June 13th

Beacon Academy

City Of Vale

Vale

Downtown

11:37 PM

Sighing, as she woke up from yet another nightmare, Glynda sighed and shoved her glasses back on before she went over to the window and noticed that James was looking out into the City Of Vale from the landing docks of Beacon Academy. Knowing that it was going to be several hours before she fell back asleep, Glynda pulled on her tights, skirt, blouse, cape, and boots before she slipped out. Quietly closing the door and locking it with her scroll, Glynda slowly made her way down to the docks. Though it was late at night, there were still a few airships hovering over the brightly lit buildings of the city and she slowed when she knew he'd be able to hear her.

"Trouble sleeping?"

James turned in surprise and looked at her with a hand on his shoulder. "Arm was acting up."

Sighing, Glynda shifted so that she was at his side. "Of course, so, logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely, and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance." Looking at him in concern, she trailed her fingers through her side bang. "What's wrong?"

A moment passed in which he didn't respond but, when he did, he was hesitant.

"I've trusted him for years, we both have," He said tiredly. I just… I can't help but feel...like he's keeping us in the dark."

Glynda scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark."

"That makes it worse!" James laughed humorlessly. "I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so...passively."

Another beat went by in silence as she placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But...it's high time you stopped talking about trust...and started showing it." Glynda sighed, dropping her hand as the two of them stared into the distance. "Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack...and I think that's something worth remembering."

Turning to look at her, James nodded. "You're probably right...but at the same time, with everything that has come back around to..."

"I know," Glynda said, feeling tired. "And it does bother me that Ozpin doesn't seem to be recognizing the real threat that Cinder poses. I'm honestly not sure if he believes Emmett or if he thinks that he's still just paranoid."

"Of course he's paranoid, though," James said, knowing how important Emmeline was and had always been to their teammate. "That isn't why he's giving that information. He's not vengeful, he wants her locked but because he knows that she's dangerous and he doesn't want anyone else to suffer at her hand."

Glynda nodded. "And he's never been a terrible father, no matter what he has to say about the matter or how he's processed what happened with Ashlynn. Their son's going to have the most normal childhood he can, while Lysithea and Sam aren't nearly as hell bent on revenge against their aunt as they could be, considering how much they know."

"I think Caitlin's helping Sam with that too," James said, gently wrapping an arm around her waist. "Apart from how happy they've been, it seems like she's helping her with seeing justice as justice and not seeing vengeance as justice."

"I agree," Glynda told him as she leaned into his embrace. "And I'm just relieved that they're happy. Ivy too, of course."

Hesitantly, James shifted to bring his mouth down on hers in a passionate kiss.

"I love you, Glyns." He murmured, cupping her cheek.

"I love you too." Glynda said softly as she wrapped herself around him. "James -"

"Glynda Catherine Goodwitch…" James said, pulling her closer. "We've been married over twenty years and, since we got married, I love you just as much as I did then as I do now."

"I know," Glynda said, leaning into him and closing her eyes. "I just wish that...Jamie I'm sorry about what happened the other day."

James shifted to look at her in surprise. "Glynda, it wasn't your fault. I wasn't be entirely rational because I wanted the situation that had been established dealt with right then and there. That's not your fault, it's mine."

"I shouldn't have snapped at you," She countered and he sighed. "That only makes things harder for us and usually it leads to a row of sorts and -"

"That doesn't make it your fault," He told her and she glared as she adjusted her glasses. "Really, it doesn't."

Glynda shifted her weight to her side before letting him hold her tightly. "It seems the majority of the time when we have row or just start arguing in general, it's because of me."

"No, it's not," James promised her, kissing her again. "Because neither of us have much patience and I tend to react just as strongly as you do. That's not your fault."

Glynda didn't respond for a moment before she shook her head. "I know things have never been easy between us but I feel like it's my fault most of the time and then sometimes yours. And I know that since the fight against Salem turned into...turned into whatever it is now that we've been more divided."

"I know, I can feel it too," James said as he tightened his arms around her. "And I know that it's not been easier on any of us but we're trying."

