CHAPTER 16: BELIEVER IN THE FUTURE

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale, Sanas

Stark Residence

April 3rd, 57 AGW

Tony let out a loud snort as he woke up abruptly, taking a moment to reorient himself and figure out what was going on. Once his brain was up to speed, he remembered exactly what he had been doing.

He had pulled two all-nighters pouring over the details of his newest blueprint for a next-gen missile system. While he was currently rolling out the Jaeger Mark I's to the Council of Vale, he was already thinking about his next phase of weaponry. For the next ten years, he would be relying on a system that used dust in relatively large quantities. By the time that a decade rolled around, the hope was to reduce dust reliance to only the destructive potential rather than the fuel itself. This would allow him to work on systems that were more related to the ones on Earth.

Currently on Remnant, there was no weapon system that could even come close to the sheer destructive power that the United States had. Remnant might possess more than a few technological advancements that would make Back to the Future look primitive by comparison, but the nations of this world were woefully lacking when it came to actual weapons that could deliver a decisive and crippling blow to any enemy.

But it made sense in a way. With such limited access to raw materials not to mention the relative unavailability of land, perhaps the most important resource of all to any functioning society, the idea of using weapons of mass destruction that could potentially deprive a nation of either wasn't an appealing prospect. Instead, there was a heavy reliance on precision strikes and small groups of elite warriors to conduct high-risk operations, a low-cost method that ultimately made little gains. It was safe and easy.

Personally, Tony wasn't the kind of guy who settled for easy things. His pride demanded that he be the very best in everything he did and already, Stark Industries was on the way to becoming the premiere name in weapons development on all fronts. Be it weapons designed for armies or missile systems capable of delivering the thunder, his logo would soon permeate through all of society and everyone would know exactly who he was and what his company stood for. This was not mere boasting. The facts were clear; perhaps in five years time, he would become the only name in weapons manufacturing that mattered.

If he really wanted to, his company could even be considered to hold a sort of monopoly. While credit was due to those that had supplied Remnant with its weapons up to this point, the current state of the entire world was abysmal to say the least. Ever since the Great War, it seemed people were content to just let their edges dull as more time passed. Now was a good time to remind people that in the end, having the bigger stick than the other guy was the only real way that any of them would be able to live in peace.

The young genius yawned a bit as he quietly made his way to the kitchen to make himself some more coffee. As he made his way through his small, but orderly living space, he took note of the time. He must've slept for at least ten hours because today, he had woken up much later than usual for himself. The next time he needed sleep, he would probably set his alarm so that he could get in seven hours. In all honesty, a more consistent sleeping schedule would work for him better in the long run, but building a company from the ground up was a lot of work. Getting sleep at all was a miracle these days.

Tony rubbed his eyes and found a can of ground coffee, spooned the necessary amount into the top compartment, then got some hot water and poured it into the slot adjacent to where the ground coffee was. After that, he clicked on the power and began the wait. His stomach growled in the meantime, so he quickly searched his kitchen for whatever he might have on hand. He didn't trust himself to cook, but with no one around to help him with the more mundane chores, he had to do it himself.

Hopefully he could at least make something edible.

Somewhere in between gathering rough ingredients, he turned on the nearby TV and took in the latest news, listening more than watching. As usual, it was all about the sensational stuff with an occasional decent story in the mix. It was just another way that Remnant and Earth were the same, another headache that he just had to accept, not that he had to like it.

The man of twenty-two years scoffed as a slander story of Stark Industries was reported. More specifically, this particular story was tying his fondness for women with a very contentious claim that his company was harboring some loose morals. Basically, they were trying to call him a man whore and that his company might very well be taking in similar elements.

Tony didn't give much more thought to the subject. The people he hired weren't there for any other reason than for their skills that could help him achieve his goals and ambitions. Sure, he might be somewhat biased towards more attractive people because who wasn't? All the same, he had a business to run and he wasn't even running a morally righteous one to begin with, so what was the whole point of this smear campaign?

