Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. I wish I did. All characters, terms, and settings are property of Rooster Teeth. This is just a Fan creation. No profits are had. So enjoy this detour into my odd fascination with irrational Ships.

Chapter 8

Winter sat in the pilot chair of the Manta that herself and Team JNPR would be descending to Mantle for their continued investigation. She had been reviewing more reports of the construction of Amity. Mostly items that require approval to proceed or dilemmas that need more resources or workers. She would normally make quick work of such things. Prioritize that which could impede other aspects of the project and placate requisitions that were not as fundamental as others. Any other day she would have had these finished hours ago, but her mind was elsewhere.

The night before, at Benny's Haven with Jaune. It had been, for lack of a better term, disarming. She mourned a fallen comrade, she enjoyed his company, she actually relaxed and let her guard down. Normally she'd internally reprimand herself and tighten up, but now she wasn't sure if she wanted to. She hadn't felt so stress-less in years. Certainly not since the general had brought her into the fold and explained the true fight to her.

She was alarmed when she woke up the following morning, without her back complaining about the ever present knotted muscle. A sort of reminder of her duty. She had simply added working it out every morning to her daily routine. But today she had no such need. How fortuitous.

She sat in the pilot chair reviewing more and more of Amity's construction, but her thought continued to drift. 'What was last night?'

Eventually she gave up on reports and sent a message to her sister.

Weiss, if you are free later this evening I would like us to have tea in my quarters. We have not had time to speak in a non-official capacity since your arrival. While your company is always something I look forward to, I would enjoy an evening that wasn't spent in the training facility or in the field.

-Winter

She considered waiting for a reply when she heard team JNPR approaching. "Nora, not now. I'll gladly explain after the mission today." Jaune said, sounding a bit testy. He pinched he temple before looking up. "Oh, you're already here. Sorry for making you wait. Are we good to go?" He settled into the co-pilot seat and began checking his scroll.

"Affirmative. Flight path laid in." Winter said as she grabbed the controls. "This is Special Operative Schnee, leaving docking bay Beta 14-F."

It was a short trip to Mantle. They set down on a landing zone as close as they could. Their first stop was the Mantle PD Precinct that reported the latest murder. The walk was brief, but tense. There was no shortage of glares and watchful eyes from the locals as they exited the Manta. Jaune led the way smiling at anyone familiar. A few occasionally stopped to talk with him, but Jaune very quickly explained that he didn't have the time at the moment.

Jaune entered the Precinct with Ren, Nora, and Winter behind him. He found it rather quiet. Eerily so. A portly man behind a desk and glass looked up at them. "Can I 'elp you wit somefin?" he said before picking up and sipping his coffee. The man barely fit into the police uniform he had on. A few medal on his chest, and a pair of brass stars on his shoulder. One of the medals on his chest wasn't a Mantle Police Force medal though. Jaune couldn't place it though, he had seen it before though. "You here dere kiddo?"

Jaune rolled his eyes at the 'kiddo' remark but did his best to ignore it. "Were here investigating the string of murders here in Atlas. Victims found in alley just a few blocks from their homes. All the cameras in the area, suspiciously deactivated." Jaune said not attempting to charm or be friendly with this man. He was here trying to solve a murder in a rough part of town as a licensed Huntsman. Being a doormat wouldn't work.

The man behind the glass leaned back in his chair. "Oh, yeah. Dos ones. I mean its not really a mystery." He said tapping his nose. "Its all Ironwood's doing. Keeping us down 'ere in Mantle under 'is boot."

Jaune didn't even have to look around but he could feel Winter glaring at this man. "You ain't gonna disappear me for saying dat now are you? You Atlas lot are all the same." said the man leaning back in his chair. "First you attack Beacon, then you start squeezing Mantle dry. What, now you're gotta killing us to?"

Jaune recognized that odd medal now. "I'm not from Atlas. I'm from Beacon." Jaune said standing up straight. "I fought at the Fall of Beacon. I only just got my license here in Atlas, but I'm from Beacon." Jaune remembered in the weeks after the Fall, people wearing medals to signify that they had lost something that night. He never needed or wanted another reminder of what had happened or who he had lost. "Who did you lose?"