"I'm scared though," Glynda admitted quietly, embarrassed that she was even a little afraid. "It almost seems like someone's about to make a play and I…"

"I'm scared too, Glyns, you're not alone," James said, her soft hair gently brushing over the neurotransmitter that controlled his right side. "I'm right here, I've got you, and it's going to be alright."

"I hope so…" She softly replied. "For all of our sakes."

June 14th

Mountain Glenn

2:07 AM

Eyes opening hazily to a terrible thudding in her head, Ruby could also feel two strong hands on her arms and, as the room came into focus, she could tell that they were the same two White Fang Guards who had caught her. As far as she could tell, they were dragging her through what seemed to be an underground city, albeit a fairly desolate one. The place smelt of not only grease and rusting metal but of cigar smoke, something that drew her nerves up even further, considering that she associated that smell with Roman Torchwick. However, in spite of the desolation, there were many members of the White Fang clearly at work. One was piloting an Atlesian Paladin in order to lift some of the large shipping containers and others were doing more manual lifting. Making a mental note to, should she survive, tell Elizabeth about the stolen machinery, she found herself temporarily distracted as the two guards stopped dragging her and another nearby drops a large, ominous looking device.

"Hey!" A guard shouted to the one who had dropped the machine. "Be careful! What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?"

The guard replied quickly. "Sorry sir!"

"Hey boss!" One of the guards who had dragged her started. "Found something you might want to see!"

From inside of one of the rail cars, the last voice she wanted to hear replied. "Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell you, I have had a day…"

The guard Perry looked at her in confusion while fear began to rise in her. "Uh...it's a little girl?"

Leaning out of the doorway with a cigar in hand, Roman sighed in irritation as he looked at her with his slanted green eyes narrowed. "That would be bad."

Flicking his cigar to the side while the guard, Perry, and his accomplice dragged her once more so that she would be facing their boss while he climbed down from the car with Melodic Cudgel in hand. Slowly moving towards her, Roman bent down to the ground and lifted her head with his finger before reaching for another cigar and swearing when he realized that he had left his lighter in the train car. Glaring at Ruby and assessing her appearance, Roman smirked when he realized that, in spite of her gothic clothing and large red cape, she didn't have her high caliber sniper scythe or whatever the hell that thing that she enjoyed swinging around was. Motioning for Perry and his accomplice to leave, Roman held Melodic Cudgel in hand and threw the girl across the floor multiple times before hitting her with his cane a few times before tossing her once more across the dirt and filth of the underground city and laughing.

"Wow!" Roman exclaimed through his laughter. "You are much more manageable without that oversized gardening tool of yours."

Angrily, the girl pushed herself off up the floor and began to charge at him which he sidestepped effortlessly and, with the aid of Melodic Cudgel, sent her stumbling across the floor once more before continuing to laugh.

"Oh man… you know, Perry, I really did need this."

From behind him, the guard Perry raised his thumb in agreement while the maniacal laughter continued. Walking over towards Ruby once more, Roman aimed Melodic Cudgel at her while continuing. "But seriously...how'd you find this place, Red?"

Using her semblance to escape the sadistic man, Ruby let out a faint noise of anger before making a run for any form of an exit. Temporarily, this distracted him as he looked around in shock, the feeling of being startled taking him over, however he quickly saw her come back into focus. Smiling as he stood up, Roman spun Melodic Cudgel in his hands and aimed his handle at Ruby. Firing it at the girl as if it was a grappling hook, Roman caught her by her the hood of her cape and drew her back towards him while grasping it angrily once she was in his reach and shifting Melodic Cudgel back into one hand while glaring heavily at her, a part of him ready to shoot her right then and there.

"I see you've got some tricks up your sleeve!" He exclaimed dryly. "Let me make this clear: We're not through here yet!"

From the distance, what sounded to be a massive explosion went off and Roman cursed under his breath as he looked up and dropped Ruby. "Oh, what the...Perry if you and the boys could take care of that? Kind of in the middle of something…"

Nodding, Perry ran off with several others to investigate just as another one sounded and Roman cursed again with his annoyance seeping into his voice as he began to demand answers once again. "What is going on here?"

