Just in time for the end of the month, I've got another chapter for you. Hope you guys like it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
"Speech"
Thoughts
Chapter Twenty-Three: Mantle
"What is it exactly we're doing here Doctor?" Yang asked curiously.
"Well..." Doctor Polendina finished repairing Maria's eyes "There we are!" he smiled "We're going to be trying a bit of an experiment on the young Mr. Pine" he answered honestly.
"Experiment?" Oscar asked nervously.
"What kind of experiment, Pietro?" Maria asked narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing dangerous I assure you" he raised his hands innocently in front of him "General Ironwood had informed me that Ozpin has locked himself away inside the psyche of his current host... though I do detest that term" he spat "Makes it sound like Ozpin has a choice in the matter"
"You think Ozpin would choose not to reincarnate at all?" Yang asked unconvinced.
"Perhaps, but I don't believe he would just abandon us to deal with Salem on our own. But I doubt he would consider living inside a fourteen year old acceptable when there are other options. People with more experience for instance" he turned toward Oscar "Not that I am doubting your ability Mr. Pine, I am of course only referring to-"
"Yeah..." Oscar interrupted him "I understand, Doctor. If I could go back to being just me again I would... but then I never would've met all my new friends" he smiled at Yang, she returned a small smile.
Doctor Polendina smiled warmly at the two "Well, it is good to see such a kind heart with Ozpin right now. That man needs to be kept in check sometimes, he doesn't always do what's best even when sometimes it seems like it to him"
"Yeah, we know" Yang sighed.
"I myself have made mistakes... horrendous mistakes... mistakes I wish I..." he remained silent for a while.
"Pietro!" Maria smacked her cane on his head "Focus"
"Ah, of course" he chuckled "General Ironwood would like me to try and see if I can find Ozpin in your subconscious mind" he explained preparing the equipment.
"You want to go into my mind?" Oscar asked concerned.
"I do" he answered "If you would like I can show you there is no danger" he placed an electrode on each side of his head "I will test it on myself" he gestured to a screen next to him "Ms. Xiao Long, if you would take a look at the screen here, tell me what you see"
Yang reluctantly made her way over to the screen and watched with surprise "Is that-"
"The day Penny was born" Doctor Polendina smiled a single tear falling from his eye "It's just the way I remember" he wiped the tear away.
"How're you doing this?" Yang asked surprised.
"The brain is like a computer Ms. Xiao Long" he answered disconnecting the electrodes from his head "The brain stores memories like files in a computer and gets rid of the useless information much like a computer cache system does. If you look hard enough you can find anything you want to know. The hard part is searching the subconscious"
"Why is that?" Oscar asked no less nervous than before.
"Well, Mr. Pine... human brains are much different than that of an animal for instance, a dog has a limited emotional range while a computer has none. Searching through files on a computer is easy because there's nothing but the data, however looking through the brain of a dog would be more complicated due to the emotional data recorded"
"So the reason you were crying just now was because you were reliving the memory of Penny's creation?" Yang asked in understanding.
"Very astute of you" he smiled "Yes, when a human brain starts to relive a memory it's more difficult on the machine due to having to discern more information, a dog's mind dismisses a lot of information that it cannot understand so it views it as useless. Humans can decipher much more than that such as mathematics and science. The subconscious however is much different, it retains information you would learn during combat or social interactions such as body language" he explained "Your brain will often relive multiple moments at a time when searching something like that, which could cause sensory overload for the brain"
"What happens then?" Oscar asked.
"Worst case scenario it's too much for your brain to handle and you pass out, no brain damage involved. I have tested it many times on myself to ensure it doesn't"
"That was rather stupid" Maria scoffed.
"I knew the risks and would never ask someone else to risk something I am unwilling to myself" he explained "Now... finding Ozpin within your subconscious could be quite challenging Mr. Pine. I won't lie to you, I don't even know if it will work" he shook his head.
"But you know there's no danger involved, right?" Yang asked.
"Honestly I can't really say that either. I've never been able to search a consciousness for a completely separate consciousness before, it could be damaging or fatal. I don't know anything at this point, even if I were to find Ozpin's consciousness, what would I do to bring it out without harming Mr. Pine?" he sighed.
"Fatal!?" Yang and Maria asked in shock.
"I wouldn't force him to do this you understand, the choice is ultimately up to him"
"What if General Ironwood ordered you to do it?" Oscar asked.
