The dark windowless room was completely sealed. A light blue glow from several orbs in the floor was the only source of light. A shadow stalked about the room touching the tips of his fingers across every inch of the wall. It tapped lightly against the orbs and jostled with the door. Nothing could get in, nothing could get out. Nothing was listening. Only a beating heart and calm breathing hung in the atmosphere. The shadow stepped onto one of the orbs. The glow became vibrant and bright. Images of others slowly began to materialize.

"General Ironwood, Mr. Schnee," said the shadow.

"Mr. Ozpin, Mr. Schnee," said General Ironwood

"Yes, yes, very nice to see everyone" said Mr. Schee, "Wait, isn't a fourth supposed to join us."

"I trust they are having difficulty picking the appropriate representative," said Ozpin.

"Just send both," said Ironwood, "One hand must always know what the other is doing with them anyway."

A fourth hologram appeared. A gentleman dressed in a fine white tunic with golden embroidery. A long red cloak clasped by a bronze medallion draped over his shoulders. He cut his hair into a bowl cut, keeping it at a length to end just above the ears. The hair was naturally curly but he forced it to stay straight.

"I have arrived gentlemen. Let this meeting commence."

"And where is your compatriot?" asked Mr. Schnee, "Mistral always sends two representatives."

"The Tenno felt his efforts were better served elsewhere. Do not fret, he shall be informed with the upmost detail. On to business shall we?"

"Yes. General Ironwood, proceed," said Mr. Schnee.

"Gentlemen, as you have probably noticed, our shipping lanes have been free of incident for the past two weeks. Therefore I can say with confidence that our issue has been resolved."

"See Ozpin? All we needed was hunters," said Mr. Schnee, "Novices sure, but if we had true veteran hunters this would have been solved far sooner. Nevertheless, my endeavours can continue unabated now. Excellent."

"I concur with Mr. Schnee," said the fourth, "My country thanks you for your efforts. A shame we were unable to assist."

"With all due respect General Ironwood," interjected Ozpin, "I do not believe for a moment that our problem has been solved. A grimm of that size cannot have been easily subdued by a few bombs. If that were the case why were our flotillas unsuccessful after so many encounters?"

"Our flotillas didn't have a submarine rigged to blow wrapped in its arms," said Mr. Schnee, "I challenge any beast to survive that."

"Yes, yes, but the reason for this meeting is not about the grimm per say," said the fourth, "You had found something else, general."

"Yes, the White Fang were involved apparently," said Ozpin, "And your findings were quite disturbing."

Ironwood nodded, "It appears that the White Fang were using the Siren's Song to control this giant grimm."

"Please excuse, but what is this Siren Song?" asked the fourth.

"Roughly one year ago my novices accompanied a pair of hunters to the Banshee Mountains," said Ozpin, "They encountered a unique grimm with the capacity to control not only grimm, but humans and Faunus as well."

"And it did so through a song. Understood. How did the White Fang get a hold of this?"

"The White Fang had created a hidden outpost in the mountains," Ozpin informed his compatriots, "It appears that they wished to uncover the secrets of the Siren. Reports indicate however that the outpost was destroyed before anything could be learned. And from the state of things when my teams arrived, they did not bother to reclaim it."

"Which means someone had to supply it to them."

"I see where the general is going," said Mr. Schnee, "And I find it preposterous."

"It is not preposterous. It is the only logical conclusion!"

"General, who gave them the song?" asked the fourth.

"Vacuo."

"You are right Mr Schnee. It is preposterous to think that Vacuo would dare to work with the White Fang."

"Vacuo was the first military to arrive in the Banshee Mountains they were the only ones that could have found a recording –"

"If all they needed was a recording the White Fang could have managed on their own resources," said Mr. Schnee, "Any moron with a microphone and archaic tape recorder can conjure a recording."

"The recording of the song itself is not the issue. In order to use the Siren's Song without succumbing to it themselves they require a counteracting song."

"And you believe they got their hands on OCTA's (Orchestra)," said Ozpin, "General, OCTA are citizens of Vacuo, but that is not enough to implicate their government."

"Indeed," said the fourth, "And perhaps the general needs a lesson in history. Vacuo fought a long guerilla war with the White Fang. The conflict was far from amicably settled. If memory serves several nobles were assassinated, its people under constant terrorist threat, and the state was more repressive than usual. I also remind you that all traces of the White Fang were eradicated. So I doubt that Vacuo would involve itself."

