This week's been a rough one. Good news is, I got that raise. I'm not sure how I passed the verbal assessment, considering that my answer to a fifth of the questions was "I don't know what that acronym stands for". Kinda hard to remember those things when you were trained on it months ago and you never handle any of that stuff. Still, I'll take the money and run. Bad news is, I've been working a lot of overtime this week. I've had two twelve-hour days, one for the hands-on assessment, another because the third shift technicians called in and I volunteered to cover. At least yesterday they took pity on me and let me leave four hours early.

So, first off, my beta never got a chance to get back to me on this chapter. That's my fault – I was a few days behind on getting them this chapter. I'm back on schedule with the first draft, so hopefully it won't be a problem in the future. I'm still working on the Pokemon fanfic Last Sage, but that's been slow going. I hope to have the next chapter ready this weekend, but that depends on how much I'm doing for Mother's day.

I decided to give the whole omake thing a shot, since one of the scenes in this chapter gave me a really good idea. I also have an idea for the next chapter, so who knows, I may start doing them each chapter for funsies. Let me know what you think of this one.

Chapter Fifteen: Black and White

The moment Ozpin got a call from a police officer that three of his students were at the White Fang raid on the docks, he called up a Bullhead pilot, gathered up his chess set, and went to the police station. He spoke with the chief and asked for a cup of coffee and a private room to speak with Blake. The interrogation room the chief gave him would hardly be private, not with all the ducal spies, but he fixed that with a ward around the room, woven with the energy stored in his cane.

An officer escorted Blake into the room. Her clothes were slimy and stained, blood ran from a split lip, and she reeked of soot and bad takeout. She didn't take her eyes off him as she sat down.

The officer also had an empty mug and a whole pitcher of coffee. He left both next to the Headmaster, gave him a curt bow, and closed the door as he left.

Ozpin poured himself a mug and brought out the chess set. He set Blake up with the black pieces, moved his pawn to E4, and gestured for her to make the a move. She picked up the queen and set it in the middle of the board.

"You don't know how to play, do you?" When Blake shook her head, he said, "Pity," and put the pieces back in order. He made a move for her, pawn to E5.

"Under better circumstances, Blake Belladonna, I would let you keep your secrets." Blake flinched when he emphasized her last name. "Yes, I know who you are, and more importantly, your parents. It is fortunate that Cardin hasn't figured that out yet."

Blake glanced at the door. "You know."

"About your past, or what Cardin has been doing?" He took a sip of coffee and grimaced at the bitter, chalky taste of the instant mix. "Yes."

"Then why let him get away with it?"

Ozpin made his move, pawn to F4. "In a game of chess, taking pieces is important, but if you move too many pieces out of formation, you leave your king exposed." With a flick of his finger, he brushed aside the pawn he had just exposed and moved Blake's in its place. "Now, I could put my light-square bishop here," he said, pointing at C4, "But that would let you attack with your queen, right here." He moved his finger to H4. "The wiser move is to play this knight like so." He moved a knight in front of Blake's pawn. "Now the queen can no longer move there safely, and that pawn can move no further."

Blake watched the board with a frown. "Did you call me here just to play games?"

"No, but if anyone asks questions about why we haven't been talking for fifteen minutes straight, I need a good excuse." He saw the questions rise in Blake's thoughts, but he cut them off. "I have been wondering since you took your practical exam whether or not I should help you. If anyone discovered that I had helped conceal a White Fang terrorist, and a Belladonna at that, it would cost me my job, you your freedom, and Menagerie its rights. Do you understand that?"

He kept a stern expression as Blake nodded.

"Good. Thus far, you had avoided drawing attention to yourself, aside from the slip-up with Cardin. Luckily for us, he needs you too much to let you come to any harm, the docks being a case in point."

Blake's brow furrowed, and her eyes drifted to the pieces. "That changed, didn't it?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Ozpin studied the board and played G5 for Blake. G4 on the next turn would force the knight away and let her queen put him in check. "You had been seen without your ribbon, in the company of a foreign Faunus, talking to the White Fang. Naturally, the Dukes and anyone tied to them will wish to take advantage of this."