With the loud sound of a third explosion ringing through the caverns, multiple members of the White Fang came running around the corner with some of them firing at an undefined enemy that slowly came into Ruby's view with relief settling in her when she realized who they were. Seeing Weiss, Blake, Yang, Dr. Oobleck, and even Zwei running around the corner, Ruby began to attempt at escape again. His annoyance clear while she took advantage of the moment, Roman cursed once more as she jumped on his shoulders and pulled his hat down over his eyes before she ran as quickly as she could muster towards them while Roman began to shout once again as he glared at her and adjusted his hat again before he and several members of the White Fang began to open fire on her though she managed to dodge it.

"Somebody kill her!" Roman shouted before angrily turning to closest member of the White Fang to him. "Attach this cart and spread the word: we're starting the train."

The man protested. "But...we're not finished!"

Using Melodic Cudgel to pin the man against the wall, Roman snarled angrily. "Do it, or you're finished!"

Realizing that she was running into a large group of White Fang members, Ruby stopped though a large explosion caught them by surprise and, as they were flung, Yang reveled behind them before her 'sister' jumped into her arms. "Ruby!"

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked her, looking at her in concern before Ruby let herself out of Yang's arms and hesitantly kissed the white-haired girl. "Ruby…"

Ruby smiled sheepishly and rubbed her arm. "I'm fine, I'm fine! But listen, Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there!"

Blake looked at her in shock as she handed the younger girl Crescent Rose. "What?"

"Androids, mechs," Ruby told them, having recognized the Atlesian technologies. "They're all loaded up on the train cars!"

Oobleck shook his head and began with his infamously hyperactive speech. "Ahhhh...that's ridiculous! These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead end!"

The speaker system screeched ominously as Roman began over it and the train began towards the tunnels. "Get to your places, we are leaving now!"

Yang shook nervously before turning to Oobleck, her hand tightening around Blake's. "Well it sounds like they're going somewhere!"

Ruby looked to Yang and nodded in agreement. "We need backup. Let me call Jaune…"

Yang nodded as she pulled out her own scroll and tried to call Elizabeth, knowing that she would have a better idea of how to deal with the Atlas machinery. "Damn it!"

"I can't get through!" Ruby exclaimed while Yang cursed again when her call died just as Elizabeth answered.

"Motherfucker," Yang muttered though Weiss gave her a disdainful look. "Oh, now's not the time to be a priss Miss Schnee."

Weiss crossed her arms before looking to Ruby. "So what do we do?"

"I believe we only have one option…" Oobleck began though Ruby finished as she looked at the oncoming train.

"We're stopping that train!"

June 14th

City Of Atlas

Atlas

Downtown

3:12 AM

Groaning as her scroll went off, Elizabeth Morell glanced at the Caller ID, expecting it to be Ronnie or someone else who was angry with her for her support of the current investigations though she looked at it in surprise when she realized it was Yang. Attempting to answer it as quickly as possible, Elizabeth sighed when her scroll declared that the call was lost due to poor signal on Yang's end. Setting it aside, Elizabeth looked over at Tai who was still sleeping before she carefully pulled herself out of bed and went down the hall to make sure Violet hadn't snuck out (again). To her relief, the thirteen year old was sleeping peacefully and everything seemed to be fine. Although she wanted to try and fall back asleep, her mind kept racing with questions as to why Yang was calling her at three in the morning and, eventually, she decided that she just needed to relax. Quietly making her way downstairs, Elizabeth flicked on the lights in the kitchen and flinched at how bright they were before going out into the garage to grab one of her bottles of vodka and have a shot or two before going back to sleep. Pulling out a shot glass, she closed her eyes for a moment before she shifted to set it down on the counter where a thin piece of paper was laying. Irritably sighing, Elizabeth set down the glass and picked up the note and shook as she read it.

Traitor. That plea deal you made all those years ago before you got any of this is still going to bite you in the ass because you will pay. Emmeline Ciel and that whole damn family deserve to die and so do you. So, if I were you, I would watch my back, Elizabeth Morell. Tell Ironwood's girl that too.