"He wouldn't, and even if he did. I am the only one who knows how to work this machine. There's nothing he could do that would make me place someone in potentially fatal harm"
"Not even if he hurt Penny?" Maria asked unconvinced.
"Not even then" he answered without hesitation "I am a lot of things, Maria. But I am no killer"
"I'll do it" Oscar had a determined look in his eye.
"Oscar-" Yang tried but was interrupted.
"I am tired of everyone making decisions for me, Yang. This is something I am deciding for myself" Yang sighed looking to Doctor Polendina.
"Do what you're gonna do then"
"Relax, Ms. Xiao Long. I'm not going to do this procedure just yet. I think Mr. Pine should enjoy the rest of the day before we attempt such a procedure-"
"I'm fine, Doctor" Oscar interjected "Just go ahead and do what you need to do"
"Mr. Pine, if this procedure by some freak accident ends up being fatal this would be the last moment in your life you remember. Surely you'd prefer to spend the day with people you care about, do things you enjoy before taking such a potential risk. Should the worst happen-"
"I said I'm fine!" Oscar insisted "At least if I were to die now, I'd still be Oscar and not Ozpin"
Doctor Polendina looked torn, but nonetheless agreed to continue. He placed the electrodes onto Oscar "Relax your mind, focus on my voice and my voice alone" he instructed as he stepped behind the computer.
Slade and Blake walked through the streets of Mantle, there was Atlas security mechs and soldiers on every street corner. They were checking passes and documentation quite often it seemed.
"Doesn't look like we're going to be able to keep that low of a profile" Blake sighed with a small shake of her head.
"Agreed" Slade looked at Blake's ears "You don't happen to still have your bow do you?"
"Yeah... why do you ask?" she looked confused.
"Was curious" he shrugged "If necessary you can blend in as a human instead of a Faunus to gather intel" he explained.
"Good thinking" she looked over at the security officers "Let's try and avoid them for now"
"If they don't want to break anything, that would probably be for the best" Slade chuckled, he stopped abruptly his hand going to his abdomen.
"You alright?" Blake asked concerned, getting closer to have a look at him.
"I'm fine" he brushed her off, forcing himself to move forward through the mild pain throughout his body.
"You really should be more careful, you don't want to hurt yourself again"
"Don't you start" Slade groaned as Blake caught back up with him "I've already been dealing with Yang being a mother hen ever since I passed out in the house"
"She's just worried about you, Slade. We all are. It's what friends do" Blake said genuinely concerned.
Slade sighed deeply "I know, Blake... I just..." he looked at her "I'm not used to being the one that has to rely on others. Most of the time people are relying on me to solve their problems, I guess I am just used to looking out for myself instead of waiting for someone to help"
"Everybody needs help sometime, Slade. Qrow helped you a lot when Elise died didn't he?"
"You're right of course" Slade chuckled "I just don't like relying on others I guess. I will... try to be more accepting of it" he groaned lightly.
"Good" Blake laughed "We would all hate to see you have to ask for help with something after all, it might bruise your ego"
"It bruises easy" Slade looked back at her with a look of feigned offense, she laughed.
"Clearly" they walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the sights of the city. Slade frowned several times, looking concerned. Blake couldn't seem to figure out why though, finally she thought of something to talk about to break the silence "What do you think of Yang?" she asked curiously.
"What do I think of her?" Slade asked surprised "That's an odd question to just throw out there" he laughed.
"You're dodging the question" she crossed her arms. Slade turned to face her with a smirk.
"Was worth a shot right?" he shrugged "I'm not sure what you want me to say. She's great... I think she's a tough girl, and it shows"
"And?"
"And?" Slade asked confused "There's supposed to be more?"
"You cannot tell me there isn't anything else"
"Are you asking me this as a friend or as a guy?"
"Why not both?" Blake answered.
"Whatever" Slade turned away from her.
"Do you... maybe... possibly... wanna date her?" Blake asked.
"Seriously, Blake?" Slade cocked an eyebrow "Do you have nothing better to do than needle me about my relationship status?" he shook his head.
"Just throwing it out there, you never know. Maybe she's open to the idea"
"I'm not gonna waste time barking up that tree" Slade laughed.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked confused.
"The way Qrow and Ruby tell it, Yang hasn't ever dated anyone"
"So?"
"She hasn't stayed single this long for no reason, Blake. If she's not ready to date she's not ready. For all we know she may not even be into men"
"You think she wants to date girls?"
