Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)
Chapter 54: A Normal Day in Metropolis
January 10th, Year 2
11:15 AM (Eastern Standard Time)
Metropolis, New York, United States of America
It had been a week since Qrow, Penny, Willow and Whitley were able to leave the Justice League Watchtower and actually embark onto the surface of the Earth. They probably could've come down earlier, but the combination of their alien physiologies and substandard health meant that the Justice League didn't want to take any chances until they were completely caught up with all their vaccinations. Flu, tetanus, HPV, pretty much everything the Justice League could think of. Teams RWBY and JNPR apparently had to go through the exact same thing when they first got to Earth. Normally such an insane amount of vaccinations in such a short amount of time would've been considered extreme, but that was for humans native to Earth. Their bodies were built over thousands and millions of years of evolution to combat such diseases most of the time. Humans from Remnant had no such natural immunity, or at the very least it would've been insanely stupid to just assume that they did. As Ruby put it, trying to just act like they would be fine might result in a War of the Worlds scenario. Qrow had no idea what War of the Worlds was at first, but he got the implication as to what she was referring to regardless.
No, it was better to be safe than sorry, so they got their vaccinations. Except for Penny, of course. Being purely mechanical had more than a few advantages in this case. Getting poked dozens of times with various different medicinal cocktails wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience, but Qrow felt it was certainly better than the alternative. The last thing he needed was to catch an alien flu and have that be the thing that did him in. For a Huntsman of his caliber, that was just an insulting way to go.
But that was in the past. Now the group had relocated to RWBY and JNPR's penthouse suite in the city of Metropolis. Team JNPR and their friends, a group of young superheroes calling themselves the Titans, had spent much of the previous month renovating the apartment to accommodate them. By their account, the upstairs master bedroom had to be split into four different rooms and the wiring reworked accordingly, which took up the bulk of the work. But, seeing as how that room was only being used to house Ruby and Jaune's extensive Lego model collection, it wasn't a huge loss. By the time they arrived, their rooms were complete, needing only to be filled with anything they wanted to truly make them their own.
Qrow never really had anything resembling a home before. Most of the time he was moving from place to place, mission to mission. Even when he was a child, the Branwen tribe never stayed in one place for too long, lest they risk catching the attention of both Mistralian authorities and the Grimm. Not that the tribe was ever really a home to begin with. The closest thing he had to a permanent place of residence was the Xiao Long household on Patch, but that was practically a lifetime ago by now. Compared to all the other places he had stayed at over the years, his room in Metropolis was fairly comfortable, and you couldn't beat the view of the skyline.
For Willow and Whitley, it was jarring to go from their spacious and luxurious mansion in Atlas to the comparatively tight and crowded apartment afforded to them now. It was certainly nice and luxurious in its own right, courtesy of Bruce Wayne and his financial support, but it was still a significant downgrade from what they were used to. They didn't even have any servants. But, compared to the utter hell that was living under Brainiac's thumb for months, the apartment might as well have been heaven. Besides, Willow was actually kind of looking forward to doing things on her own. She wanted to use this opportunity to reconnect with her family, and if that meant she had to cook her own meals and clean up after herself, she was more than happy to do so.
Now all they really had left to do was simply find furnishings for their rooms. Beds, dressers, clothes and more. An expensive endeavor but, luckily, Bruce Wayne was paying for everything so they literally had a blank check.
"And there goes your TV, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby excitedly proclaimed as they watched the Wayne Electronics employees load a large flatscreen TV onto a truck, along with all the other assorted items that they had purchased just minutes ago.
"I still don't think I needed that. We already had, what, five?" Qrow pointed out, but Ruby scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.
"Nine, actually. Ten if you include the media room projector, and that's not including the four new ones we got today, but that's beside the point," Ruby rebuked. "All of us have our own TVs, so you get one, too! Besides, it's a really nice one! 4K resolution, internet connectivity, app support. It even comes with a free subscription to Wayne+!"
"All of that seems excessive. Also, we already have a Wayne+ subscription and we're sharing the same accounts."
"You're missing the point, Uncle Qrow," Yang spoke up. "What's important isn't that we're buying an insane amount of stuff. What's important is that we're buying an insane amount of stuff with Bruce's money."
Qrow couldn't help but chuckle at Yang's response and Ruby's subsequent pout, only for him to lightly frown at the unspoken implication. By now, he was aware of the Agamemnon Contingencies, as Bruce called them. Intimately detailed and well thought out strategies created by Bruce himself to nonlethally take down each and every hero should they go rogue, either willingly or not. According to his nieces, Bruce had already begun planning how to take them out behind their backs as soon as they arrived onto Earth, and they likely would've never even known had Bruce not been forced to use Aura-draining nanites against Jaune and Ren when they were mind-controlled by the supervillain Pamela Isley, otherwise known as Poison Ivy.
He was of two minds about said plans, and Bruce himself by extension. On the one hand, the fact that he created and acted upon those plans that included his nieces made his blood boil. Ruby and Yang were two of the sweetest and kindest girls he had ever known, and there was no way in Hell they would ever turn against the common good. But he had to acknowledge that Bruce's plans weren't designed around someone willingly going rogue.
The default assumption was that, should a hero actually do that, it would be because they were mind-controlled or otherwise forced to do so. That was exactly what happened to Jaune and Ren, and while the creation of those nanites was a betrayal of his nieces and their friends' trust, using them was the only reason why Jaune and Ren were able to walk away from that encounter with only minor injuries. The dilemma created an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, causing him to let out a huff and insert his hands into his jean pockets.
"By the way, he's already made a plan for me, hasn't he?" Qrow asked, and Yang immediately nodded with a frown on her face.
"Knowing him, he probably started as soon as he heard your name," Yang stated just as Penny emerged from a nearby pet store holding a bag with a single colorful fish.
"Salutations! I have acquired another betta fish for my room!" Penny declared, gently hoisting the clear plastic bag over her head with a large smile on her face.
"Why do you keep buying more betta fish?" a slightly annoyed but also curious Whitley asked with a tilt of his head.
"Because I love them!" Penny joyfully replied, then she turned towards Yang, Qrow, and Ruby. "Also, Friend Yang, why are you still upset with Mr. Wayne? Is it about the Agamemnon Contingency he made against you?"
Yang released a sigh and rubbed her hand through her hair, then replied, "Yes, Penny. I get that he didn't want to use them, and using them against Jaune and Ren was probably the right call at the time, but the fact is he made them behind our backs in the first place. He didn't trust us."
Penny was silent for a moment, then she nodded in understanding and replied, "I suppose that makes sense. In any case, I already forwarded him a detailed analysis on myself so that he can make my file as accurately as possible."
"You did what?!" Ruby asked in complete astonishment as everyone else was caught off guard.
"I'm assisting Mr. Wayne with creating strategies to take me temporarily offline in the event that it is once again necessary," Penny remarked as though it was obvious.
"…Why?" Qrow asked, and Penny softly frowned while looking at him.
"My body was hijacked by a virus created by Brainiac," Penny pointed out in as firm a voice as possible. "I lost complete control over my actions, and he used me to nearly kill Mr. Rayner and Mr. Garner. That virus then nearly killed me before Victor was able to remove it at great risk to himself. Given how it has already happened, I deemed it necessary to be prepared even if we have already taken steps to prevent it from happening again."
Everyone winced at that painful reminder, only for Penny to add in a surprisingly chipper tone, "Besides, wasn't your biggest issue with the Contingencies being that they were made behind your back? Since I'm actively helping him make my own, and he immediately argued for removing my remote access functions to safeguard my autonomy, I don't see the issue here."
Qrow glanced at Ruby and Yang before turning back towards Penny. He stared into her vibrant green eyes for a few moments, then he sighed, shook his head, and replied, "Alright, if you think that's appropriate. Don't expect me to do the same for myself, though. It'd be like telling Ironwood how to kick my ass."
"I wasn't expecting you to," Penny remarked. "Also, while your tone and body language suggests that you find the similarities between General Ironwood and Mr. Wayne disconcerting, I find it relieving."
"Of course you do," Qrow muttered while releasing another sigh, with Penny cheerfully grinning once again.
The dark and quiet part of his mind was worried about those same similarities, both positive and negative. Difficulty in trusting others, dark and brooding personalities, always assuming the worst. There was a lot of Ironwood in Bruce Wayne from where Qrow stood. But, from what he had seen and heard, there was also nobility, honor, and unlike Ironwood, Bruce seemed to understand the idea of restraint all too well. If nothing else it showed that Bruce Wayne, the Batman, was an extremely complicated figure to say the least.
As Qrow ruminated in his thoughts, Willow, Weiss, and Team JNPR walked out of a nearby clothing store, each holding one or more bags of clothes in their arms. Willow had a wide smile on her face as though she had just experienced something earthshaking and Weiss, while much more subdued, seemed to be pleased as well.
"I'd forgotten how much fun shopping for yourself could be," Willow admitted as she pressed her palm against her cheek. "I usually always had servants do that for me."
"Yes, well… After living with Yang, Ruby, and Blake for the past year it has grown on me as well," Weiss admitted, causing Nora to snicker.