- C. A. Fall

Setting the note back on the counter, Elizabeth found herself shaking before she recalled the anger in Cinder's eyes when she had turned her in and revealed the plans that the sadist had made. Then there was the self satisfied smirk that she had worn when she had told of her plot to kill the Ciels. Not only that, but the new evidence to suggest that Cinder had managed to sneak into Beacon was almost too jarring to consider. Unable to think, Elizabeth fell against the wall and screamed against her will - something that actually woke up Tai though thankfully not their teenage daughter. Running down the stairs, Tai looked at her in fear as he saw her curling into herself and he ran over to her and pulled her into him before helping her up onto her feet.

"Eliza…" Tai murmured before he noticed the note and read over it. "Oh Eliza, she's just trying to scare us…"

"No, no she's not," Elizabeth told him, shaking still. "She knows exactly what she's doing and she… she wants to hurt us…"

"Baby," Tai said, kissing her forehead. "It's going to be fine. Even if we have to get extra security, it will be fine."

"Extra security won't help a damn thing…" Elizabeth said weakly and Tai sighed, pulling her tighter as he began to help her upstairs. "Tai -"

"It will," He promised, although his worry still remained. "Eliza...is something else bothering you?"

Hesitantly, Elizabeth nodded. "Yang tried to call me about an hour ago and...and it didn't go through because of poor signal on her end."

Tai didn't respond for a moment before he sighed. "She'll be alright."

"Tai, she could be anywhere in Vale and if she's calling me that early in the morning then something's wrong!" Elizabeth declared, falling into him and starting to cry as he closed the door to their room so that they wouldn't wake their rambunctious teenage daughter. "I'm going to Vale tomorrow - I'll be on the first flight out because if something happened to our daughter -"

"Eliza," Tai started as gently as possible while rubbing her back. "If something happened to her, don't you think that Ozpin would have sent something?"

"Ozpin?" Elizabeth asked, irritated at the thought. "Tai, since when does the man do much more than come up with asinine plans that -"

"Eliza, he's not stupid," Tai told her, while she curled into him. "At the very least he would express concern."

"Since when has he done even that?" Elizabeth challenged and Tai sighed, knowing that she was not completely off. "He won't even handle the situation with the White Fang and Cinder properly!"

"But Vale isn't Atlas," Tai reminded her and she groaned in frustration. "Eliza, you know that."

"Of course I know that," She snapped. "Because I haven't been subjected to more than one meeting with Valerian officials who think that I'm nothing more than a snobby Atlesian politician who has nothing but the very best her entire life! Sometimes, I feel like even you think that!"

"Eliza!' Tai exclaimed in shock. "Eliza, I don't think that! I -"

"Yes you do!" Elizabeth sobbed, collapsing into their bed and burying her face in a pillow. "Tai, I...I…I don't even know if...if…"

"Elizabeth," Tai said gently, sitting down next to her and rubbing her back while she continued to cry. "Eliza, I don't think you're snobby. I don't think you're a bitch, and I sure as hell don't think that you've had everything you've ever wanted. I know those things aren't true and I...I want you to be happy and I want you to know that I love you. Remember what I said to you on our wedding day?"

Elizabeth shifted and nodded weakly, her normally faint freckles sharply defined by the rouge of her cheeks and the drying tears on them. Her dark hair was a mess and it was sticking up in strange places even after she tried in vain to force them down with her fingers. "You said, 'Elizabeth Lily Morell, I know that things are difficult for you but I love you and, come hell or high water, I'll do everything in my power to protect you and make you happy.'"

Tai nodded and kissed her lips gently, just barely brushing them with his own. "And I meant that."

"But what about Raven?" Elizabeth demanded, crying again and angry for letting herself be irrational. "Your ex-wife, the one who abandoned you and your daughter -"

"Eliza, I don't love Raven," Tai assured her, patting her back. "She had her good qualities and was magnetic which was probably why I fell for her but at the end of the day she had a number of faults that not only led to her abandoning her daughter but led to her causing the dissolution of Team STRQ. I admired that she always stood up for what she believed in, and still do, but that doesn't mean I love her because I don't. Elizabeth, I love you and if you aren't sure then I'm pretty sure Violet is proof enough."