"I think if someone wanted to be in a relationship they'd do something to try and make it happen. Chasing anyone interested away isn't the best way to do that"
You still never answered my question"
"About wanting to date her? You're right, I didn't" Slade smirked stepping inside a run down bar.
"Well?"
"That's curious"
"Slade!" Blake groaned exasperated.
"Tell me what's wrong with this picture and maybe I will answer"
"What's wrong?" Blake asked confused, she looked around the inside of the bar for a quick moment. There were several men inside, drinking and eating but only one server managing the filled tables "It's understaffed?" she asked.
"You're partially right" Slade answered stepping further inside "Distract the bartender for me" he stepped toward the server as she was putting an order into the computer, she seemed almost frantic "Excuse me, Ma'am?"
"I'll be with you in just a moment" she called back.
"I was just wondering where the bathroom is"
"Back left" she answered pointing to the direction and sending the order through to the kitchen. Slade looked through the door she opened into the kitchen and could see the few workers he could see from his spot.
"Interesting" he rubbed his chin.
"I was just wondering if you could tell me-"
"We don't serve your kind her, girl. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go somewhere else"
"I'm just looking for-"
"Out" the bartender insisted.
"She's with me" Slade approached from behind "What's the problem"
"He won't even let me ask a question because I am a Faunus" Blake huffed.
"We don't serve Faunus here, sir. We'll serve you but not your friend"
"Right..." Slade rolled his eyes "I notice you only have one waitress walking around with all of these tables... is that normal?"
"We're a bit understaffed right now, but we'll fix that soon enough. Thankfully we have some patient customers"
"Has nothing to do with patience" Slade smirked "Those security checkpoints stop them from going anywhere else"
"That doesn't hurt my business either" the bartender laughed.
"How long have you owned this establishment?"
"About two months now, old owners were Faunus. Sold it to me for a steal"
"Good to know. Thank you for your time, Sir. Blake, we should get going"
"Yeah, get your pet out of here. And keep her on a shorter leash"
"Pet?!" Blake asked.
"I still don't understand how you can stand to have it in the same building as you" he shuddered "You rich folks think you can get away with anything, you even decide to keep Faunus as pets around the house" he explained "Is she not-"
"No" Slade answered "She's a friend, not a pet"
"That's a first-"
The door to the kitchen opened as the waitress walked out with a tray of plates on it, the door stopped abruptly and caused her to drop the tray as she fell forward. Blake caught the girl while Slade caught the tray, stopping anything from breaking.
"You alright, Ma'am?" Slade asked handing her back the tray.
"Y-yes, thank you" she looked at Blake and pulled away from her "S-sorry... I'm just not used to Faunus" she tried to apologize.
"And you never will be. Get back to work!" the bartender shouted.
"Yes, Sir" she sighed.
"Let's go, Blake. We've better things to do" Blake sighed deeply, calming herself down and followed him outside "You alright?" he asked concerned.
"Yeah, just... that guy pissed me off" she answered.
"Trust me, I understand" he groaned "I was two seconds away from smashing his face in.
"What now? We were supposed to get information from there to continue our search. We didn't learn anything"
"Maybe you didn't" Slade chuckled "I learned plenty"
"What?" Blake looked confused "You couldn't have learned anything, all he said was how he got the business"
"Couple that with what we saw out here and it starts to paint a picture"
"I'm not sure I understand, did you see something I didn't?"
"It's not what I am seeing, Blake. It's about what I'm not seeing"
"Come again?" Slade laughed lightly.
"Mantle is to Atlas as Menagerie is to Remnant" Slade answered.
"You're not being any clearer"
"What is Menagerie to Remnant as a whole?"
"The place humanity crams the Faunus so they don't have to see them"
"Exactly" Slade frowned.
"Are you trying to say Atlas throws all the Faunus in Mantle?" Blake asked.
"I am... which is why this is so odd"
"What is?" Blake asked confused.
"Where are all the Faunus?" Slade asked gesturing around him "We've been walking up and down this district all day and haven't seen a single Faunus aside from yourself the whole time. Mantle has a business that isn't Faunus friendly? It just doesn't make sense, he'd never be able to afford to do business here. He'd be thrown out in under a week" Slade explained.
"It can't be that drastic"
"I saw more Faunus here in Mantle than I did humans while I was operating here, and I mostly dealt with the criminals here. Most criminals in Mantle are Faunus due to the influx of population and the lack of employment due to human and Faunus residences here in the city. Up there" Slade pointed at Atlas "That's the place all the humans go when they don't want to deal with the Faunus. Only really fortunate or talented Faunus make it up there, and most of them are Huntsmen" Slade sighed "So where are they?"