"Then they were kidnapped –"

"OCTA kidnapped? Don't make me laugh," said Mr. Schnee, "OCTA was a highly accomplished team and their status as Chosen Men verifies this. Even our own hunter teams would have difficulty securing them alive. I highly doubt that some filthy animal rabble would even be able to get close to OCTA regardless of what technology they may have stolen. Ozpin, what do you think?"

"I must concur, Mr. Schnee. OCTA is not easily defeated by the ordinary, but their disappearance and their connection with the Siren is disconcerting. We must not rule out that they may be involved."

"But involved in what way?"

"I cannot say."

"Pardon, are you saying OCTA has gone missing?" said the fourth.

"Yes, several months ago now."

"I think you are mistaken, gentlemen," said the fourth, "OCTA is here. In Mistral."

"What? Why are they there?"

"They are on tour with their bands," said the fourth nonchalantly, "They had made arrangements well in advance and have sold out of tickets. Their ability to scout out musical talent baffles me, but I cannot deny their success. ENOZ and Icy Tail are quite… something. But I digress."

"Indeed."

"Nevertheless, I believe that this solves your mystery of the missing orchestra. Perhaps you had simply overlooked their arrangements."

"I highly doubt it."

"Well, we can collect them once all is done," said Mr. Schnee, "As for this White Fang dilemma I do not see any problems developing. The grimm of the sea is dead and the White Fang have been derailed once more."

"They could try to control the other unique grimm we've found."

"Are you saying Atlas is not monitoring the movements of the unique grimm in its territory?" Mr. Schnee insinuated.

"Atlas' security is paramount. Of course our military is monitoring the situation. In fact our hunters are devising methods to deal with these grimm."

"Then you should be able to detect any disruption in the grimm's patterns and intercept any… interlopers. Professor Ozpin, I trust you have not redeployed our Vale hunter teams from the unique grimm."

"Of course not."

"Before you ask, Mr. Schnee, Mistral is also keeping an eye on our problem. Nothing has occurred beyond the ordinary."

"There, General. The threat of the White Fang suddenly controlling one of these grimm has been curbed and can be further minimized with this new information. Now gentlemen, I believe this concludes our issues. The beast is dead and our shipping is safe. Adieu."

Ironwood protested, "There is still the matter of how the White Fang acquired the symphony to counteract the effects. It is only possible if –"

"General, I swear, if you accuse Vacuo one more time without sufficient evidence I will make it so your precious military is armed only with muskets from this day forth. And before you threaten me, general, I remind you that I am on the Vale Regency Council. Any hostile move against myself can be considered an act of war. Choose your words carefully."

"If I may interject," said Ozpin, "I do not believe our sea threat has been resolved. Every report mentions the tentacles and a sharp, armoured, scaly fin capable of slicing through steel. According to the report by our novices the giant… squid had smooth armoured sections. It would be incapable of that level of destruction."

"Make it clear, Ozpin," said Mr. Schnee, "I'm tired of this long talk."

"There has to be a second beast."

"Evidence?" asked the fourth.

"I have none, but I do not believe we should not let our guard down."

"Right," Mr. Schnee, shook his head, "This meeting is over. I have business to attend to."

"Pardon gentlemen, before we depart I would like to inquire about an issue."

Mr. Schnee let out an exacerbated sigh, "What now?"

"You had mentioned that OCTA had gone missing, per say. While I have located them, Mistral has lost two hunter teams."

"Dead?" asked Ironwood.

"Missing. Team PHLX (Phalanx) and team HPLT (Hoplite). They disappeared two months ago. I was wondering if they had been spotted in your countries."

"Vale has not seen them either," said Ozpin, "But this news is disconcerting. Has Atlas lost any teams?"

"No. To both inquiries," said Ironwood, "But we shall keep our eyes open."

"Understood. Farewell gentlemen," said the fourth disappearing.

Mr. Schnee disappeared, "Finally."

"You know there's more to this, Ozpin," said Ironwood as he faded away.

Ozpin stepped off, "More than you know. Glynda, I trust you caught all of it."

Gylinda stepped out of the darkest corner, "Of course. What is to be done, Ozpin?"

"Pull back all hunter teams sent out to find orchestra. Also, pull out all teams in Mistral and Atlas."