Elizabeth sighed. "Tai -"

"Elizabeth Lily Morell," Tai began slowly. "You've survived things that would have killed most people by now - whether during the fact or in the aftermath. You've been brutally tortured and abused and yet you've survived. You're single handedly one of the strongest people I know and even if you weren't I would still love you because you try so hard to be a good person, you try so hard to understanding, and you've done everything you can to right whatever wrongs you've done in your life - no matter how minor you thought they were. Eliza... I love you and that's not changing."

He could only hope that she was just exhausted and afraid, and that the things she was afraid of, the things she was saying, weren't real.

June 14th

En Route To City Of Vale

4:12 AM

Though they were in deep within the tunnels, there was an artificial wind from the speeding of the train down the tracks. It whipped their hair and it made balance difficult for all of them - a fact which prompted all of them to stay as close to the center as possible. The four members of Team RWBY, alongside Dr. Oobleck, and Zwei were at the ready for the fight that they knew awaited them and that was even more so proven to them when they took in their surroundings and noticed several hatches that were barely locked and that was made even worse by the White Fang members that they knew were below them and would be ready to kill them without hesitation when they fully revealed themselves. Straight to the point, Oobleck began his erratic speech towards them for not the first time as he began to give orders.

"Hurry, children! We must get to the front and stop this train!"

Weiss stammered as she looked down into one of the hatches at a suspicious looking device. "Err… Professor?"

"Doctor…" Oobleck corrected as he saw her pointing down the hatch.

"What's that?"

Kneeling down as he took a look, Oobleck responded. "That my dear… appears to be a bomb."

All four girls cringed at the knowledge before Ruby drew their attention forward. "We've got baddies!"

Oobleck shook his head as the bomb beneath them begun its activation and begun to beep menacingly while dozens of White Fang members continued to climb up onto to the top of the train and he decided to start to give orders once the girls began to run and he had stood up. "Well I didn't expect them to go… easy on us! Time to go! Blake! Detach the caboose! It will kill us all!"

Blake nodded and jumped down to the connectors. "On it." Lifting Gambol Shroud to cut the connexion, Blake looked in shock as she watched the connexion free itself as she looked up at Oobleck. "Huh? It decoupled itself!"

Oobleck looked at her in surprise. "What?"

Yang shook in slight fear, acknowledging her body's natural response. "I guess he really doesn't want us on this train!"

Glancing back at the detached cart once Blake was back on top of the next car, Oobleck's eyes went wide in horror. "That's not good…"

Standing by yet another open hatch, Ruby shook her head. "Err...neither is this!"

Blake looked at her in shock. "Another bomb?"

Looking around and running to the next train car, Oobleck began to yell as he opened the hatch and looked in. "No...no...no! They all have bombs!"

Below Team RWBY, the next bomb began to beep and their cart detached itself, which forced them to the next cart while more White Fang members climbed onto the train again. Yang looked at all of them in horror before screaming. "This doesn't make sense!"

A White Fang member began to yell. "Get the humans!"

Moving forward to engage the new members of the White Fang in attack, Team RWBY continued on a little further whilst Dr. Oobleck turned around to watch the second detached train car explode and create a hole in the ceiling that allowed multiple forms of grimm to emerge from it and advance quickly towards the runaway train being piloted by Roman Torchwick. As cars continued to detach, Oobleck turned back to the team. "Oh dear...he's leading grimm to the city!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow as she watched the scene begin to unfold. "What?"

"It's the cars!" Oobleck declared. "They detach and explode, creating openings for the grimm!"

Blake shouted back as yet another train car detached. "That's insane!"

"We have to hurry!" Oobleck told them, turning to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. "You three! Go below and try to stop those bombs!"

"What about us?" Ruby asked him in confusion.

Placing his hands on his hips, Oobleck steadied himself. "We're going to stop this train!"

Ruby gave him a funny look. "Yeah, I know. I said that earlier."

As the group continued to move forward in its efforts to stop the train, several members of the White Fang began to take and pilot multiple Atlesian Paladin-290's, an incident both Ruby and Yang took mental note of, knowing that it would help Elizabeth, while using them to jump up onto the top of the train as it continued to race forward though its destination was still far, in reality it was hours away, even at the current speed. Running with Zwei as well, Ruby and Oobleck continued while he began to shout once again as an Atlesian Paladin began to charge towards them rapidly and in violent anger.