While he could play H4 and open up his rook, he could also lure out the queen. After some thought, he played NC3, developing the queenside knight. Pawn G4 was the natural response, and he saved his knight with E5.

"What can I do?"

The queen went to H4. Check. "You could take the first ship out of here, go home to Menagerie, and keep quiet about everything that had happened here."

Blake scowled, and her ears drooped.

"Or, you could become one my agents."

Pawn to G3, blocking the check and putting pressure on the black queen.

"An agent? What are you, some kind of spymaster?"

Ozpin gave a dry chuckle and let her capture G3 with the H4 pawn. "In Vale, every politician is a spymaster. There isn't a clerk, accountant, officer, or analyst that doesn't report to at least two Dukes. People rise or fall by the information they receive."

White queen to G4, attacking the opposing queen. With the Knight on E5, she couldn't safely take it. Pawn to G2 was the logical way to proceed.

"What do you want me to do?"

Queen captures on H4. He set the black queen next to his side of the board.

"First, keep working for Cardin. The more invested he is in keeping you, the more he will have to defend you should your secret get out. Second, I will have you gather intelligence on the White Fang for the police. If anyone's going to believe that you're a double-agent, you're going to have to act like one. And third, stay out of trouble." He gave her his best stern principal stare and waited until she drooped in her chair. "This incident cannot happen again. Are we clear on that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." He raised the cup of coffee and watched the dregs swirl at the bottom before gulping them down. "Now that we've got that out of the way, it's time to let the others hear our conversation. Act normal and speak as little as possible."

Blake nodded. Ozpin tapped his cane on the floor, and a green shimmer ran over the walls. Blake watched the veil fall with wide eyes, but she said nothing.

"I think that's enough chess for one night," Ozpin said. "I imagine you are tired after such a long day."

She was about to speak, but Ozpin silenced her with a raised hand. "It was unfortunate that your cover was blown. I had hoped that you could aid us undetected from Beacon, but considering what had happened, we have no choice but to send you back to Menagerie. You will be safer there."

Ozpin gestured for her to speak. Blake's eyes begged for guidance, but he stayed silent and waited.

Blake lipped her lips, probing the cut with her tongue. "I can still help," she said. "They don't check everyone going into the meetings for new recruits. We might learn what they are after if I attend one of them."

"I could have an officer go in disguise. If you could provide us with a time and place, we can take care of the rest."

"The meetings are held in dark warehouses, where only Faunus can see. Anyone who isn't a Faunus will be caught right away."

"There are Faunus officers that could do the job."

Blake faltered, which is what Ozpin had wanted. He let her mouth work silently for a moment before stepping in.

"However, those officers are already busy with their own assignments. I suppose, if you are willing to continue to help us despite the danger you put yourself in, then I could make you an official part of the investigation."

"I would appreciate it," she said. "I – I want to do what's best for everyone."

"You will have your chance." He took a Scroll out of his pocket, one not unlike the ones Beacon gave its students at the start of each year. "You'll find the password on a slip of paper in the battery pack. Memorize it and destroy the note. Allowing anyone else to access the contents of that Scroll would qualify as an act of treason and is punishable with up to thirty years in jail. Go ahead and turn it on."

Blake eagerly tapped the Scroll to life. Ozpin frowned and wondered if he had erred in trusting her to be cautious.

"You can explore the functions of this Scroll later, but there are a few I want you to know. The first are the investigation archives." He pointed through the Scroll at an icon of a manila folder on the screen. "Most of them are redacted, but you have full access to anything related to the White Fang. If you believe you need other information, you'll have to file a request. Speaking of, this is the report window." He pointed at another icon, this one with a green arrow pointing at a mailbox. "There's a list of forms you may submit, from investigation results to equipment requisitions. If you need anything or have anything to report, that's where it goes."

