Here we go
Cover Art: Curbizzle
Chapter 20
Jaune scrunched his face up unhappily and waved a hand to disperse the cloud of acrid cigarette smoke Fate blew into his face. It had to be intentional because he'd never done it to anyone else.
"So," Fate said, snuffing the horrible thing out on a nearby tree trunk. "Tell me again why you came to me for help. Unless Magnis' happy-go-lucky attitude and late-night training has knocked a few screws loose, you ought to know I hate your guts."
"You know about the training-?"
Fate scowled. "I make it a habit to stay informed. Answer the question."
"I think it would be a good idea to show up and get the Intel Headmaster promised. And…" Jaune hesitated. "And there's something off about him; there's something that doesn't add up. He's had plenty of opportunities to hurt us but he hasn't. I want to know what his angle is."
"Is this the first signs of a functioning brain in that empty head of yours? And here I thought you only knew how to think of Weiss, how unfair life is and how pathetic you are." Fate just couldn't resist insulting him, and Jaune couldn't help but bristle at the unfairness of it – all but proving him right. "I'll ask again, why me? If you think this is a good idea why not hit up Magnis or Knight? Or go straight to Ironwood and have him send Warchief in your place."
"Because they won't give this a chance. Knight will tell Team RWBY who will want to go with him and ruin this; General Ironwood would want to make it into an ambush and Headmaster would smell it a mile away; Magnis would tell dad." And the less said there the better. He'd never let his only son walk into a dangerous situation like this. "I know it's risky, I know it's dangerous, but I also know that this is important. Ironwood and Ozpin aren't the only ones who know it's the literal world on the line. We need all the advantages we can get. This… This could be big."
"It could be." Fate admitted. He leaned on the tree in the outside areas of Beacon, crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "And you came to me because I hate your guts and wouldn't give a shit if you were walking into a trap."
"Also because I figured we can't just ask to go into Vale and if anyone knows how to sneak out without being seen it's the guy with over a thousand years in Beacon."
"You're not wrong. I know this building better than anyone but Ozpin. There are secret areas that would blow your little mind. Getting out… well, that's easy. No one expects me back in my room at night anyway. You, on the other hand, might be a little more difficult."
"I'm not an anchor or an iteration. No one would care."
"You really are a self-depreciating little shit, aren't you?" Fate snapped. His eyes glared on Jaune and made him feel one-inch tall. "Fuck, I can't believe I was ever this worthless. Pyrrha cares, Ren cares, Nora cares, Ruby cares. They shouldn't for someone so worthless, but they do."
Jaune flushed. "I meant no one commanding the war. Ironwood or Ozpin."
"You meant exactly what you said, you little shit. Whatever. I can do this, yes. We'll be found out once we're gone anyway so easier to ask forgiveness than seek permission. Or not give a shit at all."
"You'll do it, then? You'll come with me? I… I wasn't sure you would. You don't give a damn about the war…"
"I don't." Fate said, "But I have to admit I'm curious as well. All those different versions of me, and not all of them as pathetic as you. I wouldn't mind hearing how that all came about. And hearing about who belongs to who and their Semblances might be useful."
"Useful for Ironwood and Ozpin, you mean."
"Hmmm." Fate glanced up at the sky. "Meet me here after last meal. Make your excuses that you want to do a little training on your own. I'll see us to Vale."
/-/
Fate was as good as his word. Jaune met him after the final meal, with his teammates wanting to meet the newest Jaune, codenamed Revolutionary, and likely to be distracted listening to his stories. He was curious about the guy too but figured he could pick it up when he traded stories later. If tonight went well, he'd have a lot to share.
Working alongside Fate wasn't something he enjoyed. If he'd thought for even a second anyone else would entertain his plan, he'd have picked them. Fate wasn't just the bottom of the barrel – he was the only option. I get that this is dangerous and everyone just wants to keep me safe, but no one will be safe if we don't win this war. With how everyone kept going on about it, with Ironwood and Ozpin willing to throw away morality and ethics, he couldn't understand why doing this would be a bad move.