"But we know where OCTA is. Wouldn't it be wiser to collect them?"

"No. Whoever kidnapped OCTA must know we were searching for them. Their sudden appearance is meant to make it look like nothing was out of the ordinary. That we had made a mistake," Ozpin rubbed his chin, "And we'll make it seem like that. Who's our best team in terms of reconnaissance and espionage?"

"You know them better than I do," Glynda smirked, "I'll send them right away."

"Order them to keep a distance and not to engage at all. If anything goes wrong they are to withdraw."

"Understood. And why are we pulling out of Atlas and Mistral?"

"We're going to draw out this mysterious group. At the expense of our allies, but I'm certain they can manage."

"If General Ironwood finds out –"

"Make sure he doesn't," Ozpin walked toward the door, "The game has changed."

Black wires descended like a thick web into Siri's body. Cold metal ends jabbed down Siri's arms, legs, and back. Lorstein typed across his keyboard as the data poured in through the wires. A half sized man with receding black hair and a steel leg observed from a distance.

"How did the suit perform?" asked Lorstein.

"Very well," said Siri, "Its ability to manipulate dust to create rigid forms and high velocity projectiles, micro and otherwise, has proven effective against soft targets."

"And hard targets, such as the giant grimm's armour?"

"There wasn't an opportunity to test against armour that thick as the beast is mostly flesh. Its armoured sections were too far to reach. Especially when you are being assaulted by tentacles."

"Okay. Were there any problems?"

"Temperature regulation is poor when using ice and fire dust for combat. There is also substantial power drain. Recovery speed ranged from thirty seconds to one minute thirty seconds. No conflicts with other hardware or software."

"I'll make note of it."

Siri looked over her shoulder, "Can we fix it?"

"You'll have to make do," said Lorstein, "This was a prototype after all. New modules may become available and we might be able to make small adjustments down the road, but I wouldn't count on it. This prototype wasn't meant to be integrated into cybernetic systems this early."

"Understood."

"Excellent work, Siri," said the short man, "I had my doubts but you've created many opportunities with this risk. Lorstein, I trust your development will proceed more quickly."

"If Siri continues to provide data we may finish well ahead of schedule."

"Excellent. The investors will be pleased," he looked at his watch, "Now, I must depart to negotiate our joint venture with Mr. Schnee. Very good work binding the largest corporation to us. I'm proud of you, Siri."

Siri ejected the wires, "Thank you father."

Mr. Sylph looked at his watch, "If you'll excuse me. Our client is eager to learn of our results."

Mr. Sylph returned to his enclosed office at the peak of his tower. From high above he saw every single shimmering light of the city from the tops of the towers to the dark and dank streets of the lower levels. Everyone appeared like ants from his seat of power. But there was an ungodly sight that plagued his pristine view. To the east was the abomination that was Schnee Dust Company. Their tower stood head and shoulder above everyone else in the city. A constant reminder that Sylph was far from the top he sought after. Mr. Sylph lowered the blinds and sat in front of his computer in complete darkness.

"Good day, madam," said Mr. Sylph, "I trust everything is going well."

"As well as can be expected," said a woman's voice, "Has the test proven successful?"

"See for yourself. I am sending you the results now," Mr. Sylph tapped a few keys, "There are some issues with power draw and temperature regulation. The next model should have these resolved. We also expect to have interchangeable modules available eventually."

"Excellent. Your work is impeccable. I am glad we invested in your company."

"As am I. Without your investment I doubt Sylph would still be operational. We have other projects you may be interested in as well."

"I'm more interested in you joint venture with Schnee Dust Company."

"And how did you hear about that?" asked Mr. Sylph intrigued.

"I have my sources," she said, "I don't have any intention to hinder your venture, but I would like you to try and focus it. If possible please make the venture develop technology in full human augmentation."

"With their resources anything can be possible, I suppose. To what degree however?"

"I would like to replace up to ninety percent of the body with augments and cybernetics. Further, I would like full combat capabilities while maintaining… how should I put it… a soul."

"Interesting. I'll see what I can do. Such technology though… I wonder what you would use it for."

"That is my secret. Ah, before I forget. Did you receive your payment?"

A new window popped up on Mr. Sylph's screen.

