Despite Adam's warnings, the trip to Mountain Glen and back was uneventful, save for the meeting with Roman. No Grimm, no law enforcement, nothing. Just a silent ride there, and a silent ride home. That honestly unnerved Wayne more than the possibility of a fight. His trigger finger was starting to itch.

The group had dispersed when their train reached the yard, all returning to camp or safe houses using different routes. Wayne felt it best to continue following Clair's lead. Besides, he didn't exactly feel welcome in the White Fang's territory, considering his distinct lack of scales, fur, or extra appendages. The apartment was nice enough, and it gave Wayne space to think, even if he had to sleep on the floor. Considering the floor was a nice, soft carpet, and that he'd been sleeping on military cots at the nicest for the past year, he was practically in heaven.

After a good night's rest, Wayne was the first to wake. Unsurprising- between the wasteland and the War, he'd gotten used to being an early riser. Sitting up against the wall, he turned on the television and decided that, if nothing else, the news would be some good white noise as he went about trying to set up some sort of morning routine.

Much to his surprise, it seemed the news wasn't content with being 'white noise'.

An anchorwoman with white-purple hair was on screen, alongside three mugshots- the men that Wayne had killed, and a fourth picture that Wayne recognized all too well. His power armor.

"Oh, shit," he muttered under his breath. "Not good."

"The confrontation that led to the grisly demise of three members of the humanocentric 'Children of Man' organization yesterday has baffled police since the crime scene was discovered, but at last, it seems that law enforcement has reached a breakthrough," she explained, as the three mugshots disappeared and the image of Wayne enlarged. "Hours before the confrontation, images and video were shared throughout social media of this individual, carrying heavy weapons and wearing an unrecognizable suit of armor."

The image, as it turned out, was the first frame of a video, and Wayne immediately recognized the voice of the nervous woman he'd asked for directions.

"So, like," she said, "I don't know what kind of stuff Atlas is worried about that they have soldiers literally walking down the street, but it's crazy. We didn't ask- oh, shit, he's looking at me. Uh-"

"Hey,"

past Wayne greeted her.

"Oh, um, hi, sir!" she'd replied, and the camera went down to Wayne's chest level. "What's up?"

"Where on Earth am I?"

"Uh… you're in Vale. Aren't you… one of those Atlesian soldiers?"

"No idea what an Atlesian is. I'm looking for the person in charge of this city."

The video paused, and the focus returned to the anchorwoman.

"The suspicious figure was later photographed running into the alley where the bodies of the three men were found, as well as leaving said alley, but initial reports were dismissed as a 'hoax' by Valean law enforcement, who instead posited that the scene was the result of a violent clash between the three men and Faunus activists. However, more footage has surfaced today showing the armored individual walking through the commercial and industrial districts. While reports are currently conflicting about where the armored individual might have gone, he has not been seen since yesterday. Atlesian officials were asked if the unidentified individual was, in fact, a member of the Atlesian military, who have recently deployed troops to Vale in an unprecedented move, citing 'security concerns'."

A man with graying hair and a military uniform, 'General James Ironwood' as the banner under his name identified him, appeared on screen from some sort of control room.

"The armor and weaponry on display in these images is not Atlesian in origin, nor does it match any known militant force's weaponry and armor designs. While it is possible that the suspect is a current or former Huntsman, there has been no conclusive leads as to the identity of said suspect. Myself and the men and women of this security force will be on high alert and assisting law enforcement in their search for this individual, so that we can get to the bottom of this case."

Back to the newscaster again. "This comes on the same day as an unidentified man appeared, quite literally, from thin air in the middle of the commercial district. Reports state that the man was unharmed and seemingly confused about his location, and chose to cooperate with the Atlesian security forces. General Ironwood would not comment on the status of this unidentified man. While it is likely only a coincidence, tensions and fears are high due to the two unexplained appearances, one ending in violence, leading security forces to up their patrols in preparation for a possible Grimm incursion against Vale's walls, an event General Ironwood dismisses as 'unlikely'. In other news, Atlesian technology WAS confirmed to be involved in last night's disruption, as an Atlesian Paladin-"

"Well, that's gonna be a problem," Clair grumbled sleepily from the couch, evidently roused by the noise. "Adam won't let a human stay at the camp, but if anyone recorded you coming into the apartment, we're fucked."