The worst case scenario was that he died and yes, obviously, he didn't want that. No one did. Headmaster hadn't been wrong in saying he was a bad target, though. Not an anchor, not an iteration, nor even a strong huntsman on Ozpin's side worth taking out. He was literally the weakest of everyone. The one who had the least to offer in the war effort.
But if he pulled this off, if he came back with this Intel, he'd have paid back the faith people had put into him a hundredfold. Better huntsmen than he could use the information to fight the bad guys, win the war and save Remnant. He might not be a hero for it, but he'd have done his part. That made working with an asshole like Fate worth the cost, even as they walked side by side through Vale after trekking through an access tunnel to an abandoned underground terminal, apparently a former reserve power supply for Beacon that had long since been rendered obsolete, and then taking another tunnel under half the Emerald Forest before trekking the last bit on foot.
They'd reached Vale's walls soon after, then taken what Fate casually remarked was a `Smuggler's Entrance` through a crack in the wall barely large enough to crawl through, hidden behind thick bushes, metal barrels and wooden pallets. "How did you know about that?" he'd asked, to which fate only replied that you "picked things up" over a few thousand repeats. It got them into Vale at any rate, and past the Atlas soldiers stationed on every gate with camera systems specifically programmed to look for anyone resembling Jaune Arc.
There was simply no way they could have walked in without triggering all kinds of alarms, further proving he'd been right to seek Fate out. I'd have never made it in on my own…
Now, they had their hoodies up and hands in their pockets, looking not too out of place on a cold, dark evening night in the city. They made their way to the rendezvous point, Jaune tense and Fate looking remarkably calm given the risks involved. When they reached the street corner he'd been given, Jaune checked his scroll to be sure.
"This is it. They're supposed to be here."
"Text him." Fate said.
Jaune did so, and not a minute later a black car with tinted windows came to a slow stop in front of them. It must have been waiting nearby, as in just around the corner, to get there so fast. The driver's window came down to reveal a man in a crisp black suit with a red tie and sunglasses.
"One of Junior's mooks," Fate said. "So, I guess that Xiong is your neutral party, hm?"
"The boss told me to pick you up," the man said.
Fate shrugged and opened the back door, climbing in. Jaune hesitated a little. It was easy to talk of self-sacrifice and seeing the bigger picture back in the safety of Beacon; a little more intimidating now that he was being asked to climb into the back of a stranger's car and be taken who knows where. It was the impatient look Fate shot him that got Jaune moving rather than any confidence of his own. As soon as the car door was shut, they were on their way, Jaune sitting back with nervous anticipation.
If Pyrrha had been here, she'd have calmed him down, reassured him, but Fate only drew out a cigarette and lit it, leaned back and appeared to fall asleep. Great. It was so nice to have a competent ally along for the ride. The sarcasm helped distract him long enough for the car to pull into the side of an apartment block and the ignition to turn off. The driver sat back and said, "We're here. You can head indoors. My orders are to stay outside."
"No point wasting time here." Fate said. He opened the door and swung a leg out, leaving Jaune to stare. "What?" he demanded. "It was your idea to come out here. Now you want to sit back and do nothing?"
"No, but I'm allowed to be nervous!" Jaune scrambled out with an indignant flush. "Death might mean nothing to you, but it's final for me. I think I have the right to worry."
"Fine time to up and show it. C'mon."
The apartment block wouldn't have stood out from any other in Vale – several stories tall, square in shape with a symmetrical design and windows dotted here and there, each one likely its own apartment. The brick was red, the windows surrounded by white and the front door a royal blue with an intercom system and a brass knocker. Of all things, the intercom had a piece of paper stuck to it with the words `Soiree: 3B` written on it. Fate snorted and pushed the button for that apartment in.
The whole point of an intercom system in Jaune's mind was that someone answered it, you spoke and were let in. Apparently, this wasn't how it worked in the world of Headmaster Arc. No one answered, Fate buzzed two more times, and then the door swung open to reveal the man himself. Taller than he was by a few inches, garbed in a long blue coat over charcoal grey suit trousers and a white shirt. The same cane he'd used to near strangle Jaune with hung under one arm, pinched against his side, and in his hand he had a can of beer.
