Here we are on a Friday with another chapter of Criminally Good.

Enjoy.

[Chapter 18]

Three days.

We had three days until the train would be right under our feet.

I was, understandably, nervous. I mean, sure I'd been involved in heists before, I'd stolen Dust and knocked over a few shops with Roman, but that was nothing in comparison to what we would be doing here. This was a whole different beast.

I stood outside the small compound that we had 'appropriated' from its previous inhabitants. Flurries of snow surrounded me as I rocked back on my heels, simply watching the snow-capped peaks, almost as though I expected something to come rushing out of them at any moment.

I sighed, taking a long drink from my flask that was now about half empty. In spite of the cold, the liquor provided its comforting warmth as it always had.

Behind me, the door into the bunker shuddered open, an ear piercing creak echoed out as the hinges struggled. I glanced back at the door and saw Not-Jerry take a step out.

He, like the rest of us, had gotten a thicker set of clothes for this particular outing. Not-Jerry had abandoned the goon suit that Junior provided to all his men in favor of a similarly black getup consisting of a thick winter coat, snow pants, and heavy boots. He nodded at me, throwing his weight against the door to get it closed once again.

I couldn't help but to chuckle slightly, shaking my head. He came to be standing next to me, digging down into one of his pockets, he produced a box of cigarettes and an engraved steel lighter. "Care for a smoke?" He asked, tucking one between his lips.

I shook my head, waving a dismissive hand. "I'll keep to drinking for my vice, thanks though."

He shrugged, lighting up the cigarette and tucking the box and lighter away once again. "Suit yourself." He said, blowing smoke out through his nose. "What's got you standing out here on your own?"

I shrugged, hand resting on the hilt of Crocea Mors as I let my gaze wander the landscape. "Just thinking, I guess."

Not-Jerry nodded beside me. "I know how that is." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Your first big heist, and one with the best of the best no less. On top of that, its your plan being put to action – seems like a load of stress, right?"

I nodded. "That about covers it."

He took another draw off his cigarette before continuing. "I'm in the same boat, you know. Few months back, I was a nobody, just another one of Junior's faceless goons who did what I was told." He shrugged a shoulder, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Then you showed up, started causing hell, and I got a chance to show my worth."

Not-Jerry chuckled again. "After that whole ordeal with Baxton and all, kicking his crew to the dirt, Junior gave me a bit of responsibility. Then, I hear from the boss man that Roman is planning something big, something worth our while." He paused once again, seeming to think. "A good word, and being on your good side, next thing I know Roman's brought me in to this shit show."

I hummed noncommittally, rocking on my feet as the cold bit at me harshly. "You make it sound like I'm the reason you rose up in the ranks."

He nodded once again. "That's 'cause you are. Without you causing a shit storm, I'd have remained a faceless goon." He paused to think, shaking his head. "Off topic, the point I was trying to make is that you're not the only one nervous here. I'm right in that boat with you – feels like I'm in over my head."

I chuckled, nodding along with his sentiment. "I've felt that way since I started a gang war."

"And look how far you've come since then. Don't sweat it, Jaune. You'll be fine." He said reassuringly.

I nodded, still rocking on my feet nervously. Maybe he was right, and I'd be just fine, or maybe he was wrong and this would all go to hell because of an oversight that I didn't see.

Not-Jerry flicked his cigarette butt down into the snow, stamping it out for good measure. "You should come inside. Jack's got something good cooking."

I nodded, still looking out over the mountains. "Right, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Not-Jerry just sighed, turning towards the ever stubborn door. "Suit yourself, man."

I heard the door slowly scrape open, and then a moment later scrape closed once again. I let out a puff of breath, watching it mist before my eyes, snow still falling all around me. Are you really ready for this? A massive heist on a military transport train with a plan you came up with after only a few minutes of thinking. Is this the best course of action? What happens if something goes wrong, the alarm goes off, a Bullhead gets taken down, someone gets injured.

