Hunters of Justice

by trestwho

Remnant has fallen, its cities captured and its greatest defenders defeated at the hands of the alien conqueror, Brainiac. In the aftermath of his victory, the people of Remnant's last hope lies in the hands of two teams of students, whisked away to another world. A world where Gods walk among them.

34. Gotham by Daylight

Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)

Chapter 25: Gotham by Daylight

[~][~]

November 13th, 12:05 PM

Gotham City, United States of America

"Ooh!" Ruby squealed as she, her team, team JNPR, and Damian walked the bustling streets of uptown Gotham. The sky was a pristine, cloudless blue, with sunlight bouncing off of tall skyscrapers onto the concrete below. Pedestrians and cars went by, with no one paying the assembled heroes any attention rather than the odd passerby. If one wasn't paying attention, Gotham almost appeared to be just another, normal city.

The dull thud that came from the alleyway behind them quickly dismissed that notion, and Yang walked back into the light while slapping her hands together.

"Got 'em," she declared with a grin. "Blake, mind calling the police?"

"Already did," Blake responded. True to her word, they saw a police car around a corner, making its way towards their location. Yang nodded towards them, then gestured her head towards her friends to bid them onward.

"I'll stay back for a bit to answer their questions. Don't wait on my account," Yang said. The others nodded, then left her behind as the police car pulled up next to her. They were far enough now that the passing traffic drowned out whatever Yang and the police officers were saying, but they were able to understand the gist of it nonetheless.

"I can't believe that scoundrel tried to rob us in broad daylight," Weiss muttered to herself, shaking her head.

"That's Gotham for you," Damian replied, guiding the others further into Gotham. "Some parts are better, but overall it's a wretched hive of scum and villainy."

"Reminds me of Mantle," Weiss revealed before frowning to herself. Old shames were brought back up to the surface, while newer regrets joined the mix as well. Seeing the concerned look on Ruby's face, Weiss shook those thoughts aside and marched forward. She joined Ruby in looking for any shops that caught her eye and eventually found a small clothing outlet filled with high-quality apparel.

"Hmm, that looks interesting," she announced while pointing out. The others looked towards the store, their faces adopting an interested expression. Except for Ruby, Jaune, Ren, and Damian, who instead narrowed their eyes and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm not going in there," Jaune declared, with Ren and Damian nodding alongside him.

"Oh, come on, Jauney!" Nora replied with a wide grin. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Not in a dress store," Jaune countered, pointing out the various dresses that lined the windows. "I've been in more than enough of those to last a lifetime, thank you very much."

"I agree with Jaune," Ren added. "Sorry, Nora."

"Aww," Nora whined, crossing her arms and huffing. Damian, meanwhile, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in turn.

"Whine all you want, you'll catch me dead before I go in there," he declared with a huff. The girls looked at the boys, then rolled their eyes in turn and shook their heads.

"Suit yourself," Blake said, then turned to look at Ruby. "You sure you don't want to come inside?"

"Nope," Ruby stated simply, shuddering to herself due to some unseen horror. Blake and Weiss shook their heads in amusement, then walked inside the shop to purchase whatever caught their eyes.

Ruby, Jaune, Ren, and Damian leaned against the storefront, standing in silent contemplation as they waited for their companions. Neither of them felt the need to say anything, whether due to a genuine desire for silence or simply not knowing what to say. Ruby herself was the most uncomfortable from it, looking at the group while practically begging for someone to say something. Seeing as how that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, she frowned slightly, then opened her eyes once she remembered a very recent development.

"Oh, Jaune! Ren!" Ruby started, prompting the three boys to turn their attention towards her. "What're you guys planning for you double-date?"

At once, Jaune blushed and looked away, embarrassment filling his face, while Ren retained his composure. Damian, meanwhile, huffed and looked away, not interested in what amounted to a banal conversation, in his opinion at least.

"We've been looking at a nice restaurant around here, actually," Ren revealed.

"Ooh, so a dinner date? That's cool!" Ruby exclaimed, practically bouncing on her feet. Ever since she had learned Pyrrha had a crush on Jaune, which came as a shock to her as she honestly thought they already were dating beforehand, she had practically been begging for details. Surprisingly, Nora had been quite mum on the matter, and Pyrrha reacted similarly to Jaune. That being an embarrassed mess as soon as the matter was brought up.

"I hope so. Jaune's the one who picked it," Ren revealed, flashing a small smile to his embarrassed leader. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll love it."

"I know, I know. It's just…" Jaune paused, then sighed while shaking his head. "Pyrrha's been wanting this for so long, and I want it to be perfect, you know? I owe it to her."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Ruby soothed her friend, knowing just how nervous he was. Damian, meanwhile, rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Freaking out about it isn't going to help," Damian advised in his characteristically rough way. Jaune and Ren narrowed their eyes towards Damian's 'help,' but otherwise didn't outwardly react. After spending so much time with Damian, they had grown used to his demeanor. Ruby, however, merely chuckled to herself and shook her head. Damian raised his eyebrow at her reaction, giving her a sideways glance.

"What's so funny?" he asked, both accusatory and genuinely curious. Ruby took another look at Damian and laughed again, this time managing to stop herself after a few moments.

"Oh, nothing. It's just," Ruby smiled again, "you remind me a lot of Weiss when we first met."

Damian raised his eyebrows at Ruby's remark while Jaune and Ren hummed to themselves, deep in thought.

"How so?" Jaune asked, honestly not seeing the connection. Neither did Damian, but Ruby was already prepared to answer, with her finger outstretched.

"Standoffish," Ruby began, "kinda high strung. Can be mean at times, not to mention demanding. Have a really high opinion of themselves and exacting standards and have a cold personality that's hard to get close to. Especially in the beginning when we first met."

"…hey," Weiss suddenly replied, having come out of the store holding a bag. The others were behind her, their faces a mixture of amusement and genuine curiosity. Ruby saw the look on Weiss' face and began to animatedly wave her arms around, an awkward smile on her face.

"But!" Ruby continued, trying to make up for potentially, and accidentally, offending her partner. "Deep down, both of you are really good, heroic people. You have such high standards because you work so hard and expect others to work just as hard. I mean, look at you and me." Ruby gestured to herself and Weiss repeatedly. "We didn't get along at all when we first met, and now we're besties!"

Ruby's friends and teammates stared at her for a moment, ruminating over her words. Slowly, one by one they began to nod, with the notable exception of Weiss and Damian themselves.

"You know, she does have a point," Blake declared. Weiss shot the Faunus a betrayed look, then turned her head towards Damian's. The two of them stared into each other, then shot their heads away with a huff.

"Is there a point you're trying to make?" Damian asked, thoroughly annoyed.

"Yes, actually," Ruby replied, smilingly brightly towards Damian. "All I'm saying, Damian, is that I don't really care how mean you act or how standoffish you are. I know that one of these days, you and I are going to be friends!"

With that, Ruby turned around and marched away, aiming to bring their group along to their next destination. The others watched after her as the distance between them increased. Much to Damian's irritation, he saw that the others were nodding along with her words.

"Trust me," he suddenly heard Yang say from behind him as she rejoined the group, having apparently heard the conversation and wrapping her arm around his shoulder, "she's probably right. I mean, look at Weiss."

The heroes turned their attention towards Weiss, who held a strange, haunted look in her face that ended with a shudder.

"She breaks down your will," Weiss mumbled, holding her arms close and rubbing her hands on them. "First it's just 'besties,' then the next thing you know, you're wearing matching outfits and spending the whole day together…"

The others looked at Weiss in concern, but the heiress soon snapped herself out of her stupor and recomposed herself. Damian then lifted Yang's arm off of his shoulder and began to walk after Ruby. Even if she was distracting and had powers, he didn't want to leave her alone in Gotham by herself. The others prepared to move after him, but then Damian paused in his step.

"Why do you follow her?" Damian suddenly asked, his back still turned to them. The others paused and raised their eyebrows, not quite understanding what he meant.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked. Damian then turned around to look at them, a serious expression on his face. This one was different, however, as it seemed to be on another level than what they were used to seeing on him.

"I mean, why do you follow her?" Damian repeated. "I've read the reports that you gave the League when you arrived, as well as the reports made afterwards by the League and the Titans. All of you follow her lead and direction, and I don't understand why."

The Remnantian's looked at each other, then Yang shrugged. "Well, she's the leader of Team RWBY. It's in the name, obviously, and she's my little sister. Where she goes, I go. Simple as that, for me."

"And I can understand that," Damian admitted, "but what I don't understand is why she was made the leader in the first place. She's naïve, inexperienced, younger than all of you, doesn't seem to take what we're doing seriously, and always walks with this…spring in her step."

For a moment, Yang pursed her lips, slightly offended at how he was describing her sister. She was about to retort, but to Yang's surprise, she saw Weiss nod to herself and step forward. Yang took the unspoken request to stay silent, allowing Weiss to give her answer.

"You know, I used to think the same way," Weiss began. "In fact, when Ozpin made her leader over me, I was furious. Couldn't accept it at all, for the exact same reasons you just gave. When Ruby said she and I didn't get along at first, that was entirely because of me.

"But, over time, I got to know the real her. Ruby is young, and inexperienced, yes, but I wouldn't say she's naïve. I'd say she's more…" Weiss paused, then smiled lightly. "Optimistic. And after everything that's happened to us, I think we can appreciate that more than ever. Besides, why do you think people follow Superman? The way I see it, the reasons are pretty much the exact same."

A heavy, contemplative silence fell over the group as they all stared at Damian, waiting to see how he would respond. He stared flatly at Weiss, his eyes showing he was deep in thought, but before he could respond, they heard Ruby suddenly shout towards them from further along the street.

"Guys, hurry up!" Ruby demanded, holding out her arms to the side towards a building. "There's a paintball arena here, and they're holding a tournament!"

"Yeah, let's wreck some fools!" Nora cheered as she raced toward the younger girl. The others merely smiled and shook their heads before making their way towards them. Damian, however, stayed behind. He watched them leave, ruminating over what they had said. Then he shook his head and walked after them.

---

When Alfred let Damian escort teams RWBY and JNPR through Gotham, he had expected them to be gone for quite some time. He wasn't worried, after all, they were more than capable of protecting themselves. But he had to admit that seeing a victorious-looking Ruby walk back into the manor holding a massive trophy in her hands was something he didn't expect.

"Looks like you all had a good time," Alfred noted, chuckling to himself as the rest of the teenagers entered the manor. "May I ask what the trophy is for?"

"Paintball tournament," Nora explained, grinning wickedly. "We kicked the other teams' butts!"

Alfred chuckled. He could imagine how pitting amateurs and, at best, off-duty police officers up against trained huntsmen, huntresses and superheroes would go. Judging by the look on Yang's face, it must have been quite a sight.

"I'm gonna put this in my room!" Ruby declared as she prepared to walk away, trophy in hand, but Alfred shook his head and offered his hand.

"That will not be necessary, Ms. Rose. Please, allow me," he said. Ruby looked at him for a moment, then accepted Alfred's offer and handed him the tournament trophy.

"So, Al?" Yang asked before he left. "Anything happen while we were gone?"

