Announcements down below in the Author's Notes! (If you read Lightning Strikes you've already seen them.)
"BSCO?" said Weiss, "Can you do us a favor?"
Teams BSCO and RWBY sat at a lunch table, all eating their own meals. Unfortunately, Blake wasn't present as she was too busy working on the case.
"What's the favor?" asked Clark, "Is it about the dance?"
"Actually, yes!" said Weiss, "We were originally going to have David Rowie and his band perform at the party-"
"You guys got David Rowie!" exclaimed Oliver, "That's insane!"
"Yes, thankfully Beacon is a large enough school that he'll perform for us," said Weiss, "But he's also got a photoshoot lined up that same night, he won't be able to come in for the first half-hour."
"Damn," said Victor, "a dance with no music isn't exactly a dance."
"Exactly," said Weiss, "So I must ask, do you guys play any instruments?"
"Instruments?" said Clark, "Like drums?"
"Yes actually," said Weiss, "I'm looking for a replacement band to play until Rowie arrives, so I need to know if you can play any instruments?"
"My dad taught me to play the guitar." said Clark, "I'm a little rusty, but I could probably help."
"I've done a lot of drumming." said Victor, "It was something to do while my dad did his work."
"I was forced to learn bass by my mom." said Oliver, "and begrudgingly, I got good at it."
"Great!" said Weiss, "Bruce, do you play an instrument? We need one more. I can do the singing."
Bruce continued to chew on his food before swallowing, not even looking Weiss in the eyes, "My mother taught me piano, but I've already stated I'm not going."
"Oh c'mon Bruce!" said Oliver, "Even you have to take a break!"
"I've already relayed the story of Victor Zsasz to you." said Bruce, "I don't need a break."
Bruce finished what was on his plate, wiping his lips with a napkin before standing up.
"Bruce, where are you going?" asked Clark.
"To work." said Bruce.
As Bruce left, the rest of the team sat back down, dejected.
"It's just like with Blake." said Ruby, "Neither of them wants to go."
"There's got to be some way of convincing them." said Clark.
"Hmm," said Yang, "I've got it!"
"Really?" said Ruby.
"Yup!" said Yang, "Meet me here at 6 P.M. tonight Oliver."
"Me?!" said Oliver, "Why do you need me?"
"I'll tell you when you get here." said Yang, getting out of her seat, "We have to go though."
"We do?" said Ruby, checking the time, "Oh crap we do!"
A vein on Weiss's forehead bulged as team RWBY began to scramble from their seats.
"How could you not notice we're late!" shouted Weiss.
"You didn't notice either!" said Ruby.
As the team left, Oliver, Victor, and Clark stayed seated, checking their own watches.
"We still have an hour," said Oliver, "wanna just chill here?"
"Hey, guys!"
Nora's affable voice entered BSCO's ears as team JNPR sat down at their table.
"Oh, hi guys!" said Clark, "How's your day going?"
"Pretty good." said Jaune, "Nice job kicking Cardin's butt Clark."
"Thanks." said Clark, "I just hope he actually improves."
"Why?" said Ren, "Isn't he a fairly hostile personality?"
"Yeah," said Clark, "but we're all trying to be huntsmen here. It's best if we all get good at our jobs."
"True enough." said Pyrrha, "What are your plans for the dance this weekend?"
"Well, if Bruce decides to crawl out of his cave." said Oliver, "We're going to fill in for the band."
"Oh, that certainly sounds nice!" said Pyrrha.
"Speaking of the dance," said Jaune, "can I ask for some advice? Specifically, I want Oliver's advice."
Oliver smirked, "Shoot."
"There's this girl I want to ask to the dance," said Jaune, "but I'm not sure how to do it. I've seen videos of you with tons of girls, how do you do it?"
Oliver's smirk disappeared as he leaned back in his chair.
"Well," he sighed, "The sad answer is money."
"Huh?" said Jaune, "You're kidding right?"
"I tended to surround myself with beautiful models back when I was a jerk." said Oliver, "They were all there because they were getting paid, none of them actually had an emotional connection to me."
"Oh." said Jaune, "I mean, at least one of them might have started to like you?"
"Naw," said Oliver, "I was always a douchebag. If they weren't getting paid they wanted nothing to do with me."
Jaune leaned back into his seat, "Dang, how do I ask her then?"
"Why don't you just tell her the truth?" said Pyrrha.
"I don't know." said Jaune, "That doesn't seem very romantic, or memorable."
"Does it have to be?" said Clark, "You're trying to talk about how you feel."
"I guess." said Jaune, "Maybe it's worth a try."
"There you go!" said Oliver, "Problem solved."
"Actually, that makes me wonder." said Nora, "Who are you bringing to the dance?"
All 3 present members of BSCO were taken aback by the question.
"Who would I bring to the dance?" said Clark, "I guess I'd just go alone."