"Equipment requisitions?" Blake asked.

"Phone taps, dust vials, cameras, ammunition, vehicles, whatever you need. Be sure to explain very clearly why you want it. They're very stingy over in the logistics department. Packages will arrive at a drop location that will be sent to that Scroll, most likely a teacher's office."

Ozpin poured himself another mug. "This one here," he said, pointing at an icon showing a radar screen, "Shows active dispatch calls and officer movements. Criminal activities show up as red dots, and officers as blue. The map refreshes itself as emergency operators update it."

Blake clicked the icon. The docks showed up as a dull red splotch, with pinpricks of blue surrounding it.

"What's this green one?"

Off to the side of the docks, there was a green dot accompanied by a pair of blues. "A Huntsman, probably Professor Goodwitch. Zoom it in, it will provide more details."

As she zoomed closer to the green dot, Glynda's scowling face appeared on the screen. He sighed to himself and drank some more coffee. It had gone lukewarm, but he drained the mug anyways.

"I would assign you a Huntsman to watch over you, but all mine are busy in the field at the moment. I am counting on you to keep yourself safe. Use your best judgement, and always make sure you have a way out."

"I will, Headmaster."

"Good. Go get some sleep."

The way she stared hungrily at the Scroll as she closed it up suggested she would not be sleeping for the next week. The officer, who was standing just outside the door, no doubt texting every word onto his Scroll, escorted Blake out of the police station.

Ozpin tipped the pitcher again, but all that came out was a thick black sludge that even he wouldn't touch. With a sigh, he set the fouled mug aside and turned his attention to the game. With pawn captures H1, his rook was gone, and the black queen was back. Trapped, but back, and pinning his light-square bishop. And sure, he could move his queen up to pin the F7 pawn and put that E5 knight to work, but without taking the time to castle, the black queen would remain a thorn in his side.

He picked up the white queen. Pyrrha had seemed such a promising candidate, a gift from the Gods, dedicated, driven, skilled in combat, but Cardin had proven her too brittle, too emotionally unstable. That left him with startlingly few options. There were some promising older students, but they had all grown independent, ready to strike out on their own. None had gravitated to him like Summer or Qrow. Of the newer students, his best was Jacques Shnee's daughter, but Weiss' inheritance made her too much a wild card. Yang was too headstrong and reckless, Nora even more so, Blake too risky and impulsive to boot. Ruby, while tempting, was too young. Perhaps Pyrrha could be salvaged, if he stopped Cardin and allowed the situation to defuse itself.

A knock came at the door, and the chief opened it. "Ozpin, are you done in here?"

He gave a start and returned the white queen. "Oh, yes, I was just musing on this game. Quite an interesting line we had started, but she was too tired to finish."

The chief peered at the board. "Looks like she has you beat," he said, pointing at the queen.

He pushed his own forward one space. "Looks can be deceiving. Would you care to pick up the game?"

The chief glanced at his watch. "I better get some sleep," he said. "Torchwick's been having me and the boys running our legs off."

Ozpin affected a bemused chuckle and rose from his seat. "I can quite imagine. Have a good night, and good luck catching him."

As he had feared, Glynda was waiting for him outside his office. She didn't say a word as they walked in together, but once the door was closed, she fixed him with her most heated scowl and slapped her baton on the table.

"Care to explain why three of our students fought a wanted criminal?"

Ozpin sat down and straightened his coat. "Four, actually."

Glynda pursed her lips. "Well, I suppose if you're counting Sun, then yes, it would be four."

"We're counting students from other academies?" Ozpin asked with a smile. "That would bring it up to six."

She paused and tried to process what he had just said. With a press of a button on his side of the desk, a built-in coffee maker hummed and poured him a mug. He took it and sipped while he waited for Glynda's brain to reboot. Compared to the police swill, his freshly ground, perfectly steeped blend was the closest thing he had to happiness.

Glynda shook herself and slapped her hands on his desk. "Nope, we're not playing that game. Tell me what they were doing at the docks."