He was sure that if Obidiah were here, the man would be throwing a fit about him making a mess of his image only to tell him that he had taken care of the problem. The man that was closest thing to an uncle was good at suppressing the news outlets to a degree that would make them less of a nuisance, another thing to miss sorely.

Maybe I ought to give some thought to hiring someone who can help me with that. Tony thought to himself. After all, I've got the money and while all publicity is good publicity, there are some things I'd rather not have to deal with.

Then a piece regarding Beacon Academy came up. Although his distrust of Ozpin still remained, he actually did respect the students within the school, even liked them in a lot of ways. While they were indeed being tricked into a war that seemed endless and many of them would die, they were all quirky in one way or another. Also, their grit and determination was bar none. It was the kind of thing that could be seen in special operators in the military, high-performance guys that would rather die before they quit.

But out of all the teams there, Team STRQ was the one team that he had a vested interest in. Over the time he had known them, he had come to understand how each of them worked on a deeper level. He knew enough about their personalities that he could tailor the modifications he sent them to their exact specifications. He could also reasonably predict how they reacted to each thing he did for them.

Summer Rose was a fangirl of his and their mutual interest in weapons served only to further deepen that side of her. Basically, if he told her to do something, she would probably do it without hesitation.

Taiyang Xiao Long was the most normal of the bunch. He saw things optimistically, but he was not blind to the bad side of the world. He merely chose to not let those evil's get him down, focusing only what he could do himself.

Raven Branwen was a girl that respected power and influence above all things, although this related more to combative prowess more than social standing. She grudgingly acknowledged him, so there was that.

Qrow Branwen was basically an asshole pessimist, enough so that he couldn't be bothered to make that many choices for himself. The inventor secretly believed that the scythe wielder was a closet idealist.

Tony had a gut feeling that somewhere in the future, these four would prove to make things more interesting, and he wasn't just saying that because their team name was his family name. He just somehow knew that with them around, there was never a dull moment. Despite their personalities grinding on each other in more ways than one, nobody could deny that they were an effective team. Their combat record spoke for itself and it had only gotten better thanks to the numerous prototype technologies now at their disposal.

At this point, he felt sure that with all the data he was receiving from Team STRQ's weapon modifications, he could now begin an assembly line of products geared specifically towards huntsmen and huntresses. It was to be a sub-branch of the weapons division of Stark Industries, but it had a lot of potential seeing as the huntsman market was rife with many prospective customers.

One thing at a time. Tony thought as he poured himself a cup of coffee. First make weapons, then do other things.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale, Sanas

Stark Residence

April 6th, 57 AGW

Four years of study at Beacon Academy seemed like such a long time when first beginning. Now, with a year having passed by in the blink of an eye, graduation didn't seem like such a long way off.

For Team STRQ, the past year had been a very busy one. Between their work for the school, missions they completed every so often, and their work for Stark Industries, free time was becoming less available. There was also the fact that their come-from-behind victory at last year's Vytal Festival had them becoming something along the line of celebrities. For all intents and purposes they were the crown jewel at the academy and none of them had any inclination to disregard that status.

Their legend was only continuing to grow, especially when it came to their affiliation with Stark Industries. By this point, everyone at Beacon knew that Mister Stark was working alongside the celebrity team. He provided them with the latest in technology to enhance their combative ability. This combined with their overall skill and talents improving leaps and bound made their overall performance skyrocket. Their combat record remained untarnished as freshman and as sophomores, they were still unbeatable. Some teams were forfeiting even at the idea of taking on Team STRQ.

Summer was naturally very happy about all of this. She was getting to be a huntress, play with all sorts of cool technological do-dats courtesy of her favorite weapons developer. Life couldn't get any better than this.

Taiyang was pleased as well with how smoothly things were going, although he wasn't nearly as taken in by all the splendor and accolades and praise. He took it in strides and remained even through all of it.