"What about Ruby?" asked Jaune.
Clark nodded, "I guess, she's fun to be around."
"I wonder if Coco would go with me?" said Victor, "I'll have to ask."
"I..." said Oliver, "have someone in mind, but I doubt they'll actually go with me."
"Why not?" asked Ren, "You are a billionaire."
"Well, I don't want them to go with me because of my money." said Oliver, "Plus, there's no way she'd go with me because of that anyway."
"Why not ask her like I'm going to ask my crush." said Jaune.
"It's not that simple," said Oliver, "I have a history with women. It might come off as fake."
"You never know until you try." said Pyrrha.
Oliver sighed, "I'll think about it. For now, we have to figure out how to get Bruce to the party."
Clark put his hand to his chin in thought before snapping his fingers, "I've got an idea! I'll run it across Yang tonight!"
"What's the idea?" asked Victor.
"Bruce won't come willingly, we all know that." said Clark, "We'll just have to be a bit more ...Forceful."
Bruce crawled down the ladder to the cave, cracking his knuckles as he approached the computer screen.
"Computer, pull up past attempts at the recreation of Crane's fear gas." said Bruce.
The screen lights up, showing various chemical combinations.
"Hmm," said Bruce, "Around 50 potential routes left."
*Shuffle*
Bruce turned around to find Blake shuffling along like a zombie, trying to write notes on the White Fang raid activities using her scroll.
"Blake." said Bruce, "What are you doing here?"
"Huh?!" yelped Blake, startled by Bruce's entrance, "When did you get here Bruce?"
"Just now, you didn't hear me come in?" said Bruce, "You must be falling asleep at this rate."
"Maybe, but there's still work to be done." said Blake.
Bruce frowned, walking over to Blake, "Blake, this isn't healthy for you. You didn't even eat today, let alone sleep."
"I'm fine, let's just get to work." said Blake.
"Blake, at least eat something." said Bruce.
"Get off my back will you?!" shouted Blake.
Bruce refused to move an inch, "I've already explained my points to my teammates, but I'll repeat them to you. I've had spaces where I didn't sleep more than 9 hours during a month. I've been dedicated to this fight since I was 10. You have a personal life, you should enjoy it."
"Oh really?!" said Blake in a sarcastic manner, "Well that's funny because I started my fight with the white fang when I was just a child too!"
This took Bruce by surprise.
"I've been fighting actively since I was 12." said Blake, "So don't try and use the personal life excuse on me. I know what it's like to fight hard for a cause, even if mine stopped being noble."
Blake walked up to Bruce, getting in his face, "I know why you're really letting us take this break. You still don't believe we should help you."
Bruce's face remained stone cold.
"You're still hooked on your damn methodology, thinking that this is all your war! You're trying to keep them mostly separate from this mission and the dance is the perfect opportunity." said Blake, "Well guess what, it isn't just your war anymore. It's my war too."
Blake stepped back, giving Bruce some space, "It's not fair to you if I don't help, and I'm not fair to myself if I don't see this through."
Bruce stood there for a moment in silence before sighing, "Fine, I'll let you keep going, but first I'll need some new chemicals from the labs up top. Can you help me with the lifting?"
Blake nodded, "Thanks for making the right call, Bruce."
And with that, Blake turned around and began to ascend the ladder. Reaching the top, Blake cringed after being exposed to the sunlight.
"I've only been downstairs for an hour." said Blake as she looked back down the hatch, "Bruce, you coming?"
"No." said Bruce, "And you're not coming back down here."
As if on queue, the hatch to the cave slammed shut. An audible locking mechanism went into place as Blake stumbled back in surprise.
"What the?!" said Blake, scrambling to the hatch and grabbing the handle, "Bruce what are you doing?!"
"Go get something to eat, rest." said Bruce through a speaker in the hatch, "I'll let you in the morning after the dance."
"DAMN YOU BRUCE!" shouted Blake, now punching the hatch. She sighed, standing up, "Fine, I'll just do research in the library."
Bruce frowned, stepping away from the ladder and towards the computer.
"Restrict entrance to the cave and prohibit the use of its resources to everyone but me." said Bruce, "I'll hole up here for now."
"So," said Cinder, "how have the prospects been looking?"
Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury relaxed in their dorm room. Mercury was reading a comic book while Emerald was on her scroll.
"You're talking about the list?" said Emerald, "I noticed that Kent was already on it."
"Hm, likely the work of Luthor." said Cinder, "He has an unhealthy obsession with the boy."
"Eugh!" said Emerald, "Please don't elaborate."
"Oh it's nothing like that." said Cinder, "He seems to think the boy is extraterrestrial in nature."
"An alien?" said Mercury, "I thought he was smart."
"He is," said Cinder, "granted he may be a bit less...sane than he appears."