I groaned, gripping the bridge of my nose and shaking my head. No, no. You can't stress about the what ifs – these are professionals, Roman's go to crew. If things turn sideways, I'm sure we'll be able to adapt and deal with it. We don't have a choice, really.

My stomach let out a low growl, getting me to realize that I was, in fact, hungry. Damn Not-Jerry for mentioning food… I could've stood out here and been a moody teenager for a while longer.

I made for the door, struggling to pull it open, the hinges screeching and groaning in complaint as the thick steel ground against the concrete on the floor.

I slipped inside, pulling the door closed behind me with some effort. Down the hallway of the bunker we were using as our base of operations, I could hear some quiet music playing, as well as conversation between the other inhabitants.

The next thing that hit me was the smell of something delicious, making my stomach growl once again in anticipation.

With a shrug, I followed the smell down the hallways, slipping past the open door where Jess, Roman, Not-Jerry, and Winston were all sat down playing cards. I took note of the fact that Roman had suspiciously gathered what looked to be the vast majority of Lien cards in his pile.

My feet led me into the kitchen a few doors down from where everyone else was. Inside, Jack was chopping up a couple of carrots, with a pot of something stewing behind him.

He glanced up when he heard me come wandering in. He offered a toothy grin, one which was missing a few teeth altogether. "Ah, John, finally come in from brooding out in the snow?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's Jaune, and I was not brooding."

He just snickered, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, John. Whatever you say."

I thought about correcting him again, but had a sinking suspicion that it'd be the same scenario with Not-Jerry – just reversed on me. "What's dinner?"

Jack finished chopping his carrots and turned, dumping the sliced vegetable into the pot behind him. "Beef stew. Won't be ready for another half hour or so, I figure."

I hummed, leaning back against the doorframe. "Need any help?" It was better than letting Roman cheat me out of Lien, at least.

Jack thought for a moment as he bustled about the kitchen, finding the ingredients he needed from various cabinets and boxes. "If you're offering, you can come dice onions – save me the hassle."

I shrugged, pushing farther into the kitchen, taking the proffered onion and knife from him. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't offering."

He chuckled and let me get to work on the cooking, scuttling off into the kitchen to find something else to do. "How'd you get into cahoots with Roman? You don't strike me as the type for crime."

I hummed, peeling the outer layer off the onion. "By chance, really. He found me in a bar, thought me interesting, picked me up and gave me a shot. Few months later, and here I am."

"What made you interesting? Steal something out from under him, do him a favor, something like that?" He pressed, throwing a handful of spice into the pot.

I shrugged my shoulders, starting to dice the onion I had been handed. "Dunno. Helped him in a small shop heist, but that was really it. Only got a civilian out so he didn't have to deal with them."

"Ever thought of asking him? Might give you the answers you're looking for." He pointed out, stirring the pot of stew.

"I was told never to look a gift horse in the mouth, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." I admitted, dicing the onion into small chunks.

"Sounds like what my dad used to say, though it's not like I ever listened to him. Better to know than be blind, y'know?" He said, offering a glance over his shoulder at me.

I hummed, nodding my head slightly. I finished dicing the onion and brought it over to the pot, scraping it all in. "You've got a point, yeah."

He grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. "Then ask, see what caught his attention."

I shrugged, setting the knife and cutting board aside. "Makes me wonder – how'd you get involved with Roman?"

Jack had started stirring the pot once again. "Through the Family. By random chance in a lot of ways – could've been any shmuck who got paired with him, but it was me."

I frowned, tilting my head slightly. "The Family?"

He nodded, glancing over towards the counter where various spices had been laid out. "Grab the salt and black peppercorns if you would." He said, looking back to the stew. "The Family though, they were the top dogs of Vale for a long while, ran the whole city – both underground operations and legal establishments."