Raven seemed to bask in the respect and fear that her team had garnered. For all the good that her team was in, there were equal amounts of jealous stares. She was there to smirk back, daring the haters to do something.

Qrow, as always, acted indifferent to everything going on, but he had far less time to complain about how much work they were taking on. Either Summer would talk over him or Raven would shut him up.

All in all, Team STRQ was at the top of its game and so far, there wasn't a single challenge that the four of them couldn't overcome through hard work, tenacity, talent, advanced weaponry, lien, celebrity status, and a plethora of other unfair advantages given to them. Yeah, lots of people envied them, plenty idolized them, and quite a few hated their guts, but they were still here kicking ass and taking names, so whatever was going to happen in the future, good or bad, they would be fine.

For now, they were heading up to Ozpin's office, ready for another face-to-face meeting with their one and only benefactor.

"Wow, the sun's really shining today!" Summer said brightly. "Don't you guys think?"

"She's happy." Raven intoned boredly. "Too happy."

"Did we expect anything else?" Taiyang shrugged his shoulders. "We're talking about Tony Stark, after all."

"Damn playboy millionaire." Qrow muttered quietly. "Always showing off."

"He's probably going to be a billionaire soon enough." Summer added her own two cents. "After all, every kingdom's scrambling for his weapons."

"Surprise, surprise." Raven leaned against the wall. "Everyone wants the power to beat each other into submission. Old news."

"Well, they do pay us the big bucks for a reason." Taiyang crossed his arms. "We're not exactly well-staffed, at least not as well as we should be."

"Truth." Qrow had more vigor in his voice.

Summer regarded them with a disappointed look. "Who cares about the lien? We get cool toys from the now-premiere weapons manufacturer in Vale and soon the world, and you guys are thinking about money?"

"We can't all be as insane as you, Summer." Raven placed her hand on the hilt of her weapon. "And more than one of you is a scary thought."

"This coming from the girl whose Grimm kill count is off the charts since she started adding every single new piece to her weapon." Summer gave a once-over of the odachi named Omen. "You ought to be more thankful."

"I'm simply utilizing what's being given to me free of charge." Raven reasoned, refusing to play into her team leader's logic. "After all, strength can come from lots of places."

"Yawn." Qrow couldn't be any less interested in this conversation.

"Oh, don't you dare start with me, mister 'I'm too good for everyone!'" Summer pointed her finger at the scythe-wielder. "Mister Stark has given you tons of upgrades for you weapon too and you're having a ball during combat training."

"Hm?" Qrow pretended that he was just beginning to pay attention. "Sorry, did you say something?"

A vein popped on the white-clad girl's head. "As a matter of fact, I DID!"

Without any warning, she grabbed the black-haired boy's head in a vice grip and began squeezing, to which he fought back.

"Stop that." Qrow wheezed. "This isn't fair!"

"I'm the law of Team STRQ!" Summer tightened her grip. "I don't care about being fair! My rules and my law will be upheld!"

Another man's voice cut through. "If all of you are quite done, we have business to discuss."

Apparently, in their horsing around, the four teenagers failed to realize that they had reached the top floor and there was Ozpin and Tony waiting for them.

"Professor Ozpin!" Summer immediately released Qrow and ran up to the headmaster. "Sorry, sir! I was… disciplining my teammates! Hello, Mister Stark! A pleasure to see you again!"

"It's the short stack." A small smirk was on Tony's features. "Still haven't grown much, I see."

"I drink milk every day!" Summer boasted proudly with a small pout on her face. "I'm just… a little behind the curve."

"Gods, not again." Raven shook her head as she stood next to the shorter girl.

Ozpin decided to bypass the chatter. "Let us get down to business. I've called you all here because your skills and talents are needed for this next mission."

"Oooh." Summer was already liking the sounds of this. "Super awesome stuff. Please go on, sir."