"Yeah. We need to get the armor out, and fast," Wayne agreed. "Problem is, it's the middle of the day. We won't be able to sneak it out." Truth be told, as worried as he was about the armor, it was odd that someone else had shown up out of nowhere the same day he did. Maybe there was a connection for him to pursue there, if he could get away with it.

"Clair, I have an idea," he said. "Did you hear the part about the other guy appearing out of thin air?"

"Yeah, I heard that. You think it might be related to your situation?"

"Yeah," Wayne replied. "I'll be honest with you. I don't even think I'm on the same planet as the Commonwealth anymore. Nothing here makes sense- there's no Faunus where I'm from, no Dust, no Atlas or Vale, no working cars, no thriving cities, no working trains. I don't think you or the White Fang can realistically get me back home."

"You sound awfully crazy right now."

"Think about it," Wayne said, slowly rising to his feet. "Vale's a big place, it seems like, and Atlas has enough resources to send military personnel to Vale for 'security'. Where I'm from, that doesn't happen. The last people with that kind of military power where I'm from rode an airship into the Commonwealth and tried to take over. Things are nothing like the world I know here, and I guarantee you if you saw the Commonwealth yourself, you'd agree with me."

"Do you still have your teleporter thing?" Clair asked. "The one you used to get here?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't working when I first showed up. I don't know how exactly to get it working."

Clair shook her head, still obviously in disbelief about Wayne's hypothesis. It was the best theory he had, bar none. "Do you have any way of possibly contacting your home?"

"I have a computer at my house in the woods. If we could bring it somewhere with power, I could try and get a message home," Wayne explained, "but I don't see that working. Hear me out on this plan."

"Okay."

"If that guy is from Earth, like me, then he got here the same way I did, and he might know a way back that I don't. Worst case scenario, I get someone else like me to brainstorm ideas with while I wait for some kind of miracle, because it's obvious I'm going to have to wait on that. The White Fang doesn't have the resources to get me home, not that I've seen."

"Roman might," Clair offered, finally sitting up. "I'm not privy to what meetings Adam has with who, but I think that maybe Roman is the person he was suggesting would help you. Unless he just meant to get you killed."

Wayne cocked an eyebrow at that one. It wouldn't surprise him if Adam wanted to give him the Uriah treatment, but something told him Roman wasn't a hardened killer. A career crook? Yeah. Killer? No. "Roman doesn't strike me as the killing type," he said.

"Not Roman. A woman came into our camp a while ago, killed some of us and threatened to kill the rest if Adam didn't bend the knee," Clair explained. "That's how we fell in with Roman- evidently, she had drawn him in as well, somehow. She's strong. Freakishly strong. I've never seen anything like her before."

The look in her eyes told Wayne everything he needed to know. This person was bad news. Very bad news.

Wayne had a habit of getting involved in bad news.

"My idea was to turn myself in and hopefully find a way to reach that other guy, but I'm honestly not sure if that would work out, especially with everyone on edge about all this," Wayne stated, his gaze lowering to the floor as he tried to weigh the options. No matter what he did, it was putting himself at a big risk. "But this woman might have a lead on getting me home, and the only way I can see myself getting to her is through Adam or Roman, and Adam doesn't seem to be fond of either of us."

"Is it really worth risking getting yourself killed by her?" Clair asked. "I'd imagine getting home alive is more important to you than rushing it and getting into trouble, no?"

Wayne couldn't argue with that. "Guess so. What's your take, then?"

"I say that your plan could work. There are people in the White Fang who know Atlesian security. We can probably break you out in a couple of days if they don't release you by then. Maybe I'll come with you- I can attest that you were defending me, and I have a clean record, so theoretically, I'd be a sound character witness."

"Not sure about that, but if you're willing to take that risk, then I'm game," Wayne agreed, walking over to the X-01 and opening the hatch release.. "Let me hop in the suit and let's get go-"

There was a knock on the door. Two knocks. Then, three.