"Jaune. And oh my, Fate as well." He smiled invitingly. "I wasn't aware the two of you were on such good terms."
"We're not." Fate said. "How many people are here?"
"A few. Only a few. I'll remind you this is a non-violent little event of mine, so let's try and keep any spontaneous murder to a minimum, hm?"
Fate pushed past him. "I know the rules."
"H-Hey." Jaune waved and smiled awkwardly, trying to put on a more relaxed and friendly air than his companion. "Thanks for inviting us. We're not here to cause trouble if you're not. Are we the last ones?"
"The last that I invited but, perhaps, not the last to arrive." Headmaster stepped past Jaune and out onto the raised steps leading to the front door of the apartment complex. He looked up of all things, shielding his eyes past the glare of the nearby streetlights. "If my suspicions are correct. Ah, there you are." He coughed and raised his voice. "Won't you join us, friend? Information gathering is much easier face to face. I can promise your safety!"
Jaune looked up as well. Who was Headmaster-
A black cloak spread out suddenly above him. Jaune gasped and jumped into the doorway just as someone vaulted off the wall and landed on the street, wrapped in tight grey armour with a black full-visor facemask. Even Fate seemed surprised.
"How-?" Fate asked. "I checked our trail. I didn't see anyone following us!"
"He must have been from a distance." Jaune said.
"No, you don't understand!" Fate hissed; his hands clenched tight and shook slightly. "I didn't detect him. Me. I'm not some rank amateur who jumps when Blake sneaks up on him. If I didn't spot him then…"
He's better than you, Jaune didn't say. Didn't need to. The newcomer, almost certainly another iteration, slowly stood and set his arms loosely at his side. His face was covered for all the good that did him, and he didn't say a word even as Headmaster spoke.
"Welcome. Welcome. I don't remember sending you an invite, but any Jaune is welcome here. Come on in. I trust you'll play by the rules, yes? I'd hate to have to discipline anyone." The masked man nodded once. "Excellent. I'm sure everyone will be excited to see you. I'll bring the three of you up."
As Headmaster moved back inside, Jaune stepped away from the newcomer, while Fate glared hotly at his back. Had they been tracked and followed as far back as Beacon, or had this guy caught them entering the city? Who was he? Jaune didn't recognise him from any of their fights. He hadn't been at the docks, the White Fang compound or even at the battle between Atlas and Grimm that they'd seen recordings of. Fate looked ready to stab him in the back, so Jaune grabbed his arm.
"Don't," he whispered. "We have to follow the rules."
"He was following us." Fate said. "Stalking us. And I never realised."
"You didn't know-"
"I expected!" he snapped, rounding on Jaune. "You may be a trusting fool but I'm not. I checked our backs every moment, covered our tracks, watched for ambushes and took the most circuitous route into the city. I did everything that would throw someone off."
Right. Fate wasn't an amateur, he wasn't new to this. Jaune swallowed and nodded, his own fear rising. If this iteration had tracked them so easily, despite Fate, then he was definitely dangerous. Worse, he was actively interested in the two of them. Or one of them. Maybe he'd been raring to attack Fate and remove another iteration from the war.
Or me. He might not have known I wasn't a combatant. Safer to kill us both, right? Shit. I'll have to tell General Ironwood and Ozpin about this. If we're being tracked then that means any of the others could be in danger.
"What do we do?"
"We do what we planned to." Fate growled. "We go in, we sit pretty and walk out what that Intel you were promised. But watch your back. I'm not going to watch it for you."
As if I expected any different…
/-/
Headmaster's apartment was smaller than he expected, but then this was a man living in another world without his bank account, salary and everything else he'd probably earned. Even so, the two bedroom apartment looked all the smaller for the not-insignificant number of people within it. There was Headmaster himself, the new iteration who remained masked and had yet to say a word, and Xiong already sitting at a table with a glass of some amber liquid in a crystalline glass. He was dressed in a crisp black and red suit with a set of red shades resting on the table.
