"Clark….CLARK!"

"Mmphh..wha..?" groaned Clark, lazily opening his eyes as he sat up, "What is it, Ollie?"

"We're being drafted!" said Oliver anxious.

Oliver paced around the room as Victor grabbed his Omni-Tool, suiting up in his combat gear.

"Bruce told us we've entered into an agreement with the higher-ups here at Beacon." said Victor, "They think they've found a place of interest pertaining to Torchwick, so they're giving us a ride and sending us there to investigate."

Victor frowned as Oliver continued to pace, "Ollie stop pacing and get dressed!"

"I don't know about you, but I feel a whole lot less safe now that we're being supervised," said Oliver.

"Wouldn't you feel safer with the extra resources?" asked Clark.

"Maybe, if Bruce was in charge!" said Oliver, "I don't trust the new guys!"

"Why not?" asked Clark.

"Because I know Bruce...for the most part." said Oliver, "I don't know these people."

"I never took you for the paranoid type," said Clark, "That's Bruce's thing."

"I'm not paranoid." said Oliver, "I'm just-"

"Oliver, will you kindly put your clothes on and stop talking." said Victor, "Team RWBY's meeting us in the cave in ten minutes."

Oliver paused, trying to come up with some kind of comeback, but the mention of team RWBY seemed to stop him in his tracks.

"I uh….I will do that." said Oliver, "Yeah, I'll get ready."

Walking over to his side of the room, Oliver began to pull out his bow and hood as Victor walked up next to Clark, "Pfft, one mention of anything involving Yang and he's all in."

"Makes sense, he really likes her." said Clark.

As Oliver donned his hood, he strode over to the door, gesturing to the rest of his team to come with him.

As Clark left the dorm, he realized something, "Wait, where's Bruce?"

"He's already down there." said Victor.

"Heh," said Clark, "classic Bruce."


Bruce stood in front of the monitor on the cave, watching as the results of the latest test simulation came up.

"Test results positive," said the computer, "Chemical weapons successfully recreated."

Bruce rubbed his chin, tapping away at the keyboard as Ironwood entered.

"So this is your base of operations." said Ironwood, glancing at all the equipment on display, "I must say I'm impressed, the equipment in here is top of the line."

"Came directly from the Waynetech research and development," said Bruce, "most of the tools here are prototypes, so they aren't necessarily ready for production."

"Yet you use them anyway," said Ironwood, picking up and inspecting a grapple gun, "you should consider signing a deal with the Atlas military, we could use gear like this."

Bruce turned around, staring Ironwood down, "These tools are being developed for civilian use."

"Maybe something like this would be." said Ironwood, placing the grapple gun down and picking up a tear gas pellet, "But I can't see how a civilian would find use of a tear gas pellet."

Bruce frowned, spotting the pellet in Ironwood's hand, "Those aren't Waynetech, I make those myself."

"Hrmph," grunted Ironwood, placing the pellet down, "You seem to have quite an interesting past. Oz didn't share many details, but from what I can tell, you've traveled all over Remnant."

"Yes, that's true," said Bruce, turning back to tap away at the keyboard again, "but we don't have time for specifics, do we?"

Ironwood sighed, "True, you've entertained me long enough." Ironwood's gaze turned to the screen, "What is this?"

"Do you remember the information I shared," said Bruce, "About the fear gas?"

"I do," said Ironwood, "It's a chemical mixture that's exposed to the air. If it enters the respiratory system of someone, it triggers an anxiety response."

"I've been working on reverse engineering Crane's formula." said Bruce, watching as the screen lit up with a list of chemicals "It's been a long and difficult procedure, but I've finally nailed it down. Now, all we have to do is manufacture an antidote."

"Do you have a method of production?" asked Ironwood, "If not, I can have teams working on it right away."

The sound of the hatch being opened reached Bruce's ears as he got out of his seat, "No need, I already have a method available."

*Yawn!*

Ruby yawned as she waltzed into the cave in her combat gear as well as an oddly out of place backpack with the rest of team RWBY. The remainder of team BSCO soon followed, filling the room as Ironwood turned to address them all.

"Good morning everyone." said Ironwood.

"Uh, what's he doing here?" asked Ruby.

Weiss's eyes widened, "Ruby, that's general Ironwood!"

"I know it's general Ironwood! I'm not stupid!" said Ruby.

"Everyone!" called out Bruce, "Calm down."

