"Excellent work, gentlemen!" the eccentric and ever energetic Bartholomew Oobleck commented commented as he stepped off the Bullhead, allowing the second-year Huntsman team to file out sluggishly, the whole of them exhausted from trying to keep up with their caffeinated chaperone. "We cleared out those Grimm heading towards the city in record time!"

"With all due respect, Doctor Oobleck..." Cardin panted. "Next time, can you slow down at least a little?"

"Slow down, Mister Winchester? Being slow would've allowed those creatures to have an opportunity to strike us. A true Huntsman should always be quick on his feet to dodge the strikes of his or her opponent!" Oobleck exclaimed, oblivious to the exhaustion of his students as they followed him out of the aircraft.

"Yeah, but then we still would have caught our breath even after getting extracted fifteen minutes ago!" Dove complained.

"I think I had a bout of heart palpitations..." Russel commented, rubbing his chest as Sky just simply fell out the door, asleep before he even hit the ground.

"I see..." Oobleck noted as he looked over Team CRDL. "Mister Winchester, I'm aware as team leader, you coordinate your team's training regiments. I suggest increasing endurance and working more on your cardio during your workouts. As for this exercise, I'd say you all have done a more than adequate job and have passed this mission with flying colors. Now, I must be off to get back to teaching. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon!" he finished, his mouth moving faster than Ruby's semblance, before rocketing off back to the campus.

"...There's no way he doesn't lace that coffee with speed." Russel remarked as their Huntsman vanished in a green and tan blur.

"Forget about it. Scoop Sky up, and let's go rest." Cardin ordered as the group trudged back towards the school, barely moving as four young Huntresses started towards them.

"You guys look like death warmed over." Yang commented. "What's gotcha guys beat?"

"Oobleck, that's what." Dove answered, while Sky suddenly awoke with a snort, finding himself leaning on both his and Russel's shoulders, already confused how he ended up there.

"Did I get the touchdown, Coach?" he slurred out of exhaustion.

"Uh, sure did, bud. Go hit the showers." Cardin gestured to Beacon as the halberdier complied and shuffled off, leaving the other seven confused and somewhat empathetic. "So where are you headed off to?" the mace-wielder asked as he turned to Ruby.

"Up north to Atlas on a secret mission." Ruby answered.

"Ruby! You aren't supposed to tell them the nature of a secret mission, you dunce!" Weiss whispered harshly.

"Ah! Um, I mean up south! To south Vale to do...southern stuff..." the reaper tried to correct herself, smiling awkwardly while the rest of her team simultaneously facepalmed.

"Well, good luck and stuff with that. Imma go take a nap." Russel said as he and Dove started heading back to the dorms, Cardin waving them off.

"So, uh, you girls gonna be doing anything 'up south' that may involve that guy who nearly cut me and Jauney Boy in half?" Cardin suggested.

"That's classified, Cardin." Blake deadpanned.

"But if we run into him, we'll tell him you said hello before we beat him back into his cell." Yang cockily commented.

"I'd prefer a cage at the zoo, but whatever floats your boat. Have fun." he commented in a somewhat racist way before leaving to rest with the rest of CRDL.

"Well, he's gotten nicer..." Ruby noted.

"But that zoo comment seemed uncalled for, even for a White Fang officer..." Blake seethed, hating the fact she was defending a criminal who tried to harm her friends.

"Eh, one problem at a time with Cardin." Yang commented. "So where's Marron? She's supposed to be here by now."

"Speak of the devil, and she appears, Xiao Long." a voice commented as RWBY turned to face her. From a first glance, she almost looked like a more hardcore female version of her younger brother. The white and gold breastplate she wore over a mustard-colored hoodie looked just like his. A streamlined pauldron sat on her left shoulder, the sleeve of her hoodie on that side ripped off and replaced by bandages coiling around one arm and fingerless gloves adorning that hand. Her legs were protected by military uniform pants and boots, a set of white kneepads with gold trim on each leg, although the right one had a large scratch gashed into the paint. Her weapon of choice was slung over her back. It seemed to be a hellish hybrid of a halberd and a mortar launcher. Ruby's jaw nearly touched the ground at first sight of it. Though, with her bulky weapon taking up space on her back, she now had to carry her backpack by hand, which she had already been doing as she walked up to the group. "Uh, is your sis okay?" she askef as she noticed Ruby dropling slightly as her eyes were locked on that weapon.