"Heh, the rich girl likes to shop. Who would've guessed?" Nora teasingly asked, causing Weiss to shoot her a half-lidded stare.
"You be quiet," Weiss half-heartedly ordered, causing Nora to smirk.
"Yes, your Highness," Nora said in a mocking tone, completely with a slight curtsey, causing the rest of her team to chuckle, as well as Weiss' mother.
Once Willow calmed herself, she turned to look at the leader of Team JNPR, Jaune Arc. She decided now was a perfect opportunity to enjoy an activity plenty of mothers did here on Earth, and she asked, "So, Jaune, I heard you used to have something of a crush on my daughter?"
"MOM!" Weiss yelled in embarrassment as Jaune sputtered in surprise.
"Oh, uh, she told you about that?" Jaune said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. When Willow nodded while shifting a teasing glance towards her middle child, Jaune began to say, "Yeah, uh, I did, but I got over it. Not to say Weiss wasn't worth it! She was, I mean still is! She's great! I was just stupid and annoying and—"
Before Jaune could embarrass himself anymore, Nora came to the rescue and said, "Jaune, don't you need to get back to work?"
"Yes! Yes, I do," Jaune immediately took the out, handing Nora his bag and running off towards the bus station. He waved behind his shoulder as he did but otherwise refused to look back. The rest of JNPR, Weiss, and Willow watched him go, with Weiss giving her mother an annoyed glare.
"I like him," Willow declared as Jaune disappeared out of sight, causing Weiss to let out a groan and Nora, for some reason, to flash a look of genuine concern across her face as she focused her attention onto Willow.
"Seriously, Mother. You did not need to do that," Weiss said. "Yes, Jaune had a crush on me back at Beacon. At the time it was…irritating how persistent he was. But he and I have grown past that, and he's genuinely a good friend of mine."
"Oh, I know, I just read that teasing your daughter's friends is what mothers do and I thought I would try it. It was fun," Willow admitted.
Weiss stared at her mother for a moment, then decided to ignore it and say, "In any case, we still have more shopping we have to do if we want to attend Mayor Brown's event at the Natural History Museum. Let's go."
Without waiting for her mother to respond, Weiss turned to walk towards the rest of the group, with Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha right behind her. Willow took a moment to follow, but soon she caught to her daughter. She was about to say something, only to stop in her tracks when she noticed a particular store right next to them.
"Mother?" Weiss said in surprise as she turned towards her mother. That was when she noticed what Willow was looking at and found that it was a liquor store. Her face fell when she saw the obvious temptation in her mother's eyes, and for a moment it appeared that Willow was possibly considering going inside. But, after a few agonizing moments, Willow took a deep breath, steeled her resolve, and turned away to walk back to her daughter.
Weiss smiled in relief, then gently told Willow, "Thank you. I know it's…hard, but if you need any help fighting this, we're here for you."
Willow was silent at first, and when Weiss gently hugged her she hesitated before awkwardly hugging back. She then whispered, "Thank you."
That was when the door to the liquor store opened and Qrow walked out carrying a brown paper bag holding a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. He announced, "Got what I needed, let's go."
"Okay!" Ruby replied, preparing to lead the way to the next destination on their shopping trip. Qrow nodded, only to notice Weiss glaring at him.
Realizing why the former heiress might be upset, Qrow attempted to assuage her by saying, "Don't worry, this is mine."
"That's not the point," Weiss growled, only for Willow to cut her off with a raise of her hand.
"Weiss, I appreciate your concern, but it's fine. Qrow shouldn't have to stop just on my account," Willow said. "Besides, it'll be good to improve my self-control."
Weiss looked like she wanted to refute that, but after a few moments she shook her head and kept going. It was obvious that no one's minds were going to be changed, so she resolved herself to helping to keep her mother's urges in check. She could see Whitley also staring at them, and she could tell that his thoughts were roughly in line with her own at how intense of a glare he was sending Qrow's way.
"So, where are we going next?" Pyrrha asked, and Willow smiled while looking towards her son.
"Whitley still needs school supplies," she announced. "He'll be starting school at Gotham Academy in a few weeks when the semester starts, and he needs a backpack, pens, pencils, oh and his uniform! Ah, I'm looking forward to that the most!"
"Gods help me…" Whitley muttered under his breath. He wasn't particularly enthusiastic about going to school, even a prestigious and private institution like Gotham Academy. He and his sisters always had private tutors aside from the Huntsman Academies, but clearly that wasn't an option now. Apparently, his mother wanted him to get out and socialize with children his age, whatever that meant.
Eager to tease her younger brother, Weiss remarked, "Maybe we can ask Damian for help. He'll be there, too."
"Don't remind me," Whitley growled in obvious irritation, prompting the others to laugh.
As Jaune sat in his seat on the bus, he idly waved goodbye to his friends before the vehicle took off. Once they were out of sight, he released a sigh of relief and hung his head forward while thanking the Gods that Nora got him out of that incredibly awkward situation. In hindsight, he should've known that his former crush on Weiss would've eventually come up, given how they were now living with her mother and younger brother. At least Ms. Schnee seemed to take it in stride and wasn't angry at him. In fact, from his limited interactions with the Schnee matriarch, she seemed like a genuinely good person trying to make up for lost time. He had tried to actually have a complete conversation with her, but for whatever reason Nora always needed his help with something just as it got underway.
Dismissively shrugging his shoulders, Jaune turned his head to look out the window, idly staring at the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk and the cars traversing the roads. His mind went blank, going from thought to thought as the bus came to his stop. Once it arrived, he rose up from his seat, shimmied past a woman who had taken the empty seat next to him, then exited the bus. Jaune immediately turned to walk in the direction of the daycare, his hands placed into his pockets. It was cold outside, so his breath could be seen in the frigid air, but thanks to his jacket and Aura he didn't give it much mind. His friends were the same way, and especially the Schnees since they were from Atlas. In fact, they thought the cold here was quaint.
Soon he arrived back at the daycare, and he let out a smile as he gazed upon it. Sitting right next to Centennial Park, at first glance the building didn't seem all that special. But, with its dark evergreen tree logo standing atop of the words "Camp Campbell Daycare and Child Learning Facility" proudly displayed on a large wooden sign, it was far more than meets the eye.
His thoughts were then cut off when several snowballs were suddenly thrown right into his face.
"Gagh!" Jaune yelped in surprise, wiping the snow away with his fingers as he heard an annoyed groan coming from the playground.
"Dammit, Jaune! You were supposed to dodge that!" a young boy with dark skin, green eyes and black hair, and wearing a blue hoodie over a yellow shirt, complained as he emerged from his hiding spot behind a mound of snow.
Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, Jaune replied, "Max, what have we said about your language?"
"Bite me," Max immediately shot back, with his friends Nikki and Neil emerging from behind the mound as well. Nikki, with a wide smile on her face, pink eyes, and green hair tied into a twin bun, was wearing a bright red jacket over what he knew was her suspenders. Her cheeks, as always, were covered in dirt and snow, with one having a pair of bandages taped over it. Jaune knew she didn't actually have a wound under there, Nikki just thought it made her look cool. Neil, in contrast, looked somewhat nervous in his yellow sweater, rubbing his hands together as his blue eyes focused on Jaune while snow accumulated in his curly red hair.
"Hello, Jaune!" Nikki called out with an energetic wave and wide smile on her face, which Jaune returned.
"Hi, Nikki. Hi, Neil," Jaune greeted, then he returned his attention and ire onto the unrepentant Max. Leaning forward while resting his hands on his hips, he asked, "Now then, Max, is there a reason why you and your friends were waiting to ambush me with snowballs?"
"We were confirming Max's theory that you were, indeed, a superhero," Neil immediately answered, which Nikki affirmed by quickly nodding.
Jaune released a sigh, then replied, "How many times do I have to tell you kids, I'm not a superhero."
"Oh, bullshit," Max immediately dismissed and scoffed with a noticeable roll of his eyes. "We all know you're a superhero, Jaune. You're terrible at hiding it."
"I legitimately do not know what you're talking about," Jaune admitted as he hung his head back in frustration. This hadn't been the first time this theory had come up, and each time it did he got increasingly annoyed at how a bunch of children managed to figure out his secret.
"You totally are," Nikki innocently declared. "You keep doing all this really cool and heroic stuff, like when you saved me from that car."
"La-lala-lala!" Nikki loudly hummed to herself as she skipped along the sidewalk, cars rushing by.
"Nikki, be careful," Jaune called out from his position atop a small hill of dirt, and Nikki energetically waved back.
"Don't worry, I'm fine!" Nikki said, then went right back to skipping and humming.
Jaune kept his eye on her for a moment, then nodded and went back to watching the other kids play a game of kickball. Ered, the oldest and most athletic of the bunch whose normally disinterested facial expression was replaced by one of utmost concentration, was lining up her shot against Nurf, a large heavyset boy who had developed a reputation of being something of a bully to the other kids occasionally yet, at the same time, was oddly considerate about it.