The man slowly sat up right. There was a silence between them for a moment. "My oldest, Lily. She sent me a message the day it 'appened. How she didy'nay make it passed the doubles round. She was just 'appy to be there." He sniffled at the memory. "Did you, lose someone as well?"

Jaune nodded. "My partner. Pyrrha. She fought til the very end. I don't care what anyone says. That night they were all Huntresses." Jaune said remembering his conversation with the mysterious woman in Argus. "They fought to protect as they had been trained to. We won't ever forget them."

There was a somber moment between the two. It was eventually broken when the man behind the desk pressed a button and buzzed them in. "Go on in. I'll have the Lieutenant in charge of dat case come see you. Name?" he asked pulling out a pen and note pad.

"Jaune Arc."

The man nodded. "Jaune Arc. Huntsman from Beacon." he said with a smile. "I'll pass that on. Now in you lot."

Jaune and the others quickly entered the facilities of the precinct and found a small waiting area. Several passing officers gave them passing glances, but nothing more. It was clear that Jaune and his team were a curiosity, but they had more pressing matters to attend to. There was a pair of Atlas MPs in the precinct as well. Winter briefly explained that since the border closures, Atlas had been attempting to make the city more secure and have official Atlas personal stationed throughout Mantle. It was obvious the MPs were not wanted there any more so then they desired to be there.

The building itself seemed to have seen better days. Missing ceiling tiles, flickering lights, several pieces of furniture held together with tape. "This place has seen better days." Jaune whispered to his team. He made a mental note to look into the Mantle police budget when they got back. He knew that the general was almost entirely focused on the Amity Project, but keeping Mantle from revolting would be necessary. So if he could solve that problem with a simple suggestion of allocating funds. Then it was worth it.

"Jaune Arc, from Beacon?" Said a voice down the hall. They all stood up as the owner of that voice walked in. She was just under 6 foot tall, curly red hair held back in a tie. Standard issue pistol on her waist, but with several additional pockets and pouches on her waist and thigh straps. "Front desk says you're looking into the murder of one Forrest Bao. I'm the officer assigned that case. Lieutenant..." She froze when she saw them all.

"Abigail Towse." Winter said coldly.

"Winter Schnee." Abigail said, venom dripping off her words. "Been a long time."

The tension was the only thing that could be felt in that moment. Ren and Nora shared a concerned look. Jaune was sparred the confusion due only to the fact that Abigail Towse was someone he was aware of and how she pertained to Winter. He closed his eyes firmly and took a deep breath before he committed to a possibly dumb idea.

Jaune stepped between Abigail and Winter.

He sighed before turning to Winter. "Perhaps it would be best if you waited outside." Jaune said sounding like someone had just kicked his puppy. Winter's glare slowly crawled upon him.

"I beg your pardon?" Winter said in a very low voice, which bordered on threatening.

Jaune silently prayed that he wasn't actually quivering in his boots under her gaze and steeled himself. "Winter, the general put me in charge of this mission. I am, suggesting that you wait outside." Jaune said sternly. He closed the gap between them, placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in closed "I know what happened between you. Tell me, honestly, that this won't compromised the situation and you can stay."

Jaune was careful in his words. He made certain not to cast blame on her for what was happening. "Report in to the general if you truly think I'm over stepping my bounds here." Jaune said more loudly for the others to hear. "Remember the circumstances of my command of this mission though, and your place in it." He gave her a smirk and a wink before his faced turned back to professional.

Winter quickly snapped to attention but did not salute. "I will, wait outside then." She said through clenched teeth. She spun in place and marched out the way they came, slamming the door behind her.

Jaune sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Nora, go after her and make sure she doesn't do something stupid." Jaune said glaring at the ceiling. Nora unsure of the situation did as Jaune had said. "Towse, right? Okay, what can you tell me about these murders?"

Winter paced outside the precinct. She knew that Jaune was right and she knew what he was doing. Her presence would only further alienate Abigail to them and worsen the results of their investigation. It had been seven years since she had last seen Abigail Towse. Since Abigail attempted to disfigure her and was expelled for it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nora said approaching from the precinct. Her concern was clear as day. Winter wasn't sure if she had ever exchanged words with Nora outside of a passing sentence, and even then it was most certainly relating to their missions. But here she was, reaching out in just general empathy. It was just so foreign to Winter.