"This is Sergeant Arian of the Atlesian Security Force. Miss Delune, we'd like to ask you some questions."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Wayne deadpanned. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit- Just a moment!" Clair turned to Wayne, eyes wide and ears standing straight up as she whispered harshly to him. "What now?"

"I got something for this, but it won't last more than a few minutes, so don't keep them in here too long." Wayne replied, remembering that his emergency kit carried a single stealth boy for the erratic encounter with a Behemoth or a Fog Crawler. He only had the one, hell, he hadn't even gotten any in his Far Harbor home before it got thrown to Remnant. He hated to have to use it so soon, but if Clair got caught out with him, that would put her whole story into question. Grabbing the Stealth Boy from his bag and opening the case, he turned the device on and throttled the knob to its max setting, hanging it on the X-01 suit's helmet before jumping in and closing the suit up just as the cloak started to cover it. "Go, go, go!"

Clair nodded, throwing herself off of the couch and answering the door with a bright smile, perked ears, and no trace of her thick Russian accent. "Is something the matter, sir?"

"Not at all, ma'am, we just wanted to ask you some questions," the Sergeant replied. "Can I come in?"

"Of course."

With that, she stepped out of the way, and two soldiers in futuristic gear stepped in. One of them wore a helmet, and carried a large, blocky rifle. The other, who Wayne assumed was Sergeant Arian, had neither, his blonde hair tied in a high bun with a neatly trimmed, military regulation beard.

"I apologize for waking you up, Miss Delune," the Sergeant explained, motioning to the couch. "You can sit down, if you like, we won't be long. You look pretty banged up. Broken arm, too. You mind telling me how that happened?"

Clair seemed to see no reason to lie, but she saw fit to put on theatrics, shrinking and letting a long, poignant pause fill the room before stating the truth. "Some… people attacked me yesterday. Beat me really bad. They would have killed me."

"So you were involved in that incident in the alley?" Arian asked, his eyes going wide. "I apologize, ma'am. We didn't know anyone other than the deceased were involved. I hate to pry too much, but considering why we're here, this is pretty relevant. Did a man in a suit of armor get involved in the confrontation?"

Another pause, and Clair spoke. "Y-yeah. I was starting to black out from the pain, so I don't remember much. I just… I saw him come around the corner and yell at the guys hitting me, and one of them pulled a gun on him. He pulled his own gun and shot back. I didn't see what all happened, I just remember getting picked up off the ground and coming to a little while later with my arm in a splint. The guy with the armor asked if I was okay and where I was staying, then he brought me home. I haven't seen him since."

"Is that right?" Arian asked. "Pretty noble of a stranger to just roll into town and rescue someone on his first day in. Sounds like a good man."

"He seemed like one," Clair agreed.
"Did he tell you where he might be going? Who he was? What he was doing with all those weapons?"

"No, he just made sure I'd be okay and then left."

Staying this still was almost painful. Even the slightest movement would require the power armor's servos and joints to move, and that would make enough noise in such a cramped apartment as this one to reveal himself even without being visible. He was still practically an eight-hundred pound gorilla covered in metal plates, after all- nothing subtle about that.

"Shoulda let ADA talk me into that stealth system upgrade for the suit," Wayne mused internally. "Would have really come in handy right about now."

"Sergeant, can I ask you a question?" Clair's voice was innocent, free of any of her normal candor or attitude.

"Of course, Miss Delune."

"The news said that there was another guy that showed up out of nowhere. What happened to him?"

"That's out of my jurisdiction, ma'am," the Sergeant replied. "The 'guy' is just a lost kid, no threat to anyone. He's staying at a safe location until we can find his family and get him on his way home. Don't you worry about that. We're handling the guy in the armor because he's armed, and he's killed people. If what you're saying is true, then he was well within his rights to act in your defence, but he needs to be held accountable for his actions and a formal investigation and trial will need to be held. Are you sure you haven't seen him, Miss Delune?"

"I'm sure."

"If you see him again, tell him that he needs to turn himself in and tell us his side of the story so we can get the proceedings rolling. If the investigation lines up with what you said, then he'll be heading home in a few weeks. It's just that there's a legal obligation to investigate this, and if we find out you know where he is and have been hiding him, we'll have to charge you with obstruction of justice. You understand that?"