"Up ahead!" Oobleck shouted. "We got a problem!"

Taking a long sip from his thermos, Oobleck them transformed it into its weapon mode with a small flame ignited and began to burn at the tip while Zwei barked loudly, ready for aiding Dr. Oobleck and Ruby in their next attack. Jumping and then flipping in mid air, Zwei allowed himself to be bat by Oobleck's burning tip - an act that transformed the dog into a small fireball that knocked a shooting Paladin off of the train by being caught off guard by the attack. Tumbling onto the train tracks, the Paladin exploded violently when it ran into a barricade while another appeared in the front of Zwei, aiming its guns at him though is taken out by multiple attacks of fire by Oobleck. In another swift movement, Oobleck also knocked the Paladin off of the train like its companion and the fight for the stopping of the runaway train continued in rapid succession.

June 14th

En Route To City Of Vale

7:00 AM

As soon as all three of the landed in the car of the train, Yang turned to her teammates. "I guess this is what we trained for."

"Here," Weiss said as she reached into her pouch and gave Blake a magazine filled with Dust vials. "This should help you."

Sliding the magazine into Gambol Shroud, Blake nodded and the three of them began to charge forward before a small woman with a smirk and an umbrella dropped down from the ceiling, blocking their path. Angrily, Yang looked at her teammates before turning back to Neo and firing a round to distract her while her teammates continued forward.

"You two go on ahead," She said darkly. "This one's mine."

Stepping forward after firing her shot, Yang stared Neopolitan down while she gave her a sinister smile in spite of her significantly smaller stature. Tightening her fist, Yang threw the first blow towards Neo's face though it was deflected by an illusionary wall that the woman summoned while she opened her umbrella and Yang felt her feet stumbling backwards. Regaining her balance, Yang charged forward and threw several punches in quick succession without redirecting her movements after each new movement, allowing Neo to easily jump out of the way of each of her attacks. Finally deciding to try and kick her in the head, Yang found herself getting pushed to the ground while Neo spun gracefully and threw a hook kick towards her. Groaning as she pushed herself up, angry still, Yang attempted to get up while her opponent attempt a drop kick to her face though Yang rolled herself out of the way and forced herself off of the ground to attack her head on again. Hot anger began to press against her, and she used it to empower her attack.

In quick response, Neo redirected the force of Yang's fist by pulling it in with her own arm and sending an axe kick to her chin, which she followed by the application of a flawless side kick to Yang's stomach as she continued to push the taller woman back with her umbrella. Attempting to counter this, Yang began to shoot at Neo with Ember Celica though the small woman continued to push her back against the wall with almost no effort until Yang began to fire a shot towards her feet that she jumped out of the way in a backflip. Landing on one of the metal containers, Neo sat down and crossed her legs with a smirk on her face while she played with her umbrella, awaiting any further movements from her opponent. Disdain for the tiny woman rising in her chest, Yang approached her with clenched fists while the woman taunted her before Yang's next attack though this is quickly countered by Neo kicking Yang's back. In yet another attempt to shoot her with Ember Celica, Yang found herself sparring hand to hand after the shot was blocked before she managed to grab Neo's foot long enough to be able to attempt to throw her towards the ceiling though the sadistic woman beat her against the roof and rendered her unconscious.

Slowly sauntering towards the unconscious Yang Xiao Long, Neo gracefully drew her small, cylindrical blade from the base of her umbrella and raised the blade menacingly as she readied herself to kill Yang though she was stopped by a woman, masked and in only black and red, gracefully dropping into the car from a summoned portal. Charging towards the sadistic young woman with her sword swinging at her, Neo barely evaded the otherwise deadly strike. Stopping, the woman spun toward her and slashed her abdomen while she was unable to properly respond and therefore found herself getting knocked back violently. Sheathing her sword and changing the blade in the revolving chamber, the woman finally drew her sword again and it this time was longer than the original blade that she had begun the fight with. Her eyes widening in fear at how dangerous things had become for her, Neo used an illusion to make her escape.