Once Ered lined up her shot, she rolled the kickball down the dirt field as hard as she could. Nurf narrowed his eyes, then he ran forward, reared his foot back, and kicked with enough force to send the rubber ball flying. Jaune instinctively ducked underneath the ball as it zoomed towards his face, then he turned to watch it fly.
"Hah! In your face, nerds!" Nurf celebrated, throwing his hands in the air as he began to run around the bases.
The rest of the kids watched as the ball flew over the fence, giving Nurf and his team a homerun. It bounced right off the sidewalk near Nikki, going into the empty street before coming to a stop near the opposite curb.
"I got it!" Nikki cried out, looking both ways before running across the street. She picked up the ball and began to run it back, with everyone else including Jaune watching.
Then they heard a squeal of tires and, to their horror, watched as a speeding car came around the bend. The driver, upon noticing a stupefied and frozen Nikki, attempted to slam on his brakes but it wasn't enough. His car was just about to crash right into the young girl but, before it could, Jaune suddenly dove in from the side, wrapping Nikki up in his arms and turning his back towards the oncoming vehicle. He smashed into the hood and windshield, cracking the glass as he rolled over the top and landed hard onto the pavement.
"Gagh!" Jaune yelled in pain once he came to a stop, Nikki still held in his arms.
"Oh my God, Jaune! Nikki!" he heard his boss, a young man in his early twenties who absolutely loved camping named David, run over to check on him and Nikki. The other kids did so as well, and soon they were completely surrounded by concerned onlookers.
"You son of a bitch!" his coworker, a young, overworked and overstressed woman named Gwen screamed at the top of her lungs as she threw her shoe at the car who had run Jaune and Nikki over and kept going. Not that it got the hit-and-runner much further than a couple more blocks around the corner, as they found out later that Superman had heard the incident from across the city and flew in to apprehend him, car and all. The 'talking to' the driver received from the Man of Steel as he was delivered to the police (while his vehicle was carried quite a few stories higher than necessary) left him blubbering in shame as he was cuffed.
"Jaune, Nikki! Are you guys okay?" David asked, nearly coming to tears as Jaune pushed himself up, a petrified but unhurt Nikki holding tightly onto his shirt.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine…" Jaune groaned out, silently grateful that he was able to get his Aura up in time to absorb the blow, while also not reflexively using his Semblance and having the car pancake around his body like a solid white glowing pillar. Focusing on the young girl held in his arms, Jaune gently asked, "Nikki, are you okay?"
After a few moments, Nikki slowly lifted her head to look at him. At first, Jaune feared that Nikki was about to cry, then she smiled and exclaimed, "That was SO COOL! DO IT AGAIN!"
The other kids, David, Jaune, and Gwen all released sighs of open relief, while Max tried to nonchalantly say, "She's fine."
"Literally anyone would've done that," Jaune countered, only for Neil to point his finger at him.
"You crossed an entire kickball field in less than two seconds, got hit head-on by a Camaro going at least sixty miles-per-hour, and both you and Nikki walked away from that like nothing happened," Neil pointed out. "I think you did more damage to the car then it did to you guys."
"We should've died!" Nikki happily added, and Jaune flashed her a look of concern before refocusing on the others. To his dismay, he saw that the other kids were beginning to crowd around as well.
"That was pretty cool," Ered admitted as she sharply turned her head back to fling her purple dyed bang away from her eyes.
"It was like you rolled a natural twenty on strength, speed, and endurance all at once!" Nerris, a young and dorky girl with black skin, freckles on her cheeks, and dressed up like an elf mage, added while spreading her arms wide.
"While I'm glad you guys think that, that does not mean I'm a superhero," Jaune tried to insist.
"What about the nature hike?" the young boy only known as Space Kid asked, his voice muffled underneath the glass bowl he wore over his head like an astronaut's helmet.
"AAGH!" Jaune yelled in exertion as he held up a large, thick tree, preventing it from falling on top of several cloth tents and allowing the groggy children to escape unharmed.
"Well, when you get a burst of adrenaline like that, you can do anything," Jaune said with a wave of his hand.
"That tree weighed several hundred pounds, at least," countered Harrison, a young boy wearing a stage magician's outfit, complete with top hat. "It should've crushed you."
"I'm just glad my mom wasn't there to see him flexing like that in nothing but his pajama pants…" Neil muttered while crossing his arms in discomfort.
"Speaking of, there was also that time when you somehow managed to get us tickets to Zatanna Zatera's sold out show at the last minute," Preston, a boy dressed like he was in a Shakespearean play, announced as he pumped his fists towards his chest. "It was EXHILARATING!"
Jaune couldn't help but notice Harrison let out a sigh of relief at the memory, particularly how Zatanna, recognizing his genuine magical talent, gave him some much needed pointers after the show which allowed him to bring his younger brother out of whatever pocket dimension he accidentally trapped him in, completely unharmed. That was the reason why Jaune was able to get those tickets in the first place, but he wasn't going to admit that.
"I told you guys, I got lucky in a lottery," Jaune tried to say, but no one believed him.
"Gwendoline, you know just like we do that Jaune is a superhero, right?" the young boy named Dolph asked in a thick German accent.
"I don't care what Jaune does in his downtime," Gwen immediately replied as she walked past, writing something into her notepad with a pencil.
"Oh come on," Jaune released a groan and hung his head, only for Max to add the finishing touch.
"And then there was fucking Frank!" Max declared.
"David, are you sure about this?" Jaune asked as he, Gwen, and David stared at the large Venus fly trap David had brought into the main classroom.
"Yep! I got this little guy for a bargain. I thought it'd be perfect for our botany camp!" David happily exclaimed as he stood up straight and rested his hands on his hips.
"I would not call it little…" Jaune muttered while Gwen gave her coworker a sideways glance.
"Where did you say you bought this plant from?" Gwen asked.
"Some guy in an alleyway a few blocks from here," David answered, causing Gwen and Jaune to stare at each other.
"…Well, I'm going to take care of…something that gets me away from this," Gwen announced, with Jaune turning to leave with her.
"And I have to meet up with my friends for lunch," Jaune added.
"Okay, have fun! I'll just stay here and water Frank," David declared, pulling out a nearby flowering can and gently pouring water into the pot filled with dirt.
Jaune and Gwen watched him for a moment, David not even noticing them as he hummed a jaunty tune, which Jaune recognized as the Camp Campbell theme song David had composed himself, then they gently closed the door and stood just outside of it.
"That is not a normal plant…and I can't believe he named it Frank," Jaune said, and Gwen nodded.
"Yeah, no shit. God, why did I have to get a liberal arts degree and get stuck in this dead end job. I shouldn't have to deal with this…" Gwen complained, and Jaune sympathetically patted her shoulder.
"Hey, you'll be fine. How goes the job search?" Jaune asked, and Gwen threw up her arms in frustration.
"Apparently I'm too qualified, for some reason! No matter what, I just can't leave! It sucks," Gwen answered, and Jaune winced.
"Well…just keep looking. I'm sure you—"
Jaune was cut off when they heard a commotion coming from inside the room, catching his and Gwen's attention. Turning towards the door, Jaune slowly opened it. Much to his and Gwen's surprise, they saw David backed up against the wall, his arms held up, while the plant he had purchased was inexplicably holding him at gunpoint.
"Gwen, Jaune, can you get my wallet?" David fearfully asked, and the plant emphasized the demand by folding one of its leaves like an outstretched palm.
Jaune and Gwen simply stared at the strange sight before them, joined by the elderly and weird Quartermaster. Without saying a word, the Quartermaster held up a large tree trimmer, which Jaune immediately took, clicked together a few times, then marched inside with the door closing behind him.
"…Okay, that one was weird," Jaune admitted, then he shook his head. "But that does not mean I'm a superhero. I'm just a camp counselor and that's it."
"Yeah, right, and Space Kid's actually been to space," Max dismissed.
"I will one day!" Space Kid added, but the others ignored him.
Before Jaune could say anything else, David suddenly came out of the building. Upon noticing Jaune, David happily called out, "Hello, Jaune! I hope your lunch break was swell?"
"It was, thank you," Jaune said as David came over to him, causing the other kids and Gwen to groan.
"I swear, if they break into song again…" Max muttered under his breath.
"Is anyone else going to point out how Jaune and David sound the exact same?" Nurf asked, only for David and Jaune to laugh him off.
"Don't be ridiculous, Nurf. We sound nothing alike," Jaune and David both said at the same time like the two peas in a pod they were. Jaune genuinely liked David. He was a great guy with an infectious love of camping which Jaune shared. It reminded him of the camping trips he and his family used to take when he was younger, and often the pair would spend hours sharing experiences.
Such a conversation was how Jaune got this job in the first place, allowing him and David to bond almost instantly. Apparently, Camp Campbell used to just be a simple summer camp near Lake Lilac, but after the previous owner was arrested for more crimes than Jaune could count, David became the owner and manager. He decided that the joy of camping should be able to be enjoyed by anyone year-round regardless of location, even in the middle of a big city like Metropolis, so he opened the Camp Campbell Daycare and Child Learning Center to do just that. They had a lot more kids than just the ones with them today, but these were their regulars and were boarding with them for Winter Camp until school started back up again.