"Yes, actually," he replied. "Master Bruce requested that you all head down to the Batcave immediately."

"Is it about what Barbara said?" Weiss asked as they prepared to do so.

"I believe so, yes. She thinks she found the location of the League of Shadow's base of operations," Alfred revealed. Weiss and the others nodded at his answer. They had already suspected it after Barbara called them once they had already won the tournament, so hearing a confirmation wasn't too big of a surprise.

Seeing that they now had a place to be, they bid Alfred farewell and made their way to Bruce's study. There they found the old grandfather clock. A quick check from Pyrrha proved that Bruce had, indeed, modified it to prevent her previous method of finding it from happening again. They moved the clock handles to the appropriate time, followed by the unlatching of locks as the clock was moved from its base against the wall. The heroes moved down the tunnel, hearing the secret door close behind them, and soon found themselves at the entrance elevator. Damian pressed the button once they were all on-board, allowing the car to descend against the rocky cave wall and down to the Batcave below.

There, they found Bruce, Tim, Stephanie, Cassandra, and Jason waiting for them. Bruce was sitting in front of the Batcomputer, which itself was hosting an image of Barbara Gordon. A serious look was plastered across all of their faces, which RWBY, JNPR, and Damian echoed.

"Good, you're here," Bruce began, nodding towards all of them. "Oracle, if you please?"

"Certainly," Oracle replied, typing into her computer. "After crosschecking all of the data we got, both from Gotham, Jump City, and Brother Eye, I've finally zeroed in on the League of Shadow's location."

Rather than smile at the news, she frowned. "Unfortunately, you guys aren't going to like where it's located."

Oracle brought a series of images on-screen, showing satellite photographs of a ruined city nestled on a polluted coastline. True to her word, there were definite signs of activity hidden among the ruins, pieces of advanced technology tucked away and thermal signatures of people mucking about. One of the images showed a makeshift dock, one able to be rapidly assembled and disassembled as needed. Several crates were being loaded and unloaded, and it wasn't hard to guess what was housed in them.

"Hold on," Weiss said as she finally took notice of the coordinates each of the images housed in their top right corners. "These were taken close by. Is this…?"

"Blüdhaven," Yang realized with a gasp. "They're based out of Blüdhaven. Those crazy, clever bastards."

"My thoughts exactly," Oracle concurred.

"I don't see the problem," Jaune pointed. "Blüdhaven's not fifty miles away. What's stopping us from going in right now?"

"Jaune, you played Call of Duty: Apokoliptic Warfare, right?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow towards him. When Jaune nodded, Yang nodded back. "What happened in the Battle of Blüdhaven mission?"

Jaune paused, thinking back to the level in question, then groaned in realization. "Ah, crap. I remember now."

"Yes," Bruce said grimly. "During the Darkseid War, in an effort to keep defeat Kalibak's forces, a tactical nuclear warhead was detonated in Blüdhaven. The blast blanketing the entire city in a cloud of nuclear radiation. Its effect was exponentially multiplied by Apokoliptic technology caught in the blast, rending the entire city uninhabitable for at least a century."

"It's a ghost town," Ruby noted grimly.

"One that could kill us just by going into the wrong area," Jason added, then turned to look at RWBY and JNPR. "Tell me, did Remnant ever have nuclear technology?"

"No, at least I don't believe so," Weiss admitted. "It's possible that Atlas might've had research into the subject, but at most, it would've been theoretical."

"We know what radiation is, if that's where you're going," Blake continued. "We've read Earth's history. The question is, how are we going to get in there? Especially since Poison Ivy's running around."

Bruce nodded, impressed that Blake had managed to figure out the other subject matter of the meeting before he had even brought it up. He motioned towards Oracle, who quickly pulled a headshot of Pamela Isly from her latest stint in Arkham Asylum.

"I have confirmed that Pamela Isly is currently active in Gotham," Bruce stated. "The GCPD has been made aware and a manhunt is underway, but I cannot in good conscience leave Gotham until she's been apprehended. Poison Ivy is too dangerous. The last time she was operating, she took over several CEOs and the Gotham City Council with her pheromones, giving her complete control over the entire city for nearly two weeks before she was discovered and apprehended. Who knows what she's planning this time?"

RWBY and JNPR could agree with that assessment wholeheartedly. With Poison Ivy's ability to control plants and secrete pheromones from her body powerful enough to override a victim's will, leaving Gotham behind to let her run loose was almost assuredly a disastrous proposition. One they couldn't afford to make, just as they couldn't afford to let the League of Shadows run rampant.

"How long ago were these pictures taken?" Jaune asked, his hand coming to his chin.

"Last night," Oracle explained.

"How long until they figure out we're onto them?" Ren asked, leaning forward.

"Hard to say. At most, a few days. Maybe a week. After that, they could be anywhere," Oracle replied. A heavy silence fell over the group as they pondered their options. Ruby studied the images on screen closely, trying to figure out a way to best handle both problems at once. Then her attention shifted, moving towards the assembled heroes before her. Slowly, an idea began to take root, something that Bruce and Weiss seemed to pick up on.

"Ruby, you have an idea?" Weiss asked. Ruby looked at her partner then back at Bruce. She swallowed and nodded.

"Yes," Ruby confirmed. "We don't need to do one or the other. Instead, we should tackle both at the same time. Like what we did just a few nights ago. I mean, not including Batwoman, Tim, or Stephanie, there are," Ruby paused to do a quick count, "twelve of us in Gotham at this very moment, eight of which have superpowers. We could easily split up to tackle both problems at once. Half of us go to Blüdhaven, the other stays in Gotham to pursue Poison Ivy."

"That does leave a lot of manpower to do both," Jason noted, already agreeing with Ruby's logic. To be honest, he was about to suggest the same thing, and something told him so were the other Gothamites.

"Not even that," Weiss add, "We could easily get the League to assist with Blüdhaven, meaning that you guys," she gestured towards the Bat-Family, "can stay here entirely."

"What about you?" Stephanie asked.

"It's quite likely that at least some of the containers the League of Shadows has in Blüdhaven contain Grimm," Pyrrha replied, a slight frown on her face. "We know how to handle them more than anyone else, so I think that it would be best if some of us go."

Bruce thought it over quickly, then nodded. "I agree. We have been receiving isolated reports of Grimm activity across the world ever since Jump City, and although the League has responded when able, we simply don't have enough personal experience to truly know what to expect."

"At the same time, father, we can't deny the threat Poison Ivy can pose," Damian interjected. "I do agree that sending both RWBY and JNPR to Blüdhaven is a sound choice, especially with the likelihood of Grimm, but that leaves us at a potential disadvantage against whatever Poison Ivy's cooked up. She's taken over superpowered individuals before, including Superman. Poison Ivy's also allied with other superpowered individuals in the past. There's a significant possibility that she's done a similar thing here."

"I know," Bruce replied, a frown on his face. He was caught in a conundrum. On the one hand, RWBY and JNPR had proven themselves more than capable these past few weeks, and he could easily trust them to take a covert mission into Blüdhaven's ruins. But doing so might deprive him of a useful asset to take down Poison Ivy. Not to mention, he didn't like the idea of sending a group of trainees against a well-fortified encampment of well-armed and dangerous terrorists. Ones that almost brought down the League itself.

The memory of that incident caused Bruce's frown to deepen. His eyes briefly glanced towards the Batcomputer, and another paranoid thought crossed his mind. He quickly decided that he'd check the security once again. The last thing he wanted was someone getting into the Batcomputer that wasn't meant to. Not again.

"We'll go," Yang suddenly declared, shaking Bruce from his thoughts and prompting everyone to turn their attention towards team RWBY.

"Come again?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said, we'll go. Team RWBY can go to Blüdhaven while JNPR stays in Gotham with you guys," Yang clarified. "Before you go and say 'Yang, these are terrorists and they'll kill you,' let me just say that us sneaking into a well-fortified and hidden criminal compound isn't all that new to us. We've done it before, quite well if I do say so myself."

"You mean the White Fang base in Mountain Glenn?" Damian pointed out, having read the file in question. "Didn't that end in The Breach?"

"Yes," Yang slowly replied, holding up a single finger, "but had we not intervened, it would've been worse, ignoring the fact that Brainiac invaded a few weeks later and made it all pointless. Plus, that time we didn't know a base was over there, just some suspicious activity. This time, we know what we're getting into, so we'll be ready."

"Hmm," Bruce hummed, giving the idea some thought. It certainly had merit, but not without its own flaws. The more he thought about it, though, the more he began to come around to it. His protégés picked up on this, already knowing where this is going.

"I agree with Yang," Bruce finally declared, prompting Yang to pump her fist in victory.

"But," he continued, cutting Yang off, "I still don't like the idea of sending you four in alone. I can't go due to Poison Ivy, so I'll reach out to the Watchtower, have a few League members run reconnaissance with you."

"Recon?" Ruby replied, raising an eyebrow. "You want us to run recon, not take them out?"

"Yes," Bruce stated simply. "I know that, after everything you've been through, you're more than capable of defending yourselves. However, that doesn't mean I feel comfortable setting you off against the League of Shadows. They're not like the criminals you've faced before. These are well trained, professional assassins equipped with some of the best weapons, technology, and training in the world. They know what they're doing and are quite good at it, and unlike White Fang or the Penguin or Black Mask, they will be much more difficult to catch off-guard. If you were to fight them, there is a much higher chance of you getting hurt, and that is the last thing I want."

Yang prepared to retort, but Blake stopped her and shook her head.

"He's right, Yang," Blake clarified. "I was with the White Fang for years, and as strong as some of their fighters were, the vast, vast majority were little more than Faunus given a gun and told to go nuts. Only the best fighters even get formal training, and it's from an already trained fighter like Adam Taurus or Sienna Kahn taking on a protégé. If what I've read is true, that isn't the case with the League of Shadows. Even with our powers, it would be dangerous. Recon's for the best."

Yang frowned, then after a moment sighed. "Dammit. Let me guess, we scout them out and then call in the hammer?"

"Precisely," Bruce answered. "Again, I'll delve into the details later. For now, we need to prepare. Oracle, if you please."

"Got it," Oracle replied, already knowing what Bruce was requesting. She pulled up a radioactivity map of Blüdhaven, showing which areas were more radioactive than others. "The amount of radiation covering Blüdhaven is immense. The League has been operating in the safer areas, from what I can see, but most of the city isn't so lucky. I doubt that your Aura will protect you from the effects of radiation poisoning, so before we even think about going in, you guys are going to need some protective gear. Luckily, Mr.-Paranoid-and-Prepare -for-Everything over here had already asked Lucius Fox to make some for you all when you arrived."

"Ruby, Weiss, I want you two to go to Wayne Enterprises and talk to Lucius," Bruce explained. "He already knows everything, so you don't need to worry about keeping any secrets. He'll provide what we need."

"Ooh, I've wanted to go there!" Ruby exclaimed, and Weiss nodded.

"As have I, actually," the former heiress admitted. "Is that why you're asking us to go?"

Bruce didn't answer, telling Weiss everything she needed to hear. She chuckled and shook her head, then nodded affirmatively towards Bruce. He nodded back, then turned to face the others.