"Good enthusiasm, Miss Rose." Ozpin regarded her words. "This mission will require you to be at your best. It's unlike anything you've ever done before."

Quietly, the headmaster of Beacon Academy tapped a few icons on his scroll to bring up a map. This looked to be terrain covering parts of Mountain Glenn. It was mostly just wildlands and not much else.

Ozpin stood up from his chair. "I'm sure that all of you have heard rumors about the Kingdom of Vale talking about pushing the borders for more land and resources. Well, I'm here to tell you that those rumors are indeed true. There are preliminary plans in place to begin setting up an official settlement."

"On Mountain Glenn?" Taiyang was the first to ask a question. "Why there? Doesn't that seem a little… difficult given the terrain? I would think that it'd be better to set up on some more ground-level terrain or something."

"Your question has merit, Mister Xiao Long." Ozpin acknowledged the inquiry. "The reason that the council is interested in Mountain Glenn as a potential settlement spot isn't just for a settlement. Should the location prove to be as worthy as it appears, key military installations will be placed alongside the edge of the mountain."

"As an early detection system." Raven immediately deduced the hidden meaning. "These outposts could serve as a first line of defense and warn Vale. They could even house long-range weapon systems."

"Correct, Miss Branwen." Ozpin affirmed without hesitation. "The council is eager to deploy the first shipments from Stark Industries, but they want to do so out of view of the public eye."

"Um, headmaster, isn't it kind of weird that we're in the loop on this?" Summer looked really confused. "I mean, isn't this something that the military should handle? Or maybe a huntsman?"

Ozpin nodded. "Normally, that would be the case, but there are special circumstances surrounding this mission. Firstly, all of you have the most experience with Mister Stark's technology first-hand, so your handling of this mission is convenient. Secondly, sending in any military forces, regardless of how large or small, is not advisable at this time. Third, there are worries of potential security leaks should other parties become involved, even if involving our own."

"But aren't we a problem ourselves?" Qrow narrowed his eyes. "Call me paranoid, but we ain't exactly the most well-kept secret in the world. Everyone knows who we are."

"As well-known as you all are in the world, there are more noteworthy people." Ozpin explained. "We've taken measures to ensure that this is all done in secrecy."

"Also, I personally made the request for you kids." Tony chimed in finally. "So yeah, you all owe me another favor again."

"We didn't exactly ask for-." Taiyang spoke.

"Yes we did." Summer cut her blonde friend off.

RWBY - - - Iron Man

Ozpin knew a thing or two about playing the long game. It was, after all, how he had managed to get this far and save this many lives. He knew from first-hand experience that any great civilization could never be built within a day, a week, a month, or even a year. Sometimes, not even decades were enough. If the four currently-standing kingdoms proved anything, it was that any enduring nation needed an identity, a goal to stand by, a meaning.

Too often was it the case that the younger generations pursued fleetings emotions like happiness and trivial things like material wealth. While those two things weren't terrible things to chase after, both were ultimately fleeting in the grand scheme of the world. Happiness came and went. Physical goods worked for a time before degrading and being replaced by something better.

What truly sustained any person, group, or nation, was meaning. Even in the darkest of times, meaning could push men to do impossible things, go beyond the limits of their bodies, and ignite that same spark in others. Meaning was what gave people a reason to continue existing when others would have given up long ago. In order to live a fulfilling life filled with as few regrets as possible, meaning was the key to it all.

And in Ozpin's case, his meaning was to beat Salem and ensure Humanity's survival, whatever the cost. Failure was not an option because it would mean the end of Remnant itself and he knew better than to take the God of Light's promise lightly. Every move he made had to be in service to the greater goal of preserving Humanity. Sacrifices were to be expected, even encouraged. It was not a pleasing option nor was it morally righteous and the headmaster would gladly send himself to hell once he knew for sure that he had met his goal.

