A/N: Here's where the fun begins :)
"I don't understand. How's that even possible?"
Jaune shook his head at Blake's question, walking as quickly as he could towards the docks.
"It shouldn't be possible. I… I don't know how someone could've done something like that." Jaune grit his teeth, wracking his brain to think of a possible way someone could create a circle that big. "I don't know. Unless I see the whole circle, I have no idea how or why the circle's there. For all I know, it could be completely harmless. Maybe it's always been there and helps the Colosseum float." The alchemist sighed, highly doubting that was the case. "Although I'm pretty sure I would've known about it if that was the case."
Blake finally caught up to Jaune, setting her pace to walk alongside him. "So what're you going to do now?"
Jaune turned to look into Blake's worried eyes, seeing how concerned she was about the Circle. She was right to be too, piecing together the past events and figuring out that the White Fang probably had some sort of involvement in this.
"I need to talk with… with Ozpin." As much as he hated to say it, the Headmaster would know what to do, and he would have a lot more firepower to stop, or at the very least delay what the circle could do. "Hopefully he can figure out how to stall long enough for me to figure out what that Circle does, and disrupt it."
"Why don't you just break it now?" Blake questioned. "I mean, isn't it as easy as messing up the circle somehow?"
"Sort of, but not really." Jaune was quick to answer back, popping out of the underground tunnels and into the outside, the cheering of the crowds quickly surrounding the two of them. "If I disrupt it without knowing exactly what the circle is, I could end up making things worse when whoever made it decides to activate the circle. For all I know, the failed product could explode, and with how big that circle is…" Jaune shook his head, not wanting to entertain that notion any further. "Or it wouldn't mess with the integrity of the circle at all, and now, knowing that their plans have been figured out, they'll just activate the circle anyways."
"But there's the chance breaking the circle could work?"
Jaune bit his lip, thinking carefully. "Yes. But it's a small chance. Tiny, really. If someone's done something like this, I have a feeling they'll have made sure that the important parts of the circle are being guarded, either by actual people or… or countermeasures." Especially if they planned something like this for a long time. They probably played it safe and made sure to add hundreds of nonessential details that probably looked important.
Dust, deciphering a circle like this would take Jaune hours at best.
Finally reaching a docking station, Jaune flipped open his scroll, dialing the Headmaster.
A newly arrived Bullhead opened its hatches, Blake striding in as Jaune prepared himself for the inevitable motion sickness, while also waiting for the scroll to be answered.
"Jaune? What're you doing here?"
The blond looked up to find Emerald standing in front of him, having just exited the Bullhead that had landed. Jaune shook his head, lips pursed into a grim line.
"Trouble. I need to get to the Headmaster's office as soon as possible. Why isn't he picking up?" Jaune growled, looking at the busy signal on his screen. Emerald stared at the scroll as well, looking as if she was concentrating on something before turning her attention back on Jaune, smiling.
"Maybe I can help you out." The green-haired girl offered politely, stepping right back into the Bullhead. Again Jaune shook his head, not wanting to inconvenience the girl.
"There's no need. Blake can help me out with whatever I need. Besides, don't you have a fight coming up sometime?" Jaune asked earnestly, not able to remember if Emerald's team had to fight in any of the upcoming matches any time soon. Dust, he couldn't even remember her teammates really, let alone something like that. It didn't matter though, as Emerald shook her head, waving a hand in the air dismissively.
"That doesn't matter. This is something way more important. And hey, the more hands the better, right?" Jaune didn't have time to argue with her, simply deciding to nod and note a way to keep her outside when he talked with Ozpin. Speaking of, Jaune turned off his scroll, growling in frustration at the fact that the Headmaster had decided not to pick up.
The ride back towards Beacon was tense, which only made Jaune's motion sickness worse. Emerald didn't say anything, only shooting a sympathetic glance here and there and fiddling with her scroll, while Blake murmured a few words of encouragement, brave enough to actually sit close and rub Jaune's back to comfort him. Jaune on the other hand, didn't do anything dramatic, simply sitting huddled into a corner and wincing every time the Bullhead tilted or dipped, clutching his roiling stomach. He wasn't even really sure if that was because of the motion sickness or because his gut was just telling him that something big was coming to a crescendo, and Jaune needed to find a way to stop it before something big and bad happened.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the blond boy, the Bullhead landed, and Jaune left the aircraft faster than ever before, zooming out and practically sprinting towards Beacon. After a second to realize what Jaune had done, the two girls also sped off, trying to catch up with the frantic boy.