"Yes, sir, I do. I don't want to cause any trouble. If I knew where he was, I'd tell you."

'Or, I could just turn off this Stealth Boy and tell you myself,' Wayne thought. The battery was probably more than half depleted already. Stupid things went on the fritz way too quick.

"Alright, I just need to make sure you know the law. Even if he was doing the right thing, he still needs to answer for his actions. Some people might be coming later to run a more thorough sweep of the apartment complex, and we may need to search your room. We have a warrant, so I'm afraid this is a statement, not a question. I hope you understand."

"It's not a problem, really, I understand."

Arian smiled warmly, and gave a nod. "Glad to hear it, Miss Delune. You should probably go get your injuries checked out. Even if that guy splinted your arm up, you still look pretty bad off."

"I will, thank you."

"Do you want a ride to the hospital?"

"No, I can catch a bus. I'm feeling fine, honestly, but a checkup wouldn't hurt. Thank you, Sergeant."

"Not a problem, ma'am. You have a nice day."

Clair raised her good hand to wave them off. "You too."

With that, the Sergeant turned back to his comrade, and motioned to the door. "Let's roll out, P."

"Sir."

With that, the two men left, Arian shutting the door behind him. All at once, Clair sprung across the room to the door, pressing her mouse ear to the keyhole, and Wayne's Stealth Boy shorted out, the X-01 now on full display for all to see—'all' being the two of them in the room now. Wayne let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, flexing his tense hands and feet to try and work out the nerves.

"That was close," Wayne started, only for Clair to loudly shush him, ear still against the keyhole. After a minute of silence, she pulled away from the door, and smiled.

"Sorry. Was just eavesdropping," she explained, finally dropping the fake voice and letting her natural accent come through. "They were saying that they wanted to get custody of the 'boy'. He's at Beacon right now, Ozpin's holding onto him. Evidently, Ironwood wants both of you."

Wayne whistled appreciatively. "Nice going, Clair."

"Don't thank me yet. Beacon is Vale's Huntsman Academy. It's not going to be as simple as you walking in and asking for an interview."

"The hell's a Huntsman?" Wayne asked.

Clair sighed. "Right," she began, bringing up a pair of air quotes, " 'another planet'. The Grimm you ran into when you first arrived? They outnumber humanity by a lot. Huntsmen and Huntresses are people who train for years to cull Grimm and do other jobs, like protecting villages from bandits or serving in militaries. Each of our Four Kingdoms have one. Vale's is Beacon. Ozpin, the headmaster, is a cryptic kind of guy. Not even Adam's been able to get a read on him, not that he's really tried."

"I can guarantee you I've met weirder people. Put all my caps on it."

"Caps?" Clair asked. "Why would I want your 'caps'?"

"Sorry. Where I come from, bottle caps are used as currency."

Another long pause followed. Wayne felt like he probably should have just left it there and not explained it, because Clair was currently looking at him as if he were the dumbest motherfucker on Earth and Remnant combined.

"You're lying," she stated, in a way that made it clear she knew he wasn't.

"I'm not. My bag has at least 750 in it."

"Okay," Clair said, raising her voice and standing to her admittedly unimpressive full height. "You know what? Fuck it. Are you from another planet? If you say so, space cadet. I believe you. At this point, you have killed three men in the span of seconds without even an Aura to defend yourself, brought an armor suit that makes Atlesian troopers look like toy soldiers come to life, and you apparently make it a habit to pick a fight on behalf of the oppressed as a day job. Oh, and you have tech that can turn you and your entire giant suit of armor invisible. I'm no longer going to question anything you say. Enjoy your seven-hundred and fifty bottle caps."

Wayne couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at Clair's visible confusion. Frankly, he'd been in the same boat when he first learned about caps, but it was something you came to accept. Birds fly, grass grows, sun shines, and people in post-apocalyptic Boston give each other soda tops instead of money. Not the worst trade. He wished he hadn't recycled as religiously before the bombs fell, now. Between him and Nora, there were a lot of Nuka-Cola caps he could have used.

"Look, Wayne, can we get serious?" Clair asked, and Wayne made the effort to do so. He was still smirking, but he'd managed to at least quiet down and try to get over her reaction to the cap revelation. "Your plan just hit a snag."

