Chapter 3

Truths and Lies

As Weiss concluded her song and bowed, the audience burst into applause. She looked up to the balcony above stage left where her father and brother are watching. Jacques Schnee remained seated, not applauding, while Whitley Schnee stood, giving a slower-paced, sarcastic clap. Weiss looked back at the audience, all clapping still in their seats. She turned and walked backstage, her feigned smile replaced with a frown.

A few minutes later, the gala began. Unbeknownst to everyone, three people were silently planning their next moves.

"General, can you hear me?" Charlie messaged telepathically.

Ironwood flinched before thinking, "how are you doing this?"

"Telepathy, one of our simplest skills, are the Atlas soldiers in position?" Kelly chimed in.

Ironwood shook his head, deciding not to question it, and replied, "the Ace Ops and some soldiers are establishing a perimeter. Is there anything I need to do before the broadcast starts in 20 minutes?"

"Just keep an eye on Jacques; I am gonna secure Weiss" Charlie explained before cutting the link with Ironwood.

Jacques was conversing with a man in glasses and a gray-haired woman in a green dress on the far end of the ballroom. Weiss was behind her father, looking at the floor with her hands held primarily behind her back, while her younger brother Whitley was standing similarly further behind their father, only his gaze was directly on him.

"That's precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate," Jacques explained.

As they conversed, Weiss looked over to the largest painting on the end of the ballroom, depicting Beacon Academy with its Cross Continental Transmit tower in perfect condition.

Weiss groaned and started to step away, only to have her forearm grabbed by her father, who didn't even turn around. Weiss halted, startled.

Jacques pulled Weiss back and turned to face her, questioning, "Where are you going?"

Weiss, with a meek expression, replied, "I'm... just a little thirsty."

Jacques shook his head and said, "Sweetheart, we have people for that."

He let go of Weiss and began to raise his arm to call over a waiter. Weiss stopped him by grabbing his forearm, prompting a sideways glance from Whitley.

"What? No, I can get it. I'll be right back; I promise," Weiss assured him.

Jacques decided to let Weiss go and turned back to his companions with, "I'm sorry, I tuned out for a second, but sounds like I'm the good guy again?"

Weiss moved across the room to look at the painting of Beacon Academy. She had barely crossed half the distance of the room when someone grabbed her and pulled her onto the dance floor, slowly dancing along with everyone else.

"Who the heck do you think you…." Weiss was cut off as she recognized her dancing partner; it was who she knew as Steven Ohm from the Vytal Festival tournament.

"Steven, what are you doing here?" Weiss demanded in a hushed voice.

Charlie gave a confused look before answering, "oh, sorry, I forgot my old alias already, my real name is Charlie Mason, in a few minutes there is going to be a broadcast, one that your father will be very unhappy to see. I am gonna take you to safety."

Weiss had so much to process at once that she only replied with "no, I'm not leaving."

Charlie sighed and said, "you don't get it; Ironwood is here to supervise his arrest; your father is about to go to jail, but we needed it to be public, or he'd get out of it Scott free."

Weiss gave a concerned look and said, "what do you mean "to be public."

Charlie shook his head and replied, "there's no time to explain, is there anything or anyone you want to get out of this house before the media descends. After we get this sorted out, you have a one-way ticket to Vale."

The Schnee heiress didn't look any less confused but replied, "I need to go get my sword, and a few things from my room; my mom will be fine but...there's a certain butler I want to keep. Safe.."

Charlie nodded and said, "Consider it done; my sister will meet you by the door…."

Weiss nodded and broke apart from the dance; however, before she could reach the door, her father grabbed her arm.

"Stay here; we have an image to uphold!" Jacques reminded her.

"Let go of me!" Weiss said before breaking his grip and walking towards the door. Jacques tried to go after her but stopped dead in his tracks as holographic screens appeared on every side of the room.

Charlie and Kelly had found a network of cameras hidden around the mansion, revealing some very incriminating footage to everyone at the party.

Weiss was in her father's office as she said, "I don't want to sing, I just don't."

"I am your father; you will listen to me!' Jacques demanded.

The footage continued as Weiss said, "like mom listened when you admitted you married her for money! You stole our family name!"

Jacques then slapped Weiss across the face without a second thought and said, "don't you dare speak to me like that!"

The entire room gasped and stared at Jacques as the footage continued with him on a call saying, "I don't care about that cave in; those Faunus animals can take the blame for the safety failures, their expendable. Find some more and keep the other mines working!"

Several more incriminating calls and scenes of abuse played out; Jacques was too stunned to say anything; after 3 minutes, the broadcast finished.

"I can explain that...none of that is real!" Jacques pleaded. However, the entire audience was now scowling at him.

The Schnee Dust Company CEO turned and ran towards the nearest door, only for dozens of armed Atlas soldiers to run in and surround him.

Leading the troops was a man with short brown hair and teal-green eyes. He wore a sleeveless Atlesian Specialist uniform consisting of a white sleeveless double-breasted coat with red and blue accents with ornate detailing shaped to the form of wishbones, a broad tail with red lining, and a four-leaf clover pin on the lapel. His belt had a rabbit's foot keychain hanging off it. The leader of Atlas's ace operatives also wore white pants and covered his hands with brown fingerless gloves, with blue calf-high boots with four dark blue straps and silver steel toe plating.

Clover Ebi held out his scroll, showing his huntsman license, and said, "Jacques Schnee, you are under arrest for charges of physical assault, multiple counts of money laundering, fraud, disregard of safety regulations, and efforts to conceal evidence from Atlas investigators!"