Stepping forward, Bruce gestured towards Ironwood, "After certain...events that occurred last night, we are now entering a partnership with the higher-ups of Beacon as well as General Ironwood."

"What?" said Blake, "I thought this was supposed to be a self-contained group?"

"It was, but due to new circumstances we had to adapt." said Bruce, "I'm far from happy with this decision, but it's the best outcome after what happened."

"But what exactly happened?" asked Yang.

"Bruce can tell you later," said Ironwood, "for now, I'll give you your briefing."

Bruce scowled, angry that Ironwood interrupted him, but this was a compromise he had to make. Stepping in line with his teammates, he watched as Ironwood became the source of attention.

"After being caught up with your intelligence, we've located a possible place of interest." said Ironwood, "I've provided personal transportation for all of you, specifically a Bullhead."

"Nice!" said Oliver, "Who's flying?"

"None of you are flying." said Ironwood.

"What?!" said Oliver, "Man, I was hoping Bruce could show off his piloting skills."

Bruce shot Oliver an odd look, "How did you know I could fly a bullhead?"

Oliver shrugged, "I dunno, you seem to know how to do everything so I just assumed."

"Enough!" barked Ironwood, "This is serious!"

The rest of the team straightened up as Ironwood sighed, "Against my better judgment, I have elected not to send a full military raid on the location in question in accordance with our deal."

Bruce nodded, "Good, then we'll be on our way."

As the team turned to leave, Ironwood raised his hand, "I wasn't finished."

The team turned back in surprise. "There's more?" said Victor.

"Yes," said Ironwood, "while a full military response isn't happening, Oz and I have seen to provide some backup."

"Err, what?" said Clark.

"It means they don't trust us," said Weiss, ticked off, "They're sending a babysitter with us."

"You will have four supervising members," said Ironwood, "two were selected by Oz and two were selected by me."

"Wow," said Yang, "they're sending multiple babysitters? They really don't trust us."

Bruce stepped forward, an angry look on his face, "This wasn't part of the deal!"

"This was never discussed in the deal," said Ironwood, "If we want to work together, you must be willing to cooperate with us as we cooperate with you."

Bruce growled, clearly frustrated, "...Fine."

"Thank you," said Ironwood, walking through the team and towards the exit, "C'mon, I'll lead you to the launch pad."


Walking out into the sunlight, Clark walked alongside his teammates as Ironwood led them through the school grounds towards the Bullhead pad. As he walked along, Clark could overhear Ozpin giving a speech in the central amphitheater to the rest of the students.

Guess he wanted us separate from the rest of the students.

"Yarf!"

Clark's eyes widened when he heard a dog bark out of nowhere. His eyes darted around, searching for the source of the barking.

"Yarf!"

There it was again! Clark listened in, trying to find the dog using his hearing.

"Yarf!"

Zeroing in on the barking, Clark's eyes landed on ruby's backpack. Curious, Clark used his X-ray vision to check the bag!

Wha-

Sure enough, a small grayish corgi was tucked within Ruby's backpack, squirming around as it continued to yap quietly. Clark tapped Ruby on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" said Ruby, "What is it, Clark?"

"I don't mean to be rude or anything," said Clark, "but there's a dog in your backpack."

Ruby whipped around, clamping her hand over Clark's mouth while quickly bringing her finger up to her lips, "ShhhSHHSSHSH! Don't say that out loud!"

"Mphphumhphph" mumbled Clark, pulling Ruby's hand off his mouth, "Sorry, I don't mean to out him, I just wanna know why the dog's here."

"The dog's name is Zwei," said Ruby, "he's the family dog, dad sent him over for us to take care of while he's out of our home town for a few days."

"Wait, did he drop the dog off?" asked Clark.

"No, he sent it in the mail." said Ruby.

"What?!" said Clark, "How does that work?"

"I don't know!" said Ruby.

"Quiet down back there!" said Ironwood, "We're almost at the launch pad."

Clark and Ruby clammed up as the team crossed the empty courtyard of the school, following the long runway to the Bullhead launch pad. Two men stood in front of the Bullhead, inspecting it from top to bottom. One of them was a ginger man with glasses and a notable bushy mustache clad in a white undershirt and tie with black pants and shoes. He also had a magnum revolver that looked identical to Ironwoods strapped to his side. The man puffed a cigarette as he observed the other man, clad in a combat vest and pants, juggle a trio of knives in the air.

