Crimson rolled his eyes as he sat in the interrogation room, waiting for Phoenix and Ozpin to enter.
Reed sat patiently, his expression completely neutral.
Melanie leaned her chair back, resting her legs on the table as she waited.
Nina had to be brought to the table in a wheelchair. Her veins were still a sickly red, but it had faded considerably.
Phoenix cleared his throat. "So. We've come to understand that you and your team have reason to believe Carl Strikz is a criminal, and the source of corporate corruption within RedOwl. We need to know all the events that led to that battle in the warehouse, and how it fits into all of this."
"It's best if you start from the beginning." Ozpin suggested.
"It's hard to say when it all started." Crimson said.
Reed adjusted his glasses. "I wasn't there from the beginning...I imagine all this started long before we got involved."
"Please, anyone on the streets could tell that prick was rotten." Melanie stated. "I just didn't get involved until it became personal.
"I was involved from the beginning." Nina said. "And not by choice."
"I guess the first thing that led us here was my kidnapping." Crimson suggested.
"Crimson being kidnapped was really what pulled me in." Reed said.
Melanie sighed. "One day I just wake up to a distress call from Crimson."
"I didn't know Crimson's kidnapping had anything to do with him, but that's really what pulled me back in." Nina explained.
"It was Zachariah Alabaster." Crimson stated.
Reed cleared his throat. "Someone named Zachariah Alabaster."
Melanie scowled. "Alabaster. That piece of-"
"Zachariah Alabaster was the kidnapper." Nina confirmed.
"He hit me with some kind of stun weapon." Crimson stated. "It was a pistol...mid to short range...electric dust. I'm lucky my teammates found me."
"I programmed most of Crimson's equipment, so finding the footage was easy." Reed explained.
Melanie scratched her head. "His semblance is some kind of...perception filter. He slips out of notice, into blind spots..."
"His weapon..." Nina recalled. "It uses concentrated electric dust to throw the nervous system into shock, negating any aura defense...it was made to fight Huntsmen."
"I like engineering." Crimson explained.
"I'm good with computers." Reed explained.
"I know how to figure out people's dirty secrets." Melanie explained.
"I've...picked up an interest in chemistry." Nina explained.
Outside the interrogation room, Phoenix looked over the notes he'd taken. "Their stories are solid...different details, but no contradictions."
"That's because they're telling the truth." Ozpin stated. "I've suspected for some time that Carl's intentions were more sinister, but until young Nina approached me, I had no solid evidence."
"The more we find in that warehouse, the more suspect Carl looks." Phoenix affirmed.
"Indeed...and moreso, some of what was found is directly relevant to these children...they deserve to know." Ozpin said.
Ozpin sat across from Crimson, and set down his scroll, showing a few photos. "Do you recognize these?"
Crimson examined them...they were images of gear. Armor, weapons, and masks. He knew instantly where he'd seen them.
"The heist...the crew that killed my dad..." Crimson looked up. "They were working for Carl?"
Ozpin nodded. "It's very likely...I thought you should know...that way, Carl's arrest might bring you...closure."
Crimson handed the scroll back. "...thank you."
Ozpin took a sip of coffee as he sat across from Reed. "We ran a background check on Zachariah Alabaster to try and find what else he may have done for Carl. Ten years ago, he took a trip to Mantle. We believe his semblance is the reason he avoided detection, but...he can't hide from cameras."
Ozpin set his scroll down, and pulled up footage of a riot. He zoomed it on Zachariah, standing at the back of the crowd with a smirk.
"Other clips show him instigating random passersby...we believe he caused the riot under Carl's orders." Ozpin informed. "Most likely in an attempt to kill your parents, or at the least force them into retirement."
Reed's eyes widened. "It was...him..."
"You deserved to know." Ozpin stated. "Hopefully, when Carl is arrested, it will provide you with some sense of closure.
"Thank you." Reed muttered.
Ozpin looked Melanie in the eye, sitting across from her. "I'm afraid I have some rather weighty news for you."
She frowned. "I'm used to weighty news by now."
"Of course." Ozpin pulled up an image on his scroll. "We found this in a shipping container labelled 'trophies.' Do you recognize it?"
She looked at the image. It was a short sword meant to double as a crossbow.
"No...should I?" She asked.
Ozpin sighed. "It belonged to Sarah Jomin...your mother."
Her chair dropped down to its normal position as her palms slammed down on the table. "He didn't..."