The other children and Gwen stared at them for a moment with flat expressions on their faces. Much like Jaune's super heroics, only they realized what Jaune and David were too ignorant to notice at all.
"Are you guys picking on Jaune again?" David asked in a somewhat disappointed tone in his voice. "I know you all think that Jaune is, pfft, a superhero, but if he says that he's not then he's not. We should take him at his word."
"Oh my God, David, why are you so lame and blind…" Max complained, but David either didn't hear him or chose to ignore the young boy.
"Now then, since Jaune has returned from his lunch break it's time to kickstart the rest of the day's activities!" David announced as he slowly began to pull out his small guitar, much to Jaune's joy.
"If you start to sing that stupid song, I will break that guitar over your head," Gwen immediately promised, causing David to sadly put the guitar away much to his and Jaune's disappointment.
"But I love the song…" Jaune muttered, with David tearfully patting him on the back sympathetically.
Gwen released a groan, then called out, "Alright, you little shits, listen up! We're doing Winter Survival Camp in Centennial Park, so grab your shit and line up near the sign."
While some of the children did so immediately, a few took their time to leave. Max, Neil, and Nikki were the last to leave, with Max giving Jaune a pointed and knowing stare, but after receiving a harsh glare from Gwen they too went back into the building to grab their gear. Once everyone returned, they stood in front of the wooden sign as the Quartermaster rolled up in an old, beaten down yellow school bus that had plenty of stains and rust on the outside frame.
"Come on, let's get moving," Quartermaster raspingly ordered, resting his hooked hand on the steering wheel. The children and counselors piled into the bus and, as soon as everyone was seated, the vehicle rumbled away.
Ever since they arrived on Earth, Salem and her subordinates' time had been completely focused on learning about and understanding the new world they found themselves on. Its people, history, cultures and more. As Salem said, knowledge is the most potent weapon in the universe, even more so than magic. The right piece of information, and the proper use of it, could overcome any advantage a foe may possess, while the lack or misuse of knowledge could have the opposite effect. It was an understanding that Lex Luthor was all too familiar with, so he was more than accommodating in terms of providing his 'guests' with all the relevant information they needed.
There was a lot to take in, and Hazel knew they'd only scratched a tiny sliver of everything they needed to know. Salem's encounter with the being known as the Spectre only reinforced the notion that they needed more intel. In all his years, Hazel had never seen Salem so legitimately spooked, or come across a being she couldn't defeat. Still, by this point they had managed to acquire enough information to at least get a general idea of the current state of the world, and more importantly an inkling as to the potential directions they should go.
It was inevitable that their alliance with Lex Luthor and LexCorp would be short-lived. At best, Hazel imagined it would only last a year, probably shorter. For all his ego, it was clear to everyone that Lex was an extremely intelligent and resourceful man. He most likely figured that they planned to betray him, and he clearly intended to do so as well once their use to him ran out. But Salem knew how to manage timetables more than anyone else in existence. After all, she had literal lifetimes of experience in doing just that, so Hazel was confident that they'd be able to get the drop on him.
Regardless of their short-term dilemmas, they had to keep an eye on what they were going to do in the long-term. They already had a few discussions on this matter, with Salem taking everyone's ideas and suggestions into account. As she put it, their situation was as alien to her as it was to them, so having proper feedback was paramount.
Tyrian, the ever-loyal psychopath he was, immediately suggested taking advantage of the ongoing Grimm Crisis, as Earth's various media was calling it, to establish control over the world's governments. By manipulating and taking control of the Grimm in key regions, both directing the Grimm to attack and retreat from select areas as needed, she could convince the world that working under her was in their best interest. Salem could establish herself as the God Queen of Earth, directing all of its plentiful resources into a single, unified purpose: Killing Brainiac.
Watts, meanwhile, thought that while Tyrian's suggestion may have had merit on Remnant, on Earth it would be practically impossible. Earth's society, governments, but most importantly its heroes were far too entrenched and powerful to attempt such a global coup d'état, especially when they were starting off completely from scratch. If she attempted to use her control over the Grimm, he claimed, she wouldn't be labeled a goddess to worship and follow. Salem would be declared just another of these so-called supervillains that plagued countries around the world and they would respond to her accordingly.
As such, Watts suggested that they focus their attention on expanding Salem's coven of subordinates by reaching out into Earth's supervillain community. Salem already experienced much of her success on Remnant by sticking to the shadows, and there was no reason to believe that Earth would be any different. Most of these villains would want nothing to do with her, but some could be incredibly useful. More importantly, they would be far more likely to actually work with her. The Atlesian scientist had already found a few noteworthy individuals she could probably sway to her side easily, such as a Doctor Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow, currently housed in Arkham Asylum. By unifying Earth's villains under her guidance, he claimed, Salem could amass a force powerful enough to take on any foe, including Brainiac.
Of course, there was precedent on Earth already of such attempts trying and failing. The most successful was the short-lived Secret Society, headed by a sapient and psychic gorilla named Grodd. But it, like all the others, fell apart to infighting as the supervillains turned on each other at the slightest provocation. Even when the Secret Society was functioning, there was little to no synergy between its members, leadership, or resources, with everyone focusing purely on their own goals and only really banding together to take down the nascent Justice League and Earth's authorities. Frankly, it was a miracle it lasted as long as it did. To his credit, Watts did acknowledge this history and firmly believed that Salem, with her extensive history and experience with directing such individuals, would be able to accomplish what others could not.
Watts very well may have had a point. Hazel, however, had a different view. Much of Salem's actions on Remnant were done to tear down a corrupt society set up by Ozpin and his countless prior incarnations. He lamented the lives that were lost in their war, but at the time he earnestly believed that, in the end, it would be worth it to remove Remnant from Ozpin's poison. But Brainiac made that moot, and now they were on a world completely untouched by Ozpin. There was little reason, in Hazel's mind, to continue an assault against a people that didn't deserve it or hadn't done anything to them to warrant such aggression. Only his loyalty and gratitude towards Salem, along with the knowledge that everything they were doing would ultimately lead to exacting vengeance upon Brainiac, gave him the justification to act against Earth's people at all. Instead, Hazel suggested that rather than working against the people of Earth or attempting to take over them as a God Queen, they should instead work with the people of Earth. The best way to do this would've been to reach out and align themselves with the Justice League.
He had his issues with the organization, namely their willingness to allow children to dress up as heroes and go out to fight criminals and other supervillains. It was unacceptable to let such a thing happen, and he especially despised the so-called Batman, real name Bruce Wayne if Lex's information was accurate, and his history of child sidekicks fighting by his side calling themselves Robin. Not even Batman's own flesh and blood was kept from joining his crusade. But even with his issues with the Justice League, it was impossible to ignore that they were by far the most powerful group on the planet. Some were practically living gods with their strength and abilities. Every single time a foe came upon Earth's nascent and growing superhero community, they were beaten back. Some fights were easier than others, but the end result was the same. If they wanted to bring Brainiac to justice, swallowing their pride and working with the Justice League might just be their best course of action.
But, as his cohorts pointed out, there were considerable flaws with this approach. Flaws that Hazel was all too aware of even as he suggested it. Namely, it would've only worked had they been able to approach the Justice League with a good first impression. With the Grimm running rampant across the world, and the Justice League working directly with eight students of Beacon Academy for months, it was highly unlikely that the League would be open to such an alliance. They'd probably attack them under the belief that bringing them in would abate the Grimm attacks. Not to mention that their biggest advantage right now was that the Justice League had no idea Salem even existed, much less that she and all of her direct subordinates save for Cinder Fall were on the planet. They needed to stay hidden for as long as possible, especially right now, and that meant the League had to remain trapped in their ignorance.
In the end, Salem didn't make a decision. There were still far too many unknowns to work with, so for now they would continue doing what they were already doing. Working in the shadows, gathering information, and pulling just the right strings to see what would happen while they let Lex Luthor believe he was calling the shots. Salem did, however, call for a more hands on and personal approach to understanding the world. There was only so much they could gather from afar. She needed agents in the field, gathering information directly so that they could make the best use of it.
Which was why Hazel was currently strolling about the streets of Metropolis by himself, taking everything in as the snow was crunched beneath his boots and his breath condensed into fog in front of his face. As Salem put it, despite his massive size Hazel was genuinely the best person for such a public recon assignment. Tyrian's scorpion tail and psychopathic demeanor meant that he would stand out like a sore thumb, and there would be a greater than zero chance that the authorities would inevitably get involved for whatever reason. Of course, the serial killer was capable of concealing his tail and bloodlust in public up to a point, but that still didn't make him a good choice for having non-suspicious conversations with 'normal' people. Even Tyrian, himself, disappointed as he was in not being able to effectively serve his goddess, understood that his skillset wasn't appropriate for the mission at hand.
Watts probably could've come along with Hazel. The man was, if nothing else, a consummate professional who prided himself on getting the job done and done well. In some ways he was better at blending in than even Hazel. But he was still learning the intricacies of Earth's technology and programming. Watts was a master at manipulating Remnant's computer systems partly because he had helped to design some of them, but he had no such experience or inside knowledge with Earth's. Not only that, Earth had literally hundreds of different operating systems, and no two worked the exact same way. As the doctor put it, his time and effort was better spent learning how to once more apply the skills he'd been recruited for, a sentiment that Salem agreed with.