As for his most important pawns at this time, it was Team STRQ. Out of all the generations of huntsmen and huntresses that he had seen ever since the Great War, they were the most promising of all. He would even daresay that their kind of talent could only be found once in a century. It was inevitable that they would come to be part of his inner circle and learn his secrets as well as become part of the true conflict that had been raging for centuries.

However, to say that they were going on the course he wished them to be on would be somewhat of a lie. There was one slight wrench in his plans, and it also happened to be perhaps the greatest trump card in his arsenal as well. It was essentially a battle between the little guy and the big guy, the smaller soul versus the unstoppable force of overwhelming power.

Beacon Academy's founder supposed he should be fortunate that so far, both elements were relatively under control, but for how long, he could only speculate, and he had millenia of experience on his side.

"Don't give me that look, Oz." Tony seemed to read him like an open book. "It's not like you haven't done the same thing."

"I just find it strangely paradoxical." Ozpin gazed at his opposite. "For a man who is strongly against authority, you certainly have no issue dolling it out."

"Let's call it a difference in perspective." Tony placed his hands in his pockets. "I've simply given some facts that can't be avoided. The conclusions they've come to is just par for the course."

"Or it might be that you wanted them to lead them there." Ozpin made his own conclusion. "Not that I haven't done such a thing myself."

"Careful who you tell that to, Oz." Tony was nonplussed. "I would think that you're trying to manipulate me, which you have to a degree."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose you haven't done the same with me?"

"I will neither confirm nor deny your question." Tony stared out the window. "But getting back the topic at hand, Team STRQ's cooperation in this mission is very important. If this is done right, this could change up quite a bit militarily speaking."

Yes, indeed. While it was true that the four students in question were indeed laying the groundwork for future military installations alongside Mountain Glenn, what those children didn't know was that there were a couple other objectives and they were the true purpose behind all of this.

"Up until now, the idea of space travel was little more than science fiction." Ozpin commented with a tint of amazement. "But now it's a reality."

"Not for at least another five years, maybe even a decade." Tony reminded the old wizard. "Keep in mind that this kind of technology is new for Remnant and actually convincing the council to go along with the idea will be hard enough. We're not even talking about sending people into space. These are just satellites."

Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Be that as it may, if this goes off without any complications, it will be the first time ever that Mankind has ever been able to reach beyond this world."

"Yeah, I probably should have thought this over a little more, but I got kind of carried away." Tony sighed lightly. "Whatever the case, the fewer people that know, the better. It's only experimental for now and it'll need at least a few years of test trials before it can be vetted for actual usage."

"The sooner, the better." Ozpin clasped his hands together. "Our enemy won't sit on her hands while all of this is taking place."

"If you want faster results, then you're going to need to pay up." Tony gave him a blank look. "I'm a scientist, not a miracle worker. I can only work as fast as my current assets will let me. That, and the laws of the universe."

It always seemed to come back to these excuses that were reasonable and plausible, yet seemed to hide a deeper meaning. Mister Stark was nothing if not good at his work, but his seeming reluctance to be more amicable and transparent in their partnership was, in a way, limiting the level of trust that the headmaster could give. Granted, circumstances being what they were, it was hardly a surprise.

And the old wizard hardly had any moral high ground to stand on, not with the multitude of secrets that he kept from everyone, yet he expected to know everything about everyone that he worked with closely.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

"Isn't that what you're doing now?" Ozpin couldn't help but point out such a glaring hole in his companion's argument. "Unless you plan to turn Stark Industries into a charity."

"Charity? You must be thinking of the SDC. I've got my priorities in order." Tony scoffed at the notion. "Like I said, I could be convinced to accelerate my timetable, but for more of my time, you'll need to compensate me accordingly."

That meant lots of things. Lien wasn't the only way to pay a businessman who needed to expand his company's ability to produce goods. Land, buildings, raw materials, capital, manpower, all of these were perfectly valid and if viable, all of them would be preferred, especially in the case of a budding business seeing more customer demand than ever.