'Maybe they've been moved to a different district?" Blake offered.
"Maybe... but with the amount of Faunus in this city, there's gotta be something else going on here" he turned on his heel away from the bar "There wasn't even any Faunus working in the kitchen in the bar, I snuck a look when I tripped the sever.
"She tripped on the door" Blake pointed out.
"Yup"
Blake's eyes widened in understanding "You used your Semblance to stop the door didn't you?"
"Maybe" Slade smirked " Recon was one of my specialties at Beacon"
"I can see that" she laughed "Mind teaching me a few things?"
"Not at all, so long as you don't mind showing me some of your moves in exchange"
"I think I can manage that" she agreed.
Ruby entered the police station followed shortly by Weiss, Nora, Ren and Jaune "So what's the plan?" Ren asked curiously.
"We're investigating the death of a fellow huntsman" Weiss pointed out "Obviously we don't need to sneak around to do that officially, we just need to ask the right people the right questions" she explained.
"Right! That's why we're in a police station" Jaune agreed "They're the ones who'll have any records and evidence surrounding his disappearance anyway. It's the best place to start"
"Then let's get cracking!" Nora shouted loudly.
"Nora!" Ruby whispered "The point of investigating is to stay under the radar, shouting everything isn't going to help"
"Oh..." Nora whispered back "Let's get cracking?" she said again in a whisper.
"You kids really don't know anything about being subtle do you?" Qrow chuckled having entered with Winter "Just go up to the counter and ask them"
"They're not going to just hand over evidence to a bunch of kids-" Winter started but stopped when she noticed Ruby standing at the front desk.
"Hello, Officer" she greeted cheerfully.
The officer in question looked up from his desk slightly puzzled, he leaned forward and found Ruby's smile staring back at him from just below the edge of his desk "Can I help you, missy?" he asked.
"I'm hoping you can!" she replied back never dropping her tone "You see we heard about a someone who went missing and we're hoping to help with the investigation" she explained.
"Sorry, kiddo. We can't just start getting everyone in town involved every time someone commits a crime. Unless you're a security officer or a Huntress there's no way you're even getting your eyes on even the incident report let alone joining an ongoing investigation" he explained.
"How about now?" Qrow asked showing him his Huntsman license.
"Qrow Branwen huh? Like the bandit?" he asked curiously.
"That's my sister" Qrow sighed placing his license back into his pocket "I'm sorry to say, she and I don't exactly see eye to eye" he explained.
"Right" he crossed his arms "You have any official order from the council or General Ironwood?" he asked.
"Uh..." Qrow held up his finger to say something but stopped "Not as such, we came from Mistral after the attack on Haven and decided to help out in Atlas while everything is settling down. What with the embargo and what not, relations between kingdoms haven't been all that great. We want to change that, we found out one of Atlas's Huntsmen went missing and we decided to look into it ourselves. Can't just leave one of our own, you know?" he explained.
"Wow" Nora whispered to Jaune "He's good"
"Well, Mr. Branwen. I am sorry to inform you that I am under strict orders not to allow anyone to affiliate themselves with the department as long as this lockdown is still going on in the city. Unfortunately, the only way you're going to see any information regarding his disappearance is if you get permission from General Ironwood or the council. There's nothing more I can do for you"
"Look, buddy" Qrow leaned against the desk "If someone in your department went missing, wouldn't you do everything in your power to find him?" he asked.
"As long as it didn't get me into trouble with the law, of course I would" he answered honestly "Hell, If it were up to me I would just give you the reports and let you figure it out for yourselves. But my hands are tied, I wouldn't be able to even get you into records without two other officers both giving me permission right now. Lockdown sure is through"
"And if I ordered the reports be released?" Winter asked stepping forward from behind the group.
"I'd tell you the same thing I told him-" he stopped dead upon seeing who he was speaking to "Specialist!" he stood and saluted "Apologies, I didn't know-"
"If I ordered you to release those reports, would you?" she asked sternly.
"O-of course, Specialist. I didn't know the General was interested in this case"
"Of course he's interested, one of his Huntsmen went missing. He however isn't giving the order for these documents. I am"
"So General Ironwood has nothing to do with this?" he asked surprised.