As the elevator opened up, Jaune slid himself in, letting Blake pass before stopping Emerald, his face conflicted.
"… Emerald, I think it'd be a good idea if you could guard the outside of the elevator… to make sure that no one suspicious could get through." It was a weak excuse, but it was the only thing the alchemist could think of to keep Emerald out of the Headmaster's room. Predictably, the girl frowned and crossed her arms, her body language showing that it was obvious that she wasn't just going to stand there for Jaune.
"I don't think so. I'll probably be more use up there with you guys than down here. Besides, the elevator takes forever to get up to the Headmaster's office, we would have plenty of warning."
Jaune clenched his fists, his head shaking back and forth wildly. "We don't have time for this. What I'm talking to the Headmaster about is… a secret. And you can't hear it. Sorry." The girl's expression turned hurt, before it changed into a more accusatory look, pointing at the cat faunus standing beside Jaune.
"Oh, but she can come with you?" Emerald crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. "That's pretty fair."
"It's not— It's not a matter of fair or not fair." Jaune said, frustrated. "You know what? You're right. Blake, can you help Emerald out down here? It won't take long anyways."
Now it was the amber eyes that narrowed, lips threatening to turn into a pout. Not that Blake would ever pout, of course, but it was getting there. "… Fine."
Jaune clasped Blake's hands in gratefulness, nodding his thanks to the girls. Stepping inside of the elevator, Jaune pressed the button to go up to the Headmaster's office, and hoped that he the damned thing wouldn't take so long to get up to the office that Jaune's warning would come too late.
## #
The bell on the elevator couldn't have dinged fast enough, Jaune almost phasing through the door to get to Ozpin. Stepping through, Jaune found the man sitting at his desk, watching the Vytal Tournament. Glasses slid up his nose as Ozpin looked up, finding the blond standing there bewildered.
"Mr. Arc. Are you alright?"
"Alright?" Jaune blinked, not understanding the scene. "How can you- Why did- Why didn't you answer your scroll?" The gray-haired man raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about Mr. Arc? I did answer, but you never said a word before hanging up on me. What was that all about?"
"What?" Jaune recoiled, not understanding. "But- I kept getting the busy signal. You didn't pick up-" The alchemist shook his head, deciding that that wasn't important right now. "Never mind. Did you know that there's a transmutation circle underneath the Colloseum?"
Ozpin straightened up, the look in his eyes sharpening. "…No. Is it something we should be concerned about?"
"I don't know." Jaune replied quickly. "I'm not sure what it's supposed to do until I see the whole circle."
The gray-haired man stood up, grabbing his cane. "Very well then. We will get on this immediately." The Headmaster opened up his scroll, the object chiming once before the person on the other side of the line picked up.
"Yes, Ozpin?" The voice was gruff, masculine.
"James. We have a situation. Please send someone to monitor the Colloseum please. Make sure no one can come in or out. And while you're at it, kindly procure the security feeds from underground. We'll need them."
"…What is this about Ozpin? Is the Colloseum compromised?"
"There's no time to explain old friend. Just do as I've asked, please. I'll be there shortly." Ozpin ended the call, before striding up towards the elevator, hand hovering over the call button before realizing that the elevator was already on its way up.
"Ozpin?"
"Where are you right now, Glynda?" Jaune could hear Ozpin gripping his cane tighter, staring at the elevator.
"I'm at Beacon's entrance, why?"
"I'm sending someone your way right now Glynda. He has vital information that could endanger many individuals, and I need your help to transport him to James, as soon as possible. Many lives depend on it." Ozpin gestured to Jaune, telling him silently to follow the man as he strode up to one of the glass windows, shattering the pane with his cane.
The elevator ringed and the doors slid open, revealing a slender woman in a red dress, hands encased in gloves that- Jaune's eyes widened.
That had transmutation circles on them.
His view was blocked as Ozpin flipped his desk over with his cane, one of the woman's fireballs that she conjured out of nowhere hitting the thing, practically melting it.
"I'm going to be a little indisposed for the moment." Ozpin muttered, before looking at Jaune. "Glynda?"
"Yes, Headmaster?"
"Catch."
Before Jaune could react, Ozpin's cane rose up and caught the front of the boy's shirt, before he swung wide and flung Jaune through the broken window.