While Ozpin was perfectly within his ability to provide many things, his main concern was that he might end up with a problem of questioned loyalties. For all of the good that huntsmen were doing around the world, their efforts alone weren't enough, but if he were to be move obvious with his support of Stark Industries, he might unintentionally cause some to believe that his faith in the students, current and former, was waning, a prospect that carried with it grave consequences.

But then again, there was a compelling argument to be made that regardless of whether or not he publicly showed his support for Stark Industries, the effects of a shifting need for elite warriors was already changing. Perhaps with these rather abrupt changes in terms of fighting ability, the time for heroes and legends was coming to end, soon to be replaced by a war machine that could stop any foe with limitless firepower and endless numbers.

An unromantic prospect and hardly a story that would ignite the flames of inspiration and hope to the average person, but still a possibility nonetheless. Perhaps it was a sign of changing times. After all, warrior heroes were just as likely to die fighting for their beliefs as they were to survive and become part of history books.

"At least ask nicely before you request that I squash so many dreams." Ozpin sighed.

"Hey, I'm just doing what I do best." Tony argued. "It's not my fault that people picked now to fight Grimm."

No sympathy.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale, Sanas

Stark Residence

April 13th, 57 AGW

Tony wasn't a stranger to bringing women to his bed. Actually, it wasn't all that strange to see someone completely new every week whenever he woke up. He couldn't remember their names and he frankly didn't care. As far as he was concerned, they were cheap outlets for him to vent his libido as well as the stresses of his work.

But just because he brought easy girls to his bed, that didn't mean he didn't take his sweet time or lower his performance. In fact, he took great pleasure in making his partners enjoy every moment possible. He simply didn't give much thought to them beyond sex. It was fun to play around, but then he had more important things to do. By morning, he could expect to have them out of his hair.

And this morning, he woke up to find some older woman still breathing peacefully about a foot away from him. All he could recall from the flirting last night was that she was a mother of an adult child and she was a widower, all of which was surprising given her shapely and extremely curvaceous figure that betrayed her actual age. In this case, he wasn't going to feel any guilt nor could he be blamed for anything.

But Tony had to be careful from this point forward. Even though he could get away with sleeping with women whenever he pleased, the public would find whatever way possible to overinflate what he did in his private life in order to sensationalize their news. It was all for ratings, after all and the womanizer couldn't blame anyone for doing their job, even if it was annoying. He was simply giving them more fuel to add to the fire with each new woman that tangled in his sheets.

It looked like he really was going to need to either hire someone to help him muzzle these reporters or he was going to need to make some calls to certain news outlets and "convince" them to tone it down. That meant he had to make more friends.

Like I need more of those. Tony tsked in his mind. I mean, I'm friends with Jack Frost and look at the publicity he gets.

His one-night stand completely forgotten, he quietly made his way to his office, where he began counting off just how often he switched out women. It wasn't until November of last year did he spend more in the sheets. January had been a very interesting month. He slept with only one girl that entire month, but the frequency with that one was… intense. She was a faunus girl, a mouse faunus with cute little white ears, white hair, and red eyes, and exactly his age. It was enough to say that in that month, he had been in every position.

Maybe he should've kept in contact with that one. If only she had enough energy to give him her scroll number and not move away. It could've been a "friends with benefits" kind of deal.

Oh, well, plenty of fish in the sea.

… were there fish faunus?

Hey guys! Long time no see. I'm back from my OSUT training and I've got a few days to relax and recharge before I head off to my first duty station. While I have the time, I thought I'd update the stories with chapters I've been saving.

So I don't have much to see because in all honesty, I've been rereading my work and trying to figure out how I want to proceed. For some stories, changes will be made. For others, I'll see where my current direction leads me.

If you want to learn more about what's been going on for me personally, refer to the note on my profile.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

-Ktyou