Taking a moment to look down at Yang though the blonde was still unconscious, the woman slashed her sword to the side and opened one of her shifting red portals. Closing her eyes, she sighed before she made her apparent decision. Beginning to walk away from the scene towards the portal, she stopped when she noticed Yang regaining some consciousness and slowly pushing herself back up off of the ground. Opening her eyes and turning around, the woman dissipated her portal and turned back to Yang while the girl rubbed her head and found herself feeling sick as she struggled with the regaining of her consciousness. Forcing herself to stand up and look at the woman, Yang's eyes went wide as the woman removed her mask and attached it to her side. Her face was so similar to her own, yet it was darker but, apart from that, there weren't many differences in their physique apart from that. The thing that was most jarring to her, however was the recognition of the woman as her mother from Team STRQ's last team photograph.

"Mom?" Yang asked hesitantly and Raven nodded once in assertion before speaking to her sharply.

"This is the one time I'm going to be saving you, Yang," She told her. "But, since I have a moment, I dare say I'm curious about your life. For starters, how's your father, Tai?"

Yang sighed and hesitated slightly, unsure of what Raven knew. "Well...uh...he remarried when I was really little and he's happy. He married -"

"Elizabeth Morell," Raven finished, bitterness lacing her tone. "I know."

Uncomfortable, Yang quickly changed the subject. "But uncle Qrow's...I don't know if you've seen him but...he's been uncle Qrow and then my sister, Ruby, is -"

Raven laughed humorlessly before giving her daughter a look of genuine sympathy for still being in the dark. "Ruby isn't your sister, Yang."

"I know that she's my half sister," Yang told her, narrowing her eyes. "But -"

"She's your cousin!" Raven shouted, her eyes flaring. "She's Qrow's daughter! honestly, Please tell me you didn't actually believe that Summer Rose and Tai -"

"I thought Elizabeth was my mother for years!" Yang shouted back, tears in her eyes. "Because you abandoned us! She was the one that raised me, not you!"

In spite of herself, Raven felt herself hurt by her daughter's words and looked away from her. "I had no choice!"

"Yes, you did!" Yang snapped, not wanting to believe what she was saying. "And dad still cares about you even though he doesn't love you anymore! I know, he's never said anything bad about you when I've asked. Besides that, he's moved on, and he has three daughters -"

"Two," Raven hissed. "He has you and...who is his other daughter?"

Angrily, Yang screamed back. "Violet Morell!"

"Tai…" Raven muttered irritably though her daughter pressed on.

"You and dad had me, he and Summer Rose had Ruby, and he and Elizabeth had Violet!" Yang scowled, angrier than ever at the woman who had abandoned her so long ago. "There's no way that Ruby is uncle Qrow's daughter!"

"Yes there is!" Raven snapped. "She was a mere baby when Summer died and Qrow blamed himself for it. Did you know that he came to me after her death to demand information? He was in denial at first, but I helped him see that maybe, just maybe, it would be best for his daughter to not have to deal with his… paranoia."

Staring at her mother in horror as she took a step back, Yang shook her head. "That..." She said weakly. "That's not true, it can't be."

"Whether or not you believe me isn't the point because it is true." Hesitantly shifting towards her, Raven pulled her daughter into a lingering hug before summoning her portal again. "We still have… much to discuss...but we'll do so later."

As soon as she stepped through the portal, Yang ran to find her teammates and sighed in relief when she found them, Zwei, and Dr. Oobleck on the top of the train as the wall grew closer. Shaking as she moved towards them while she saw Weiss gently kiss Ruby one more time before pulling out Myrtenaster, Yang looked at the girl and couldn't help but wonder if what her mother had told her was true. In spite of not wanting to, there was a nagging feeling that declared that Raven hadn't been lying but she still needed to know. A sinking feeling growing in her stomach while she looked to her sister - cousin - Yang, shook and Ruby looked at her in pure concern.

"Yang?"

Shaking slightly before Weiss encased them for protection, Yang replied. "I need to talk to dad or uncle Qrow soon…"

June 14th

City Of Vale

Vale

Downtown

7:30 AM

"Are you alright?" Sam asked her gently, Ivy also looking at Caitlin in concern, having seen her stumble in reaction to a vision. "Caity?"