"Stopping the White Fang, I suppose." He waited for Glynda's anger to reach max capacity, marked by the flushing of her face and the pained wail of leather in her hand before adding, "Not my doing, I assure you. I was just as surprised as you were, and I have made it plain to all of them that they are not to act as vigilantes in the future."

The wordplay seemed to have slipped past Glynda. She cleared her throat, nodded, and told him that was acceptable. Once she was gone, Ozpin set the pieces on his desk, each move replicated from his game with Blake. While he was studying the layout, a message popped up on his Scroll. "Queen has pawns."

He sent Qrow a request to learn more, tapped the black queen and said, "Your move."

Cinder watched as a ragged, bloodied band of White Fang unloaded the Bullheads. Though the monstrous machines had room for twenty crates apiece, Torchwick came back with half that between them. Emerald and Mercury trailed behind her, both of them exchanging scowls and leering at each other when they thought she wouldn't notice.

She strolled down the stairs and said, "How very disappointing, Roman."

Torchwick gave a start and turned towards her. The White Fang grunts around him suddenly found other crates to move and hustled away.

"I'm disappointed too. If your White Fang contact had been kind enough to send along some of his better men, we could've gotten away with the whole cargo."

"This was supposed to be an easy heist. How did you fail to steal an unwatched cargo with the police paid off?"

Torchwick reached for his cane, but he glanced at her and placed both palms on the table. "Well, first it was a cat and a monkey, then Cardin Winchester, then a crazy blonde–"

"The Duke's son?"

"The one and only." Torchwick took a lighter out of his jacket pocket, lit himself a cigar, and drew a long, deep breath. "I almost had him too, but he had backup."

"And what was he doing at those docks?"

"He said he was after the cat," Torchwick said. When Cinder raised an eyebrow, he clarified, "The cat Faunus that jumped me. She was one of those 'White Fang are supposed to be better than this' sorts of people. Had a blade to my throat, but she didn't have the guts to use it."

"Who is this cat Faunus?"

"Hell if I know. Black hair, yellow eyes, used two blades tied together with a rope, mechashift and all that."

Cinder saw a Faunus with glasses watching. He looked away and walked off towards the Bullhead, but Cinder threw a ball of fire in front of him. It crackled and hissed on the concrete floor.

"You. Who was the Faunus Torchwick is talking about?"

The Faunus swallowed and looked at his feet. "I don't know."

Cinder let her left hand heat up and grabbed the Faunus' wrist. He gasped and froze up as she burned his skin.

"Are you sure you don't know?" she asked.

The Faunus glanced back at his comrades and reached for his weapon, but Emerald plucked it from his belt. Mercury stood on the other side of him, cracking his knuckles and grinning at him.

"She was Blake Belladonna," he said through gritted teeth. "Ghira's daughter. She was one of us, and close to Adam, but she ran away after the last heist we did."

Cinder let go of his wrist. The skin was already turning an angry red, and blisters rose in pasty mounds.

"That wasn't so hard, was it? Now get out of my sight."

The Faunus scurried away, and the others vanished. Torchwick pulled himself a metal chair and sat with his feet propped up on the table.

"So what if we didn't get all the Dust at the shipyard. There'll be plenty more to steal from at the shops. I already have men scoping out the security upgrades."

"No need for that. We're done with Dust."

Torchwick blinked. "Okay then, what are we doing?"

Cinder nodded to Emerald. She handed Torchwick a Scroll, one that had a set of coordinates, train schematics, access codes to Mount Glenn's old security networks, and an instruction manual for Atlesian Paladins. When she turned, Emerald slid a hand into Torchwick's pocket and took a lighter. He didn't even blink as she waved it past his face.

"Move all the Dust to this location and load it on the trains. You'll find some fun toys there for the White Fang."

Torchwick examined the Scroll. "Oh, fun, a camping trip in a cave full of Grimm and corpses with a bunch of fanatic Faunus. Should I bring some marshmallows?"