"Yes it was very generous," Mr. Sylph examined the transaction, "Thank you very much, Ms. Autumn Rain. I wonder why you chose that name?"

"Are aliases so uncommon in Atlas?"

"Not at all. The many shell companies are run by aliases of actual CEOs. Though we usually pick names that are less… obvious."

"I will keep that in mind. Good business."

"May our partnership continue to flourish."

Indigo waves lapped against the yellow sand. A red form waded into the sea. The cold water washed over pulling her into the deep. The figure let out a feminine sigh and floated on the waves. She drifted out to the sea staring to the black stars in the light blue sky. She closed her eyes and slowly sank beneath the surface. As she descended warmth and serenity flowed through her. Her breathing was calm and quiet, undisturbed. The indigo water turned violet, purple, and then deep dark blue.

"Why are you here?" boomed a voice from the black abyss.

The red form paid the voice no attention. Instead she continued her descent into euphoria. She recalled a familiar song. A song from the mountains and forest. A song of a mother perhaps. With every note she began to lose herself.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

The voice thundered and shattered her waking dream. The sea shook and trembled. She turned to gaze into the black of the abyss. She had no fear. The voice was but a voice. But the warmth and serenity had been replaced by the cold disturbance of the abyss.

"We leave you to the shores and shoals. We leave you the shallows and the surface. Yet here you are. Deep beneath the waves where the sun dares not come. Yet here you are. In my domain. Here you are… in the abyss."

She tried to speak but only a screech and a wail came out. The water swirled around her. She peered into the abyss. It was dark as the starless night but something was approaching. A small glint sparkled against the black. It grew larger and larger and larger.

"YOU DARE COMMAND ME?!"

The star had grown to enormous lengths and girths. The beast was as large as a grand ship. Its white skin shone brighter than the sun. Bands of gold wrapped around its long conical head and many slender limbs. Its many sapphire eyes fixed on the little red figure.

The red figure tried to explain. Her words lost in a chaotic chord of a thousand notes. The being grimaced at the sounds. It wrapped one of its limbs around her neck and mouth.

"You sound the notes of our forefathers and foremothers but know nothing of what they mean. Sing this song no longer and leave the abyss. Never return. Summon me no more or the abyss, which you so crave to conquer, shall be your grave. We have stayed to our darkness as promised by our ancestors and yours. Disturb us no more."

"I understand," said the red figure, "But who are you?"

The being slowly returned to the depths, "I am king of the cold seas."

The water began to boil. The deep dark blue turned red then orange. She desperately swam to the surface to escape the heat. Currents swept her to and fro as if they were following a speeding shark.

"Be glad. For I am a forgiving king," said the deep voice, "UNLIKE MY BROTHER!"

"AHHHHH!"

A thousand teeth ripped her in half.

"AHHHH!"

Ruby tumbled out of her bed and crashed to the floor. The room shook. Yang and the others tossed and turned but didn't wake.

"Just a dream. Just a dream," she muttered.

Ruby's heart was running a thousand miles a minute. Cold sweat ran down her body. Her hands were shaking. Her breathing was short and staggered.

"I won't be able to sleep like this," she said to herself.

Ruby quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

"Ruby?"

Jaune crept out of his room covered in the same cold jitters and sweat. He smiled weakly as he slipped the door shut behind him.

"Trouble sleeping?" he joked.

"Yeah," Ruby smiled and sat against the wall, "Bad dream. You?"

"Same."

The two sat across from each other in pleasant silence. Ruby sat in her usual pink rose pajama pants and black tank top. She smiled and glanced at Jaune in his one piece grey-blue pajama. She held in her giggles as best she could. How a man older than her could be so childish was baffling, yet oddly comforting. Jaune's eyes met hers and quickly looked away.

"So… uhhh…" begain Jaune, "What was your dream about? If you don't mind me asking."

"Only if you tell me yours after, okay?"

"Alright."

Ruby took a deep breath and put her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes and brought back the surreal world of colour and feeling.

"I was in the sea and started to sink. But I wasn't afraid. I was… at peace. Do you remember the siren? When we heard her song and were taken to a strange new world?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Right, so I was sinking through this world without a care. Then it suddenly became cold and dark. And a giant white thing came out from the deep."