He took the two bottles I handed him, sprinkling some into his hand before dumping it into the pot. "I was working repossessions for them. Y'know, getting cars back when people couldn't make payments, or collecting debts, or any of a dozen other things I did." He shrugged. "At one point, we got hired out to do a job with Roman."

Jack chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. "Things turned south real quick, and it was just complete chaos. Roman, though, was calm and collected. Pulled us out – guy would've gotten shot in the back if I hadn't pulled him out of the way." He shrugged. "Since then, he's put me on his payroll – helped me out a load when the Family collapsed into the two dozen gangs around the city we've got today."

I nodded along, listening to his story. "Sounds like you go back a few years then."

He nodded, taking a taste of the stew. "Four or five years, yeah. Good man, Roman. Better than most, even being a criminal." He took another ladle full of stew and offered it to me. "Take a taste – I'm thinking we're just about done here."

I took a taste of the stew, and while not nearly as good as what mom would make us, it was still pretty damn good in my opinion. "It's good."

He hummed, dunking the ladle back into the pot. "Alright, if it's got the clearance from both the chefs, then I'd call it done." He said with a grin.

I chuckled and shrugged. "I didn't do much, just chopped a few vegetables."

He nodded again. "You did plenty enough. Always nice to have someone around when you're cooking, either to help of just chat – helps you relax and pass time a bit quicker."

I shrugged, recalling more than a few times when mom would yell at my sisters and I to get out from underfoot when she was cooking. "If you say so."

He grinned. "That's the spirit. Now, c'mon, lets go feed the starving masses out there."

I chuckled, letting him take the pot off the burner and out towards the others. I grabbed bowls and spoons for us all, as well as a box of crackers, for those who thought the stew needed it.

As I stepped into the common room I was greeted by a chorus of groans and grumbles, followed by the melodic laughter of Roman. A quick glance down at the table revealed that Roman had acquired the Lien from basically everyone other than Not-Jerry who had a fair stack of his own piling up. Roman had just shown his hand of two kings while the other two were face up on the table, along with a two, a five, and a jack.

"You know, Roman, it's more fun when you don't cheat." Jess grumbled, leaning back in her chair.

Roman had a very put on shocked expression, placing a hand on his chest. "Me? Cheat? Why, Jess, I'm hurt! I would never cheat!"

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes at Roman's performance, getting a few snickers out of Not-Jerry and Jack.

Jess just waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap, Roman." She turned to eye both me and Jack with a slight smile. "We've got dinner."

It took a moment to clear the table of Roman's amassed Lien cards and the cards that were laid out on the table, though once it was clear, Jack put the massive pot in the middle as I handed bowls out to everyone.

I glanced around, having a spare bowl in hand. "Where's Neo?" I asked, not seeing her anywhere in the room.

Roman shrugged. "Haven't seen her for a couple hours. My guess is sleeping – go wake her up." He said to me.

I pursed my lips, shaking my head. "I'd rather not end up with a hole in my chest, thank you very much."

Roman just rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, kid. You're probably the only person here who won't end up with a hole in your chest."

I sighed, seeing that there was no point in arguing with him. "If you hear screams of bloody murder, mind coming to stop my untimely death?"

Roman rubbed his chin as he waited to fill his bowl. "I'll think about it, now go."

With marching orders in hand, I set down the two bowls and made towards the bunks we had set up in the bunker.

I closed my eyes and ran fingers through my hair, shaking my head. She's not interested in talking to you – that was made abundantly clear the whole Bullhead ride, and while we were back in Vale, too.

I stood in front of her door and knocked a few times on the metal. "Neo? We've got food if you're hungry." I called out as the knocking rang into her room.

No response.

I groaned, knowing that Roman would just send me back to drag her out if I went back now.

I knocked again. "C'mon, Neo. If you're not hungry, just say and I'll leave you alone."

Still, no response. Not even a sound.

With a sigh, I rested a hand on the doorknob. Be ready for evasive maneuvers. "I'm coming in, alright?"