Far more shocking, enough to have Jaune taking a step back and into Fate, was the version of himself with paper-white skin, red eyes and black sclera, who looked back at him from the far end of the table.
Grimm.
"W-What is this!?" Jaune hissed. "Why is he here?"
"Because he is my guest." Headmaster said. "Someone had to pick him up after he escaped Atlas' attack. He's yet to make it back to his allies and I thought he'd enjoy the chance to meet people a little less… confrontational. He's agreed to the same rules you have," he said, both as reassurance and a reminder not to start anything.
"And Xiong?" Fate asked. "I didn't realise he was on your side."
"That would be because I am not," the man in question said. He raised his glass in toast, then eyed the newcomer with a wary gaze. "I am strictly neutral, but for an information broker such as myself an opportunity like this is not one to miss."
That supported that they'd heard from him before, and Xiong had been the one to tell General Ironwood where Cinder and her lot were hiding. That bought him trust for now, though Jaune wasn't sure if that would last after they heard about this. Best I not start anything, he thought, walking over to take a seat at the table. It was round, and he couldn't help but imagine them all as kingpins discussing the fate of the city. Except that it was the fate of the world.
Fate took the seat to his left, a surprising decision given his dislike, but then he must have preferred having a harmless person on one side. Headmaster sat on the other side of Jaune, between him and Grimm thankfully, while the newest Jaune, the one still masked, drew out a chair between Fate and Xiong and sat. Fate scooted just a little further away from him.
"No need to be so awkward," Headmaster said. "I've personally assured the safety of everyone here, which means I won't be above putting a stop to any fights personally."
"Is it just the six of us?" Xiong asked.
"I wish there could be more but reaching out to everyone isn't easy, and even less so knowing who might be interested."
"Another Jaune joined Beacon yesterday." Xiong said. "I hear you had a hand in that, Headmaster."
"You must tell me where you find all this information sometime, Xiong. Alas, it's not entirely accurate here. I had less a hand in that than our dear friend Adam did. He's the one who failed so grandly." He set his cane down atop the table and reached for a can of beer, cracking it open. "I merely helped him cut his losses and hand the poor fellow over to those who might care a little more for him."
"Cinder won't like that."
"I doubt he would have fought for her anyway – and it wasn't like I could fight ten people at once, Magnis and Knight among them." He toasted Jaune with a wink. "The heroes of Beacon rightly won the battle and walked away with the rewards. I merely prevented one faunus being captured. Hardly my victory no matter how you phrase it."
"I'll make sure Cinder hears that story." Grimm said. He reached for a can. "May I?"
"Of course. Everyone, help yourselves."
There was something bizarre in watching an actual Grimm crack open a can of beer, take a drink and sigh happily. It was too human, hinting at stress and fatigue that Grimm just didn't feel. When Fate took a can as well, Jaune joined in, more afraid of looking out of place. It wasn't like he'd never tried beer before, even if he wasn't a massive fan of it. The only one not drinking was the masked Jaune, who remained silent.
"We're here today not as enemies but as friends." Headmaster announced. "That goes for everyone. Will you all join me in laying your weapons on the table? A sign of good faith, that none shall hide anything from the other."
Xiong was the first to shrug and reach under the table. He brought up a silver handgun, engraved with bone, and laid it on the table with a solid clunk. Fate went next, laying Crocea Mors down, but then surprising Jaune by bringing out a smaller knife and a handgun of his own. Grimm lay Crocea Mors down as well and little else, but they all knew his body was as much a weapon as the sword he wielded.
"Won't you join us?" Headmaster asked the masked one.
The mask tilted slightly to the side, then nodded. He set on the table a thin, collapsible blade, and then removed his left gauntlet, sliding another out the wrist. He put the gauntlet down as well, reached under the table and dragged out a belt covered in tiny pouches, with some showing clear signs of dust explosives. As if that wasn't enough, he stood, swept his coat open and removed an entire submachine gun from the inside, laid that down across the top, and then clicked two handguns from either side of his waist and balanced them against the side.