"I noticed," he replied nonchalantly.

"You can't stay here, especially if they're coming to do a thorough search. We need to get you out of here. You may have to end up meeting with Roman."

"Right. Can you get me in?"

"I can try, but we're going to need to leave, fast. I'll let Adam know to get a caravan together, Roman has a warehouse in the city proper where he's keeping some Dust and equipment off-site. We'll meet him there."

Back when he was in the Army, before the bombs fell, Wayne had learned a simple lesson as a platoon sergeant. If, on any given operation, something could go wrong, it was going to go wrong.

This evidently still applied on Remnant.

The first snag in the plan was that the warehouse Clair had mentioned was compromised by, according to Roman, a couple of children. Wayne wasn't sure how he'd fouled that up, but he wasn't at all surprised. If anything, he was actually kind of amused.

Second problem- there weren't any trains that could be snuck over to Mountain Glen during the day. The traffic would be easy to spot, and it wouldn't be hard to find them overland, either.

However, eventually something had panned out. Adam had been intending to meet with his co-conspirators about the plan, anyhow, so all Wayne was gonna have to do was meet them at Adam's camp. Things had worked out after all.

The only problem now was that he was about to be in the middle of the White Fang camp again, dealing with Adam, Roman, and apparently, a murderous psychopath. At the same time. A psychopath that had gone out of her way to kill a bunch of Adam's people when they first met. Wayne was glad that he was bringing the power armor this time, even if it meant he had to be stuffed into the back of a truck.

The ride back to the camp was uneventful. If the Atlesian military was searching for him, they weren't searching hard- Wayne would be searching every cargo hauler, warehouse and train in the city, if the roles were reversed. These people really weren't expecting whatever Adam and company were planning if they were this relaxed.

"Alright," the driver called back, "we're here. Adam's expecting you. Just a warning, he's not very happy."

"Not that he ever is," Clair added. "Just be on your best behavior, yeah?"

"Got it," Wayne replied, cracking his armored knuckles and scooting towards the door, far too tall in his armor to walk in the packed cab, even while crouching. A swift kick sent the doors flying open, and Wayne dropped to the ground with a loud thud as his HUD's warning lights flashed. Low power. Good thing he brought a few spare cores.

"I gotta step out of the armor and change out the fusion cores, then I'll head to Adam's tent. I assume that's where the meeting is," he said.

"I guess so," Clair agreed. "Let's hurry, you don't want to keep him waiting."

"Or do. What's he gonna do, start a fight he can't win again?" an unfamiliar voice, young, male, interrupted. Wayne turned to the source, a straggly teenager in grey-and-black clothes that matched his hair, who looked at Wayne with visible disapproval.

"Who're you?" Wayne asked.

"Could ask you the same thing," the boy replied, folding his arms. "If you're that guy Adam was telling Cinder about, then I was really expecting a bit more than some hobo in a fancy suit of armor."

Wayne shook his head, pulling the depleted fusion core out of the X-01 and placing it in his satchel, grabbing a fresh one and slamming it into the port. "This suit of armor seems a hell of a lot more advanced than anything in this camp," he said, "Name's Wayne. I'm the guy."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Mercury. Nice watch."

Wayne frowned, looking at his Pip-Boy for a moment, then back at Mercury."Well, Mercury, did you just want to show me how much of an annoying asshole you are, or did you have a reason for coming over here?" Wayne asked, opening up the armor again and stepping back inside just as the suit's onboard speakers powered on, amplifying his voice. "Because if we have a problem, I would be more than happy to solve it for you."

"I just wanted to see you with my own eyes. You're the talk of the town, between you and that other kid. Here's a suggestion for you, Wayne. Maybe don't get the heat on you like an idiot and possibly compromise our whole operation, yeah?"

"Believe me, if I'd have known when I got here that I'd be joining some sort of clandestine resistance in the middle of the fucking woods, I'd have been a bit more quiet," Wayne replied, his tone venomous as he took a step towards Mercury. "Now, are we gonna have a problem?"

The HUD made a note of Wayne's aggressive tone and rising heart rate, and was already injecting Med-X into his system to try and bring his levels down. As a nice side-effect, he finally got that pleasant numbness that only Med-X could bring for the first time in days. He hadn't had a chance to dip into his goody bag with a new roommate who had no idea what chems were.