"And these are copies of the hand written reports from the officers first on the scene." Towse said handing Jaune a small stake of paper. "I'll see to it that all of our reports are moved off of a networked device and stored somewhere safe. To think that the Mantle security grid could be compromised so."

Jaune nodded as he briefly looked through the files. "What can you tell me that I can't read in these?" Jaune said before handing them to Ren. "I was given the impression that you're in charge of this investigation."

Towse nodded. "Yeah, something I noticed going over them all. Something that wouldn't be in those reports." Towse said gesturing for them to follow her. "The wounds were consistent with each other, so on a hunch I had the doctor in the morgue make a cast of the wounds and put together a 3D model of what ever made them. It was all the same weapon."

Towse led them into her office and sat down behind her desk. "So it leads me to believe we have a single culprit. Highly skilled and very well informed." Towse said leaning back in her chair. "So, what the hell are you doing with Schnee?"

Jaune frowned and crossed his arms. "Wasn't by choice. We lost a teammate at the Fall, so we were a man short." Jaune said, toneless and dispassionate. "Ironwood himself put her on this assignment. We weren't going to be allowed to investigate without a fourth." Jaune gave Ren a knowing look.

Jaune was careful with his words. Everything he said was technically the truth. Towse was someone that Jaune didn't have a reason to trust, but he only had Ironwood's account of her. Years ago she was dismissive of the rules and violently arrogant. But she was in a position to help them, so he needed her to at the very least not have reason to distrust them.

"That tracks. Using her name to get what she wants out of Ironwood." Towse said pulling out a cigar from her jacket pocket. She patted herself down before pulling out a small glass bottle of very dust shards. She took out a shard between her fingers and then activated the fire property of the dust, lighting her cigar.

"I haven't known her all that long. Only a few weeks." Jaune said checking out a wanted board in Mantle. "We've work one job before. It, didn't go well." Dozens of names and mug shots, some with apprehended written on them, some with deceased written on them. Jaune scowled at the realization that a large majority were faunus.

"So, the victims, did they have anything in common beyond being publicly outspoken against Ironwood?" Jaune asked taking a seat across from Towse. "I know that they were local public heroes. They each had public records of their arrests. Each were dropped off here in Mantle, only for those records to be mysterious disappeared and the cameras nearby all went dead."

Towse nodded. "Yeah, and they all knew each other. Won't find that in those reports." She said taking a long drag of her cigar. "One of the first victims made contacts with the others soon after the Fall of Beacon, once Ironwood's action started veering off the preserve and into crazy town." She blew out several rings above her. "They were attempting to form a sort of network that could undermine Ironwood's regime from down here in Mantle. We knew of their existence, but they never amounted to anything, nothing they could learn down here in the slums would have ever hurt Ironwood's power."

Jaune realized she had put it together. "But in death, they'd achieve their goal." Towse said with a frown. "This was too blatant for an Atlas scheme. If Ironwood wanted to make these people disappear, we never would have found the bodies. Somebody wanted these deaths to be public. To turn Mantle against Atlas even more."

"Exactly. From what I know about Ironwood, he'd have the means to be a lot more discrete." Jaune said throwing a leg over the other. "So, obviously this isn't an Atlas scheme, this is a Mantle one. So what can you tell me about this weapon you figured out from the wounds?" The cigar smell was started to get on Jaune's nerves.

There was a silence and mutual scowls between Jaune and Towse. "Yeah. Hold on." Towse said pulling out her scroll. "I had the morgue guys put this together. Whatever the weapon is, these are the blades and how the curve." She pressed a button and projected a holographic image.

Jaune stood up with a jolt, his chair thrown back and clattered to the floor. "Jaune?" Ren asked stepping forward. "What's wron..." Ren saw what Jaune saw and froze. "Jaune, we have to tell the others."

There was a tense silence. "What?!" Towse asked angrily smashing out her cigar.

Jaune collected himself. "We've seen those blades before." Jaune said glaring at the projection. "Tyrian is here in Mantle."

A/N: There it is. Another chapter that took longer then expected. But we're getting there.

Bringing Towse back was something I had planned since I wrote her in. She was conceptually meant to be just a one off OC, but as I wrote her I decided I like that character. So I knew it was I needed to bring her back in some manner.

She'll be around for a bit.