I didn't expect a response, and I didn't receive one. I pushed open the door slowly, finding that the lights were off in the room.

I pursed my lips and flicked the switch on, the dim bulb hanging over the room flickering to life and illuminating the room in a slight yellowish hue.

Lying there in bed was Neo, curled into a ball beneath a few layers of blankets and clutching a pillow to her chest. I couldn't help but to smile ever so slightly at the scene – it was damned adorable.

I let out a slight breath and took a few steps closer to her bed. "Hey, Neo, if you want dinner it's ready."

Again, no response. She remained curled up and asleep beneath her covers.

I ran my fingers through my hair again, letting out a breath of air. I reached out and gently rested a hand on her shoulder, comforted by the fact that she didn't shatter into glass this time. I gently shook her, getting the tiny assassin to stir slightly. "C'mon, wake up." I murmured quietly.

It took a moment, but she eventually opened her eyes, squinting past the light that assaulted her at me. It only took her a second to realize it was me here waking her up, and the squint turned into a glare. She shrugged my hand off her shoulder and sat up, still clothed beneath the covers.

Without even bothering to acknowledge my existence, she got up out of bed and towards the door, continuing to ignore me. I bit my lower lip as I watched her, taking a seat on her bed.

"Neo, wait." I said as she was reaching for the door, getting her to pause, though not look back at me.

I sighed, shaking my head as I ran my fingers through my hair again. It's now or never. "Listen, I know I fucked up, and I get that you're upset with me because of what I didn't do, I guess." I paused a moment, pursing my lips. "I just… I guess I'm trying to say sorry."

I closed my eyes as I continued on. "It never really occurred to me, y'know? I mean, I'm just me – some bumbling idiot who stumbled his way into a life of crime he didn't ask for, and you're… fuck, well, you're you. The great assassin, Roman's most trusted ally, and probably most badass fighter I know." I laughed, shaking my head.

I heard the sounds of soft footsteps against the concrete, and I looked up, seeing Neo stood right in front of me.

Without warning, she brought her knee up and into my stomach, making me double over and groan. "Yeah… I deserved that…" I muttered quietly, trying to regain the breath she just knocked out of me.

She brought that same knee up and into my jaw, clacking it closed rather painfully. I groaned again. "And that too…" I intoned, getting the feeling I'd be taking a few more easy shots from her.

What I wasn't prepared for, though, was her to take my chin in hand and force me to look up at her. Confused, I blinked a few times and made to open my mouth and ask what she was doing, but I was cut off.

She pressed her lips hard against mine, and rather than lock up, I fell into said kiss.

It was only a second, but I'll be damned if it didn't feel longer than that. She pulled back and glared at me, though there wasn't any real severity behind it.

I nodded, pushing myself up to my feet. "Message received."

Neo smiled slightly and nodded, turning and marching out of her room in search of dinner.

[-/-]

"Alright, boys and girls. It's show time." The voice of Roman crackled from the earpiece I and the rest of the crew had for easy communication.

"Let's show Atlas what we're made of!" Winston shouted out, clearly hyped and ready.

It was pitch black outside, hardly past two in the morning if I had to guess at all. We had been split into teams, each with specific goals.

I had been paired with Jess and Not-Jerry. We were to make our way on to the train, fight through whatever security was present and disable the alarm system before we stopped the train.

Neo and Jack were paired together, their goal to secure the cargo area from whatever security they encountered.

Last was Roman and Winston, the two who were headed towards the front of the train, ready to stop it once we had the emergency beacon disabled.

In theory, everything went smoothly and this was an easy heist, though the actuality was likely to be much, much harder.

I was dressed in a black winter jacket thick enough to keep the cold out. Beneath it was the armor I had made for me, just in case things went south and I needed the protection. I was also in a similar black set of snow pants to keep me from freezing, as well as a pair of heavy boots. I wore my hood pulled up over my head, and covering my face was a mask.