"She's just a bit of a weapons afficanado." Yang explained.

"Really, over Aurum Wing? It's not that special." Marron commented, unslinging it with her free hand and holding up for Ruby to get a better look. A finished mahogany stock sat at the bottom, the trigger to it built into its end with the base of some sort of flintlock firing mechanism, all of the metal in it painted, or possibly forged from, gold. Even the blade, muzzel, and bolts connecting it to the wooden base were crafted from the gaudy metal.

"To be fair, she even gushed when she saw Crocea Mors." Blake noted.

"That wasn't gushing over it!" Ruby protested. "I just said I like classic styles!"

"Moving on!" Weiss exclaimed, stopping the arguement before it began. "Are we going on mission now or what?"

The more experienced of the group seemed taken aback by the heiress' sudden ouburst, not expecting it, but chose to answer anyway. "We are, but our ride hasn't arrived yet." she answered.

The whole second year team looked on either side of the landing pad. Almost all the spaces were occupied with Bullheads being refueled or prepping for takeoff, as well as an air ferry that shuttled passengers between Beacon and Vale sitting at the center of the docks. "But, every plane is ready to fly..." Ruby noted.

"Yeah, but we got a special one coming just for us." Marron explained, pointing towards the sky. Coming down towards the empty landing pad in front of them was a much different Bullhead than the others. It was painted white as snow, glinting in the afternoon light. As it landed, Weiss grimaced as she recognized the Schnee Dust Company logo plastered on the passenger door. It opened carefully, and without the usual creaking sound on the more commonly used models. Out stepped a young but grey-haired man wearing a flight attendant's uniform, a white dress shirt and pants with an icy blue vest over it. "Good afternoon! You are the team Mister Schnee is expecting..." he started an introduction before he trailed off, focusing on one individual out of the five. "Oh! Miss Schnee! Forgive me; I wasn't aware you were part of the team who accepted this task!" he apologized, bowing before her.

"It's fine, Nickel. Just take us home." she nodded distantly as she walked past him and onto the aircraft.

"Um...of course, Ma'am." Nickel nodded as he turned to the rest of the group. "May I take your bags, ladies?"

One by one, the remainder of the task force handed their backpacks off to the flight attendant for him to place in the cargo hold before entering the ship. Immediately, it was heaven compared to the dropships they rode in before. They were hit with the scent of fresh cotton as they entered. The seating area were velvet lined seats, all reclinable and eack positioned next to a window with a small shelf to use as a table in front of it. Six sat in the front, with a comfortable yet expensive-looking couch and a self serving minibar at the rear of the fuselage. Weiss was already sitting on the backmost chair on the right of the aisle, Ruby sitting across from her while Blake, Yang and Marron immediately helped themselves to drinks at the minibar. Even though she could read Weiss like a book, the blank expression on the white-haired duelist's face baffled her. Wasn't she excited to be visiting home?

"Something wrong, Weiss?" Ruby asked, trying to figure it out for herself.

"Nothing, Ruby. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to try and take a nap before we arrive in Atlas." Weiss said coldly, reclining her seat back to a near-flat position.

"Well, alright then..." Ruby nodded hesitantly as the sound of the door sealing drew her attention to the front along with the other three girls as Nickel turned to face them.

"Settle in, everyone. This flight's going to take about seven hours before we reach the Schnee Estate. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight!" he cheerfully explained as he bowed into the cockpit to give the passengers their privacy as the ship took off for home.


Flashbulbs and the cacophony of dozens of reporters talking at once surrounded the three podiums in front of Atlas City's municipal courthouse as two men in military officer's uniforms and one in a formal policeman's outfit covered in commendation pins stood in front of them.

"General Ironwood! Can we get any updates on the manhunt for Chad Aens?" one reporter called out over the sea of voices.