"And asked you why you were there. The you asked him who he was, but your voice was the siren's," interjected Jaune, "He commanded you to leave the abyss and never to return. And when you could finally ask him, he said he was king of the cold seas…"

"And that he was forgiving, unlike his brother," Ruby gawked at Jaune, "You had the same dream. What do you think it means?"

Jaune waved it off, "It's just a dream. It's probably nothing. But it's kind of neat we had the same dream right?"

"But the siren –"

"Uuuuuuaaaaaagggggghhhhh."

A yawning Yang lazily stepped out of the room and sleepily strolled past Jaune and Ruby. The two stayed silent as the sister walked down the hall.

Jaune laughed softly, "She's completely out of it isn't she?"

"Heh, heh, heh, at least her sleepwalking was fixed. Back when we were kids she'd leave the house a mess without even knowing it."

Jaune let out a happy smile, "Hey, do you remember when we sat out in this hallway and had a talk?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "What brought this up?"

"Nothing in particular. I just remembered, you know?" Jaune met Ruby's eyes, "That advice really helped. I wouldn't be what I am if we didn't have that talk."

"Hey, think nothing of it. What are friends for?"

"I never really thanked you for it," said Jaune earnestly.

"Jaune, I…"

"You two going to kiss now or what?"

A half asleep Nora wandered out of her room and went down the hall just as Yang was returning.

"Hey you two," said Yang softly with half closed eyes, "No hanky panky in the hall. The room next door is free."

"WHAT?!" they protested.

Ruby and Jaune spent the night in each other's lonely company without any incident or disruption. Morning came and went with the monotony of classes and curriculum. Professor Port's unending stories, Gylnda's lectures, it all went by in a dull blur. While all the while the dream, which seemed more like reality with each reflection, nagged at the back of their minds.

"And this concludes class for today," said Professor Oobleck, "Now I understand that many of you have field assignments with some of you going abroad. I wish you luck, but remember that that does not exempt you from your studies. I expect you to make arrangements as necessary."

"Whew! Glad that's over," said Yang, "So, you guys up to visit Red Velvet?"

"We're minors," reminded Ren.

"Don't you remember what the owner said?" Yang grinned, "Not today you're not."

"Hey, I'm glad I found you!"

"Neptune? What are you doing here?" asked Weiss.

A tall dashing man with bright blue spikey hair came running down the hall. A pair of heavy black fingerless gloves matched his thick trousers, giving him the appearance of an ordinary thug. A dark red jacket with black trim with his matching tie and white collared shirt gave him a contrasting professional look. After catching his breath he smirked and deviously looked around with his turquoise eyes.

"Neptune? Why are you here?" asked Blake.

"The author needed to speed up the plot," he admitted, "Anyway, Sun and I found something. You all need to see it."

"What'd you find?" asked Ruby, "Does it have to do with the White Fang?"

Neptune glanced at JNPR, "I'd rather not say here."

"Don't worry about them," said Blake, "They know the White Fang is involved."

"What? How?"

"Long story, we'll explain along the way."

"Okay. If Blake trusts you then I can trust you," Neptune waved for them to follow, "Come on. It's by the docks."

The teams went to the seedier sections of the docks. Grim and grease coated almost every open inch. Shipping containers were plagued with rust. The few dock workers in the area were completely apathetic in their work. Merchandise and goods were manhandled crudely, some small boxed marked fragile were shattered as they moved from place to place. Neptune led them through nooks and crannies in the maze of containers. He pointed up and they slowly climbed a large stack of containers.

"There," Neptune pointed to a grouping of containers.

Containers from every customer and manufacturer were being put into the cargo ship. White Fang patrolled around the area and double checked every piece of cargo. The apathetic dock workers didn't seem to care who the client was.

Weiss pointed to the snowflake emblem, "That's Schnee property! What are they doing with it?"

"They've got Atlas Military, Mistral Maritime Security, Sylph Systems, and a host of other company property," said Neptune, "So, Sun and I got to thinking. The White Fang must be plundering these ships to not only stop whatever project Atlas was up to, but to try and mimic it also. But we couldn't figure out how there were able to pirate convoys."

"We know how," said Yang, "Long story. Maybe we'll tell you some time."

"Speaking of Sun, where is he?" asked Blake.

"Nearby is all I know," said Neptune, "We've got –"

"That's it boys!" hollered one of the operatives, "All aboard! Make sure nobody's on you!"

The White Fang began to withdraw from the corners of the dock. Their lethargic work force dispersed to their corners to indulge in their vices.