"Is that all?" Fate asked sarcastically. "You don't have an APC hidden under there?"
"Our friend is one who likes to be prepared." Xiong said. "I do not fault that in these days. Our kind are hunted. Many have died."
"Leviathan and Barista." Jaune said angrily.
"Not only them." Xiong interrupted. "There have been more. Null has accounted for at least one other, hunting him down and killing him in a nightclub deeper in the city."
"One killed himself." Headmaster said. Several heads whipped his way, Jaune's among them. "Ozpin received the report from Qrow earlier today."
"I wondered where he was." Xiong said. "I expected him to be around. He isn't an anchor, is he?"
"No."
The mob boss nodded. "Good."
"What of this one that offed himself?" Fate asked. "Mind sharing with the class how you found that one out, teach?"
"My title of Headmaster isn't for show. I run Beacon, which means I understand much of the school and its systems that others do not. Passwords change, security allowances have been altered, but there are backdoors into the system that have been in place for centuries. Many of those connect directly to Ozpin's systems. After all, he's the one that put them there."
Why would he-? Oh, the way his mind was passed on after death. Ozpin wanted to have a way to contact Beacon in private or check up on things even if he died and ended up in the mind of someone far away. If there were any problems, he could use those backdoors to access Beacon's network even if a bad guy took over the school. It was a vulnerability that only Ozpin could take advantage of, but that he must have shown to Headmaster in their world.
That means he trusted Headmaster a lot. Why is he on Salem's side here…?
"There isn't much known about the Jaune who refused to take part," he continued. "Only that he was summoned to Raven Branwen and took some exception to the fact."
Fate snorted. "Who wouldn't? The woman is a coward."
"Agreed." Grimm said sharply. Jaune still couldn't believe he was here and talking to them like this. "I'd sooner kill her myself. Still, you've lived a thousand lifetimes if your story is to be believed. Were there none where you lived with the Branwen tribe?"
"Story time already, is it?" Fate chuckled and took a drink. "Alright, I don't mind going first. There has been, yes. One where I let them have me so I could train and another where I had the bright idea to kill Raven off early and try to see where the Spring Maiden went. I hoped Yang would catch it and give me an edge. Didn't work out. Living in the tribe only showed me how much more a coward she is – attacking the weak, never taking part and doing her best to control anyone who might grow strong enough to challenge her. She took me into her bed-"
Jaune groaned. "Of course she did."
"-not because of any interest, but because I was growing too fast, and she was afraid I'd challenge and supplant her. Thought that if I was enamoured to her, she could control me. Imagine that. A forty year old woman seducing a seventeen year old because she's too much a coward to face me head on."
"And the other time when you killed her," Headmaster said. "Where did the maidens power go out of interest? Vernal?"
"Got it in one." Fate said. "So, I killed her as well. Went to two other members of the tribe, then vanished off the face of Remnant when I killed them."
"Vanished?" Grimm asked.
"I mean it left the tribe and I had no idea where it went. Could have been any woman the bandit knew in her whole life. Wasn't in the tribe, wasn't in Beacon and hit a reset before I ever found out where it went. The plan fell through. Even killing Raven while shoving a picture of Yang in her face didn't make her think of her. I figured she was refusing to pass it onto her. Some last, lingering trace of affection for the daughter she abandoned, that she refused to saddle her with that shit power."
"The situation in Vale would only become more complicated with maidens involved." Xiong said. "I, for one, think we should leave them out of this."
"Agreed." Fate, Headmaster and Grimm said at once. Even the masked Jaune nodded his head.
"Hey," Jaune spoke up. "Shouldn't we have a name for him?" He pointed, even if no one could mistake who he was talking about. The masked Jaune stared back – or maybe he didn't. There was no way to know which way his eyes were looking.
"I was hoping he might introduce himself." Headmaster said.
The masked Jaune reached up and touched his helmet. A transmitter of some sort opened up, the brief crackle of static making that obvious. "Agent," he said, and then let go of the mask. Nothing more.