As such, the task of going out into Metropolis fell onto Hazel's shoulders while the rest stayed back at Lex's artificial island. Despite his gargantuan and muscular form, masked by the thick brown coat he was currently wearing, his calm and stoic demeanor, combined with his aversion towards unnecessary violence, meant that at worst he was getting a few curious glances. Otherwise, no one paid him any heed. He was perfectly fine with that, allowing Hazel to simply focus his attention on his surroundings.
"Hey, did you catch the latest episode of House of the Dragon last night? It was so good!" he heard someone say to one of their friends.
"Nah, was too busy playing Call of Duty Apokolyptic Warfare II. I finally managed to call in Superman and won the entire match," his friend replied much to the former's amazement and Hazel's confusion.
Walking further down the street and leaving the two teenagers and their conversation behind, he kept his hands in his jacket's pockets as he crossed the street into Centennial Park. His eyes constantly darted around, absorbing every minute detail he could while his ears picked up every nearby conversation. Two things quickly became apparent. One, the city of Metropolis reminded him of Vale in many ways, being large, diverse, and wealthy…well, metropolises. Two, all of the superhero iconography scattered around various buildings and people's clothing, combined with their conversations, told him much about the importance people placed on superheroes in general. Nothing could make that influence more apparent than the statue of Superman holding up the globe in the center of Centennial Park, which had dozens of onlookers taking photos or staring up at it reverently.
Hazel couldn't help but briefly stop and look at this Superman's statue. Part of him felt that having such an effigy was gaudy at best, but at the same time he couldn't deny that everything he had read about the Man of Steel warranted such a display. He was the world's first superhero, the one whom nearly every other since tried to emulate. Besides, the statue itself was erected following Superman's death at the hands of the being known as Doomsday, so it wasn't like Superman was around to tell them no. In any case, the subject of Superman was one that they focused on more than any other superhero, particularly due to Lex's utter obsession with the last Kryptonian.
There was more information and analysis on Superman than the rest of the Justice League combined, with Lex compiling every single possible thing he could think of. Force impact measurements of his punches, material analysis post-contact with his impenetrable skin, velocity during hypersonic flight and movement, even reaction time. The only information that Lex didn't have was whether Superman had a secret identity like so many other members of the Justice League possessed. As Lex put it, trying to determine whether Superman had a civilian identity would've been a waste of time and resources because Superman didn't have one. He was Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton who lived in the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica when he wasn't flying around the world, punching criminals and helping cats out of trees. It was a sentiment that Salem and the others could understand. After all, it was hard to comprehend a living god having a day job.
And that's really what all the information told them. Superman, by all accounts, truly was a living god, only weak to the radioactive remains of his homeworld called kryptonite. Hazel had wondered how such a material was able to cross the vast distances of time and space so quickly, but apparently the destruction of Krypton created enough force to send pieces of kryptonite in all directions like a grenade, the fragments moving at near relativistic speeds. It took years, well after Superman arrived on Earth as an infant, but they got here regardless.
Lex had managed to acquire several tons of the material over the years, and by now had even learned how to artificially create it himself much like he was currently trying to do with Dust. It was an effort Watts and even Salem herself derided as fruitless, as the people of Remnant had been trying to do it for centuries, but Lex was convinced he could get it done. At the very least it meant he wasn't interacting with them directly, which Hazel greatly appreciated. If he thought Watts was full of himself, Lex was a hundred times worse.
Superman was also vulnerable to magic, which Salem felt could give her a potential advantage should they ever come into conflict. While she wasn't as skilled as Ozma was during his prime, Salem's capability in magic was nothing to scoff at. Combined with her immortality, even a man as strong as Superman would fall eventually. But, as Lex put it, she would only defeat Superman with magic if he let her. At most, according to the CEO, Salem would get one or two hits in before Superman would simply run circles around her with his superspeed. Not only that, he'd nearly constantly be getting recharged by the sun, except during night but even that was more of a mild inconvenience thanks to his immense speed, meaning he would never tire out. Their battle would truly be like an unstoppable forcing meeting an immovable object, which was something Salem would rather avoid for the time being.
After a few moments of looking at the statue, Hazel briefly shifted his attention to the side as an old school bus arrived and dropped off a bunch of young children. He watched as the counselors hopped off, including one of the other Remnantians who arrived onto Earth before he and the others did. If he remembered correctly, the boy was named Jaune Arc. Cinder's reports pegged him as rather unassuming, with the only notable details about him being his tactical ability and leadership skills along with his large aura reserves. Otherwise, the most remarkable thing about him was his partnership with Pyrrha Nikos, whom Cinder believed prior to Brainiac's invasion was being lined up by Ozpin to inherit the other half of the Fall Maiden powers.
Hazel decided to leave before Jaune could get a good look at him, not wanting to take any chances. He slipped right past the young Huntsman-in-Training and out of Centennial Park, making his way towards the Metropolis Museum of Natural History. Metropolis' mayor was hosting an event celebrating Native American culture, with the centerpiece being a priceless Apache war shield dating back to the 19th century.
As he walked towards the museum, he paused as he passed by a nearby bar with the door open. His attention was drawn towards the television, which depicted Lois Lane talking in front of a map depicting the Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq. He stepped inside the bar and leaned back against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest as he focused on what the nation's top reporter had to say.
"The newly crowned King of Kahndaq, Teth-Adam, has announced a reorganization of the kingdom's education system," Lois Lane reported. "Under the previous dictatorships, education was exclusive only to the noble caste. The new reforms launched by Adam's government has opened education to every level of Kahndaqian society for the first time which, among other things, includes courses on the study and practical application of magic."
"For too long our people have been oppressed by those lording over them, hoarding the great wealth of our nation and exploiting our labors for their benefit alone," a recording of Teth-Adam proclaimed as he and his council stood before a newly built school located in a rural village. "Limiting access to education was but one way for the oppressors to keep our people down. To that I say no more. From this day forward, education shall be freely available to everyone who calls Kahndaq home."
"This is but the latest move by the Kingdom of Kahndaq's controversial new ruler," Lois declared. "On the one hand, King Teth-Adam has won plaudits for expanding access to healthcare and education along with revitalizing the kingdom's crumbling infrastructure. His efforts to combat systematic corruption has also won praise. But his heavy handed and, at times, outright cruel approach to stamping out opponents to his rule has received condemnation. Freedom of the press and expression is still severely curtailed or nonexistent, with no signs of it abating anytime soon.
"The ongoing Grimm Crisis and the resulting refugee crisis has also heightened tensions, as while Teth-Adam has pledged to protect all those living within Kahndaq's borders he has thus far refused to aid international efforts at all. Border disputes with Egypt, Palestine, Israel and Jordan from a newly aggressive Kahndaq also threaten to plunge the region into another conflict. The Daily Planet will continue to monitor the situation as it develops."
Teth-Adam was another figure that Salem was looking into. He was as powerful as Superman, and if they could sway him over to her side they could obtain a valuable ally. But it was far from guaranteed that such a thing would happen, and now wasn't the time to reach out directly. They would in time, but for now it was best to keep their cards close to their chests.
As the news shifted to something far more trivial, Hazel slipped out of the bar and continued on his way, content to watch those going about their lives and passing him by in peace.
With their shopping done for now, and JNPR having to return to their day jobs, team RWBY, Penny, Qrow, Willow and Whitley decided to take a break and get some much needed lunch. Since the latter three were still incredibly new to Metropolis, and Penny didn't need to eat at all, they were more than happy to let RWBY choose the restaurant. They settled on a small diner, the same one that Blake and Clark ate lunch at when Blake confronted her coworker about him truly being the Man of Steel. With its retro, 1950s style design and furnishings, it created a warm and homey atmosphere that they all appreciated.
"You guys really need to get the milkshakes here," Ruby declared as they all sat down at the large corner booth, the only one big enough to fit their entire party. "They are so good!"
"They really are," Blake admitted. "Had to eat mine with my spoon, it was so thick."
"…Doesn't that just mean it's ice cream?" Whitley asked, and Yang smirked while closing her eyes, shaking her head, and raising a finger.
"Whitley, Whitley, the fact that you have to even ask that just shows how ignorant you are," Yang dramatically proclaimed. "But don't worry, we are here to teach you."
"That does not fill me with confidence," Whitley immediately retorted, only for Weiss to sigh and place her hand gently on his shoulder.
"Trust me, just give in. It'll make it all easier," Weiss advised her younger brother. Whitley looked up at his sister in slight annoyance, but after a quick glance towards the rest of her team he decided that there was no point in arguing for now.
"Fine, I'll indulge this…" Whitley grumbled, causing Ruby to smile.
"That's the spirit!" Ruby cheered, then turned her head to the side as their waitress came forward.
