Wow, have I got some explaining to do, huh guys? So, I know I've been gone and a month and this chapter is incredibly lackluster. Sorry about that, a mixture of laziness and work has caused me to neglect some of my endeavors in the writing. With Christmas coming up I have a lot on my plate, but I know that isn't really an excuse. To be honest, I've kind of lost my RWBY writing muse. That isn't to say I'm going to give up, hell no. But, recently, I've been enthralled by this web serial called "Worm", written by Wildbow and free to view online. It checks off all my boxes for good superhero stories, and I think I'm gonna try branching out into it. Both this chapter, and it's previous one were inspired by Worm.

I'll post some stories on here, maybe start a new one. But, if you want more of my writing, go check out "The Very Merry Life of Jerry" on Spacebattles under Creative Writing - Worm. Until then folks,

XOXOXO

CoffeyJoe

P.S. I would like to remind everyone that each of these story prompts are for adoption. Just shoot me a PM and we can talk it out.

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The Secrets We Hide:

Jaune Arc, better known as Adept on the streets, spends his day fighting crime, when he's not sitting through school of course. Day in and day out, he repeats his thankless task to the even more thankless population of Vale. But, as with any true hero he soldiers onward, never failing, never resting until the last bit of evil has been snuffed out of his city. But perhaps fighting international terrorists with armies of superhumans is a bit beyond, he may need some help...

0-0-0-0

"Now, can anyone tell me the day when the Color Revolution officially begun?" the teacher droned one, pacing at the front of her classroom.

If I was being honest, I truly didn't know the woman's name. Not enough that I'd be comfortable asking her a question at least, not that I would need to however. The woman's history class was dreadful, cut and dry and devoid of any enthusiasm. Much like her marriage I found himself thinking. Instead, I eyed out then nearby window, aimlessly looking at the patter of rain.

I stands alone, on a jagged island little bigger than a driveway. Waves crash all around me, a storm thunders overhead as I gaze out into a grey, endless sea. I feel myself rushing through the water, peering out at the continent-devoid world that is this parallel universe. Life breathes beneath the waves, horrors and wonders churn endlessly in the midst of a never-ending storm. I can taste the salt, smell the fetid stink of the ocean, feel the rain sting against his skin-

My mind flickers, a new world.

Grass, reaching up to his chest. A warm sun gazes down above me, endless clouds stretching into the horizon. I can see cities up there, minuscule blotches floating between the towering platforms. I jump, little more than a kick off of the foot and I find myself rising through the air. Air density so much different, I floats the sky like a balloon on the wind. Idly, I will myself to a stop, feeling my body simply hover there, placated in the peace of the moment. Below, I can see the golden fields of grass that I had been standing in. I look up, I am closer to the dots now. I can make out the shapes, if only vaguely, thin and short, they bounce between the monolithic towers that grace the skies and the clouds, stretching from horizon to horizon.

The bell awakens me, I feel myself jerked back to this plane of existence. Slowly, I get up and trudge to my next class. Tired, that's all I feel these days, endless patrols through the city, getting beat up, only to go home and sleep fitfully for a few hours before going to this grueling, backwater school of mine. I nearly sneer, an expression that I have been told looks out of place on a boyish face like mine.

"You get crunk last night?" a voice crows behind me, a heavy arm looping itself around me.

"Oh yeah, got hammered. Literally." I answered, Neptune smirks and chuckles.

"Fuck, heard about it on the news." his voice drops to a whisper and he leans in. "Nice work there hero, liked the "hand of god" shtick with the fire."

"Yeah, well, remind me to stave off on that one. Burns up my reserves way too fast, need to figure out some actual techniques instead of throwing random spells at them." I answered, shaking me head.

"You're probably right, where would I be if the only cool person in my life died prematurely?" Neptune cracks a toothy grin. "How would I ever write my eventually award-winning book as well?"

"Really breaking my heart here son," I huff, rolling my eyes. "Anyways, I'm taking the week off. Fuck the sentinels, fuck the dockyard goons, and fuck this city. They hate me anyway."

Neptune's smile fades. "H-Hey man, you deserve a break, don't get me wrong, but the city-"

"I'm venting." I cut him off with an irritated sigh. "Not serious."

"Ah, well, how about wings after school?"

"Don't you have work."

"Yeah." Neptune answers, not elaborating further as he begins to walk away.

"Slack ass." I mumble, following behind him.

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"Fuck Ironwood!" Pyrrha snarls, marching out into the team lounge.

Ren looks up from his book, sighs, and looks at Nora who shrugs and nods towards Ruby. Pyrrha wasn't one to let her temper go off the handle, but she was a teenage girl, and taking orders from thankless old men that demand you risk your neck for thankless citizens would drive anyone to their grave.

"Everything ok, Pyrrha?" Ruby asks quietly, getting up from her seat.

Pyrrha's glare snaps to the smaller girl, causing her to jump slightly and look away. "Ironwood got on my case again. This Adept situation has gotten out of control, he says, bringing the guy in is now a high priority."

"Ah, I see." Ruby nods, going to sit back down. "Patrols tonight?"

"Yeah, forensics are still coming back from the dockyard. None of the suspects have talked, although one apparently died of a sudden seizure in the interrogation room."

"Random, or a kill switch?" Ren asks, not looking up from his book.

"Dunno, could be either." Pyrrha answered with a shrug, settling down onto the couch. "Is it too much to ask for one day where I'm not yelled at?"

"Alas, it seems to be." Yang joked, sidling up next to her on the couch. "But, we're heroes, right? We can take it."

Pyrrha cracked a small grin. "Maybe so, doesn't make it any easier."

"You've got that right, now how are we gonna fish our mystical friend out from the shadows." Nora crowed, leaping over the couch and landing with a harsh thud next to Yang.

"His schedule is sporadic, he likely goes out when he has time if he's a high schooler like us." Ren mused from the couch. "It makes pinning him down very difficult."

Pyrrha nodded. "You're right, from what we know he fights petty crime here and there and shows up for the big fights."

"I guess that explains why he was the first one at the docks, some kind of sensory power?" Yang asked, to which Pyrrha shrugged.

"Dunno, not a lot of hard info on the guy."

"Hmm, perhaps patrolling tonight will yield some information?" Ren offered, looking at his teammates.

"Maybe it will, or at least I hope I get to crack some skulls." Pyrrha sighed, cracking her neck ominously.

"That's our fearless leader!" Nora crowed, jumping up from the couch. "Last one to the armory is a rotten villain!"

Yang smiled as she watched her younger sister scramble to chase after the ginger girl at full speed. "Crack some heads indeed."

0-0-0-0

"Man, I am so glad I didn't go on patrols tonight." I told Neptune, leaning back into his bean bag chair. "I needed this."

Neptune grunted in agreement as he attempted to fake me out in game. "Fuck! That's bullshit, why do my guns shoot fucking paintballs?"

"Get good fuckboy." I responded smugly, chuckling at my friend's rage.

"Fuck you."

We played the rest of the night away, I decided to sleep over at Neptune's house. I was too lazy to go back to my own, and his mom wasn't coming home tonight so he had run of the house.

That night, I dreamt of a strange facility...