"If it'll make you happy. I trust that you will comply with all the instructions you have been given?"

"Sure. If I survive all the Grimm and exploding Dust, I'd be happy to spend a little vacation onboard one of little Jimmy's cruise liners."

"The Grimm won't trouble you. I have seen to that."

Torchwick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and you got them to set up a Jacuzzi for me. I'd really like to know how you're so confident the Grimm will leave me alone. Even Neo can't kill all the Grimm in that deathtrap."

He was trying very hard not to look at her, but Cinder could see the cold calculation in his eyes as clearly as the glow of his lit cigar.

"With the negativity of an entire city, they're hardly going to notice a couple dozen in the tunnels."

"That's not going to stop them from ripping the White Fang apart if they stumble into them."

"Do you really care if that happens?"

Torchwick glanced around him. The White Fang grunts were still nowhere to be seen.

"Honestly, after the day I've had, I'd love nothing better than to watch Neo slit their throats and have a tea party with their corpses. That said, I'd rather not have to load all that Dust myself."

"Then ask the Grimm to help you."

"Ha ha, very funny." Torchwick smothered the cigar on the surface of the table, leaving a sooty smear. "Can I at least get some of their better muscle? Armed teenagers seem to follow me wherever I go."

"I'll talk to Adam." She turned around. Emerald and Mercury walked ahead of her, up the stairs, and held the warehouse door open for her. "Oh, and Roman?"

"Yes?"

"I heard that my agents had to clean up your little mess. If I tell you to make sure someone doesn't talk, you make it happen. Got that?"

"What, you mean the librarian, or whatever? I had that under control."

"Two packed bags and a ticket to Vacuo said otherwise," Emerald said from upstairs.

"I had arranged for him to go conveniently missing on that ship after he settled his affairs. Killing him in his own shop isn't exactly subtle."

"Roman has a point," Cinder said. "Next time you have any concerns, come to me first. Don't act on your own."

Emerald looked as though she had been slapped. "Yes Cinder. I'm sorry I disappointed you."

"As long as you learned your lesson."

Cinder climbed the stairs and went through the door. Mercury followed after, but Emerald lingered inside the warehouse. She peered past her, at Torchwick, who had taken out another cigar and was looking around his jacket for his lighter. Emerald took it out of her pocket, lit it for him to see, and stuck his tongue out at him. Emerald flinched when she saw Cinder was looking.

"I was just–"

"It matters not, Emerald," she said once they were outside. "We won't be dealing with him again."

Mercury glanced back at the warehouse. "You mean–"

"Once Torchwick has done his part, I will have no further need for him, and he is too likely to turn on me. If Ironwood won't execute him, I have other arrangements made."

"And what about me?" Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Do you have arrangements made for when I'm no longer useful?"

"None yet," Cinder said. "Keep being useful, and I will keep neglecting to make those arrangements."

"Fair enough."

Emerald glared at Mercury as though she would very much like to make arrangements herself. As much as the prospect of watching Emerald slit Mercury's throat right here and now appealed to Cinder, his name was on the paperwork Headmaster Lionheart had made.

"So, what now?" Emerald asked.

"Now? We go to school."

They had gotten changed into the Haven school uniforms at one of their safe houses and collected their student Scrolls. The Bullhead pilot only glanced at their transfer paperwork before taking them right to Beacon's grounds. Cinder strolled across the cobblestone paths, basking in the thrill of walking into her enemy's headquarters undetected. She could feel the gnawing hunger in her left arm, the emptiness, the cold, burning ache like frostbite down to the bone.

Cinder walked into one of the dorm buildings. The halls, this late at night, were empty, but muffled chatter emanated from each door along the length of the hall. With a gesture, Emerald and Mercury took the lead, leaning against doorways and capturing snippets of conversation.

One of the doors ahead opened. Emerald and Mercury sprang up, just in time for a short, dark-haired girl with a red cloak to run smack into them. She fell to the floor, apologized profusely, took Emerald's hand to stand up, dusted herself off, and apologized some more.