"In the meantime, finishing up your weapons is of prime importance. How close are they to being finished?"

"Crocea Mors is almost done," Jaune admitted. "Just a few finishing touches, but I should be ready to go tonight."

"Same here," Ruby admitted. "All I have left to do is calibrate it. I'll get that done once I get back from meeting with Lucius."

"Good." Bruce turned towards the others. "Everyone else, it's business as usual. Let's get back to work."

They nodded, then everyone split apart. Ruby and Weiss made their way back towards the service elevator while the others went to various areas of the Batcave, either to train or, in the rest of RWBY and JNPR's case, take another online class.

"Ooh, that reminds me. Gotta take that real quick," Ruby exclaimed as she pulled out her scroll and entered the Gotham Academy class.

"You still haven't done that?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. "I got that done this morning. What were you doing?"

"Heh heh, I was doing…stuff," Ruby replied sheepishly. Weiss narrowed her eyes towards her partner, not believing her for a second.

"…You were watching cartoons again, weren't you?" she accused.

"I prefer to think 'cultural acclimation,' thank you very much."

---

After explaining the situation to him, Alfred was more than willing to take Ruby and Weiss where they needed to go. The limousine ride back into Gotham wasn't particularly noteworthy, although Ruby had to admit that she still wasn't quite used to riding in a limo to begin with. Weiss was, but Ruby chalked that up to her rich girl experience.

"Here we are," Alfred said as he pulled up to the front of the Wayne Enterprises building. "I've already notified Lucius you were coming. Talk to the receptionist and she'll lead you to him."

"Thank you, Alfred," Weiss replied as the butler opened the car doors for her and Ruby. They got out of the car and bid him farewell, waving him off as he nodded, got back into the driver's seat, and drove back to Wayne Manor. Ruby and Weiss waited until the limo was out of sight, then walked through the front doors of Wayne Enterprises straight to the receptionist's desk. There they saw a woman with short red hair sitting in front of a computer, who quickly took notice and straightened herself out.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked. Weiss quickly stole a glance towards the nametag on the woman's desk, seeing that it read 'Clara Saberton', and nodded.

"Yes. My name is Weiss Schnee, this is Ruby Rose," Weiss revealed, gesturing towards her partner who offered an awkward wave in response. "We have an appointment with Mr. Fox?"

"Ah, yes!" Clare replied, typing away into her computer. "I'll call Lucius right away. Please, take a seat."

Clara Saberton gestured towards one of the many seats that lined the reception area. Weiss and Ruby nodded then quietly walked over, sitting down next to each other as Clare dialed Lucius's office number. They patiently waited for a few minutes, Ruby kicking her feet idly while Weiss sat prim and proper, her hands seated atop her lap. She twiddled her fingers, tapping them against her legs until she noticed Clara no longer talking on the phone. She wasn't looking towards them, but Weiss took her change in activity as a sign that Lucius Fox was on his way.

As she waited, the former heiress went over what she knew about the man. Lucius Fox was one of Bruce Wayne's closest friends, a man who seemingly had a 'Midas Touch' towards any business he came into contact with. He had displayed an uncanny ability to turn failing businesses into prosperous enterprises, which led him to be a highly sought-after figure in corporate America. He was currently serving as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, a position he showed no signs of stepping down from even after his contract was slated to expire. Lucius seemed to genuinely care for the company and the city it resided in, even if he had undoubtedly received better offers from companies out of town.

But Weiss honestly didn't care about that. What she cared most about what she knew of Lucius Fox was what everyone said about the man. Every article, interview, story and more about Lucius Fox said the same thing: that he was a smart, ethical man who was easy to get along with and wanted to do good for the world. She couldn't help but compare him to her father, and the differences were striking. Jacques Schnee was a ruthless man who believed that one had to be cruel and merciless towards enemies, real and perceived, to grow as large as he did. No laws, community guidelines, ethical standards, moral quandaries, or basic rights stood in his way to turn the SDC into the largest company on Remnant.

Lucius, on the other hand, wanted to run Wayne Enterprises first and foremost as an ethical company, one concerned about how their business practices would affect the world, their employees, and their communities. By all accounts, he had succeeded. Wayne Enterprises, ever since he had taken over from the previous CEO, a man named William Earle, was consistently ranked as one of the most ethical companies in the world. They no longer sold weapons to the military, purchased resources from properly vetted supplies that met stringent ethical guidelines, treated their employees with respect and provided due compensation needed to provide for themselves and their families. Rather than bust any attempts at early unionization, Lucius instead worked with them to meet both of their needs, to the point where union leaders from across the country gave high praise. None of that considered the generous charitable contributions Wayne Enterprises gave under Lucius' watch, far beyond any minimum tax incentives, not to mention the various social causes the company championed. According to her father, such activities and ethical standards would've led to a company failing, preventing them from reaching their fullest potential, but under Lucius Fox' watch, Wayne Enterprises had grown to become one of the largest corporations in the world. Only LexCorp was larger, making Bruce Wayne the second-richest man in the world.

That was what most inspired Weiss. For years, she had believed with every fiber of her being that what her father had done, the people he had trampled over in his quest for greater wealth and power, was wrong and unjust. Here, she was sitting in a monument to that truth, that what she believed was right. Even more than the first time she walked through Wayne Manor, Weiss felt liberated.

She knew, of course, that Ruby likely didn't see it that way. From the look on her face, she was more impressed with the obvious wealth and prestige the Wayne Enterprise building exuberated. Not that Weiss could blame her, after all it was a beautiful building to look at, both inside and out. A grand example of Gotham Style, even after the various retrofits it had received over the years.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the elevator dinged and opened, letting out a sharply-dressed, dark-skinned man with short black hair. Part of it was greying, but for the most part, he looked to be only a few years older than Bruce Wayne himself. He quickly saw the two girls and walked over with a smile on his face, prompting Ruby and Weiss to stand up in turn.

"Mr. Fox?" Ruby said tentatively, and the man nodded in response.

"Yes, but please, call me Lucius. You two must be Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee," Lucius greeted them. Ruby smiled fully while Weiss' response was more uptight. A small grin was more than enough for her needs.

"Yes. Mr. Wayne has spoken quite highly of you," Weiss stated, and Lucius nodded back in turn.

"As he has of you. On occasion, at least. We all know how he is at times," Lucius joked. Ruby and Weiss let out a short chuckle alongside him, then Lucius beckoned the two huntresses towards the elevator. "Please, come with me to my office. We can continue our discussion there."

Ruby and Weiss nodded, following the CEO into the elevator car. Once they were all inside, he pressed a button, allowing the car to ascend to the top of the building. The ride was in silence, both due to neither Ruby nor Weiss knowing what to say to pass the time and not knowing what prying eyes and ears were watching them. Even if Lucius supposedly knew everything already, that didn't mean someone eavesdropping on them didn't. Finally, after nearly a minute of riding in the elevator, they opened to the top executive suite of the building. To Ruby's surprise, but not to Weiss, they found that almost the entire top floor was entirely dedicated to Mr. Fox's needs. Bookshelves and fancy drawers lined the dark wood walls, and a deep blue and black carpet softened their footsteps.

"Wow… Your office is big," Ruby said, her head swiveling around the room.

"Not my choice, actually," Lucius explained as he sat down on his chair, beckoning for Ruby and Weiss to sit across from his desk. "The board had to force me into it, and I couldn't get out. But it does allow me to conduct my work for Bruce effectively, so it isn't so bad."

"I can imagine," Weiss said, leaning back in her chair. "I've seen the fruits of your labor. Very impressive, I must say."

"Thank you, Weiss. I appreciate that." Lucius' expression then turned serious and he leaned forward. "Before we continue, I must ask: How are all of you doing? Have there been any…issues since your arrival?"

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other. Then, with soft expressions on both of their faces, they turned to face Lucius once again.

"It's going…good, all things considered," Ruby admitted. "A few close calls, especially after Jump City, but I can't really complain."

"We're healthy, well-fed, and have plenty of people around us to help with our problems," Weiss continued. "It's all we can really ask for right now."

"Good, good," Lucius said, nodding to himself. "If any of you need any assistance whatsoever, please feel free to reach out to me. I may not have anything comparable in my life to what happened to you, but I'm willing to help however I can."

"Thank you, Lucius. We really appreciate that," Weiss said with a light smile. Lucius smiled comfortingly back, then cupped his hands together.

"Now then, for the actual reason you're here," Lucius continued, pulling out a remote and pressing a button. One of the bookshelves rotated, revealing a set of colored hard-suits with clear visors over the helmets. Each one was unique, incorporating some facet of their normal design. Ruby's was red and black, the hips containing a short, metal skirt reminiscent of her own. Weiss had the same, only hers was in a white and light-blue color scheme. Yang's was yellow and orange, the arms and wrists slightly bulkier to house Ember Celica, and Blake's was black and dark purple, with white lines highlighting the edges and a pair of pointed protrusions atop the head to account for her ears. Each suit housed their symbol on its chest, and although they couldn't see JNPR's, they knew that their suits must have followed the same design philosophy.

Seeing that Ruby and Weiss' attention was focused squarely on the hard-suits, Lucius continued, "Bruce requested me to construct these when you arrived in Gotham. Wanted it to be capable of protecting the wearer from a variety of hazardous environments while still enabling combat. Not too dissimilar to his own suit, in fact, just more tailored to your specific abilities. Not that he was all that specific when he first made the request, but I was able to figure it out pretty quickly."

"Ooh." Ruby got up from her chair, her eyes practically sparkling as she walked over to the small, red suit. Weiss got up as well, only instead of rubbing her hands over her white suit like Ruby, she instead cupped her chin and hummed.

"Interesting," Weiss stated. "What can it do?"

"For starters," Lucius explained as he walked over to stand next to her, "the suits contain a built-in air supply that can last for up to twenty-four hours. It's completely insulated against fine particles and poisonous gasses, not to mention extreme heat and cold. It can survive depths of up to thirty-thousand feet below sea-level and can also survive the vacuum of space. Finally, it functions as a Class A HAZMAT suit, protecting you from the effects of intense radiation, toxins, and poisons. Bruce was very insistent on that one in his call this morning. In short, these environmental suits will allow you and your friends to survive wherever you need to go, on Earth or otherwise."

Ruby practically squealed at the information Lucius was providing, and Weiss felt her interest rise. As she ran her hand over a holster obviously meant to house Myrtenaster, her thoughts drifted towards the core aspect of being a Huntress. Lucius immediately understood where her head was at, and he nodded in understanding.

"In terms of combat, I must admit that I left much of the protection to your Aura," he admitted. "From what I understand of it, it already boosts your strength and protects you from damage, so I opted to focus instead on survivability of hazardous environments."

"Smart," Weiss said. "No need to double-up on what we already got."

"Indeed. I must admit, your Aura actually proved to be a boon for me. I was able to incorporate features that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Moving on, I was able to add some features to assist you in combat, mostly supplementary of course. The hips and back contain magnetic holsters that you can attach your weapons to. They are strong enough to keep them attached during your advanced movements but weak enough to where you can easily take them off when need be."

"Oh, like Halo!" Ruby commented, but Weiss ignored her and allowed Lucius to continue.