"The circumstances of her death are still unknown...but it seems Carl may have been responsible." Ozpin affirmed. "I understand it's a touchy subject for you, but now...Carl's arrest might offer you some closure."
"Closure?!" She stood from her seat. "My mother is dead! I grew up on the streets with a dad that was either too busy or too drunk to take care of me! There is no closure for that! He ruined my childhood, and I'm never going to get it back! No, screw you!"
Melanie walked out of the room without another word.
Ozpin glanced at Nina's discolored veins. "How are you feeling, Nina?"
"It's...hard to explain. Like...my body's trying to remember how it's supposed to work." Nina said.
"The doctors said that your aura returned to you recently? Ozpin asked.
Nina nodded. "It's...healing the damage inside me...they told me I should make a full recovery, but I might feel some...residual pain...if I exert myself."
"How badly does it hurt?" Ozpin questioned.
She gave a short chuckle. "Anyone else would probably be in unbearable pain right now, but...compared to what I went through? I don't think pain really means the same thing to me."
"I see." Ozpin muttered. "While we were examining the warehouse, we found some things...the vials containing the nerve agent used against you were traced back to a hospital recently acquired under a RedOwl subsidiary...that hospital's records indicate that nearly eighteen years ago, a cat Faunus of silver hair and red eyes gave birth to a child of matching features. That child was placed up for adoption...and disappeared later that night. No names were included in the record, but...it's a lead, nonetheless."
She blinked. "Are you...planning on looking into it?"
Ozpin nodded. "For the purposes of our investigation, yes...but I feel it's also an opportunity for you to gain some closure."
"You mean...by finding my family?" She asked.
"Perhaps...or at least discovering what became of them." Ozpin stated.
Nina nodded. "Please...I want to know."
"Very well." Ozpin said. "I'll be sure to let you know what else we uncover."
"Professor..." Nina started. "...thank you."
Richard rushed into the station, spotting Ozpin. "Where are my sons?"
"They're alright, Richard." Ozpin assured. "We've just finished speaking with them."
"About what?" He asked.
"Carl." Ozpin informed. "These children's actions were reckless, but they've provided us several leads to follow."
"You used them?!" Richard protested.
"Nothing of the sort." Ozpin insisted.
"Don't lie to him, Oz. You know exactly what you did." A voice came from behind Richard.
He turned to see Phillip standing there, staring down Oz. "Phillip?"
The man ignored Richard, walking straight up to Ozpin. "I'm only going to say this once. Leave my daughter out of your damn schemes."
Richard grabbed Phillip by the shoulder. "Phillip...not here..."
"Not here?" Phillip scolded. "Not anywhere, not ever."
"Your daughter has made her own decisions." Ozpin stated. "She chose to become a Huntress...to protect humanity...I'm merely providing her with the means to do so."
"Bullshit!" Phillip spat. "I know exactly what you said to those kids...you weren't giving them closure, you were adding fuel to the fire."
Ozpin sighed. "Phillip...you know what we're facing...who we're facing. I'm doing what I have to. These children have potential, but they need purpose...something to strive towards, if they are ever to become the heroes this world needs."
Phillip scowled. "I lost my wife...I lost my best friend...I'm not losing my daughter."
"You already gave up one." Ozpin stated.
Phillip punched Ozpin in the face, striking only the professor's aura. "You of all people have no right to judge me, Oz."
With that, Phillip walked off. Richard looked to Ozpin.
"They're kids, Oz...I know what we're doing is important, but...let them be free of it while they can..." Richard said.
Ozpin sighed. "I'm afraid it's not for much longer, Richard. First Autumn, and now this? Something is coming...if we're not ready for it, then all may already be lost."
A Week Later...
Team CRMN entered the dorm with a communal relieved sigh. Crimson collapsed into a chair, Reed stretched his wings, Melanie plopped onto her bed, and Nina rushed over to the bathroom.
"We made it through the semester." Crimson commented. "Which was still strangely daunting considering everything else we've had to deal with."
Reed gave a smile. "I'd say we came out better for all of it."
Melanie sighed. "I just want the rest of the year to be normal."
Nina came out of the bathroom. "So you're saying all the crazy adventure stuff isn't normal?"
There was a pause, before the team burst into laughter. They'd been through a lot, and there was more to come, but already they'd gained something more important than any challenge headed their way. They'd found a family in each other...and they were happy.