Mercury's gaze was averted for a split second before meeting Wayne's, but that was enough to let Wayne know he'd won the argument. The kid didn't want a piece of this, not yet. Good. Wayne was pretty sure he could kick a teenager's ass, but he didn't want to cause a ruckus here. "We don't have a problem unless you do, big guy," he said, trying his best to appear unfazed. "Cinder's with Adam and Roman, waiting for you to show up."

Wayne nodded, and turned away, stomping his way towards the main tent. If a human in the White Fang camp had drawn odd looks his first time in, the power armor was doing something else entirely. Everyone gave him a wide berth, even those that had been a bit more welcoming when he first arrived. Not even the lieutenant, who waited at the entrance to the tent, tried to give Wayne any grief, though it probably helped that Wayne was now a seven foot tall, eight-hundred pound gorilla made of steel and bristling with weapons. The lieutenant quickly opened the tent to him, and Wayne stepped inside to a loud, shrill whistle from Roman.

"Brothers long-gone, I saw the news reel, but this is ridiculous!" Roman exclaimed, looking for all the world like a kid in a candy store. "Why didn't you bring those toys with you to Mountain Glen if you were trying to make an impression, huh?"

Wayne didn't respond. His attention was on the new face. Adam sat on his high chair, looking down at Wayne with the same mildly-pissed off look that had been glued to his face the entire time Wayne had spoken to him, while a woman in a red-and-gold v-neck dress and heels stood off to the side, unnaturally-golden eyes regarding Wayne like he'd regard a brahmin steak. Wayne was already starting to wonder if it was a good idea to walk into the tent in the first place.

"You must be Wayne," she said, in a low and sultry voice that sent a chill down Wayne's spine.

"You must be Cinder."

She smirked, a slight twitch of the lip that looked more menacing than anything Remnant had yet thrown at him. "That's correct. You've made quite an impression since you've arrived in Vale, Wayne. Your first day in town and you've killed three, started a manhunt, and gotten yourself involved in a criminal enterprise. You almost seem to be in a rush."

"I am. I want to get home. Adam said he'd get me there if I helped you with your plan, and that's what I'm gonna do," Wayne replied. "Making an impression has nothing to do with it."

"I understand. I have… ways, of ensuring we both get what we want. I'm just going to need your help, is all. And from what I understand, you might need mine."

"Speak," Adam grunted, clearly irritated. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can move on to the next stage of the plan."

"I found out that there's another person who might be like me," Wayne explained. "Lost. He showed up the same day as me, but ended up at 'Beacon Academy'. Clair told me that I wouldn't be able to get in normally, but I need to find this guy. He may have some kind of answers as to how I might be able to get home. He might not, but it's worth a try."

Cinder nodded slowly, looking at Adam. "You don't have any plans for him, do you?"

"Other than for the Breach," he answered, "no. I had intended to send him to you after our plans were done, anyhow. I don't need another human skulking around my camp."

Cinder gave Adam a withering look that smothered that potential confrontation in the cradle, before turning back to Wayne, her expression instantly morphing to one of approval. "As it turns out, I happen to be living at Beacon Academy now. All part of the plan, you see. I could get you in, but I'm afraid that you'd stick out like a sore thumb just walking around in the middle of the school in that armor. That being said… I think we can help each other. There's a dance at the Academy at the end of this week, and I'll be using the occasion to slip out and take care of some of the more sensitive preparations for the plan. I could take care of it on my own, but I'm not too proud to admit that something could go wrong. You're far too old to pass for a student, but the school will have some visiting delegates from Atlas who will be overseeing the proceedings. One of them is a systems specialist who has been overseeing security for the Tower now that Atlas is preparing for the Vytal Festival. No doubt, he has the security codes for the systems. It would make my job a lot easier if you got those codes for me, and I think that, with a shave and a haircut, you could easily pass for a member of the Atlesian military."

"There's the fact that I probably don't look anything like this guy," Wayne stated, only for Cinder to raise her hand with that little half-smirk again.