"It can survive some small-arms fire, admittedly, but that is mostly due to its protection against micrometeorite impacts. Anything larger than a pistol round will run the risk of the suit losing its structural integrity, so I'd advise preventing that from happening. Nevertheless, mobility is not significantly impeded by the suits' design. It's easier to move without it, obviously, but it's not too restrictive. Finally, the suits house a utility belt around the waist, where you can store various munitions, supplies, and otherwise. All of which are vacuum sealed, of course."

Weiss felt her respect for the man increase as he laid out more and more of the suits' functionalities. He had gone above and beyond with them, and the craftsmanship was easily seen. She could easily imagine herself and her friends having to fight or explore in these and finally nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you, Lucius. Truly," she said, looking at Lucius Fox in the eyes. "We really appreciate this."

"You're welcome, Weiss." Lucius smiled, and Weiss smiled back. Then she felt curiosity bubble within her, and she gave her suit an appraising eye.

"If you don't mind me asking, how much did each of these suits cost to make?" she asked. Lucius hummed to himself, looking up towards the ceiling as he mentally tallied the cost.

"Individually, with the advanced materials, internal software, and mechanics, not to mention the copious amounts of quality control testing I inflicted on all of these before I even showed them to you, I would say each suit cost around…twenty-five million dollars."

Ruby squeaked in surprise, quickly pulling back her hand from the suit. Weiss stared at Lucius with wide eyes, giving her suit a quick glance before looking back at him.

"I take it that's why you're not selling this to NASA?" she asked.

"Parts of it, I do," Lucius clarified. "But, when all combined, it significantly raises the price. But, when it comes to Bruce and the League, cost is no object."

"How does this stuff get made without anyone finding out?" Ruby asked, eyeing the expensive pieces of hardware. Lucius looked at the young girl, then smiled and began moving back towards the elevator.

"Let me show you," he said, gesturing for them to join him. Ruby and Weiss quickly did so, entering the elevator as he pressed a button labeled 'B5.' As the car descended, Lucius continued to explain.

"Everything you just saw was developed out of WayneTech's R&D department. Individual parts and components are available for sale…"

"Where you then combine them to assemble it yourself," Weiss finished. Lucius nodded, confirming what she had already suspected. Of course, he likely left out the use of various proxies and shell companies to muddy the waters further, so unless you really knew where to look, you wouldn't be able to trace the legitimate sale to Bruce Wayne or Lucius Fox.

The rest of the descent was made in silence, Ruby tipping up and down on the balls of her feet as she tried to keep herself active. Weiss remained prim and proper, allowing the silence to perpetuate, and before long the car stopped. The doors split open, revealing a bustling laboratory filled with various workstations and equipment, manned by engineers and scientists working on things neither Ruby nor Weiss could guess at.

"Welcome to WayneTech," Lucius revealed. "The pride and joy of Wayne Enterprises, if I do say so myself. It's where I got my start, actually, before I become CEO of the entire company. You can see many of our ongoing projects as we speak. Hydrogen fuel cells, advancements in solar panels and wind turbines, tidal hydroelectric energy, quantum computing, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and much more. We have various other sites around the country working on space travel, nuclear fusion, advanced artificial intelligence, and other projects which require more security and safety than I feel comfortable placing into a crowded city."

If Ruby was excited before, she was positively exploding now. Her head was swiveling around the room so fast that occasional petals fluttered in the air. Weiss was prepared to stop her, only to see that Lucius was eyeing the petals with an intense curiosity and wonder. It was then that Weiss realized that this was likely the first time Lucius had seen Aura or Semblances in person, so it was no surprise he was fascinated by it.

Still, she had to stop it before wandering eyes took notice. Weiss coughed, catching Ruby's attention, who turned around to see Weiss holding a disappearing rose petal in her fingers.

"Ooh…sorry," Ruby quietly said, rubbing the back of her head. Then she whined and threw her arms out wide. "But just…look at this place! It's amazing!"

Ruby's comment seemed to snap Lucius out of his stupor, and he chuckled to himself while shaking his head. "I'm glad you feel that way, Ruby. If you want, how about you explore this place while I talk with Weiss about something."

"REALLY?!" Ruby shouted, bringing her clenched hands to her chest while bouncing up and down. Weiss rolled her eyes in exasperation while Lucius merely chuckled, then waved over a man wearing a hardhat and blue collared shirt.

"Jonathan, this is Ruby Rose. She's a guest of mine, and she's very interested in our activities here in WayneTech. Do you mind showing her around?" Lucius asked. Ruby awkwardly smiled and waved, which Jonathan took one look at before groaning.

"Ugh, I'd rather not babysit a kid," he complained. Ruby pouted then shook her head.

"I won't get in the way, I promise!" she insisted. The man looked at her again, then at the insistent look on his boss' face. He groaned again, then gestured with his head for Ruby to follow.

"Come on. I'll show you around. Just don't touch anything," he declared, and Ruby cheered before following after him. Weiss and Lucius looked on, the Huntress smiling to herself and shaking her head.

"He has no idea what he's getting into," she said, mostly to herself. She then turned her head to look at Lucius, raising her eyebrow. "Is there a reason why you wanted to speak to me alone?"

"Yes, actually. Please, come this way," Lucius insisted, walking her towards a closed-off section of the lab. They entered a large, white, cylindrical room. Computers and monitors surrounded a clear glass tube, where workers wearing white protective suits handled vials of powder with various tools. Some were looking at them through microscopes, while others were handling them through more physical means. Weiss took one close look at the powder, then gasped.

"This is Dust," she realized, looking between the inert Dust and Lucius himself.

"Yes," he replied. "The League gave WayneTech all the samples they could spare after the Grimm attack in Metropolis, along with S.T.A.R. Labs. The substance is…remarkable, so much untapped potential, and we've only scratched the surface."

"I know what you mean," Weiss said as she took a closer look at the powder. "Actually, I'd say that you're understating it. Mr. Fox, I do not exaggerate when I say that our society revolved around Dust, perhaps even more than the nations of Earth rely upon oil and fossil fuels. We used Dust for almost everything. Heating, fuel, electricity, manufacturing, agriculture, weapons, defense, clothing, you name it. Outside of the Grimm, nothing else came close to influencing our society as much as Dust. It allowed us to do many things, and the only limitations it had was its natural form was highly unstable if handled incorrectly and it became inert out of Remnant's atmosphere."

"I figured as much, from what I've been told. The League's been very secretive on that front," he admitted. Weiss looked back at the workers in front of them, crossing her arms in front of her waist.

"What do you hope to do with it?" she asked, without looking at Lucius. He didn't look at her either, his attention focused squarely on the work in front of him.

"First, try to get it working again. We don't know if Dust truly is a material only capable of working on Remnant, but we have a theory that it was the traversal through the Boom Tube that might have led to its present state. Am I correct in saying that it worked on Brainiac's ship, which was well outside Remnant's atmosphere?"

"Yes, but only towards the end of the fight," Weiss admitted. "Even then, it had parts of Remnant's atmosphere inside of it. For all we know, that was the reason why it worked."

"That is a possibility, one that we are exploring. But, if we can get it working, Dust would open so many doors for humanity. Ones we can't even conceive of right now."

"But you only have a limited amount. You can't possibly—" Weiss stopped, slowly realizing the next logical course of action. "You plan to replicate it, don't you? Make more Dust from what you already have?"

"If we can get Dust to work properly, yes. We'll get to that if we can. No reason to count our chickens before they hatch, after all." Lucius then turned to look at Weiss. "It's why I asked you to come here, actually. I believe that you and your friends can offer us a valuable perspective on Dust, ones we can't fully understand just yet."

Weiss stayed silent, alternating her gaze between Lucius and the inert Dust. A heavy silence hung over the air, and for a moment Lucius was worried he may have overstepped his bounds. Finally, however, with her attention focusing on the Dust, Weiss began to speak.

"For starters, I think you're understating how difficult it would be to manufacture Dust," Weiss proclaimed. "My grandfather's company had been trying for years, and we never made so much as a single breakthrough. Granted, research might have been stifled by my father in an effort to maintain his monopoly, but manufacturing artificial Dust will still be incredibly difficult, if not impossible."

"I'm well aware of that," Lucius replied.

"I know, I just wanted to point it out."

The two then settled into a long back and forth discussion over the properties of Dust. Lucius and a few researchers were taking notes, ones that Lucius trusted enough to keep her close proximity a secret. A healthy rhythm was quickly formed, where Lucius or a researcher would ask a question and Weiss would immediately answer. Due to her previous life as the heiress to the largest Dust company on Remnant, she was a valuable well of knowledge to them. She explained the various types of Dust, both pure and combination varieties. She explained how Remnantian society used Dust in different ways, how it interacted with Aura and an individual's soul. How Dust both lifted up Remnantian society while, at the same time ironically precluding them from different sources of energy due to its prevalence and utility.

After what seemed like hours of intense discussion, Weiss finally began to exhaust herself of what she could readily answer. The researchers and Lucius took notice of this and bid her farewell, thanking her profusely for everything she shared. Weiss thanked them in turn, grateful for at least the possibility of bringing something from her dead home back to life. Even if it was only a faint possibility, she could still hope and dream for the project's success.

"Thank you again, Weiss," Lucius said as he and Weiss exited the Dust lab.

"No, Lucius. Thank you," Weiss insisted. "Truly. You have…no idea how much it would mean to us to get Dust working again, even if there isn't enough for us to use."

Lucius wanted to say that he could, but he realized that he really didn't. He was reminded again of the horrific events that led to this discussion in the first place, and a pang of sympathetic regret coursed through his heart. Instead of speaking, he patted her shoulder comfortingly then began to walk them back to the main elevator.

"You know, you remind me a lot of my son," Lucius pointed out. Weiss raised an eyebrow and looked up at the CEO, who nodded to himself while keeping his attention focused forward. "His name is Luke. He's a few years older than you, actually, but just as smart and dedicated."

"Hmm," Weiss hummed to herself. "Where is he, if you don't mind me asking? I'd imagine that he'd be working in Wayne Enterprises with you and Mr. Wayne."

"Believe me, I tried," Lucius admitted. "But he wanted to do something else, something more personally meaningful. So, after graduating top of his class at MIT, he instead opted to enlist in the military. He's currently as a Lieutenant over in Afghanistan, and his tour isn't slated to be over for another three months. I'm both proud and worried for him."

Weiss nodded her head. "He reminds me of my older sister, Winter. Only, she joined the Atlesian military to escape my father. You have him beat in that regard."

"After everything you've told me, I should certainly hope so," Lucius remarked, and Weiss nodded.

"You have. You and Mr. Wayne," Weiss insisted just as they finally arrived back at the elevator. There they saw Jonathan waiting for them, a serious expression plastered across his face. To Weiss' exasperation, she realized that Ruby wasn't with him, and she groaned wondering just what the young girl did.

"Jonathan, where's Ru-?" Lucius began, but to both his and Weiss' surprise, Jonathan cut him off.

"Hire her," he demanded. Lucius and Weiss shot their heads back in surprise, and they looked at the head engineer in bewilderment.

"Come again?" Lucius asked.