It had occurred to me after my conversation with Qrow that while he might be willing to protect me from showing up once on the VPD radar, I doubted he'd be able to keep my name off international news when it was inevitably known this train was robbed. Thus, the mask.

It was simple, a plain gunmetal gray mask. It looked human like, that much was evident. It focused on sharp edges for most of the design, with a broad nose and a cut in smile that made even me feel uneasy at the sight of it. There were some stylizations on it, patterns carved in for sake of aesthetic. The blacksmith who made it for me had called it 'The Virtuoso'.

Not-Jerry's mask was far more whimsical in nature, though no less unsettling. He had gone for a clown mask, similarly made of metal painted primarily white. The face wasn't even remotely natural, the forehead caving in on both the left and right with bright pink stretching from the eyebrows up past the caved in forehead. The nose looks far too wrinkled and large while flattening out to a simple circle rather than ending as a nose should. The smile stretched from edge to edge of the mask, and its lips were painted red, almost like blood.

Jess' mask was far simpler. She wore a plain hockey mask, though like both mine and Not-Jerry's, hers was made of metal for that slight extra protection. Hers was painted a slight golden hue, though it wasn't shining – duller, or perhaps closer to bronze in nature.

They were dressed similarly to me, making our figures hard to distinguish from one another, the only thing signaling who we were being our masks.

I looked between my two compatriots, nodding to them. "We're ready to move, Roman."

"Ready here, too, chief." Jack called out over the mic.

"Without further ado then. Ladies and gentlemen – let's rob this train." Roman called out.

Without hesitation, we got on the move. The train was rapidly approaching our current location just a few feet away from the tracks, it was easily heard echoing out from the tunnel it was in. I glanced back to my two partners who both nodded as they kept pace behind me.

I swallowed any nerves I had building and let out a sigh as the train came rushing out of the tunnel. It's go time.

The three of us took a running start and leapt from the slight embankment we were waiting on to the first train car we could. It was difficult, with the train moving at a high rate of speed, it wasn't exactly the safest, nor easiest thing in the world to leap onto from a complete stand still.

Despite that, though, all three of us landed on the open car, surrounded by large wooden crates strapped down to the floor.

I drew Crocea Mors and shifted her into the rifle form, ready for any security we were likely to encounter.

I was set to take point, with Jess in the middle and Not-Jerry taking up the rear.

The three of us pushed forward slowly, keeping on watch for any of the Atlas robots we'd be likely to encounter as security.

The open air cargo cart we had landed on showed none of our adversary, though I suspected that would change once we set foot into the enclosed section of the train.

We came to the door into our enclosed section, and with a glance back to my teammates, I got nods from both pushing me to storm the cart.

I threw the door open, raising my rifle to my shoulder immediately, expecting a gunfight to break out.

I was right, almost immediately, bullets began ringing out from the cart in our direction. Without hesitation, I started firing back, pressing into the cart with my Aura up and prepared for a bullet that might hit.

I glanced around, and found myself confronted with about six of these security bots, slick white designs with black screens where a human's face normally would be.

I growled lowly and dove for what little cover I could find, leaving me crouching down behind a set of seats that would've been for human passengers were there any. Jess and Not-Jerry both joined me in diving for their own cover, leaving us separated ever so slightly as we engaged in a gunfight with the bots.

I popped up from my cover and fired a round, managing to shoot one of the bots in the chest. The fire dust round exploded on impact, sending the bot flying back with a large hole in its chest. Immediately after, though, I was forced to duck back behind cover as a wave of gunfire rained down on where my head had just been.

Jess growled and popped out from behind cover, unloading her simple sub machine gun into the body of a bot before it had the chance to react. While that was happening, the remaining three turned to focus their fire on her. Not-Jerry and I both took that time to pop out from cover and fire down on them, taking two down in the process.