"You don't need to worry about that," she said. "Let's just say that we have our ways. Once you get the security codes, I'll need you to join me in the CCT to enter them, then, we'll return to the Academy and see if we can find your man at the ball. Since I'm a 'student' there, and you're a member of the military, we'd hardly look strange."

"So, you're saying I need to steal this guy's codes, and his clothes, and then meet you at some tower I've never been to before, at a school I heard about this morning, while posing as a member of the military of a country that I've never even heard of," Wayne said, incredulous. This boat had so many holes in it you could paint it white and pass it off as swiss. "Do you realize how ridiculous that is? If anyone even suspects a thing, I'm fucked."

"Oh, please, Wayne. You underestimate us. We live in a time of peace," Cinder replied, motioning to Roman. "The most eventful things over the past two days were your appearance, and Roman making a fool of himself and losing a stolen Atlesian mech, and yet they're only just searching for you today. The essence of infiltration is acting like you belong. Surely you can act like a soldier for a night?"

"It's not the soldiering that's a problem, it's the whole 'Atlas' thing."

"You won't be questioned. One of my associates' Semblance allows her to create targeted illusions. Once you enter the ball, she'll use it, and you'll look like that communications officer, at least, to anyone that isn't the two of you. She won't be able to hold it forever, but it will be long enough for you to search the ball and move on. Not that I'd think you'd need it. If this stranger is from your home, I'd imagine he'd stand out quite a bit from the crowd. You'll be in and out quickly."

"Fair enough. That still leaves the matter of this officer you want me to impersonate. How am I gonna get to him?"

Cinder waved her hand dismissively. "You and I can worry about that later tonight."

Wayne couldn't help but feel like some important details were being left out of this explanation, but part of that was most definitely just how shady this woman was.

"I understand if you have doubts, Wayne, considering you've only been in Vale, what, a couple of days?" Cinder continued, slowly, confidently closing the distance between them with measured steps. "But I know what you did in that alley. Everyone does. You're a good man-"

That was a bad choice of words. There were a lot of things you could call Wayne. A liberator. A General. A soldier. A murderer. Many, many other things that he couldn't even think to list.

That wasn't one of them.

"No," he cut her off, insistently, "I'm not."

Cinder looked shocked by his tone, almost too shocked considering her demeanor up to now, and took a step back. "Why would you say that?"

"You don't know who I am. You said it yourself. I've been here two days," Wayne said, taking his own thudding, armored steps forward. "Here's the deal, Cinder. Same one as I had with Adam. I'll do it. I'll get you in that tower, and I'll help you with your plan, but only if you can get me home. And I'm not going to just sit on my ass and wait once it's done. You show me that you have a way back, or that you can find one."

He pointed a metal finger directly between Cinder's eyes. "Because if you're lying to me, and I'm stuck here, you're going to have a problem."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Wayne," Cinder stated plainly, seemingly unperturbed by his proximity as she put a hand on his own armored one. "I know how it feels to be far from home, lost. Trust me. As soon as we have what we came for, you'll have the answer to your every question. I can guarantee it."

Wayne lowered his hand, clenching his fist and glaring from behind the blank, lifeless eyes of his helmet. Cinder hardly even reacted, simply staring right back at him. Her eyes disturbed Wayne on a deep, fundamental level- he'd never seen that color before, not in someone's eye.

He didn't trust her, but, he reasoned, at least for now, he'd have to.

"You said we're getting the officer tonight?"

"That's right," Cinder replied. "Be ready, and leave the armor behind. You won't need it."

With that said, she motioned towards the door. "You should go ahead and prepare. I'll find you when I'm ready to begin."

Wayne nodded, and left the tent, noting that the sun was already starting to set. This Cinder woman was trouble, trouble on a whole different level than what he'd confronted in a very long time. There was something deeply off about her. Then again, the same could be said for him. He was known in the Commonwealth to the extent that all he had to do was show up near certain Raider camps and they'd run for cover. Hell, the Brotherhood of Steel had only sent one token fireteam to try and take him out after he took down the Prydwen, so terrified they were of incurring Wayne's wrath. He couldn't really judge, not yet.

He'd just have to see how tonight went. For now, she had a point- he could definitely afford to clean up if he was going to be impersonating a soldier.