"That girl, Ruby? Hire her. Right now," Jonathan repeated.

"…May I ask why?" Lucius asked, feeling both amused and intrigued.

"Do you know what I have been doing for the past two hours?" He pointed towards Ruby, who Weiss just now noticed was handling a workstation alongside some amazed engineers and scientists. "I have been discussing with that girl over there some of the most advanced, hard to understand engineering and metallurgy topics I can come up with. Alloys, forging processes, how to operate advanced machinery, the mathematics behind everything we do around here! She understood it all! In fact, she knows more than some of the graduates who work here! She even admonished one for using improper safety standards before I could point them out!"

"Is that right?" Lucius was fully intrigued now, while Weiss was sighing exasperatingly and slapping her forehead at what her partner must have done while she was away.

"Yes! I'm telling you, she's a prodigy! You need to hire Ruby now, before someone else gets to her," Jonathan insisted just as Ruby's head perked up. Through thick safety glasses, she looked out towards the assembled men, then bid the workers around her farewell as she took off her glasses and hardhat and she made her way over.

"I heard my name, what's going on?" she asked, not understanding what they were talking about.

"Apparently, you're potentially getting hired," Weiss revealed.

"Say wha?" Ruby asked, tilting her head towards her partner. Weiss rolled her eyes while Jonathan and Lucius looked her over.

"Hmm, if what you're saying is true," Lucius began, "there is the obvious problem of her being underage. Child labor laws would prevent me from hiring her full-time."

"Then hire her as an intern, I don't care," Jonathan offered, then readjusted his hardhat. "I'll let you handle it. If you'll excuse me, I've gotta scold an idiot who's working without a hardhat."

Ruby took a quick glance at where the head engineer was headed, then groaned. "Ugh, I just talked to Thomas about that. He's going to get himself hurt!"

Lucius and Weiss looked at Ruby, the former in amusement and the latter in resignation. Lucius prepared to speak, only for Weiss to step in front of her partner and hold up a finger.

"Now, before we go any further," Weiss declared, causing Ruby to whip her head around to look at her partner in surprise, "I insist that, as Ruby's partner, any negotiations regarding compensation and benefits be arranged through me. I will not have her be taken advantage of, even if I trust you."

"I see no reason to argue," Lucius stated as he prepared to lead them into the elevator. "We can use my office to iron out the details."

"Splendid. I will insist on a written contract before anything gets finalized," Weiss insisted as they entered the car, Ruby barely following the conversation.

"Of course," Lucius replied as he closed the elevator doors and sent it upward to his office.

"Uh, Weiss?" Ruby began, completely lost. "What are you-?"

"Hush, Ruby," Weiss interrupted, holding a finger to Ruby's lips. "I am representing you."

"…Representing me for what? What did I do?"

Neither Weiss nor Lucius answered as they quickly fell into a complex and jargon-filled discussion involving subjects Ruby couldn't hope to understand. Words and phrases like stock options, health insurance, salary, 401k, and more flew by her head, and by the time they finally got to Lucius' office, Ruby felt dizzy and had to lay down. Weiss and Lucius continued to negotiate, and Ruby could only whimper and hope it ended soon.

---

Ruby stared at the check in her hand as she and Weiss rode back to Wayne Manor in the limousine. Even after having it for nearly half an hour, she still couldn't quite understand how, exactly, everything turned out this way.

"Now, the first thing we need to do is put that into a savings account," Weiss continued her lecture. "Luckily, part of the terms of our employment is a bank account with Wayne Financial, with a generous interest rate attached to them."

Weiss' words brought to mind another piece of confusion regarding this bizarre chain of events Ruby found herself in. Ruby had quickly lost track of time since Weiss and Lucius started negotiating, but what made it worse wasn't that it took seemingly forever for Weiss to find a suitable deal for her. No, that was finished about halfway through. Then, it turned out that Lucius was so impressed with Weiss' business savvy that he started trying to hire her, which restarted the entire process.

They went to Wayne Enterprises to simply pick up some fancy, expensive HAZMAT suits. They left with not only the suits, but also with part-time internships, complete with insurance, financial assistance, and a generous salary. Weiss even managed to negotiate an advance payment. How, exactly, Ruby didn't know, and at this point, she was too afraid to ask.

"I can see you two had an eventful meeting with Lucius," Alfred noted with amusement as he eyed them from the rearview mirror.

"Indeed," Weiss said, smiling widely. "I must say, Mr. Fox was delightful, and I'm happy I had the privilege to meet him. Wouldn't you say so, Ruby?"

"…Yes?" Ruby did feel the same way, but it still took her a second to register what Weiss wanted her to say. The former heiress didn't seem to pick up on Ruby's uncertainty, or at least didn't seem to acknowledge it, and instead picked back up where she left off.

"Once you have a suitable amount in your account, then we can start investment opportunities. Get your money to make you more money. I've already compiled a list of companies I believe are sound investments for all of us."

"Yay…"

Ruby could feel her attention slipping further and further away as Weiss continued to give her financial advice. She tried to pay attention, but it was just so boring to her. Part of her wondered if that made it, by default, super important. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they pulled up to Wayne Manor and slowed to a stop.

"Oh, thank God," Ruby whispered as Alfred opened the car door for her and Weiss. The Red Reaper couldn't get out of the limo fast enough, and the only reason why she didn't immediately rush through the door was the fact that a yellow convertible was parked in front of the manor as well.

"Whose car is that?" Weiss asked as she walked up to Ruby, pocketing her own check while Alfred regarded the car for a moment. Then, realization struck, and he sighed.

"Of course," he muttered, prompting Ruby and Weiss to turn their attention towards him. Instead of answering their unspoken question, he instead led them to the door.

"Come along, now. Best not keep her waiting," Alfred said as he opened the door. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other before stepping inside, wondering exactly who owned the car. There wasn't anyone waiting for them in the main entry, but they did hear voices coming from a nearby room. A door was open, yellow incandescent light shining out. Slowly, the two partners entered the room, where they saw Bruce, the rest of their teammates, and his protégés.

All of them were talking to a raven-black haired woman wearing a purple coat, a reporter's badge attached to her chest.

"Ah, good! You're here, now we can begin," the woman proclaimed as she stood up and offered her hand. "Lois Lane, Daily Planet."

"…Weiss Schnee," Weiss introduced herself, shaking Lois' hand. "This is my partner, Ruby Rose."

"…Hi," Ruby greeted, shaking Lois' hand as well. "May I ask why you're here?"

"Oh, to interview you all, of course," Lois stated as though it was obvious. "I've been trying to get an interview with you for months, now, and after waiting I figured I should probably introduce myself."

"She's very persistent," Nora noted, idly chewing on some chips while the rest sat stiffly in their chairs.

"How'd you fin- I mean, what makes you think you want to interview us?" Ruby asked. "We're not interesting."

"Right, right." Lois nodded, giving Ruby a wry smile and nodding. "Well, actually, I do. Let's go over the facts. Two months ago, a Boom Tube opened over Metropolis, depositing eight heavily injured aliens, six females and two males, all young, along with an assortment of Grimm. The League, of course, quickly took care of the immediate problem and took the aliens into custody, on account of their heavy injuries at the hands of a being later determined to be Brainiac. Information was shared about the Grimm along with Brainiac, but nothing about the aliens themselves or the planet they came from. This says that the League wanted to keep it a secret, likely to protect their identities.

"However, a month ago, the Titans received eight new members out of the blue. Testimony from Control Freak during his trial indicated that they were, indeed, the aliens from Metropolis. The apparent demographics of the aliens matched his testimony, and their arrival in Jump City was confirmed during Trigon's attack. In fact, Mr. Jaune Arc, I believe," Lois pointed towards the boy in question, who flinched and straightened his back, "calling himself the White Knight, dashing name by the way, rescued Jimmy Olsen from being killed by Church of Blood cultists."

"…I saved you, too…" Jaune muttered. Lois, instead of responding, merely smiled and shook her head.

"Anyway, Mr. Arc here kindly detailed to me and Jimmy the specifics regarding an apparent Grimm smuggling operation, revealing that Grimm are indeed loose on the planet. A few isolated reports and rumors about similar attacks around the world are abound, which governments are vehemently denying in an effort to prevent a panic. I wanted to talk to you all then, but before I could, you had already gone. For a while, your trail disappeared, likely due to you being back up in the Watchtower, until a few nights ago when several powerful crime lords and villains in Gotham were arrested in one night. Oswald Cobblepot, Bane, Edward Nygma, Victor Fries, and the late Daniel Powers. While researching for that story, I came across rumors of eight superpowered individuals working alongside the Batman's protégés during that night in question. Given that I know for a fact that Batman is truly Bruce Wayne, it was easy to connect the dots from there. Which leads to the obvious conclusion that the eight aliens are living and training in Wayne Manor. Did I get anything wrong?"

The Remnantians and Gothamites stared at Lois silently. A lone cough, courtesy of Ruby, broke the silence, and finally, Ren nodded.

"No, you pretty much got everything," Ren admitted, and Lois clapped her hands together.

"Perfect!" Lois declared, sitting back down on a chair, crossing her legs, and pulling out a tape recorder, pens, and paper. "Now, I do fully understand why you all are keeping your identities a secret, so I'll be using your superhero names during the interview. Is that alright with you?"

"Lois, I don't think—" Bruce was interrupted by Lois' hard stare, shutting him up almost instantly. Yang looked at the reporter in awe, her head swiveling between the two adults repeatedly.

"Did you just out-glare the Batman?" Yang asked, a wide grin on her face.

"It's an acquired trait, obtained through years of practice. Now," Lois pressed her thumb against the recorder, "shall we?"

---

They spoke to the reporter for hours about anything and everything related to Remnant. Aura, Semblances, the Grimm, the various kingdoms that lived on it including their cultures, political systems, and everything in between. Only personal information, such as family, friends, or anything that could reveal their identities to the world at large, was off the table. Their time at Beacon, however, was fair game.

"So, is it safe to assume that Remnant's Huntsmen and Huntresses were its equivalent of superheroes?" Lois asked, writing notes onto her pad.

"Yes, but there were a few key differences," Weiss explained, finding the interview to be intriguing. "For starters, outside of special occasions, the superheroes of Earth are far more focused on stopping crime. While Huntsmen and Huntresses occasionally assisted the police, generally speaking, our job was to deal with the Grimm."

"For payment, correct?" Lois continued.

"That's right," Yang answered. "Now, before you say, 'that sounds like Huntsmen and Huntresses are mercenaries,' it's different than that. True, some were more unscrupulous than others, but the system was deliberately designed for Huntsmen and Huntresses to remain independent of any one kingdom."

"Couldn't a kingdom's military have handled such a task?"

"They used to, mostly," Ren admitted, "but after the Great War, society as a whole grew a distaste towards standing armies. The thought was armies were used to serve the interests of the government rather than protecting the people, and also brought conflict and war, which led to Grimm, death, and suffering. So, when the kingdom of Vale won the war, the king felt it appropriate to take any means necessary to reduce the risk armies posed while at the same time keeping people safe."