"Mark my words, Kane," said the smoking man, "someday one of those knives are gonna land right on your forehead."

"Ah screw off Gordon!" said the man, apparently named Kane, "Chances are your smoking will kill you first!"

"Kane! Gordon!" shouted Ironwood, "Your traveling companions are here!"

Kane smiled, catching each and every one of his knives and stowing them in his vest as Gordon spit out the cigarette, putting it out with his foot as the two men stood up straight, saluting Ironwood.

"Children," said Ironwood, gesturing to the men in front of him, "these are my choices for your supervisors."

Ironwood gestured to the man with the bushy mustache, "This is James Gordon, he's been my trusted lieutenant and friend for years. He'd the most loyal companion I've ever had in my life."

Gordon nodded, "Happy to be of service, sir!"

"And this," said Ironwood, gesturing less enthusiastically to the other man in the combat vest, "is Kane."

"Just Kane?" said Yang.

"Just Kane." said Ironwood.

Kane flashed a crazed smile as he pulled out a high caliber pistol, twirling it in his hands.

"He's a little...undisciplined," said Ironwood, "but I've found that his skill set makes him a particularly effective huntsma-"

*BANG!*

All eyes darted to Kane as the gun went off in his hands, causing him to drop it in surprise. Noticing that everyone was staring at him, Kane chuckled before picking up his weapon and holstering it, "Heh, sorry, got carried away there."

Ironwood sighed, facepalming, "Anyway, those are my choices."

"Wait, those are just two choices." said Blake, "Who are the other two?"

"One's in the Bullhead now preparing the pre-flight checkup," said Gordon, "The other will be here soon. His name's Vic."

The entire team shifted their gaze on Victor, who's eyes widened, "Uh-um!"

"Why're y'all starin at him?" asked Kane, "Some kind of secret resentment going on?"

"No," said Ruby, "It's just that his name is Vic too."

"Oh, heh," chuckled Kane, "We're not talking about him, we're talking about the other Vic."

"Who's the other Vic?" asked Weiss.

"That is the question."

A chill went down everyone's spines as they slowly turned to the source of the voice, finding a man dressed in a purple trench coat, pants, and fedora. However, the most striking trait of the man was the fact that he lacked any facial features. He was a blank slate.

"AAAAAAGH!" screamed the team, all jumping away from the man.

"He doesn't have a face!" said Blake.

"Clark, why didn't you tell us he was sneaking up on us!" yelped Ruby.

"Don't blame me, I didn't hear him coming either!" said Clark.

Ironwood groaned, facepalming again, "Everyone, this is Vic Sage, also known by his Huntsman nickname, the Question."

"The Question?" said Weiss, "You mean the guy whose face is always hidden?"

"That is correct, miss," said Sage, tipping his fedora to her, "I look forward to working with you all, as long as you don't stand in the way of the truth."

Bruce raised his eyebrow, "He seems a little...idealistic."

"I would suggest against arguing with me about truth and idealism," said Sage, "after all, it was me who dug up everything Ozpin wanted to know about you."

The entire team went silent as Bruce's fists tightened, a vein about to pop out of his forehead, "You tracked down my history?"

"It was surprisingly difficult, but I can unearth any secret," said Sage, "the name Vernal ring any bells to you?"

Bruce gritted his teeth, "wanna say that name again?"

"Sure," said Sage, "Ver-"

"OH-KAY!" erupted Oliver, interrupting the two, "Now that we've been introduced to 3 out of the four supervisors, it's time to meet the final one, who is it?!"

"ALRIGHT KIDS!," said a familiar voice, "WHO'S READY FOR THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!"

Sliding out of the bullhead doors, Dr. Oobleck twirled his cane as he smiled behind his wide circular glasses to the horror of the rest of the team.

"Our final supervisor," said Victor, "Is Oobleck."

"Yes," said Ironwood, "it is."

"Pre-flight checks are complete!" said Oobleck, "Kane, you're flying."

"Aww," said Kane, dejected, "I wanted to talk to the kids! You know how much I love talking to kids!"

"Phrasing Kane," said Gordon, "Phrasing."

"Unless there's a dark secret under that vest," said Sage, "at which point the Question shall uncover it!"

The team stood slack-jawed at the people in front of them, watching them bicker and argue.