"Hi, welcome to the Metropolis Diner!" their waitress introduced herself, a tall girl in her early twenties with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a stylized ring on her finger. As she passed around the menus for them to look over, she continued, "My name is Imra, I'll be your waitress this evening."
It took a moment for Yang to recognize the woman, then her eyes widened and she said, "Wait a minute, I remember you! Imra, you were attacked by the Mad Hatter a few months ago!"
"Hmm? Oh, Yang! Would you look at that, what a surprise," Imra replied in complete astonishment.
"You two know each other?" Penny asked in bemusement, and Imra nodded.
"We met only once," Imra admitted as she pinned her notepad and pen underneath her armpit. "I live across the river in Gotham since the rent's cheaper. You try renting an apartment in Metropolis with just a waitress' tips."
"I can imagine," Qrow replied with a slight chuckle, and Imra nodded.
"Anyway, I was walking home one night when I was attacked by the Mad Hatter. He thought I was his Alice or something. But, before he could do anything, Yang showed up out of nowhere and knocked him right out. She then escorted me home," Imra declared as she smiled towards Yang, who smiled back and waved her off.
"Eh, it was nothing," Yang dismissed. "I was just in the right place at the right time. Besides, you helped me get through some stuff then, too."
"Still, she saved my life, and for that I'm eternally grateful," Imra said as she pulled her pen and notepad back out. "Tell you what, I'll give you guys the employee discount. My treat."
"Really? Thank you so much!" Ruby cried out, and Imra smiled and nodded.
"It's the least I can do. Now, can I take your orders?" Imra asked, clicking the pen in emphasis.
"I do not require any sustenance," Penny immediately declared, causing Imra and the others to look at her with slight surprise, while the gynoid simply gave the waitress a wide smile.
"…Alright then," Imra replied, then turned towards Ruby. "What about you?"
"Yes, I will have the…double cheeseburger and a large strawberry shake," Ruby answered, with Imra already writing it down. "Ooh, with fries, too!"
"Heh-heh, of course. Don't worry, I was already putting you down for that," Imra claimed, causing Ruby to smile. Blake couldn't help but notice that Imra was writing at a fairly fast pace, almost just before Ruby herself said what she wanted, but she chalked it up to Imra simply being experienced.
Seeing Imra turn her attention to the panther faunus, Blake quickly scanned through the menu and answered, "I'll have the fish and chips with a small chocolate milkshake."
"I'll have the same thing Ruby's getting, just with a large banana shake," Yang quickly added, which Imra jotted down on her notepad.
"I'm fine with just the ham and cheese sandwich with a glass of water," Weiss said, causing Yang to dramatically puff up her face.
"Boo, Weiss. That's boring," Yang told her teammate, only for Weiss to scoff.
"I do not need the calories, thank you very much," Weiss claimed, and Yang shook her head before looking at Whitley.
"Don't you dare think about following your sister's footsteps, Whitley. Be bold and daring, not a wimp," Yang told him.
Weiss rolled her eyes in exasperation, a ghost of a smile across her lips. Whitley saw this from the corner of his eye as he continued going over the menu, which had plenty of options for him to choose from. In nearly any other circumstance, he would've derided the selection as commoner food, overly greasy and not at all appealing. But that was practically a lifetime ago, each day of which contained nothing but the tasteless nutrition paste Brainiac fed to his direct test subjects, which would drive an appreciation for actual food home for anyone.
With that in mind, and a desire to both avoid any light mockery by Weiss' team while also showing her up, however slightly, Whitley ordered, "I'll take the chicken strips with a small vanilla shake."
"There we go! A bit basic, but it's a start," Yang teased the young boy regardless, causing him to frown in slight defeat.
"And what about you two?" Imra asked Qrow and Willow, with the latter placing her menu down on the table.
"A greasy cheeseburger and chocolate shake sounds pretty good right about now," Qrow said. He still had his bottle of Jack Daniels, but he doubted the diner would appreciate him partaking in such a hard beverage in their establishment. A notion that was only reinforced when Imra glanced down at the paper bag by his feet with a slight scowl on her face.
"I'm fine with what my daughter is having as well," Willow politely claimed.
Imra nodded as she finished jotting down their order, then she turned around and said, "I'll be right back with your drinks and food shortly."
Imra walked off, leaving the Remnantians to themselves. Yang immediately turned towards her friends and family and said, "Wow, I did not expect to run into her again. Small world, huh?"
"Yeah, small world," Qrow murmured. The paranoid and worldly Huntsman part of him thought it was odd that Imra would be there, but the rest reminded himself that he had literally crossed the vast distances of space to reunite with his nieces. Running into the same person just a town over, in contrast, was practically nothing.
"So, after this we are going to the museum, correct?" Willow asked, and Penny nodded.
"Yes, they are having an exhibit on Native American culture! I am most excited!" Penny answered, with the others nodding as well.
"I'm just grateful that all the artifacts are on loan from the Native American tribes and weren't just stolen," Blake muttered, causing Willow to perk her head to the side in confusion.
"What do you mean?" the Schnee matriarch asked, and Blake frowned as she pursed her lips in thought.
The faunus then answered, "A lot of historical artifacts housed in museums around the world weren't exactly acquired in a way we would say was…ethical or legal nowadays. Many were just outright stolen from people who were already losing everything. That's what happened to the Native Americans when the United States spread westward. They used to call these lands home, but now they're housed in reservations with their cultures and way of life practically destroyed. It's a tragedy."
"…Oh, I see," Willow softly replied, feeling somewhat uncertain after her earlier enthusiasm.
Seeing this, Blake quickly added, "I wouldn't feel too guilty. It happened well before we 'arrived' here, and besides, things have been getting better. The Justice League and other civil activists have been a major help in that regard, and Mayor Brown made it a point that this exhibit was acquired as ethically as possible."
"Yep! For a living fossil, he's a good guy!" Ruby said as Penny's eyes flashed green.
"Ruby, just because he's old doesn't mean he's a fossil. That's rude," Willow, tapping into her newly rediscovered sense of motherhood, lightly chastised the young girl while Qrow bit back a laugh, only for Ruby to tilt her head in confusion.
"What are you talking about? It's what he calls himself," Ruby countered, causing Willow, Qrow, and Whitley to look at each other in confusion when the rest of RWBY nodded alongside their leader. Before they could say anything else, though, Penny decided to chime in.
"Based off my research on the internet," Penny began, "it appears that, at one point, the Apache war shield making up the centerpiece of the exhibit was stolen by the United States."
"Oh, really? How'd they get it back?" Yang asked.
"In 1889, a bounty hunter by the name of Jonah Hex intercepted a train robbery that just so happened to have the shield, and several tons of silver ore, in it," Penny answered while uploading an old sepia-tone photograph taken of the event to their Scrolls and phones, showing the infamous bounty hunter along with five individuals they couldn't quite make out standing in front of a derailed train. "Rather than return the shield to the American government, he returned it to the Apache instead."
"Oh, that was good of him," Ruby said. Any further thoughts were cut off when Imra returned with their drinks and milkshakes held on a large plastic platter.
"Here you go. I threw in waters for the rest of you just in case," Imra told them as she handed off the various drinks to their appropriate customers.
Ruby could hardly wait to dig in as she was handed her milkshake, grabbing a metal spoon and immediately beginning to shovel it into her mouth. She hummed in satisfaction, much to her sister and uncle's amusement. The rest proceeded to enjoy their drinks as well, albeit not as enthusiastically as the young girl, and Imra couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. Particularly when Whitley tried to suck his milkshake up his straw, only to find that Blake's claim was more than accurate, forcing him to use a spoon instead.
"Thanks, Imra," Yang told the waitress as she grabbed her spoon, with Imra nodding in appreciation.
"Happy to be of assistance," Imra claimed. "Your food is on its way. Should only be—"
She and everyone else was suddenly cut off when they felt a strange, ethereal pulse shoot through them. The ground, windows, and tables briefly shook. Not hard enough to hurt anyone, but enough to be felt.
"What the hell?" Qrow said as he slowly stood up, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to rise.
"What was that? An earthquake?" Willow asked in slight alarm, but Weiss shook her head.
"No, there aren't any fault lines near Metropolis nor any fracking. This was something else…" Weiss declared, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
Whitley nervously began to look around, especially as they saw a thick cloud of white fog roll in from all directions, making it to where they could hardly see anything just outside the diner. He watched as other customers got up from their seats and idly began to make their way over to the windows while they and Imra stayed near their booth. That was when he glanced upward towards the digital clock embedded into the wall, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"What's up with the clock?" he asked while pointing towards it, directing everyone's attention towards the device. To their shock, they saw that the displayed time was constantly scrolling, never staying in one place for a second. One moment it was 11:15 AM, the next it was 3:45 PM, and on and on it went.
A sinking feeling began to fill everyone's guts, a feeling that only increased when they pulled out their Scrolls or watches and saw that the same thing was happening to them as well. Penny briefly tried to pull up her internal clock, only to immediately spasm and short-circuit while falling back into her seat.
"Penny?!" Ruby cried out in alarm as the gynoid's green eyes flickered in static, but luckily she recovered quickly.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Penny insisted as she was helped up by Ruby. She then frowned and sent a text message to the group that said, "My internal clock is out of sync."