"I see." Lois nodded. "So, the Last King of Vale decided to replace the militaries, that could fight people and Grimm in equal measure, with Huntsmen that would only fight the Grimm. With their defense maintained, the size of a kingdom's military would understandably decrease, reducing the likelihood of conflict in the future. A smart system, given the circumstances. But, if that is the case, why did the kingdom of Atlas maintain such a strong military afterwards? Didn't their Huntsmen grant them enough protection?"

"Atlesian culture was highly regimented and militaristic. A carryover from when they were simply Mantle," Weiss explained. "You have to understand; Mantle lost the Great War. Hard. As such, the newly formed council wanted to lift their people's spirits. This led to their decision to both lift the area around Alsius Academy into the sky, forming the city of Atlas, and their decision to keep their military. Over time, the headmasters of Atlas Academy would encourage their students to join the military, which in their mind was maximizing efficiency. It was a highly controversial practice, admittedly, but wasn't one forced onto the student body."

"Hmm," Lois hummed and pursed her lips. "One could argue that explicit encouragement by the headmaster was forcing it."

"No one was punished for not joining the military after graduation, if that's what you're implying," Weiss insisted, thinking back to her sister. She knew for a fact that Winter wouldn't have let anyone, even General Ironwood, force her into doing something she didn't want to do. Weiss had to force herself not to take offense, knowing that Lois Lane was just doing her job. That didn't stop a noticeable frown from crossing her face, however, one that Lois quickly noticed.

"Uh-heh," Ruby chuckled uncomfortably, "Other people, like my uncle, would probably say something different about that. There's a reason it's considered controversial by all the other Kingdoms after all…" She poked her fingers together while studiously avoiding the faintly betrayed look the Atlesian was giving her. The young leader was uncomfortably with the whole subject of politics, but figured Ms. Lane should know that the views of the people of Remnant could differ quite a bit.

"One final question," Lois changed the subject. "Since your arrival on Earth, you've all spent considerable time with both the Justice League and the Titans. I understand that, at least during the training process, huntsmen and huntresses operate in four-man teams similar to the Titans and other individual superhero teams around the world. Was there a similar organization to the Justice League on Remnant?"

RWBY and JNPR looked at each other, then Ruby herself nodded and looked back towards Lois. "Not…exactly, but you could technically consider the headmasters of Atlas, Beacon, Haven, and Shade to fill that role. Especially Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon. They all seemed to follow his lead on everything."

"Was Ozpin, then, your world's equivalent of Superman?"

Ruby thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Kinda, but not really. I mean, he was the unofficial head of the entire Huntsmen community, just like Superman, but he didn't do anything himself personally. Not anymore, at least. He hadn't been an active Huntsmen in years when Brainiac attacked."

"I see, I see." Lois wrote a few more notes into her pad, then nodded towards the Remnantian teenagers. She then turned off the tape recorder, and at once RWBY and JNPR let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad," Lois joked, only for Nora to pout and give her a soft glare.

"Easy for you to say," Nora protested, wagging her finger. "You are a very thorough lady, Ms. Lane."

"I try, Nora. I try," Lois replied with a smile, gathering up her papers. "In all honesty, thank you for sitting down and answering my questions. I can definitely write an article on this, and you'll probably see it in the Daily Planet in the next few days."

"Nothing too sensitive, I hope," Ren insisted, and Lois nodded.

"Of course. A reporter has to keep her sources secure, after all," Lois replied, then turned over to Bruce. "Bruce, a minute?"

"Will you accept a no?" Bruce rhetorically asked. The look Lois gave was all the answer he needed, and at once the others got out of their seats and left the two alone in the room. For a moment, silence hung over the air, each waiting for the other to start before Bruce finally sighed and began to speak.

"If you're asking about Poison Ivy, I don't have the specifics yet," he stated. "But, something tells me you do."

"As a matter of fact," Lois said, pulling out a manilla envelope and handing it to him, "I do. I've been doing some digging around here, and I have a couple of sources from inside ACE Chemicals telling me some very interesting things."

"How interesting?" Bruce asked as he opened the envelope and began to read the contents.

"Oh, you know. The classic 'dumping harmful chemicals into protected waterways to dodge environmental legislation and costs.'"

"How long?"

"Since Scarecrow. According to my source, the Board was hoping to use the chaos of his attack as an excuse to cut corners and dump waste wherever they wanted. When authorities would inevitably catch up, they would claim the terrorist attack caused the damages that they only just now caught. Even with the inevitable fine, they think they'd save the company about a hundred-million in costs."

"Not anymore, they won't," Bruce noted with a frown. Lois' evidence was extensive, impressive in its scope yet delightfully detailed and irrefutable. "More importantly, ACE Chemicals dumping waste into the environment would get Poison Ivy's attention."

"Which is why I'm giving this to you. As much as I want to bring those guys down, stopping her from taking any lives is more important." Lois stood up. "Don't worry about giving that back to me, I already made copies."

"I'll give these back to you, regardless," Bruce replied, standing up as well. He prepared to leave the room, only for Lois to gently grab his shoulder and stop him.

"Bruce, where's the rush?" Lois said with a smile. "Oh, did you honestly think you were getting away from an interview tonight? Especially when Wayne Enterprises just announced the complete purchase and merger of GothCorp?"

Bruce didn't answer and instead sighed, sitting back down. Lois smiled triumphantly, grabbing another tape recorder and preparing herself.

"Honestly, I'm actually happy you guys were able to help them out," Lois continued. "I met Powers once, and he was a good man. Shame he did what he did, though."

"He was, in his own way," Bruce agreed. Another silence fell over the group, with Lois not looking at Bruce while he stared intently at her. Finally, Bruce said, "Does he know?"

"Does who know?" Lois asked without skipping a beat.

"You know who I'm talking about," Bruce answered. Lois paused, her body going still as she wondered how to reply. Bruce remained silent, reading her body language to see the swirl of emotions going on in the reporter's head. Lois seemed to pick up on this and turned to face Bruce with a chuckle.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?" Lois joked. Despite himself, Bruce couldn't help but smirk.

"We did date for a time," Bruce pointed out, only for Lois to snort.

"Yes, how could I forget that? Especially how it ended, with me having the story of the century, 'Batman: Unmasked,' and I couldn't say a thing about it. You know, I like to think that, out of all your romantic partners, I'm the one that got away."

"Alfred would agree with you, there," Bruce joked. The two friends chuckled, feeling fond memories of a long-since passed time flow by. When the laughter subsided, Bruce's expression turned serious once again. "You didn't answer my question, though."

Lois sighed and looked down. "To answer your question, no. He doesn't know that I know."

"How long have you?"

"About a year now. In hindsight, kind of obvious. Disappointed in myself for not picking up on it sooner."

"We often see what we expect to see."

"That's the excuse I went with, sure," Lois dryly retorted, then sighed again. "Look, I know why he didn't, but all I want is for him to just be honest and tell me himself. I'm not even angry anymore."

Bruce just stared at her, causing Lois to puff up her cheeks and narrow her eyes. "Oh, you're one to talk. You did the exact same thing. And stop changing the subject."

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort," Bruce insisted, leaning back on his chair and falling back into a false persona. Lois recognized the transition, then nodded and turned the tape recorder on.

"Mr. Wayne, thank you for joining me this evening. I wanted to talk to you about the recent acquisition of GothCorp."

---

RWBY and JNPR sat outside the office as Bruce and Lois continued their interview. Blake thought about trying to eavesdrop but figured doing so would've been incredibly rude and so she decided against it. Instead, she occupied her time by looking up and reading several of Lois Lane's articles from over the past few years. The volume and quality of her work was exceptional, covering a myriad array of subjects that all held critical importance in modern Earth society. Interviews, exposes, editorials, Lois did it all. The role of superheroes in a post-Darkseid world was perhaps her most famous work, being the one that earned her a Pulitzer Prize, and she could definitely see why it earned that prestigious award. She could also see why many argued the article directly paved the way towards the acceptance of superheroes and away from them being considered outside the law.

But, more than that, Blake was most interested in the well-researched articles Lois wrote revealing abuses of power, civil rights violations, police brutality. Stories that shone a light into the darkest reaches of the world, allowing it to be just a little brighter. It was inspiring, in a way.

Finally, the door handle jiggled, catching the assembled heroes' attention. From the other side, Bruce opened it, allowing Lois to pass by.

"I'll go make the copies," Bruce declared as he walked down the hall, undoubtedly heading towards the Batcave. Lois nodded in his direction, then took notice of the huntsmen and huntresses watching her.

"Hey," she greeted them as she sat down, flattening her pants against her legs and placing her notepad on her lap. A comfortable silence soon enveloped them, no one truly wanting to break it. Blake, however, couldn't help but stare at the reporter from over her scroll, an action that quickly caught Lois' attention.

"Blake, right?" Lois asked, prompting the Faunus to shoot her head up in embarrassment.

"Um, yes. Blake Belladonna," she admitted. Lois nodded, then tilted her head to get a better look at the article Blake was reading. She quickly recognized and remembered it, nodding her head appreciatively.

"Ah, I remember that one. Systematic racial profiling in arrests made by the Metropolis Police Department."

"I've been reading up on it," Blake admitted. "And similar cases like it. From what I've seen, it's…complicated."

"Right, right. Because you were part of the White Fang, correct?" Lois asked. Blake nodded, and Lois thought back to details Blake provided during their interview. She quickly determined why Blake would be interested in such stories, and slightly frowned.

"Yes, both of our planets appear to have had similar problems. It disgusts me," Lois declared, "but I like to think its why I became a reporter in the first place. Even in a place like Metropolis, a shining, glimmering gem, there's a dark underbelly that runs underneath. One that hurts good, peaceful people for no real reason. Heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman take their fight to the darkness directly, but I firmly believe that seeking out and exposing the truth can do just as much good, if not more, than simply punching it away. Wouldn't you agree with that?"

Blake looked at Lois, then slowly smiled and nodded towards her. "Yeah, I think I can."

Lois smiled back, then saw Alfred carrying the manila envelope in his hand. Lois quickly stood up and grabbed it, shaking the butler's hand and bidding both him and the heroes farewell before announcing she had to return to Metropolis. The heroes watched her leave, Ruby and Nora going the extra mile and actually waving her goodbye. Lois was a good enough sport to do the same, and only once her yellow convertible disappeared down the driveway did they turn back inside.

"So, did you all enjoy your meeting with Ms. Lane?" Alfred asked. Most of them groaned, but Blake merely smiled and nodded.

"Yes, actually. She was…interesting," she said. Alfred nodded in agreement, then turned to face the heroes once again.

"Now, I'm afraid I must head up to the kitchen and prepare for tonight's dinner. In the meantime, I suggest you all head on down to the Batcave. If I know Master Bruce, and after nearly forty years I should hope so, I believe your next mission will be starting shortly."

"How soon until we leave?" Ruby asked as the others already made their way towards the Batcave.

"No more than a day," Alfred firmly declared. Ruby nodded, then turned to join her teammates. She soon found herself in the elevator, descending deeper into the cave, and her thoughts ran wildly about her upcoming mission. The threats they would have to face, the obstacles they would need to overcome. Most importantly, she thought back to her weapon, and almost immediately she and Jaune went to the weapon's bench and began to work.