"My younger sister here is an aspiring Huntress like the rest of the students here" she gestured to the group "I am simply helping here learn firsthand experience for the task she has set upon herself. Qrow Branwen will be given permission to reopen this case and I will oversee the investigation to assure the council everything was done above board. Am I understood?" she placed her hands behind her back.
"Of course, Ma'am! I'll get the relevant materials at once!" he stood with a salute and quickly headed off toward the records room.
"Nice move, Ice Queen" Qrow chuckled as she glared at him "For a second there I almost believed Jimmy wasn't ordering you to do this with us"
"I do what's necessary for the safety of Atlas, but if my sister needs assistance I will give it to her. Especially when the General gives me permission" she growled.
"Thank you for your help" Ruby said with a genuine smile on her face.
"Yeah, we already stole an airship. I wouldn't have wanted to have to steal from a police station too" Weiss added.
Winter looked between her and Weiss "You're definitely not the Weiss I remember" she shook her head lightly.
"Is that such a bad thing?" Ren asked.
"No" Winter answered "I'm just not entirely sure that's a good thing yet"
"She's come a long way from the stuck up girl we met on the first day of school" Jaune laughed.
"Yeah, now she's only stuck up sometimes!" Nora pointed out.
"Hey!" Weiss smacked her shoulder "Not funny"
The officer returned with the a box in hand placing it on the desk "I got the missing person's report for one Mason Sturman, the recorded evidence the detectives found when investigating and any reports made about the subject within the time of the investigation" he explained as Qrow lifted the box onto his shoulder.
"Excellent work. Are these the only copies?" Winter asked.
"No, Ma'am. We've got digital copies and hard copies of everything just in case" he answered.
"Good" Winter turned on her heel "I wouldn't recommend talking about this to anyone" she started to walk out of the station.
"Why not?" he asked confused.
"Mr. Sturman was investigating possible corruption in the Atlas elite on Ironwood's orders. He turned up nothing actionable and the investigation was called off, shortly afterward he was reported missing and was never seen again since then. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to let anybody know we're looking into this if you want to not end up missing too" Qrow explained with a smirk before following.
"Bye!" Ruby waved as she and her friends followed Qrow.
"Thanks for the help" Weiss added.
The officer swallowed nervously "Oh, man" he groaned as he sat down.
"Mr. Pine?" Doctor Polendina asked "Can you hear me?"
"I hear you" he answered "What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to only focus on the sound of my voice and stay awake, if you fall asleep I will only be able to see your dreams. Now... I need you to focus on Ozpin. That feeling you get when he takes over, I need you to focus on that"
"Alright... I think I've got it" he answered.
"Good, good" Doctor Polendina watched the screen as it navigated through a stream of colorful lights "That's new" he looked slightly puzzled "Well... looks like we're going to have to start somewhere" he pressed a key on the computer and suddenly Oscar started convulsing on the table, his eyes flashing once like when Ozpin took control.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" he screamed, his hands going to his head. The screen flashed red and an alarm started blaring from it.
"Mr. Pine? Mr. Pine!" he shouted "Dammit! I don't know what's happening!" he started pressing keys on his keyboard causing Oscar to start screaming louder and almost rolling off the table.
"Oscar!" Yang yelled putting her arms onto his shoulders and forcing him down onto the table "Calm down! Oscar!" she shouted "Doctor! Turn it off!"
"I can't! I don't know what it'll do!"
"Anything is better than this!" Maria shouted "The poor boy is in agony!"
"If I turn it off now it could just knock him out, or it could turn him into a vegetable. I can't risk it without knowing what it'll-" Yang shot the computer with her metal arm. The computer spark and knocked Polendina on the ground. Oscar relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief his eyes flashing once more.
"Mr. Pine?" Polendina asked rushing to his side "Mr. Pine, can you hear me? Mr. Pine!" he checked him over to find his heart was still beating and his lungs still taking in air "He seems to be stable" he sighed in relief.
"Oscar?" Yang asked getting nothing "Wake up!" she smacked him across the face.
"Ow!" he shot up, his hand on his cheek "What was that for?"
"Just making sure you're still alive" Yang answered with a smirk.
"You gave us quite a scar, Mr. Pine" he answered.
"I did?" he asked surprised "What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure" I accessed the are in your subconscious that appeared to be what you were accessing when you focused on Ozpin and all I got was a red screen and you started screaming and convulsing on the table" he explained.
"I did?" Oscar shook his head lightly "I don't remember that" he looked disappointed.
"I don't understand" Polendina sighed "It just happened, how could you not remember? Unless..."