"We have been working around the clock for the last five hours working within a fifty mile radius of the location we found the transport in." Ironwood commented. "It's a slow process, but any moment now, we should at least be finding some sort of clue. Next question."

Out of the crowd, another journalist was chosen. "General Schnee, is there any possibility of the fact he is hiding out somewhere in the city already?"

"Slim to none." The older general boasted. "As everyone here knows, nobody, not even the men and women of our armed forces, can get in or out of Atlas City without going through the proper checkpoint identification procedures at each of the gates. Also, Commissioner Slate here has assured me the city's police department have scanned the entire city. Nobody has reported him sighted in any district so far."

The policeman to the left of the High General focused his dark grey eyes on the crowd. "And before you all ask, this event will not cease the trial of Mercury Black. It will go as planned, and you can be certain that once we find this bastard, he's next to be in that courtroom." the commissioner announced, the individual watching the television's holographic screen losing interest as he heard the clacking of ice against ice behind him.

"Enjoying your accommodations?" she mused, walking up to him.

"I've had better...but I suppose it could be worse." Chains shrugged, looking at the blank mask that mirrored the design of his old one that sat on the desk in front of him along with the tv set. Around him was nothing but the backdrop of an old Atlesian army barrack in the abandonned outpost much farther east than anyone involved in his search was looking. The lone window in between the desk and his bed had a nice view of the city's outline in the distance miles away across the coastline.

"Glad to hear it. Now if you wouldn't mind, there's someone who is about to arrive that I'd like you to meet." she said as she motioned for him to rise. She lead him out of the barrack and into the snowdrift covering the courtyard that surrounded the former coast guard outpost. Everywhere, White Fang guards were lifting boxes and sorting them among others as they unloaded them off of an undercover garbage barge on the dock below. At the side of it on a frost heave sat a lone Bullhead, with three individuals surrounding it. One stood in a grey fur cape with a bronze vest and dark orange dress suit underneath, his greying charcoal hair combed back as he locked his bright orange eyes on his colleague: a White Fang member with a medium build, two caustic green eyes glinting as he looked him over, the rest of his features covered by a hood and a black mask that covered his nose and mouth. The third seemed to be losing interest in their conversation, as she tilted her emerald cloak's hood down and looked around with wonder at the snow around them. They all turned to watch Chains and his company walk to them. She wore a sleeved blue dress that went just past her knees. A small white cloak kept her warm from the harsh cool temperatures on the frozen bay as her sapphire eyes seemed to light up her features under her long ebony hair that stopped at her shoulder blades. "Here he is, just as asked." Violet announced as she lead him up to the group.

"Excellent work, Violet." Doctor Fall nodded as he turned to the White Fang member. "Just as promised, Kai. I assume this seals our deal?"

"Indeed it doessss, Doctor." Kai nodded as he turned to his lieutenant. "It'sssssss good to have you back, Chad. Thingsssss have been...unpleassssant since the failure at Vale. I hope assssss the new field commander of the White Fang, you will sssssee to it we don't have a repeat of it?"

"Of course not, sir." Chains bowed. "But, if I may ask, me? A field commander?"

"With Adam'ssssss betrayal, ssssomeone had to sssssstep up. Are you willing to be that ssssomeone? Or did the good doctor here have you liberated for nothing?" Kai asked, leaning in.

"No, of course I will take that position." Chains assured his leader. "I will comply to the doctor's orders as if they were yours."

"Ssssee that you do." Kai nodded. "I mussssst be off. The council back in Vacuo will need to know about thisssss." he finished as he turned to reenter his Bullhead. "Oh, and before I go..." With a snap of his fingers, an initiate inside the dropship came out with a large crate marked with many caution labels. "You're going to be needing a replacccement weapon. That should sssssuficccce."

"Oooh! A present! Open it!" Viridia chanted with excitement as the new field commander of the White Fang pried it open, carefully inspecting its contents before shutting the box.

"This will do fine. Thank you, sir." Chains nodded. With a nod back, the doors closed and the dropship took off for its home. Once it was away, Chains closed the box and stood to face the Fall family. "What are your orders for my men?" he asked the father.