Alarmed, Qrow quickly texted back, "How big of a problem is that?"
"It's an atomic clock, so greatly," Penny immediately answered with a frown on her face, prompting their and surprisingly Imra's eyes to widen.
"Oh no…" she muttered, then rushed over to the front of the diner.
As she did, the others got up to follow her, and they felt large, heavy thuds coming from down the street. The fog began to clear, allowing them to make out more and more of the city with each passing moment. But their attention was immediately drawn to several dark shapes passing through what remained of the fog, none of which looked human. Then a gigantic foot came crashing down on top of a car, crushing the metal and sending glass flying. As the fog cleared away completely, they began to see that the foot and leg was covered in thick, brown scales, and their heads slowly drifted upwards to behold the creature it belonged to.
"…Is that a dinosaur?" Whitley quietly asked as they watched a confused brachiosaurus looking around, with its long neck turning back and forth between buildings and streets as it tried to make heads or tails of the new environment it found itself in. Below, a herd of triceratops wandered by, joined by other species such as hadrosaurs, iguanodons, and stegosaurus. Overhead there were pterosaurs flying and settling on rooftops, and all looked incredibly confused as to where they were.
"…God dammit, why does this have to happen on my shift," Imra complained as more pulses were felt, one coming right after another.
Hazel was incredibly confused. One moment he was getting a hotdog from an only mildly intimidated street vendor, handing him a few dollar bills in exchange for the meal. The next he was getting caught off guard from a strange pulse that didn't feel like it came from any earthquake or explosion. Then came the fog, alarming everyone around him.
Then, when the fog cleared, he found himself and everyone else joined by the oddest collection of people he had ever seen. It took a moment for him to recognize what those people were, but he remembered from his brief forays into Earth's history that they appeared to be Crusader knights. They were joined by what appeared to be Japanese samurai and, for whatever reason, Viking raiders. Everyone was staring at each other in complete and utter confusion, Hazel in particular. A few of the Metropolis civilians began pulling out their cellphones to begin recording.
The new arrivals, meanwhile, simply stared at everyone and themselves in alarm and confusion. Then, out of nowhere, the Vikings pulled out their weapons and yelled barbarically, prompting the knights and samurai to do the same. They immediately began charging at each other, causing the civilians nearby to run away screaming in terror as they fought. The hotdog vendor ran away without even taking the money Hazel owed, forgotten in his panic.
"…What in the world is going on?" Hazel muttered to himself as he watched the three-way brawl commence beside him, which only got bigger and bigger as more combatants entered the fray. Not just the Metropolis Police Department, but others such as 1930s gangsters, cowboys, and he could've sworn that he saw skeletal robots wielding plasma weapons as well, which caused his hackles to instinctively rise.
Just as literal dinosaurs started showing up he decided right then and there that trying to make heads or tails of it all would be futile. So Hazel fell back to what he was most comfortable with, stepped between a fleeing woman and her Viking pursuers, and he just began punching.
"Gagh!" Jaune yelled as the utahraptor attempted to pin him down onto the ground while he threw punch after punch into its ribcage with his right arm and used his left to hold it back.
The massive carnivore had shown up out of nowhere following a strange pulse and a dense fog rolling through Centennial Park and all of Metropolis. Neither he, David, Gwen, nor any of the campers knew what was going on, and at first he was focused on just keeping them calm. That was when the first dinosaurs showed up, confusing and wowing everyone. Those feelings of awe, however, were short-lived, replaced by running and screaming as soon as a utahraptor appeared. The theropod got one look at the defenseless children and decided to make at least one of them its next meal, prompting Jaune to tackle it to the ground just as it tried to sink its jaws into Neil.
"GET! OFF!" Jaune shouted at the top of his lungs as he kicked the dinosaur away.
It flew back a few feet, crashing into the ground and sending clumps of snow flying. But it quickly scrambled up to its feet, turning to face Jaune as it hissed angrily at him. Its feathers perked up, making the beast appear larger than it actually was, and it was already eighteen feet long. But Jaune was undeterred, keeping himself between it and the campers. In the back of his mind, he figured that he could probably end this almost immediately, but he didn't want to tip off the campers and his coworkers more than they already were as to his true nature. If he wasn't able to drive the dinosaur off soon, though, he would be forced to.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Jaune screamed at the dinosaur while waving his arms around, trying to intimidate it. But the utahraptor didn't care, instead responding to the challenge by charging and leaping right back towards the young Huntsman. Once again, Jaune fell back onto the ground, the snow cushioning his fall slightly while the dinosaur attempted to wrap his head with its jaws. The razor sharp claws on its hindlegs slashed at him, his aura protecting his body but his clothes were getting shredded. He tried to push the creature off, finding it somewhat difficult to do so without going all out. If only he had a weapon!
Then, out of nowhere, he saw David come from the side with his guitar raised over his head. With a wordless yell, David swung the musical instrument downward onto the utahraptor's head, stunning it long enough for Jaune to kick it off. The guitar was also broken on impact, leaving it a shattered mess of wood and wires. Despite clearly being utterly terrified, David helped Jaune up to his feet as the theropod recovered. Seeing both of them standing together, and bleedingly slightly from the head wound, the carnivore decided that it was no longer worth it, and so it turned tail and ran.
The campers and counselors watched the dinosaur run back deeper into the park, allowing them all to get some much needed relief. Jaune released a sigh, then noticed all the eyes staring at him. He turned around and stared at the campers, all of whom were looking right at him with wide, and in Max's case smug, expressions on their faces.
Jaune gulped, then turned to David who was breathing heavily. After a moment, David turned to look at Jaune, then he said, "Jaune…"
"David, I can explain…" Jaune began to say, but David cut him off.
"You need to be more careful! Gosh, that was terrifying! Are you alright?" David asked in clear worry and ignorance. Jaune stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah, yeah I'm alright," Jaune said. "Thanks for the save."
"Thank goodness," David replied as he let out a sigh of relief, causing the campers and Gwen to groan.
"God…dammit, David," Max muttered while slapping his face, all the while David continued to fret over the poor, defenseless Jaune who just stood there in mild relief and confusion.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Whitley screamed as the city of Metropolis descended into absolute chaos around them.
"I HAVE NO IDEA!" Yang answered as she punched out yet another Roman legionnaire.
"DAMMIT, COMMS ARE DOWN! I CAN'T CALL IN OUR GEAR!" Weiss yelled out, using a glyph to levitate several Vikings who were attempting to raid a nearby store. Willow was assisting her daughter by creating several Grimm constructs, boxing a group of terrified Crusader knights against a wall.
Qrow, meanwhile, focused on simply punching anything that got in his path. Alternatively, he used his bottle of Jack Daniels as a makeshift weapon until it finally shattered against a Viking's head, which only increased his frustration. He didn't understand a single thing that was going on. Neither did anyone, really, and right now he was just focused on making sure that everyone was safe.
That and the fact that their waitress was throwing around psychic blasts right beside them.
"We are going to talk about this later," Qrow claimed as he glared towards the now obvious superhuman.
"Noted," Imra answered, her hands glowing purple as she psychically wrecked a group of gangster's minds. She was barely focusing on the task at hand, instead staring at her ring which was now glowing and displaying a holographic projection. "Come on, Five. Give me something…"
Ruby had no idea who this Five was, or what Imra was talking about, but right now that was the least of her concerns. She and the rest of her team continued to fight, trying to clear the area around the diner. Overhead, Penny was using her magic to its greatest extent, creating large gusts of wind to knock combatants over while pinning them in place with chunks of ice. The Winter Maiden was the only one who was truly combat effective at the moment, not that it stopped her from being immensely confused the entire time.
"Got it!" Imra declared as information began to flow through the holographic projection. As she read the data, she scowled and spat, "Dammit, it's a complete temporal cascade!"
"A what?!" Blake shouted in alarm.
"We're in a time paradox right now! Dozens of timelines are converging on each other all at once, and more are doing so every second!"
"WHY IS THAT HAPPENING?!" Whitley begged to know, only to scream in fright before smacking away at a dinosaur that attempted to charge him with a plastic tray, thankful that his training with his family just got to Aura reinforcement.
"And how do you know that?!" Yang demanded as well, fury filling her soul.
"Grrgh!" Imra grunted as she knocked back another group of assailants while typing into the holographic projector coming from her ring. She continued to press the holographic keys, then declared, "I don't have time to explain right now! We need to stop this, now!"
"And how do you suggest we do that?!" Qrow demanded, only to get his answer when five rings, the exact same type that Imra was wearing, materialized out of thin air right beside her. She telekinetically threw them towards Qrow and the members of team RWBY, catching them off guard.
"Put those on, now!" Imra ordered, bringing her hands close as psychic energy pulsated around her. She then let out a wave of light-purple energy, dazing all of the hostile combatants, both human, animal, and robotic, allowing the MPD and Penny to contain them all.
"Why?" Ruby begged to know, with Yang marching up right beside her.
"We're not doing a damn thing unless you start answering some questions, Imra! What the hell is going on and what are you? Is your name even Imra?" Yang demanded to know, which was when Penny landed right beside her.