"Pietro?" Maria asked.
"That wasn't Oscar screaming was it?" Yang asked.
"I can't be sure, but it could've been Ozpin who was experiencing that pain instead of Oscar" he answered.
"That's why I wouldn't remember it?" Oscar asked.
"Do you ever remember when Ozpin took control before?"
"Always" Oscar answered.
"You're sure?" Polendina asked hopeful.
"I am"
"Then I can only assume the reason he was in such pain was because I was accessing his mind which is connected to yours through your own. You didn't experience it with him like everything else, it's possible I could separate his soul from your body in that case... but it would likely result in his permanent death" he explained.
"No" Oscar immediately stood up "We're not doing that"
"Oscar? You don't want Ozpin gone?" Yang asked surprised.
"Ozpin may not be the man I want to be, and he may not be the man we all wanted him to be... but he's trying to keep the world from falling apart and stop people from dying as much as possible. Can the same be said for most people given the same task?" he asked.
"He could certainly be doing a better job though!" Yang argued.
"We might not live to see Salem defeated, she may never actually be defeated, Yang. If she is eventually stopped, Ozpin is going to be the only one of us who's going to have any chance of surviving long enough to do it" Oscar argued back.
"That's-"
"Do you really think any of us could do better?" Oscar asked shocking her.
"I... I don't know..."
"I know I didn't ask for this, Yang. I know he didn't either, and I know that I may not agree with all of his choices... but I know he's trying to do the right thing the best way he knows how"
"Mr. Pine is right, Ms. Xiao Long. I certainly don't envy the man" he sighed "Well... I don't have any reason to keep you three here any longer. I've got some things to clean up here" he looked to his destroyed computer "It's going to take me quite some time to get everything back in working order"
"Sorry about that" Yang rubbed the back of her head embarrassed.
"Never apologize for accidentally doing something right" Polendina smiled "How do you think scientist make discoveries?" he laughed "Go ahead, now. You've got some work ahead of you, and now so do I" he sighed with a slight shake of his head.
Blake and Slade made their way through an alleyway across the street from a security checkpoint "There it is" Slade pointed out the guards "If the Faunus in Mantle have been moved anywhere, it's to this district here" Slade explained.
"What district is that exactly?"
"They call it Shadowtown" Slade answered "This is where you go if you want any business done off the books. It's the most likely place security would put the Faunus during a security lockdown... what concerns me is the fact Ironwood never brought it up when we planned on investigating Mantle" Slade rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Maybe he thought we wouldn't get this far?" Blake offered.
"Doubtful, he knows how thorough I tend to be when I investigate anything. Something more is going on here, and I get the sense that Salem isn't far behind"
"Then let's start looking" Blake lead the way to the checkpoint.
"Halt!" one of the soldiers shouted "This area is closed off to all-" he stopped upon seeing Blake's ears "Ah, another Faunus huh? Papers. Now" he ordered.
Blake forced herself to remain composed as she handed the solider her information "I think you'll find everything is in order" she politely added a small smile.
"Unlikely" he scoffed "Filthy little animals always thinking you're such hot shit-" his eyes widened in shock "Holy... what kind of Faunus are you? A Huntress?" he asked shocked by what he had read on the paper.
"Aspiring Huntress" Slade answered from behind her handing his information to the soldier as well.
"Who're you people?" he asked once he looked over the documents.
Slade's brow furrowed in confusion "What's so special about these papers?" Slade asked.
"You mean you don't know?"
"No you idiot!" the soldier behind him yelled "Obviously the brass wants to make sure we know what we're supposed to" she stepped ahead of him handing back their documentation.
"Well?" Blake asked curiously.
"All Faunus have been quarantined to Junktown for security purposes"
"Junktown?" Slade asked.
"Yes, Sir" she answered "Shadowtown was renamed after criminals in the area all moved out after McLaren was arrested and all of her accomplices were ousted. It's called Junktown now due to the buildup of garbage and junk being left around the streets"
"The Faunus are being stashed here? Why?" Blake asked.
"They've been inciting riots around the city, we were ordered to quarantine them for their safety and ours"
"There haven't been any riots, soldiers" Slade answered sternly "Why're they being held here"
"Sir, riots have been started around Shadow- I mean, Junktown since the attack on Beacon. We secured the city and safety of all residents by doing so. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask General Ironwood. With your clearance it wouldn't be hard to be able to speak to him" the first soldier explained.
"May we enter Junktown?" Slade asked.