"Actually, Mister Aens, you will be taking orders from Violet here." Doctor Fall motioned to his eldest daughter, who almost raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, unsure if she had heard him right.

"You have already done us a great service establishing contacts and freeing our key to keep the White Fang on our side. I just ask you don't go wrong where your sister already has." he explained, noting his second eldest daughter's failure in Vale.

"You're forgetting something, Father: I'm not Cinder. I don't make mistakes." Violet said confidently, her father confirming that with a glance over her and the Faunus now under her employ as he turned to the barge.

"See that you do. Come, Viridia." he said, not even turning back to face her.

"Aww, but Dad! I wanna play in the snow some more!" Viridia complained as she followed her father onto the watercraft.

"Now isn't the time for play, little sister." Violet called. "What we have planned for the next few days time will have us working to the bone to pull off." she said before the barge began to pull away from the dock. Once it did, the two heads of this operation turned to return to the courtyard.

"So what's our objective here?" Chains asked.

"You'll know of it soon enough. There's still some preparations to be made for Phase Two." Violet explained.

"Two? What was Phase One?" Chains asked.

"Getting you freed." Violet deadpanned. "Now isn't the time for questions. There's work to be done."


"Hey, Winter! Do you wanna go outside and build a snowman with me?"

"Not now, Weiss. I'm busy."

"But, you've been saying that for the past three days!"

"Just go away! What part of 'I'm busy' are you not getting through that thick skull of yours, dolt?!"

"...Okay, bye..."

Just as Weiss left to turn down the hall, she heard something crash and a shriek from her older sister. She ran back into the room to find a man in a white tunic and a mask over his face trying to restrain Winter.

"Weiss, don't just stand there! Go get help!" Winter ordered, only for her young sister to be frozen in fear. "Weiss? WEISS!"

"HEY WEISS!"

The heiress awoke with a startle as she nearly fell out of her seat, Yang bursting into laughter as she watched the girl flail about in surprise.

"Hahahah! Oh man, you should've saw the look on your face! I gotta wake ya up like that more often!" Yang cackled while Marron shook her head at the antic.

"Yang, c'mon. That wasn't that funny." Ruby scolded as she turned to Weiss, who seemed to be startled more than she usually would be by a rude awakening such as that. "You okay?" she asked.

"J-just a weird dream is all." Weiss stuttered as she gave a stretch.

"Oh, so it is a good thing that I woke you up!" Yang smiled.

"That and the nice view of the city." Blake commented as she looked at the view from her seat in front of Weiss. Everyone turned to look out the left side of the plane as the capital of the kingdom of Atlas came into view. It easily dwarfed Vale by a longshot, huge skyscrapers and multiple deck highways filled the city as it sat in front of a massive cargo port on the coastline. To the far right of it stood a lone mansion of its own on a huge, gated off part of land from the city and alienated by a long curvy road. The aircraft lurched as it turned towards it, beginning its descent as it got closer. Soon enough, the ship had touched the ground, and Nickel exited the cockpit to be the first to welcome them.

"I hope you ladies enjoyed the flight! Welcome to the Schnee Residence at Atlas!" he said cheerfully as he unsealed the door for the first time in hours, letting the cool air rush into the cockpit, sending a shiver up everyone but Weiss' spine. As they stepped out, their breath became visible as they realized the temperature on the outdoor landing pad was much lower than they expected.

"Geez, i-it's c-c-colder than P-Patch gets in the w-winter..." Ruby shivered, folding her arms over her chest and hugging herself for warmth.

"Eh, I've been in colder." Yang shrugged, her natural heat being a pyromaniac providing all the warmth she needed.

"Let's just get situated and grab our bags." Blake said, unfazed by the temperature change as she and Weiss stepped out, Marron and Nickel trailing them.

"No need. I'll have my servants here take care of it."

All eyes turned to the three men walking up to the landing pad from a heated stone path that lead directly to the mansion's back terrace. Between two older gentlemen in black tuxedos stood a tall man in a white business suit and short white hair. "Welcome home, Weiss." he smiled warmly upon one individual out of the six.

"Father." Weiss coldly nodded.