---

November 14th, 5:00 AM

Batcave, Gotham City

RWBY, JNPR, Bruce, and his protégés stood behind the firing range as Ruby walked out from the workbench. She was carrying a long black-and-red case gingerly, as though worrying that a single drop would shatter it. They all knew that was ridiculous of course, nothing of Ruby's make would be so fragile, but at the same time, they could understand why Ruby was being so cautious. She only just finished it, after all, everyone knew the instinct to protect something brand new from getting so much as a scuff mark.

"Let's see it, Ruby!" Yang called out from the viewing area. Ruby shot her sister a smile, then carefully placed the case on the bench before her. She unlatched it, revealing the boxy, collapsed form of Crescent Rose once again. True, it wasn't the original weapon, the remaining pieces were still encased in their room, but from what Yang could see, the replacement was identical in many ways. It was noticeably bigger, however.

"Everyone, say hello to the new, and improved, Crescent Rose!" Ruby announced, holding up the weapon for all to see.

"You didn't choose a new name for it?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. "I honestly thought you would've."

"Yeah, you see, I was going to do that, but then I realized the new Crescent Rose was too similar to the old to really justify it," Ruby explained. "Jaune thought the same thing."

"So, Crescent Rose mark two?"

"Exactly!"

Jason thought for a moment, then nodded. "Hmm, I can respect that."

"Ugh, enough talking about names!" Nora complained. "I wanna see what it can do!"

Ruby looked up at Nora then flashed a playful salute, the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She then held up Crescent Rose, unfurling it to reveal the classic scythe configuration.

"As with the original Crescent Rose, Mark Two is a highly-customized sniper scythe," Ruby explained, rubbing her hand along the shaft. "The difference lies in the composition. I've replaced the titanium-Dust forged frame with an alloy of depleted promethium, titanium, and vanadium. This makes it nearly indestructible, so I don't have to worry about a jerk like Trigon breaking it again."

"You got him back, though," Yang pointed out. Ruby smiled innocently, then moved on to the blade.

"I've replaced the steel blade with Nth metal, and the head itself can rotate three-hundred-and-sixty degrees whenever I want." Ruby paused to demonstrate this capability, pushing a button on the hilt that caused the scythe blade to spin in a circle. The heroes nodded, quickly understanding the increased range of opportunities such an upgrade permitted. Ruby nodded back, then pressed another button. The spinning stopped, then the scythe blade straightened to form a warscythe.

"The warscythe configuration makes its triumphant return," Ruby noted, only to press another button that caused the back of the scythe to fold back. A spear of Nth Metal shot upward, forming a three-sided weapon that had an axe-like head on the front, a spike in the back, and a spear on the top. "I can also turn it into a halberd, giving me even more versatility if I need it."

"Oooh," Nora said as she took the weapon in. Ruby looked towards Bruce and nodded, telling him to move on to the next phase of the demonstration. A group of wooden practice dummies appeared inside the training range, and Ruby collapsed Crescent Rose back to its carrying state.

"Huh, it can mechashift much faster now," Weiss noted. Ruby smiled, glad that her partner was able to pick up on that, then crouched down to prepare herself. A timer appeared, counting down from ten, and Ruby took a deep breath. She released it just as the timer reached zero, and in a burst of rose petals, Ruby shot towards the closest dummy.

Ruby unfurled Crescent Rose into its classic scythe configuration, which she then swung into the dummy's midsection. The blow bisected it, and Ruby was already onto the next couple by the time the top half hit the ground. Severed limbs and heads littered the area as Ruby relentlessly destroyed each and every target. Between each one, she reconfigured her weapon into a different mode. She slashed a dummy's chest with her warscythe, stabbed into another's heart with the pointed end of her halberd, bludgeoned a head with the blunted back of her scythe, and more. A flurry of rose petals filled the air, yet they did little to obscure the audience's vision. Their focus remained on the demonstration, studying it with analytic eyes. Thus far, they were all deeply impressed.

Once all of the dummies were annihilated, Ruby finished with a flourish, bringing her weapon behind her back and resting the scythe-end on the ground. The audience respectfully clapped, and Ruby blushed in slight embarrassment before taking a bow.

"Thank you," she said, bringing her body back up and rubbing the back of her head.

"Come on, Rubes. Is that it?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow and giving a pointed stare towards the weapon still held behind Ruby's back. Ruby flashed a smile and nodded, reconfiguring her weapon into a familiar sniper rifle.

"As before, Crescent Rose can still turn into a sniper rifle," she noted, moving her hand in front of the receiver to draw attention to it. "However, it is no longer bolt-action! I have now modified the action to be a dedicated semi-automatic, and the weapon itself is now a bullpup design to allow for a more compact frame."

To show this, Ruby pulled out an empty magazine and held up her weapon, showing the receiver to be on the butt of the weapon. She quickly loaded it, pulling the charging handle back to mock a reload. At the same time, Ruby pressed a button on the side of the handle, causing a scope to flip from the side of the weapon and rest on the top.

"Crescent Rose now has a multi-optic digital adjustable sight, capable of night vision, thermal imaging, two to twenty-times magnification, x-ray, sonar, and more. The digital component allows me to keep scope glint to a minimum, or even link the targeting directly to my mask display, but I have a more traditional sight if needed."

Ruby then pulled up the weapon closer to her body, grabbing hold of the barrel with one hand while waving the other next to it. A large smile broke out, causing the spectators to raise their eyebrows in curiosity.

"But, the real magic of my baby lies in the barrel," Ruby emphasized. "I've made it so that it's adjustable, starting from the largest and utilizing internal servos to tighten and lengthen the barrel as needed."

Ruby looked back up at Bruce and nodded, and again Bruce brought out several targets for her to test Crescent Rose on. She held up the weapon, pulling out a long magazine and showing it to everyone.

"The smallest round I can use is the 7.62x51mm NATO round, meant to be used in buildings and close quarters. When using this round, Crescent Rose is more of a DMR and not a sniper rifle."

Ruby loaded her weapon, which automatically adjusted as the rounds were loaded. The spectators watched as the barrel tightened and shorted, proving that Ruby's boasts were quite founded. Yang wasn't surprised, though. She knew how skilled Ruby was in the art of mechashifting, as her sister liked to call it. Crescent Rose was already a complicated weapon to begin with, so to hear Ruby managed to make it even more complex was the next logical step.

They watched as Ruby flipped the scope away, opting to use Crescent Rose's iron sights. She rested it against her shoulder, then began to fire in quick succession. Two shots struck a dummy in the center of its chest, prompting Ruby to move on to the next. Two more shots rang out, and the process repeated until twenty rounds were fired. Ten dummies were marked as KIA, and Ruby flicked the safety on and removed the magazine. At the same time, she pulled out another magazine, this one filled with a larger round.

"The default round is .50 BMG," she revealed, slowly moving the boxy magazine in front of her to ensure everyone got a look at it. Once she was satisfied, Ruby reloaded her weapon, and again the barrel shifted to compensate. It extended to its original length and the barrel widened in turn. Again, using the iron sights, Ruby aimed her weapon and fired at another dummy, hitting center chest as before. Unlike the 7.62x51mm, this time the chests exploded on impact, severing an arm as well. Nine shots followed the first, each one destroying the unfortunate dummy that got shot, and only then did Ruby cease and eject the empty magazine. She then pulled out another, this one filled with even larger rounds.

"Next, we have the 14.5x114mm round. I intend to use this against lightly armored vehicles," Ruby noted as she reloaded. As the weapon shifted, the barrel extending out even further, the spectators raised their eyebrows. A 14.5x114mm round was already a large and powerful round, but Ruby had clearly said she could fire four different types of rounds from Crescent Rose. What could she possibly fire that was larger than a .57 caliber?

Seven shots rang out, and seven dummies had their upper bodies practically explode from the impact. When she was finished, Ruby ejected the magazine and pulled out one final box, the size of the rounds contained making everyone raise their eyebrows.

"Finally," Ruby announced with her eyes gleaming as she reloaded, the weapon automatically extending and widening to the point where the barrel went up to past Ruby's head, "we have a 20mm!"

"A twenty-what?" Bruce asked in disbelief, but Ruby either didn't hear or ignored him as she planted Crescent Rose, now bearing a closer resemblance to an artillery piece than a rifle, into the ground with the scythe blade. She took an extra moment to brace herself against the monstrosity and softly breathed out, then caressed the trigger.

The audience felt the recoil from where they were sitting as a report like a bomb going off ripped through the cave, and the dummy just…ceased to exist. Along with a frightening chunk of the safety berm far behind it. Not wanting to cause even more damage to the range, Ruby flicked the safety on after just the one shot and turned towards the stunned spectators.

"So, what do ya think?" she asked expectantly. No one said a thing, too focused on the smoking weapon still resting on the bench. The silence was then broken by a faint sniffle, prompting everyone to turn towards the source. They found it to be Jason, who was struggling to hold back tears.

"Jason, are you crying?" Stephanie asked incredulously. The Red Hood fervently shook his head, wiping away his tears.

"No, I just had something in my eyes," he insisted. None of his comrades were convinced, and instead rolled their eyes and turned their attention back towards Ruby. She seemed to pick up on their unspoken concern and nodded.

"Don't worry, I know not to use the 20mm on people. No amount of rubber will keep a round that big from not being lethal. Even the .50 BMG was too dangerous for direct hits, which is why I added the smaller settings in the first place."

"What do you intend to use it on, then?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Something I really, really need to kill. Like a Goliath or Giant Deathstalker."

"…You know, that's fair."

The others thought it over, and soon nodded in agreement. Even Bruce, despite his apprehension towards guns in general. It was clear that Ruby put a lot of work into her weapon, and he could respect that.

"It's good, Rubes," Yang called out, flashing her younger sister a smile and a thumbs up. "Now come on, I wanna see Jaune's."

"Oh yeah, right," Ruby said, quickly rushing back to her weapon, grabbing it, and placing it back into its case. She then rushed back up to the stands, allowing Jaune to tentatively step out with his own white-and-gold case.

"So, uh," he began, feeling nervous after Ruby's demonstration, "I'm going to be honest. Crocea Mors isn't near as impressive as Crescent Rose. It's still a sword."

"If you had listened to me, it could've been more," Ruby grumbled, still disappointed that her best guy friend didn't take up her offer of turning it into an assault rifle. Jaune noticed this and rolled his eyes, then unlatched the case and pulled out Crocea Mors. The sword and sheath now sported a gold trim along the edges and hilt, respectively, adding a splash of color to the otherwise white metal. At the same time, they couldn't help but notice the edges of the shield appeared to be foldable and slightly boxier than the rest, telling them that something was inside it.

"But," Jaune continued, "I figured Crocea Mors was a classic for a reason, so why not run with it? Ruby helped me a lot with this, by the way, so most of this can be chalked up to her. I just had the ideas. Anyway," Jaune paused, pulled out a notecard and started reading from it, "the blade is now made of a depleted promethium-titanium-vanadium alloy, same as Crescent Rose. The shield is as well, meaning it's almost impossible for someone to destroy it. Again."