"She is an alien, albeit one closely related to humans. The exact species is not in my databanks yet," Penny announced, catching the others off-guard. "What?"
"And how do you… Oh right, you scanned her," Weiss realized, remembering their first encounter with the gynoid.
Imra sighed as everyone's attention was drawn back to her, then she quickly explained, "Alright, look. My real name is Imra Ardeen, yes, and I am an alien. Specifically, a Saturnian. You don't know of them because they don't exist yet."
"Don't exist yet?" Ruby asked, her eyes widening. "Does that mean-?"
"Yes, I'm also from the future."
"…What?" Qrow asked in complete disbelief, and Imra nodded.
"31st Century, to be exact," Imra clarified. "I'm a member of the Legion of Superheroes known as Saturn Girl, and I was tasked with watching over you."
Qrow, Willow, and Whitley looked like they wanted to dispute that, only for RWBY to nod in complete understanding immediately. Yang then asked, "And why were you watching over us? Wait, does that mean-?"
"My 'attack' by the Mad Hatter was staged on my part, yes. I was never in any real danger," Imra admitted, causing Yang to puff up in anger for a moment before the Saturnian continued, "I meant you no harm, Yang, but I needed to talk with you. Your continued working relationship with Batman was of paramount importance to the future timestream. Which is why I am here in the first place. All of you, and team JNPR as well, are incredibly important for the events to come. Events which ultimately lead to the creation of the Legion of Superheroes."
"Really? And how are we supposed to believe that?" Qrow asked while crossing his arms across his chest, only for Imra to glare at him.
"We've been watching over you your entire lives. Do you realize how many times we've had to stop time travelers from the future attempting to assassinate you? I've been your assigned officer since you arrived on Earth, and I've already had to stop five," Imra declared. "I can show you the case files if you want."
Their eyes widened at this news, particularly when Penny chimed in to confirm that she was telling the truth based off of her scans, only for Willow to narrow her eyes and say, "Wait, does that mean-?"
"Yes, we knew Brainiac was going to attack when he did," Imra answered, regret flashing across her face. "But as much as we would've wanted to stop that tragedy from occurring, we couldn't. You can ask RWBY and JNPR what happened when the Flash attempted to stop his mother's murder as to why."
The youngsters' eyes widened in realization, and any sense of indignation they might've held dissipated. The others simply looked at them in confusion. Before they could say anything else, Imra shook her head and declared, "But we don't have time to go over this right now. The longer we wait, the more this temporal cascade threatens to get worse and worse. We need to go now and stop it at its source."
"Source? What do you mean source?" Weiss begged to know even as she slipped what she now figured was a Legion ring onto her finger, the rest of her team and Qrow doing the same.
"We've identified a time traveler from the 2070s named David Clinton, calling himself Chronos," Imra explained as she began typing in coordinates. "He's been travelling across the timestream, stealing priceless artifacts for an unknown purpose at this time. Likely to sell them on the black market in his home time period. The first artifact he stole was traced back to 1889, an Apache war shield that was supposed to be on display today at the Metropolis Museum of Natural History."
"Oh Gods…" Blake muttered, a sense of horror dawning at the implications of those actions.
"We need to intercept him during his attempted robbery and stop it from happening. That'll stop the temporal cascade and send everything back to their original timelines," Imra finished. "Don't bother trying to get your gear, we don't have time for it. Not to mention the more future artifacts we bring with us the more damage to the timeline we risk."
"Is that why I can't come?" Penny asked, and Imra nodded.
"Correct. That and you're needed here to help contain the situation," Imra said, then turned towards team RWBY and Qrow. "Once we arrive, I'll explain more. We'll be time-travelling to roughly a day before the estimated date of theft, so we'll actually have more opportunity to go over everything. Are you ready?"
The Remnantians looked at each other for a moment, then Qrow nervously answered, "As ready as I'll ever be."
"I'll take it. Now then, you'll experience a nauseous sensation. Try to hold it in," Imra declared, then pressed a button on the holographic projector. At once, she, team RWBY, and Qrow began to fade out of existence, their bodies seeming to form several multicolored copies of themselves that spread out to the sides, only to collapse a second later.
Penny, Willow, and Whitley stared blankly where their friends and family were standing just moments before, then Whitley whispered, "What is this planet…?"
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for their help in bringing this chapter to life.
A lot happened in this chapter in which events...escalated rather quickly towards the end. Qrow, Penny, Willow, Whitley and Hazel are being thrown right into the chaos that is DC Earth, with Qrow and RWBY going back in time with Saturn Girl to the Wild West. I think all of you guys can guess where this is going. Just to clarify, we had been planning this chapter for about a year or so now.
Now, this chapter actually had a bit of back and forth during the planning process. It was always going to lead to a time travel episode to the Wild West, but originally, we were going to have Booster Gold be the facilitator. But we decided that using the Legion of Superheroes would be more impactful and help much more with the world-building. We were also going to originally end the chapter with their first forays into the actual Wild West, but the chapter was already getting too long and where we ended it was a perfect stopping point. So we made the decision to end the chapter here and leave the time travel stuff purely to next chapter.
Now then, to answer a few of your reviews.
Vist97, I unfortunately cannot help you with getting back onto SpaceBattles. I've never been banned before from a website, so I have no experience in this matter. The only other place between FanFiction and Spacebattles that I post my stories is Archive of Our Own, and AO3 is like FanFiction in that it's not really a forum.
I have no knowledge as to who Helspont is. As such, you are unlikely to see them in my story. Do not take this as an invitation to explain who said character is in the hopes of convincing me that I will include them. I have a plan in place for the story I aim to tell and that does not include fan suggestions or pitches.
John Cena's portrayal of Peacemaker was, indeed, the main inspiration for our depiction of the character in Hunters of Justice. We included a bit more comic influence, though, to truly make him our own.
Lex knew so much about the Spectre and the Presence because he's done extensive research on this topic for years. As for how the Gods work, it's a bit of my own take on the concept but is based off of how the comics did it. Most of my personal interpretations are based off of what the comics already did.
The CADMUS War was an event in the DCAU. While the DCAU does form the base of my depiction of the DC Universe, it is not the entirety. I've pulled from various different sources to create my own original timeline. As such, I am unlikely to include the CADMUS Arc at all.
Yeah, you guys can expect to see how the Salem/Lex dynamic will play out over the rest of the Grimm Crisis. Their back-and-forth attempts to manipulate the other will be a treat. And yeah, the JL won't care about Ozpin being immortal. They've already experienced it before and will just be happy to have an immortal being on their side. Having Penny and Cyborg be like brother and sister is something we really wanted to emphasize, so I'm glad you guys picked up on that. As for Lobo...he's kind of an asshole. If and when he shows up, the odds of any member of the team liking him is fairly small, let's be honest. Regarding Ironwood and the path he's taking, you guys will have to wait and see how it all plays out.
Regarding the artificial islands, the justification I had them talk about when the subject was first brought up was the exact reasons why, in story, they would consider such a thing. Plus, RWBY and JNPR have already made their new homes on Earth with friends, jobs, and more. They don't want to give up their new lives, so if they can merge the two that would be best.
Adam would be a perfect fit for a Red Lantern. That isn't up for debate. Whether he'll get one, though, is an open question.
Yeah, we gave a lot of thought over what Qrow's day job would be, same with Whitley and Willow. More of that became clear this chapter, but more is on the way obviously. And we'll also be going back to the Bottled Cities of Remnant, obviously, but Vale will continue to have the most importance/appearances as so many of the major characters are there. Don't expect the other cities to show up all that much. I'm also happy that you guys really liked seeing Oscar and Maria. I know a lot of you were wondering what happened to them, and I hope that answer was satisfactory to you all.
I'm also really happy that so many of you guys really enjoyed Salem meeting the Spectre. That was an encounter that I very much enjoyed writing. It was very cathartic but not in a way that would come across as bashing, if that makes any sense.
And yeah, last chapter was calm, and so was the beginning of this one. Even though it's time travel, this is still going to be a light-hearted affair. I always like to punctuate the high-stakes moments with levity, calm, and relatively low-stakes in between and throughout, that way it's not overwhelming to you all.
Correct, the Godwave is what created all the various gods across the DC Universe. Earth got hit twice and, in the comics, is where the White Battery of Life is held in the core. It's among the many reasons why DC Earth is just so weird.
Regarding the swearing and cursing, my writers and I feel that we're doing a justifiable amount given its Teen rating. People talk like this and I try to have people react and talk like actual people, if that makes any sense. That being said, I do firmly understand any beliefs that its cursing too much. We all know that too much cursing can quickly become grating and lose any meaning it might've had. I try to avoid that in my writing.
That's it for now. Let us know what you guys think. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, I would greatly appreciate any assistance in updating the page for today's chapter. We hope you enjoy and see you all next time!
Also, for the readers of my other stories, normally I would be moving next to Dust and Echoes. But, in the spirit of Halloween, I will be moving on to Familiar Evil once the next chapter of Outsiders is completed. I aim to update that on or around Halloween.