"Afraid not, Sir. No one is aloud in until the kingdom wide lockdown has been lifted"
Blake looked at Slade with concern "You don't think-"
"I think we need to have a word with General Ironwood before we decide anything" Slade cut her off "Back to it, soldiers!" he ordered.
"Yes, Sir!" they both saluted and returned to the gates of Junktown. Slade and Blake turned away from them and began walking back to where their ship was landed.
"You were right, Slade. Something is definitely going on here"
"What concerns me isn't just the fact that their locking away the Faunus. It's that the Faunus don't appear to have put up a fight for it"
"You think Ironwood is hiding something?"
"No, I didn't get the impression he was... which is why I am so concerned"
"You think we should tell Ruby before talking to Ironwood?"
"Yeah. Everyone should be present when we talk about this. I think we might've found what Salem has been up to"
"So..." Qrow chimed as he continued looking through the papers in front of him "Anybody else have something yet?" he asked in a bored tone.
"No" Ruby groaned "Everything I've been reading clears the name of everyone on the council"
"Everyone who's ever been considered the elite of Atlas seem to be clear as well" Ren sighed.
"You'd think the richest people in the city would have some secrets!" Nora shouted exasperatedly.
"There's plenty here that could spark investigations into just about everyone on the list for suspects we have... only problem is we don't know which of them is working for Salem" Weiss groaned tossing the paper in her hand to the ground.
"In fact there's so much here indicating criminal activity that they could all be arrested and we still wouldn't have the person we're looking for" Winter agreed "I think we might need to change how we're approaching this"
"That sounds like a fine idea" Jaune agreed "Only one question... how?"
"Have you looked into the professors for the academy?" Oscar asked as he entered the room.
"Hi, Oscar" Ruby waved.
"Hey, Ruby"
"We already did but all of the professors here are licensed Huntsmen, none of them are going to have anything to hide from us. Any of them that do wouldn't be obvious enough to show it" Qrow sighed.
"Lionheart did" Yang pointed out from behind Oscar "I think I already know someone I would put my money on"
"Who?" Winter asked surprised.
"Polendina" Yang answered.
"Doctor Polendina is a terrific man, Ms. Xiao Long" Winter growled "How dare you accuse him of treason"
"He's hiding something, I'll say that much" Maria offered entering "He seemed rather cagey today, distant even. I've never known the man to be either"
"Nor I" Winter pondered for a moment "Do you truly think... no! There's just no possibility"
"Well we have to start somewhere, Winter. What would you suggest?" Ruby asked.
"I... I don't know, but I know he's innocent"
"Then we're back to square one" Ren pointed out.
"I think we might be able to help with that" Slade called from the doorway with Blake beside him.
"You found something?" Qrow asked hopeful.
"We did" Blake answered "Though to be honest it was mostly Slade who figured it out"
"C'mon. We need to have a word with Ironwood" Slade gestured for them to follow as he exited the room. They all followed until they reached his office.
"Just who do you think you're talking to!?" Ironwood's voice shouted "I am not someone you can strongarm into doing your bidding! If you want something, perhaps you should focus more of your efforts into doing something about it instead of bothering me!" the sound of his fist slamming into the desk could be heard from outside.
"Perhaps we've come at a bad time" Qrow chuckled.
"We probably should leave him be for now-"
"No time" Slade knocked on the door loudly.
"Slade-"
"Come in" Ironwood's voice called.
Slade shrugged to Winter with a smirk and entered followed shortly after the rest of the group "You alright, General?"
"Jacques is being a pain as always" Ironwood sighed, rubbing his eyes "Nothing I haven't dealt with before"
"My father has always been a pain" Winter shook her head lightly "What was he bothering you about this time?"
"What else" Ironwood sighed.
"The embargo again? You'd think the man could deal with- no, never mind. I take it back, he definitely cannot deal with losing a little bit of money"
Ironwood laughed lightly "It's nothing we should concern ourselves with, not when Salem is right on our doorstep"
"General" Ruby called grabbing his attention.
"Right" he stood from his place behind his desk and walked around in front "What've you found?"
"We've been looking at the case file surrounding the disappearance of Mason Sturman and his consequent investigation into the elite of Atlas. It seems he's found plenty of evidence against just about every member, including the council... unfortunately there's nothing to indicate any of them to be working with Salem or one of her proxies" Qrow explained.
"So you've learned nothing then" he sighed.
"We believe there are people who're not amongst the elite of Atlas's society that may be colluding with Salem" Yang informed him.