They all knew who Jaune was referring to, and none felt the need to bring him back up. Jaune looked towards Bruce, who quickly summoned another rack of dummies for Jaune to test his weapon on. He stepped out onto the arena, carefully moving around the broken bits that Ruby had previously destroyed, and immediately set upon the nearest dummy. He decapitated it in one swing, and in the same motion, swung his body around to bisect another. Seeing a third, he thrust his weapon through the head, the end of the blade poking out the back. Jaune pulled it back, the motion pulling the dummy forward and causing it to fall to the ground and forcing Jaune to step back quickly to avoid being hit.

"Hehe," he chuckled awkwardly, looking back up at his audience. Jaune quickly noticed that Ruby and Pyrrha were flashing him a thumbs up, mouthing that he was doing a good job. He felt his spirits rise, and so he moved on to the next phase of his demonstration by collapsing his shield and inserting his sword into it. He then reconfigured it into a claymore and held the combined weapon for everyone to see.

"Now, as before, I can combine the sword and sheath to make a claymore," he read from his notecard, "but with help from the illustrious and brilliant- Okay, Ruby? Why did you write this?"

"It's not wrong!"

"…Anyway," Jaune rolled his eyes, ignoring the chuckles coming from the spectators, "the claymore can now do this."

Jaune pressed a button on the hilt. At first, nothing happened, but then they saw the edges of the blade glow red hot. Electricity ionized the air, and soon a thin veil of plasma marked the edges of Crocea Mors.

"By using the electromagnetic properties of Nth Metal, as well as generous help from Hawkgirl, we were able to ionize the air around the edges of the blade and coat it in plasma." Without saying a word, Jaune gripped his weapon and swung it vertically into a dummy. The heated blade carved through it like butter, charring the edges and causing two smoking halves to fall to the ground. The spectators raised their eyebrows in intrigue, waiting to see what Jaune would do next. Slowly, the blade cooled down, but the electricity remained.

"I can also use the electricity on its own, adjustable from a normal taser up to 'fried Ursa' level," Jaune motioned his hands towards the blade, "I'd show you guys, but—"

Jaune's fingers accidentally grazed the weapon, and with a yelp, he quickly pulled his hand away. He shook it, trying to get rid of the pain while ignoring the snickering in the background. He frowned slightly, then sighed and shook his head.

"Finally," he continued, trying to get the demonstration back on track, "I had Weiss help me with this."

Jaune looked towards Weiss, who immediately understood where he was going. The two nodded at each other, and with the electricity turned off, Jaune stabbed Crocea Mors into the chest of another dummy. At first, nothing happened, but then they saw faint wisps of gas escape the blade. Crystals of ice began to consume the practice dummy, quickly encasing it. Satisfied, Jaune pulled back his weapon and looked at the completely frozen dummy, and with a nod, swung his heavy sword into its side, shattering it completely.

"So, basically, I turned Crocea Mors into a multi-elemental blade, all without any Dust." Jaune finished, collapsing his claymore back into a simple sheath. He looked back up at the spectators, proudly puffing out his chest.

"What do you guys think?" he asked. A brief silence followed, broken by a jubilant Nora cheering on her fearless leader. The others sounded their agreements as well, and Jaune blushed with embarrassment.

"Both of your weapons are impressive," Bruce noted, standing upright and walking away. "Perfect timing, too, as now we can proceed to the next phase of our operation."

"Right," Ruby replied, the atmosphere suddenly gaining a serious edge to it. "When do we set off for Blüdhaven?"

"As soon as you are able," he answered, walking away. "Once you're dressed, meet me back at the landing pad."

The younger heroes nodded, and RWBY quickly made their way towards the armory. There they saw their HAZMAT Combat Suits waiting for them, and they took a moment to appreciate the workmanship. Weiss was the first to move, entering the pod to grant herself some privacy as she changed. Her teammates followed, and soon each member of team RWBY was inside. Several minutes passed as the huntresses struggled into their armor. Grunts and groans followed their movements, but soon enough the teens were fully suited. They walked out with their helmets in hand, and once they saw each other fully dressed, they couldn't help but give their teammates an appraising look.

"You know," Yang finally said, taking it all in, "we look good in these."

Weiss looked herself over, then nodded back towards Yang. "It appears so. By the way, we might want to bundle our hair before we put on these helmets."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Yang groaned, hanging her head and running her fingers through her golden locks. "I'm sorry, baby. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Can you be more melodramatic?" Blake teased as she grabbed her hair and began to tie it. Yang responded by playfully sticking out her tongue at her partner, who rolled her eyes while continuing to work.

"Sucks to be you guys, as I don't have to worry about that!" Ruby announced as she walked away proudly. "That's what you get for having long, impractical hair."

Yang could only laugh at Ruby and shook her head, "Whatever you say, Ruby."

Ruby flashed her sister a toothy smile, and once Yang, Weiss, and Blake were done, they all walked out of the armory and towards the Batcave's landing pad. There they saw a Justice League Javelin waiting for them. Batman was standing before it, talking to a man and woman wearing a green and black-and-yellow HAZMAT suit, respectively. They took notice of the huntresses quickly, and the older heroes turned to face them. It was then that RWBY recognized them as Green Arrow and Black Canary, and the two parties met each other in the middle.

"So, you're the little rascals Canary and I are babysitting?" Green Arrow joked as he shook Ruby's hand.

"Hey, who says you'll be babysitting us?" Yang shot back playfully, placing her hands on her hips.

"The fact that we beat the eight of you last time?" Green Arrow replied in a joking manner. Weiss, however, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"We were heavily drugged on painkillers, exhausted from two days of nonstop fighting, and were not in the best state of mind. This is a totally different situation."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that." Green Arrow smiled, then shook the rest of the huntresses' hands. "Seriously, though, glad to have you with us. Even when you guys were drugged, you gave Canary and I a hell of a time, so I for one am excited to see what you can do when you're at one-hundred percent."

"As am I," Black Canary added, shaking Ruby's hand and following up with the rest. "I'm not going to lie, going into Blüdhaven is a dangerous game. If the two of us didn't have complete confidence in your abilities, you wouldn't be coming. We've been keeping track of your work so far, and it's very impressive."

"Thank you," Blake said, shaking Black Canary's hand. "We'll be sure to meet your expectations."

"I'm sure you will." Black Canary smiled, then turned towards where Batman was standing. "Batman, any—"

She stopped herself upon noticing that, once again, Batman was nowhere to be seen. She sighed and rubbed her forehead, "God, I hate it when he does that."

"I know, it's so rude," Yang added, shooting her partner a knowing look. "And melodramatic." Blake didn't respond, merely looking away as she prepared to step onto the Javelin.

"Are we going to go or not?" she asked, wanting to change the subject. Yang laughed and shook her head, then turned to face JNPR as they walked forward.

"Hey," Jaune began, still dressed in his casual attire, "we just wanted to wish you all good luck."

"Same," Ruby said, giving her friend a hug that he quickly returned.

"Stay safe, alright?" Jaune quietly asked, and Ruby pulled away before reassuringly patting Jaune on the shoulder. No further words needed to be said, and none were. Around them, the rest of RWBY and JNPR hugged their friends goodbye, and both Green Arrow and Black Canary patiently waited in the Javelin's entry ramp.

"Good luck on your date," Yang called out as she and the rest of her team started walking up the ramp. "I don't want to hear any of it until we get back, you hear me?"

"Will do!" Nora declared, giving Yang a playful salute. Ruby laughed at her antics, then with one final wave, the ramp closed. JNPR watched as the Javelin's engines slowly activated, lifting off from the landing pad before rotating in mid-air and flying out of the Batcave.

"Good luck, guys," Jaune whispered to himself, taking one final glance at the faint glow of the jet engines. Once it fully disappeared from view, he turned around and walked back upstairs with his team.

[~][~]

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice. Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for all their help in bringing this chapter to life. Lots of interesting things happened in this calmer chapter, but things are about to pick back up again pretty soon. The next few chapters are going to be fun!

Now, onto the Q&A:

Chaldea: Don't worry, I understood what you meant. As for a possible Elseworlds, I won't be detailing any that I plan to do. Just know that I do plan on doing so.

stark: I don't do requests, sorry. Whether or not I do Superman: Red Son, you'll have to wait and see.

Guest: I can't comment on the Legion of Superheroes at this time, sorry.

Haxorous knight: A splitting headache, most likely.

Ultrasonic215: Yeah, Amanda Waller is pretty much the epitome of everything wrong with the American government, and I plan on showing that to its fullest detail.

Steelrain66: Yeah, that was partly the point behind Batman's words of advice. Like, you can easily see where it's coming from, but at the same time you also know that his own romantic love life is a complicated mess so it's hard to completely take him at his word. As for the Question, he actually had a cameo in an earlier chapter, this is just him bringing him more to the forefront of the story. As for Supergirl, you'll have to wait and see.

Hey It's That Guy: As we can see in the current volume, that assessment is pretty accurate. As for life in Vale, I'll get back to it eventually. Don't worry about that.

RandomName3064: Not exactly. The incarnation is more based off their comics version, as the movie was kind of a travesty. And yes, Alfred is best parent. Don't worry, we'll be delving into the Remnant situation eventually.

Cloud-0: Maybe, you'll have to wait and see.

Commander of the Omega Legion: They're taking online classes, I'm just not detailing them as it's not really all that important.

meeyaaargh3412: Yeah, that and Bruce's own romantic insecurities coming to the forefront. Al? so, just to clarify, Waller didn't set the Grimm loose on the village. Take advantage of it? Yes, but she didn't buy the Grimm to be used as weapons.

the mysterious Mr.E: Yep, the Suicide Squad are in the air, and they'll make things quite complicated.

Jackalope89: Yep, Amanda Waller is tracking Grimm. Also, I wouldn't say the League of Shadows is controlling the Grimm. More like setting them loose. And yeah, Jason kind of is becoming the explainer of the group. He's certainly a gruff one. As for ages, Bruce is around 40, Damain is Ruby's age, and the rest are either in their late teens or early twenties.

MadTitan9: It'll be a mixture of the comics and movie. Regardless, I can say that I want to portray Deadshot accurately. As for the Tumbler and the Bat, those aren't really there since the Batmobile and the Batwing take their spots. The Batpod's an option, though. I'm glad you liked Pyrrha these past few chapters, by the way. She was fun to write for. As for Arkos, it was something that I felt needed to be taken seriously, as it was a big part of her character. You'll have to see how it turns out.

D. : Yeah, that scene between Weiss and Alfred was probably my favorite in the entire chapter. As for Salem, she's not on Earth. Her current location is up in the air, so to speak.

Vein Bloodborne: I'm glad you liked that scene, too. It was a lot of fun to write.

edinosaur25: I can't wait for them to meet Jessica Cruz, too. She's a very interesting character.

I Am The Prophet: As with other elements in this crossover, I'll be merging different continuities to form the HoJ incarnation. You'll just have to wait and see what I do with her.

Dark Mage Wyvern Lord: Not necessarily. You'll have to wait and see.

SulliMike23: As I mentioned previously, Waller didn't buy the Grimm. Take advantage of? Yes, but she didn't buy the Grimm for use as weapons.

That's it for this chapter! Let us know what you all think, and I hope you enjoy!