"What about Nikos?" said Emerald, "She's a prolific warrior."
"Indeed she is." said Cinder, "Did you notice anything during her skirmish with Wayne?"
"She was doing little movements with her fingers that seem inconsequential." said Mercury, "But it looked like the stuff Wayne was throwing was being led off course. Her semblance seems to center around Polarity."
"Excellent observation Mercury." said Cinder, "And what of Wayne himself?"
"He's already on the list too." said Emerald, "Considering the fact that he's already been harassing the ginger, it's not much of a surprise."
"Understandable." said Cinder, "Especially with his vast skill set in mind. Are there any other notable possibilities?"
"Queen seems to have gone through a rough patch." said Emerald, "But his skill set doesn't seem all that impressive, probably not worth putting on the list."
"Victor Stone is though." said Mercury, "Not only is he as smart as his dad, but that weapon of his has practically endless variations."
"The most adaptable tool in Vale?" said Cinder, "Definitely list-worthy."
Emerald swiped at her scroll before coming upon Victor's face, "Done."
"Hmm, good." said Cinder, standing up, "I'm going to make a call."
"Alright, have fun." said Mercury, going back to his comic.
Cinder stepped out onto the balcony, closing the doors behind her. Pulling out her scroll, She dialed a number before bringing it to her ear.
"Hello Slade." said Cinder.
"My name isn't public knowledge Fall." said Deathstroke, "I'd avoid using it."
"I understand, just don't want our interactions to be lifeless." said Cinder, "We've updated the list, are you holding up your end?"
"Mostly." said Deathstroke, "I'm being forced to sit tight and all I can do is watch Crane gas people with his formula. I've seen and done some sick shit, but this on another level."
"How unfortunate, I assume you're aching for some action." said Cinder.
"Depends on what kind of action." said Deathstroke, "What do you have in mind?"
"There's a dance at the school this weekend." said Cinder, "It will be the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the transmission tower."
"Do you really need backup?" asked Deathstroke.
"No," said Cinder, "but having someone to watch your back is always a good idea."
"...Fine." said Deathstroke, "I'll have to run it by Torchwick so he doesn't throw a fit while I'm gone."
Cinder chuckled, "I'll meet you at 10 this Saturday."
Cinder hung up, placing the scroll in her pocket before creating a small javelin made of glass, "It's all coming together."
If you're wondering about the delay, I was working on the first issue of my DCNext series! Check the announcement below or don't if you already read Lightning Strikes!
The announcements are as follows:
1. I've been accepted as a writer at DC Next! They're a subbreddit that essentially publishes a shared DC Universe written entirely by fans! Go check it out! If my schedule is right, I should have my first issue out by the third week of March! It's a solo series on CYBORG!
2. This one is even bigger! Around early December, a reader by the name of BulletstormX asked if I was going to make a crossover between Lightning Strikes and RWBYVerse (My other Fic). I was skeptical about the idea, but I ended up coming up with some great ideas and an outline. I was going to wait on announcing this, but considering not one, but two people on my other fic asked (Red and DCDGojira), I just had to announce it now.
Allow me to announce LIGHTNING STRIKES THE RWBYVERSE!
This crossover will take place after I finish adapting Volume 2 of RWBY and Season 3 of MHA in their respective fics. It won't be canon to either (I want them to remain self contained) but it will still be a big high stakes adventure! It will also end with the reveal of a brand new fic I've been planning for forever!
Reviews:
Shadow Joestar: Always nice to hear my fight scenes are awesome!
Thanks for the feedback as always!
DCDGojira: I can't really say considering the unique origin I have in mind for Doomsday, so I'll just leave it at that. I did mean to say Batman Beyond, oops! I might make some changes to Kane, but he's still probably gonna be a slightly insane fistfighter!
Thanks for the feedback!
Red: Great to have you back my friend, and thanks for the positive words! Thy wish for a Crisis/Crossover has also been granted! I have to ask, what do you think of Lightning Strikes?
Also I was unsure of where I would put the Suicide Squad, but after Volume 7 I found the perfect place for them!
Thanks for the soundtrack recommendations too!
Thanks for the feedback as always!
Guest Isa: Glad to see another person likes my fic! Batman was a character I liked pretty much immediately but after reading stories like Superman: American Alien and Superman for all Seasons I really grew to appreciate Big Blue!
In terms of Oz, I personally won't make the story all about Bashing him, but instead the characters will take different sides depending on how they feel about his actions. I was a little disappointed with how everyone pretty much immediately turned on Oz so I was hoping to go a little AU on that front. Some characters will understand Oz and his point of view more than others.
TLDR: Not really.
Thanks for the feedback as always!
Evinco: Glad to see you're still reading my fic! There's a lot of untapped character drama in these interactions that I'm just now starting to unearth.
Thanks for the feedback as always!
Next Chapter: How to get your friends to dance!