Jess just barely managed to duck back as a bullet pinged right next to her head, the woman having managed to duck just in time. Not-Jerry turned his weapon then to fire on the last remaining bot, dismantling it after three pistol rounds to the head.

I got to my feet, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I glanced back at my teammates. "Everyone okay?"

They both nodded, feeling that same rush of exhilaration as I was.

I turned back to the defeated bots, keeping my rifle ready should more show themselves.

We pressed on, keeping close to one another, ready incase another firefight broke out.

Further along the train, on both sides, we could hear the sounds of gunshots and fighting. We could only assume that the others were doing well, and that all was going according to plan.

We pressed forward, into the next cart. "This one should have our emergency beacon." I murmured, more or less to myself. We only had second hand intel to go on, as well as old schematics of the train. This was where it should be, but that wasn't a guaranteed thing.

I threw open the door, once again expecting bots to greet us.

None were present.

Feeling slightly more at ease, then, Jess pushed forward, finding that the beacon was in fact here.

It was a terminal interface with a keyboard that folded out from the wall for her to interact with.

On edge, I eyed her as she started tapping away at the terminal. "Think you can disarm it?" I asked, the nervousness bleeding into my voice.

"Probably, just a question of what new toys Atlas put in here for me to find…" She said, a tinge of irritation in her voice at having to answer questions from someone who didn't know what was going on.

I shot a glance to Not-Jerry who only shrugged and moved to cover the door closer to the front of the train. I sighed, deciding that it'd be best if we just left her to do her thing. I came to the back door, covering that entrance much like Not-Jerry was on the front.

"How're we doing on that beacon, Jess?" Roman asked, sounding nonchalant and bored.

"Two minutes, tops." She responded, sounding annoyed that people were still interrupting her.

Roman didn't respond, letting the woman work.

All sounds of gunfire had stopped on the train, and that had me nervous, even slightly on edge. This feels too easy. Boring is good, but still… It feels like we should've had more resistance. I knew, somewhere, that thinking like that would get us jinxed again, but I couldn't help it. Something was wrong.

"You're good to go, Roman." Jess said over the mic, taking a step away from the terminal.

Rather suddenly, the train's wheels started to screech against the tracks they ran on, and I was thrown forward, not ready for the sudden shift in momentum. Jess and Not-Jerry both snickered at me, getting me to just roll my eyes at them, even if they couldn't see it.

I grumbled as I pulled myself up to my feet, shaking my head. "That's our job done – now let's go meet with the others." I said, getting nods from my companions.

[-/-]

It was slow going, getting the mechs off the train and to the freighter waiting for us on the other side of the mountain. Jess, Winston and I had been left behind as the others went to piloting their Bullheads. It was simple enough, they take the mechs, and we wire the train to blow sky high once we're done with it.

The three of us had finished our objective about an hour ago, leaving us to sit and waste time, waiting for Roman to be satisfied with how many of these things he got his hands on.

In total, I'd guess we had about twelve taken from the train, with easily another eight waiting on transport.

It was slow going – slow and painful for those of us not piloting the Bullheads.

Jess had decided that she'd use this time to take a nap, leaning back against one of the walls with her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest.

Winston and I were standing guard, in a matter of speaking. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who thought something felt wrong.

The two of us were stood just outside the car that Jess was out cold in, battling the bone chilling wind and quickly layering snow all around us. It wasn't pleasant, but it was better than doing nothing.

Silence, other than the howling wind in the valley, enraptured the two of us. It was, well, it was awkward. When I met him the first time, he seemed far more friendly – and again during the three days before the mission, he was plenty willing to laugh and joke.

But now?

He was a stone wall – completely impassive and focused only on what had to be done. In some ways, he reminded me of my dad, being closed off and keeping to himself. It wasn't a bad thing, but it didn't make this any less uncomfortable for me at the least.

I sighed, letting my hand rest on the hilt of Crocea Mors hanging at my side. That feeling of something being off still haunted me. It was too easy – minimal guards, all of which were easily dispatched. And then the emergency beacon handled like it was child's play.

