activated the white dust. The manhole cover was quickly removed from the opening and placed to the side.

"C'mon." Ruby said as she slid down the ladder leading to the sewer system.

"Over there." Weiss said after she landed behind Ruby. Ruby looked in the same direction and saw that the sewage pipe takes a vertical turn down. "We dive right here." She said as they walked up to the water.

"And Weiss, don't use your dust until you're ready to attack the engines. Their scanners will sense the dust and you'll lose the element of surprise." Lionel stated.

"Understood." Weiss said as they both placed the masks over their face, which looks oddly like a paintball mask, except that they're sealed to prevent any water from entering and any oxygen from leaving. "Good?" Weiss asked over the scroll.

"Good. Oxygen flow is stable. Buoyancy compensator is working. I'm ready to go." Ruby said with a thumbs up.

"Let's go." Weiss stated as she jumped into the water with Ruby following close behind. They both adjusted their buoyancy to float down the vertical pipe until it opened up to the ocean. They continued to float down until they reached the ocean floor, at which point Weiss looked at pressed a button on her mask which pulled up a Heads-Up-Display. "two-hundred-twenty feet." Weiss said.

"We need to go further out until it allows us to go down some more." Ruby replied.

They both stabilized their buoyancy before kicking from the ocean floor and swimming forward. It was a slight downward slope so they were diving quite slowly. "Report ladies?" Lionel asked.

"We're at a depth of two-hundred-thirty-eight feet. The slope is so shallow, that we're having trouble gaining more depth." Ruby said.

"It's showing that the vessel is about eight hundred feet north of you. And the vessel itself is around six hundred feet long, so you'll probably come to a steep reef soon." Lionel explained.

"Heard. I see it now." Weiss said as they began to slow themselves down before coming to the reef.

"Woah." Ruby said as she looked down the reef into total darkness.

"Remember to control your buoyancy here, we only need to go down another sixty feet. Actually, we should see the vessel as soon as we get down that far." Weiss said.

"Okay. I'm ready." Ruby said as she watched Weiss take the first step off of the cliff. Ruby followed close behind, adjusting her buoyancy accordingly. They both continued to move north as they lowered farther into the water and, sure enough, the vessel came into view quickly. It looked as though it wasn't moving, but they could both see the propeller spinning.

"At least we were lucky enough to be on the side of the propellers." Ruby said with a chuckle.

"It'll probably be our only piece of good luck today. Get ready." Weiss said as she stopped her descent with her buoyancy compensator, and Ruby doing the same. Weiss held out Myrtenaster with the tip pointed at the engine. The revolving dust chamber made a full revolution before stopping and causing the blade to glow a combination of white and red.

The propellers of the ship began to gain a violent speed as their spin built up power. "Ha. Too late now." Weiss said as glyphs began to appear on the engines where the propeller connected to the ship. An aggressive sonic wave was sent pulsing from the ship in defense, but Ruby activated her semblance, to an extreme extent, and sliced through the water with amazing speed. She sent a powerful wave of water flying right toward the expanding sphere of water caused by the sonic wave. Ruby managed to cancel out a portion of the sonic pressure wave coming toward them and was able to protect her and her teammate.

"Thank you, Ruby." She said as the wave impacted the reef behind them causing the rocks and coral to break away as though it were Styrofoam. Weiss activated her semblance and watched as the glyphs exploded in a ball of flame, seemingly ignoring the water. The left propeller was blown completely off and sank to the dark depths of the ocean and the second was bent beyond use.

"They're taking on water." Weiss said as she pointed at the hole in the vessel.

"We need to surface too so we can be ready." Ruby said as she adjusted her buoyancy to float back to the surface with Weiss following behind. Hatches on the sides of the ship began to open and Weiss knew that they were adjusting their buoyancy as well.

"Get ready, Ruby. They're going to come up to and the water displacement is going to throw us around." Weiss warned. In a matter of seconds, the vessel was already passing the two girls in its ascent to the surface. They waited patiently to be carried along with the vessel and, as they prepared, they could see the violent current of water coming toward them.

When the water caught them, they were gone from each other's sight within seconds. "Ruby!" Weiss yelled as she pressed the emergency protocol on their buoyancy compensator, which increases it to its' max, as to better get her to the surface. Weiss was being flung by the water and had no control over her body as she desperately watched the counter in her mask get closer to sea level.

After an agonizing two or three minutes, Weiss emerged from the sea next to the vessel and immediately began to swim to it. She climbed onto the metal and ran to the hatch, that she could see unlocking, on the top. Three White Fang soldiers stepped out of the vessel as Weiss was pulling Myrtenaster out of her holster. Before she could begin her attack, three bullets fired consecutively, killing each of the soldiers with a headshot.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled as she came over the top of the vessel and waited for Weiss to make her way to the top. Ruby gave Weiss a hug when she made her way to the top. "I'm glad you're okay." She said happily.

"I'm glad to see you as well. But let's not celebrate yet." Weiss said as she looked at the hatch opening while removing her mask.

"Are you ready?" Ruby asked as she placed her mask on a latch on her buoyancy compensator.

"Yes. Let's get Yang and Blake back." Weiss said confidently. "Lionel, we're entering the vessel." She said over the scroll.

"Understood. Get them and get out. We'll have a dinghy waiting for you four when you make it back to the top. It will have a flare on board; when you're clear of the vessel, fire the flare and it the navy will blow it sky high. Understood?" Lionel asked.

"Yes, sir." Ruby and Weiss said in unison.