"Agent." Fate hummed. "Secret agent?"
"Oh, a super spy." Headmaster chuckled. "That's an interesting one! I'd love to hear more but I've a feeling you're not prepared to share the story. Let me guess, classified information?" Agent nodded once. "I imagined such. Ah, that's a shame. I'll be honest, I was kind of hoping you were a caped crusader style superhero with all the gadgets."
"That would be cool." To Jaune's surprise, he and Grimm said that at the exact same time, and in the exact same excited whisper. He jumped and looked over, not quite as amused as Grimm looked. "Jinx," he said, with Jaune spluttering helplessly back. "But yeah," Grimm went on, "I was hoping you were a superhero as well. I always loved X-Ray and Vav."
Me too, Jaune thought. How would a Grimm know about comic book heroes…?
"Such childish stories rarely do the world justice," Xiong spoke up and poured himself a drink from a square-shaped bottle. Jaune read the label, catching it as amaretto. He'd never tried it. "Superheroes exist in comic books because they are set in worlds where people with unnatural powers run rampant. Here, we call them huntsmen."
"Does Roman count as a supervillain?" Grimm wondered.
Headmaster and Fate snorted at the same time, practically scoffing in disbelief. "Roman is a petty thief," Fate said. "He can fight off students who don't know better than to stick their pretty head in his operations but show him a real huntsman and he folds harder than an origami crane."
"In my world," Headmaster said, "He is a professor in Beacon."
"Fuck off." Fate said. "You're having us on."
"It's true. I promise you." Headmaster laughed. "Not always the most attentive, hard-working or even the most reliable, but a teacher all the same. He has the worst habit of trading good grades for cigars. That and driving Glynda up the wall. But even if he pretends not to, he has a soft spot for the students."
It was hard to believe, almost as hard as believing that Grimm was at their table, relaxed, and wasn't trying to kill them. Or that there was a version of him who was a mob boss, another that was some kind of super spy from the movies and a third that was a teacher. Everyone about this was ridiculous.
Nothing more so than Headmaster turning to him and saying, "What about you, Jaune? What's your story?"
"M-Mine? I'm just me. I'm a student. Nothing more." He laughed awkwardly, suddenly anxious under the gazes of so many people. "I'm nothing special compared to you guys. I mean, you're Beacon's youngest professor, a crime lord, a time traveller, a spy and the son of Salem. That's much more interesting."
"I disagree." Xiong said. "It was my dream to attend Beacon; to stand in your shoes. I would like to know what my life might be like were my application not rejected."
His dream was to be where Jaune was now-? Why? Who would want that?
"I'm curious as well." Grimm said. "Even if some things are similar, I can't help but wonder what life would be like as a true human."
"Boring." Fate said. "A life of boring mediocrity if you're asking him."
"You're awfully quick to insult." Headmaster said. "But I happen to agree with the others. A life as a student seems crazy to me. I'd love to hear how that happened. Even imagining being on a team with Pyrrha, Ren and Nora feels odd. They're my students. It just feels wrong to think otherwise."
"Are you serious?" Jaune asked. "You really want to hear about my life?"
They – a professor, a Grimm, a crime boss and even a secret agent – nodded. It boggled the mind. He was boring, nothing, just a regular guy bumbling along feeling like he was the weakest link in the chain. He had nothing going for him, not looks, personality or ability, and yet these far more successful and far more confident versions of himself were acting like he was something.
He didn't know how to process that. Blushing, he took a long drink of the beer, hoping it might grant him the confidence he needed or at least wash away his embarrassment.
"W-Well, I guess I can tell you a little… though I don't see why you'd want to know." They did, though, and after a little nudging he had no choice but to indulge them. "It all started when I faked my transcripts for Beacon…"
What is Headmaster's game here? It might help to remember that aside from being a teacher and night-lighting as a criminal associate of Cinder, his other role was to be the school counsellor and look after the mental wellbeing of his students. He's continued that role on after Headmaster, and perhaps gotten rather good at noticing people's issues.
Next Chapter: 9th April
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