It didn't feel like we were dealing with Atlas, the world's foremost superpower. It felt like we were dealing with a load of misguided children who didn't know what they had gotten themselves into.

In the distance, I could see a bright light coming from a point hanging in the sky. I narrowed my eyes, elbowing Winston in the side. "See that?" I asked, nodding towards the light that was growing ever closer.

He grunted, turning to eye the approaching light.

"Think it's a Bullhead?"

He huffed. "Unless Nevermores have grown spotlights recently, that's all it can be."

I rolled my eyes. There's the dry humor I'd heard from him over the past few days. "Military, then?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Can't tell." He turned to look at me. "Go, wake Jess. Better safe than sorry."

I nodded, leaving Winston alone to watch the incoming Bullhead.

Inside, Jess had flopped over and curled herself into a ball on the floor. I couldn't help but to chuckle slightly, especially considering she liked to put on the big and tough exterior.

I walked over and nudged her side with my boot, getting the woman to groan and shift away from my boot. "Get up, you can sleep later. We've got a Bullhead incoming."

She groaned again. "… five more minutes…"

I sighed and nudged her again. "Get up, Jess."

She didn't respond, just curled tighter into her ball.

I shook my head. You forced my hand. I thought as I delivered a sharper kick to her side, getting her to cough a bit as grumble as she opened eyes to glare at me.

"The hell was that for?" She asked, debating on kicking me back, likely.

I glared right back at her. "Waking you up. We've got a Bullhead incoming. Put your mask on and meet us outside." I said, turning back on a heel and marching back out into the snow with Winston.

The Bullhead had grown much closer now, to the point that I could hear the rotors cutting through the wind as it powered forwards towards us. It was hard to get any details on the ship, considering it was still pitch black out, making it all but impossible for us to tell if it was military or just a passing civilian ship.

A minute later, Jess came stomping out of the cart, her arms crossed under her bust as she was inevitably glaring at me from beneath her mask.

"Sleeping beauty finally wakes." Winston commented as he kept his gaze trained on the encroaching Bullhead.

"Ha ha, very funny, smart ass." She commented, following our gaze to the Bullhead. "So, what's the deal, then? We dealing with military goons?"

I shrugged. "We don't know. Could just as easily be a civilian ship – thought it better safe than sorry to wake you."

She nodded. "Right, so you mean to tell me we don't know a damn thing about this incoming Bullhead?"

"That's correct." Winston responded.

"Fantastic." She said sarcastically.

Now, the Bullhead had come close enough for the spotlight it had to land on the train, scanning it from back to front with the bright headlight. I glanced to the other two, drawing my sword and deploying the shield. Jess had her SMG ready, while Winston had some nature of shotgun that fired explosive rounds, because of course it did.

It hardly took a minute for the spotlight to hover over the three of us, and what a sight we must've been. Three black clad and masked figures standing armed and ready on a stopped train that was carrying dangerous, top secret Atlas Military weapons.

The Bullhead came to hover above us, keeping the light trained on us as a speaker crackled to life. Though, before they got a chance to say anything, Winston took aim and fired two rounds from his shotgun up at the Bullhead, the bullets exploding on impact with the armored siding of the vehicle.

"Hard way it is, then." The voice behind the speaker called out. "Move it, Specialists." The voice commanded.

Specialist. Atlas Specialists. Fan-fucking-tastic.

And that's this week's chapter.

Jaune and Neo made up, kinda, sorta. There's more than just that, but Neo at least was willing to forgive him. Got to have some interactions with the minor OCs I created, give them some personality and history. And then the heist, where everything went as it should. Jaune learned his lesson, but the paranoia is strong in this one, and he was right. Atlas Specialists here to crash the party.

That said, on we charge into the reviews!