Caitlin sighed. "It was just a psychic moment and I didn't gain anything from it except for a sinking feeling and a temporary loss of vision."

Lysithea grimaced. "I don't think that's ever been a good thing."

"Caity –" Sam started, taking her hand.

"I'm fine, Mara," She snapped, pausing for a moment upon seeing her flinch. "So," She said awkwardly. "Do you all want to wander the city for a little or do you want to just talk here?"

Ivy shrugged. "I don't care what we do as long as Jake doesn't try to prank me into shifting into a boy again."

"That was one time, and it was a hilarious time that I will always hold dear to my heart," Jake told her, pretending to swoon. "But seriously Ives, your face when you realized you had a dick and couldn't change back was hilarious."

"I thought she was nervous because she had been touching herself," Sam whispered to Caitlin, causing her to giggle despite herself. "I mean that too."

"You have a dirty mind, Sam," Ivy said, pretending to be serious as she shook her head. "So I would refrain from that kind of talk or vastly inappropriate...insinuations…"

Sam returned Ivy's mock serious look. "Of course, Professor Ironwood-Goodwitch. Shall I run laps, or shall I face a grimm as penance?"

"Mara!" Caitlin exclaimed, leaning into her as she laughed. "That's not just ridiculous, that's crazy!"

"I know," Sam replied with a killer smirk. "It's not a problem, is it?"

"I'm not so sure," Caitlin told her, crossing her arms in mock indignance. "So it may very well be a serious problem."

Jake started laughing and punched Lysithea in the arm, causing her to sock him in the stomach, scowling at him while he stumbled back and down, trying to regain his breath.

"Okay, wait," Ivy said, glancing at the time. "I've got to ask, where the hell is Team RWBY? They should be back by now, by all accounts."

Caitlin shrugged. "Maybe they got caught up by grimm? Mountain Glenn's grimm population has done nothing but increase in recent years and I wouldn't say that it's an unreasonable assumption to make that the grimm population was more difficult to handle for them than they had anticipated."

Sam nodded. "That's fair. My team's mission was more straightforward because it was investigative and we're finishing the reports here before the Vytal Festival. Ours ended on time because it didn't require field work and their mission did. Yours too, Ivy."

"I know that," Ivy said, rubbing her arm nervously. "But I'm also worried about them because -"

An emergency alarm began to blare and Caitlin immediately covered her ears while Sam wrapped a comforting arm around her. Jake whipped around suddenly, and Lysithea pulled her sword and gun out, holding them at the ready. Annetta and Matt had been a little further behind them, but quickly ran to reconvene with them. Annetta started running and activated her semblance, slamming her axe into a grimm that was approaching them, and Matt dropped his bag and pulled out his own weapon. Ivy sighed in exasperation for a moment when Devin, Grace, and Genevieve caught up to them as well, prepared for a fight, but then her eyes went wide when she saw a train crash through a heavily sealed barrier and even more so when she saw Team RWBY on top of the debris. Getting up herself, Blake sighed as she got off the debris and Weiss looked at Ruby and Yang, both of whom signaled that they were alright before Ruby realized where they were and gasped in surprise.

The civilians in the area were looking at all of them in surprise and also slight fear, some of them knowing why those tunnels had been closed, but it wasn't until they all heard the low sounds of the creatures of grimm that were charging out from behind and beginning to run into the kingdom of Vale. Watching in horror, a moment passed while they tried to think of what to do while Lysithea and Sam began to shoot at and fight hand to hand the grimm that were running towards them before they stopped in surprise when a large King Taijitu, followed by more grimm, made its way into the city, causing the remaining civilians to scream during their attempts to escape the chaos that overtook the city. Growing angry and determined, Ruby pushed herself all the way up and, with her team, Team SAML, and Team IGDG, began to fight back while the frightening alarm continued to blare throughout the City Of Vale.

"Goddamn it," Caitlin muttered, sharing a look with Samara before she used her semblance to vanish into thin air and get back into her car, driving back to Beacon for backup at a breakneck pace. "This really is a starless city, isn't it?"