"You know, I thought everyone was gonna be a stickler for the rules," said Oliver, "But they seem to be just as dysfunctional as we are!"


The engines roared as the bullhead took off, leaving Beacon behind in a heartbeat as it rocketed through the air. Kane sat behind the joystick, keeping the plane level as Oobleck gave directions as to their destination. Everyone else sat in the back, in silence, watching as Bruce angrily eyed Sage, who everyone guessed was eyeing Bruce back since he didn't have eyes.

"Erm," said Gordon, trying to break the silence, "Miss Schnee, I assume you're related to Winter Schnee."

Weiss perked up, "Y-Yes, I am. Do you know her?"

"I do," said Gordon, "I've worked with her on a number of occasions, she's a fine soldier and leader."

"Of course she is!" said Weiss, "She's always been an upstanding person."

"That she is," said Gordon, "there was one time when I got disarmed by a White Fang commando, I thought I was done but she came in and saved my bacon."

Gordon smiled as he pulled out a cigarette, "Her and Ironwood are the people I trust most to have my back."

"Apologies Mister Gordon but no smoking in the Bullhead." sputtered Oobleck over the intercom.

"Oh for-" Gordon sighed, putting the cigarette away, "I'll just catch some z's instead, you all should too, it's gonna be a long flight."

As Gordon nodded off, the rest of the team gradually began to follow suit, first Ruby, then Oliver, then Yang, then the rest of the team. In the end, only Bruce and Sage remained awake in the back.

"As much as I would love to continue this gripping staring contest," said Sage, "I really do need some sleep."

Bruce continued to stare silently at Sage.

"Alright, suit yourself," said Sage, leaning back and presumably closing his eyes as Bruce looked on.

I need to find out how he tracked down my past. If I can put in certain countermeasures, I can prevent others from discovering it as well.


As the bullhead rumbled due to turbulence, Oliver yawned, slowly glazing his eyes open as he noticed his head was resting on something soft.

Please be what I think it is.

Moving his eyes to his resting place, he discovered that he was using Yang's thighs as a pillow.

It is! Ok, Ollie, don't get overeager or anything like that, just stay put. Enjoy the moment.

As much as Oliver relished getting to lay his head on extremely attractive legs, it wasn't really the physical aspect that resonated with him most. It was the fact that he got to be close to someone he truly liked.

Man, this day couldn't get worse even if the universe tried to screw me over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" said Kane over the microphone, "We are now mere minutes from our destination!"

Nice! Time to check this stuff out!

Lifting his head from Yang's legs, Oliver glanced out the window only to lay eyes upon a worrying lack of land.

"Um...It's all water." said Oliver.

"That's what the ocean is made of kid." said Kane, "If you look ahead, you'll see our destination."

Leaning into the window, Oliver squinted his eyes in an attempt to see their final destination. As soon as he spotted the place in question, his eyes widened.

"No," whispered Oliver, "no way."

"Alright kids!" said Kane, "We're about to get a beautiful view of the island!"

Yang yawned, stretching her arms our before glancing down at her shorts, "Uh, who drooled on my leg?"

"I can't be back," whispered Oliver, now holding his head in his hands, "Not Again!"

"Ollie?" said Yang, noticing Oliver's distress, "What's wrong?"

"And here we are!" said Kane.

The Bullhead began to circle a massive island out in the middle of the ocean, marked by its massive swaths of jungle and mountainous terrain.

"Alright, everybody! Welcome to Lian Yu!" said Kane, "Or as the elderly locals who used to live here call it, Purgatory!"


I was surprised with how quickly I got this chapter out. I've been working on Cyborg (Next issue is on the 15th btw) but I'm happy I got this out first!

Reviews:

Red: I've actually already got an idea for the Batman Who Laughs, but if I reveal what it is it would be massive spoilers! Stay tuned!

P.S. While I don't keep up with anime quite as much as I used too, I did watch and freaking love Beastars! I give all your OP's a listen and tend to enjoy them alot!

Thanks for the feedback as always! :)

DCDGojira: A little over the edge, but I like the scene! Lucius Fox will appear at some point. I will try making a teaser at some point! I'll check out your OP!

Thanks for the feedback as always! :)

LogBook27062000: All great predictions! You'll see how they're involved as we move farther in!

Thanks for the feedback as always! :)

Shadow Joestar: Thanks for the feedback as always! :)

Next Chapter: Exploring the Island