Jim - Glad you like it, my friend. The affection is kinda unearned, you're right. I didn't realize it at the time, but it just sorta happened. I took note and mdae it a little more believable in the later chapters to get us to where we are now, but it was a little wonky. Oh well, mistakes that come with my first published piece. Always a learning process.

Greer - Jaune and Qrow, to me at least, are like the best of bros. More than Ren and Jaune because with Qrow he'll laugh and drink with Jaune while Ren is just kinda there, I guess. Jaune and Neo screwing with Atlas is coming - this is one of three or four chapters that we'll have based here in Atlas - and we've already got this train heist basically done. More Atlas based shenanigans to come, I promise.

Another Stalker - 'We wand those mechs...' Damnit, brain. They sound similar. That doesn't mean they mean the same thing. You're right, canon Jaune is clueless and lost - and I didn't mean for this story to be a roller coaster, with huge highs and abysmal lows. It was just a what if and a criminal story told from the criminal's PoV.

Reesesracer - Yes, Jaune. Use the tactical mind you were gifted fo L. Come to the dark side. We have cookies, oh and Neo.

Luine Mercury - Well, making up complete. Sorta. Then there's them siding with Jaune and who knows - depends on how much slips and if Jaune will lose control of his web of lies. Glad you're enjoying.

X3 - I'm glad that Jaune and Qrow is so loved, because I adore their dynamic. And well, they did make up. Sorta. They still need to sit down and talk more, but they're on the right track. Okay, coming perfectly clean here, using the Groucho glasses shtick for Roman's mask - the idea came from your comment because why not, and it's not like Roman cares.

2 AM Guest - Trust me, buddy. As a college student who's practically nocturnal, 2 AM is perfectly fine. Well, Neo didn't stab him. Just a lot of cold shoulder and a few cheap shots to get him to realize he was being a moron. I will take my docked allotment of internet cookies. And hey, trust me, I know how it is to be awake and not half asleep when writing. Yet, it's always around like 2-3AM that all my ideas strike and then, ten hours later you have a chapter of this story.

AzraelSaint - Yeah, while Criminal Jaune is a bit smarter and faster thinking than canon Jaune, he is still slow as a snail. Much appreciated, friend - it sucks, but I'm managing.

Engineer - More support for the brolationship of Jaune & Qrow. Noted. Yeah, Jaune got screwed by his dad, especially with him training Jaune's sister and not him. Jaune really does deserve a good explanation, one he just doesn't have right now. And well, because of that, we have Jaune here working with Roman. Fun times. Jaune was up shit creek with both Neo and Ruby, but at least with Neo he's got a paddle and is trying to get out. Ruby on the other hand, well... She's been stewing. Alone. For a month and a half at this point. Jaune might've done a big oopsie. And of course, the train heist that's basically over. Don't fear, though. More Atlas chaos to come in the next couple chapters.

Imperial Germany - ... Nobody expects the Atlas Specialists! (I'll just show myself out now...)

Lost Memories - Here you are, friend. Glad you're enjoying.

Gasenator - Not nearly as hype in this chapter - things went well, mostly. Then the Atlas Inquis - I mean Specialists showed up, and it's gonna be hell.

Specter - Well, he got a mask. Not the one you wanted, but a mask none the less.

Exiled Darkness - Underage drinking?! Not in my RWBY! Like I'm going to keep contending, Qrow and Jaune have some of the best chemistry out of the whole cast to just be shit people and great friends all at the same time. It's great, and I love it.

And reviews, completed.

I will willingly share some internet cookies for those who can place where Jaune and Not-Jerry's masks come from. Granted, I think Jaune's is a lot easier, but still. Internet cookies will be shared to those who can figure them both out. I don't think I made it too hard, but we'll see.

Next chapter we have Jaune and co vs Atlas Specialists. Fun times ahead, I'm sure. Just remember, the specialists showing up is 100% Jaune's fault. He thought it was too easy.

Next Chapter: Monday, June 24th

Till next time, this is Valres signing off.