"Are you new?" she asked.

Cinder thought she recognized her. She stepped forward for a closer look and said, "Visiting from Haven, actually."

The hunger in her arm vanished. It was a sudden, unnerving quietness that made the hair rise on her neck. She could feel the Grimm embedded in her flesh writhe underneath the girl's silver-eyed stare.

The girl looked at her for a moment, as if struggling to remember something, but it vanished in a bubble of enthusiasm as she gave directions to the exchange student dorms.

"Thanks," Cinder said as she walked past her. "Maybe I'll see you around." A thought occurred to her as she started down the hall. "One moment. Could you tell me where Cardin's room is?"

"Cardin? Third floor. Why, do you know him?"

"We met at a dinner party a few weeks back. I was hoping to speak with him again, but I don't have his number."

"Well, I could show you to his room right now, if you would like."

"No, it's fine. I can find him some other time."

By the time Cinder arrived at their dorm room, in a building on the other side of campus, Mercury and Emerald had already combed the room for bugs and wiretaps, sealed up the vents, and taped down the blinds.

"What now, Cinder?" Emerald asked from her bed.

Cinder took one of the empty beds and touched her left arm. The hunger was back now, but nervous, jittery, shot through with static tingles.

"Now?" Cinder chuckled. "Now we are students. We should learn everything we can."

Omake

Cinder smelled the blood before she opened the warehouse door. A bunch of tables were pushed together in a wide circle. Most of the seats were occupied by unmasked Faunus with their throats slit.

At the far end of the circle, Neo and Torchwick drank from porcelain tea cups. A Faunus wearing glasses had his chest, neck, and legs tied to a chair between them, but his arms were left free. He had a cup sitting in front of him as well.

"Hello Cinder!" Torchwick called from his seat. His face was flushed, and his hat was askew. "You're just in time for the tea party!"

Neo motioned towards the three empty seats, each with its own teacup. The little girl looked perfectly sober as she drained her mug. Cinder stepped through an inch-deep puddle of congealing blood and sat next to Roman. From her seat, despite the overpowering smell of blood in the air, she could tell that the Faunus had soiled himself. His face was pale as grave-worms and sweat poured down his face.

"Why did you kill all of Adam's men?" she asked.

"They were useless, all of them." Torchwick gestured with his cup and sloshed its contents on the table. The liquid was clear and smelled strongly of alcohol. "So, after they unloaded the cargo, Neo and I decided to invite them to a little party. Isn't that right, Mark?"

The Faunus that Torchwick elbowed in the side flinched at the touch. He licked his lips, glanced back and forth between the two seats next to him, and said, "That's right. We're all useless."

"See?" Torchwick asked as he poured himself more whiskey. The cup overflowed, and when Torchwick brought it to his lips, as much got on his coat as down his throat. "Have some tea, it's the best."

Cinder held out her cup, and Torchwick poured for her, just enough to fill it halfway. Cinder took a sip and nearly gagged on the alcohol.

"Now, you came to discuss business, right?" Torchwick's words were slurred, and his head wobbled on his shoulders. "I got some men out looking for more Dust. You want that, right?"

"We can discuss it later. I have some other business to attend to. For now, I will let you enjoy your tea party."

"Suit yourself." Torchwick got out a cigar and a lighter. After a few clumsy attempts, he got the cigar lit, but it slipped out of his mouth and landed on the table. The smoldering end landed in a puddle of alcohol, and the table caught on fire. The Faunus panicked and scooted his chair away as the fire spread.

Cinder kicked her shoes against the pavement, spattering it with blood. As the door closed, she could hear the Faunus screaming and Torchwick laughing maniacally.

"Is there anyone else in this city I can use?" Cinder asked Mercury.

Mercury shook his head. "My old man said Torchwick was the best. A bit crazy, but the best." After a moment, he added, "They were drinking buddies."

Cinder looked back at the warehouse. Smoke was starting to rise through the windows.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. He'll be dead soon anyways.