"Doctor Polendina is one of our prime suspects"
"Pietro?" Ironwood shook his head "No, he's done nothing of the sort. He's always going out of his way to help people in need. I merely mentioned the loss of your arm in passing and he commissioned that arm for you with no other reason than you needed one" he explained "There's simply no way a man like that could be working for Salem"
"Could you not have said the same thing about Lionheart at one time?" Jaune asked.
"I..." Ironwood remained silent "Leonardo was a coward... Pietro... Pietro knows more than he should. About Salem, Ozpin, myself... he's always somehow gotten involved where he wasn't wanted. He's always proven himself to be invaluable help when it came to solving issues no one else could. I have no doubt he is innocent" Ironwood explained.
"Even so, it's likely someone has been manipulating your troops right under your nose" Slade chimed in stepping in front of the group.
"What?" Ironwood asked surprised "What do you mean? What did you find in Mantle?"
"There weren't any Faunus" Blake answered.
"What?" Winter asked "That's absurd, Faunus are the majority of residents in Mantle. What could you possibly mean?"
"Someone ordered the Faunus be quarantined to Shadowtown" Slade answered "Whoever did is likely the one working with Salem"
"Quarantined? For what? What order are my men following down there?"
"There seems to have been riots around the city of Mantle being caused by Faunus. They were all crammed into Shadowtown for the "Safety" of Mantle residents" Blake explained.
"There haven't been any riots" Winter's brow furrowed "Security hasn't reported anything like that. Penny would've stopped anything before it got out of hand"
"Has she taken a look at the cameras in Shadowtown?" Qrow asked "She was the one with access to so many cameras am I right?"
"Penny wouldn't be able to see anything in Junktown because there aren't any cameras there. Criminals always ended up breaking them so we stopped posting them and resorted to drones" Ironwood explained.
"Junktown, Shadowtown, just figure out a name already!" Nora shouted.
"Have the drones seen anything out of the ordinary?" Oscar asked.
"No. In fact, everything has been calm with the residents there" Winter pulled up a live feed on her scroll and showed it to the group "See?"
The group watched carefully as several children played in the streets and people were walking around "Uh... Winter?" Weiss asked.
"What?"
"It's looping"
"What!?" she turned it around and watched it herself.
"Weiss is right, that same group walked past those children several times now" Ren agreed.
"General?" Winter asked.
"There's not a whole lot of people in this city capable of ordering around my soldiers without me finding out and be able to hack the cameras on my drones... Pietro is one of them... but I don't believe he is behind this"
"I'm not so sure-" Yang started.
"Then he'll be the only one who can help us find out who did" Slade interrupted her.
"Whoever is doing this, we've got to stop them" Ruby announced, determination clear in her tone.
"Then lets get to it" Ironwood smiled.
"Oh I'll do something about it" Jacques growled as he sat in his chair in his study. He took a long drag from his cigar before exhaling the smoke "Who does Ironwood think he is? I am a Schnee dammit!"
"What do you plan to do about it?" asked a voice from behind him, causing Jacques to nearly leap out of his chair.
"Who's there!?" he asked turning toward the man.
"Tyrian Callows" he answered stepping into the light "I believe we can help each other" his metal tail glistened in the moonlight.
"A Faunus? What're you doing out of Junktown?"
"Don't worry yourself about that" he laughed "I have a proposition for you"
"What kind of proposition?" he asked curiously.
"I want you to run for a position on the Atlas Council"
"What? Why would I do that?"
"You want the embargo lifted don't you? How better to do that than to remove Ironwood from the council"
"You think anyone is going to vote me in? The whole kingdom is behind Ironwood's decisions. No one seems to care as long as they feel safe"
"How much longer are people going to feel that way I wonder" he grinned "I am providing you a way to deal with your problems, and you needn't worry yourself about votes. We'll ensure that you don't have any opposition stopping you from taking McLaren's old seat. Somebody needs to replace it don't they?"
"What do you get out of it?" Jacques asked skeptically.
"You're going to do me a few favors is all" he grinned laughing lightly.
"What kind of favors are we talking about?"
"Oh, just the one. It has something to do with the Faunus problem here in Atlas. When all is said and done, Atlas is going to see you as a hero!" he said pacing around him.
Jacques pondered his offer for a short time "What is it you need?" Tyrian grinned.
"I thought you'd see it my way"
That's all for this time guys, next chapter is already in the works and will be out to you guys as soon as possible!