"I'm stopping them," Blake jumped down from the crates.

"No, wait!"

Blake dashed into the shadows and unsheathed Gambol Shroud. The black blades blended into the darkness. Her cat-like eyes glowed ominously. Cheap tricks wouldn't work against the keen senses of the Faunus, but taking them head on was a poor alternative.

THWACK!

A body collapsed onto the ground. Black dragged it into a container and crept toward the ship. Her companions jumped down from the containers loudly whispering her name. She didn't answer. Blake pushed on, slipping by and silently pacifying the opposition.

"Hey, you coming or what?" asked one operative to another.

"Yeah, I just need a minute. Go on ahead."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry it up alright?"

"No problem."

The operative had scraggly short blonde hair and a long monkey tail. His eyes scanned from behind the monster's mask.

"Who's there?" he asked walking toward Blake, "I heard you around there. These ears aren't just for show. Come on out."

Blake dashed into a cargo container. Rows upon rows of droids filled the container armed with rifles. Blake glanced at the sharp edge of her sword. A single strike would be all she needed.

"Hello? Hello?"

He stepped just beyond Blake. His back was turned. He let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Whoa!"

Blake slashed with her sword. He rolled beneath the attack and raised his fists. The operative bobbed left and right and moved his hands like a chimp. Blake hacked and slashed furiously, careful to avoid striking the metal containers. Her opponent grappled with her arms, pushing the blade away from his body.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down now – ah!"

Blake slashed at his head.

"Yowch! Now I need to get a haircut! Will you just hold up for a minute!" he shouted.

"Over there!" said a shout.

"Shit, I was hoping to keep this quiet," Blake's sword switched to a pistol.

"Now, now, don't do anything –"

BANG!

The bullet ripped into his arm. He fell back and hit his head against the cement. The monster mask dropped of his face.

"Sun?!"

"Nice to see you too," said Sun, "ARHG! This really hurts."

"Blake!"

The rest of the group ran in from every direction. They came prepared for the worst with weapons drawn and loaded. Neptune waved them down.

"She got you good, eh, Sun?"

"Shut up, Neptune. Why didn't you tell them I was down here?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Somebody decided to leap before they looked."

"You should've taken the mask off," countered Blake.

"That's kind of hard when someone is trying to kill you," Sun glanced over his shoulder, "You need to get out of here. Those gunshots are sure to get somebody's attention."

"What are you doing here?" asked Blake.

"It came from over here!"

"I'm going to find out where all this stuff is being delivered and used for. All we've got so far is that their main operations are in Mistral now," Sun put pressure on his wound, "Neptune, you know what to do, right? Okay. Now go and get on out of here."

Blake stepped forward, "But you –"

Sun pushed her away, "Get out of here! Hurry!"

Yang grabbed Blake by the shoulders and dragged her away. As Sun went to pick up his mask three White Fang ran around the corner with bludgeons and pistols. Sun grimaced as he looked at the gang. Blood was running down his arm and he was starting to get dizzy.

"Hey! You alright, buddy? We heard a gunshot."

"Stupid, just stupid," said Sun, "I went to check on these droids here and one of them misfired. Got me right in the arm."

"How did you manage that?"

"If I knew I wouldn't have done it," Sun put on his mask, "We get hazard pay right?"

They laughed, "You wish. No more dawdling. Get aboard the ship."

"Seriously?" said Sun, "We should unionize."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell it to the boss lady."

Blake and the others stepped out of the shadows. The ship began slowly drifting away out to grabbed Neptune by the collar and pushed him against the container.

"Blake!" protested Weiss.

"You've got some explaining to do," Blake demanded.

Neptune pushed Blake away, "Don't have to be so rough. Let's head back to the motel. I'll fill you in there. Okay? Okay."

They regrouped at the sleazy hotel where they met Sun weeks before. The same dirty beds and sheets had remained unchanged. The same Bristol board was up against the wall with many more articles and pieces of string connecting each piece. It was pretty cramped for nine people.

"Okay, start talking."

Neptune took a deep breathe, "Okay so, from the last time you came here we had a connection between Ironwood and Schnee Dust Company, and that the White Fang were disrupting some sort of project, right?"

"Basically, yes," said Yang.

Jaune raised his hand, "Uh… what's going on exactly?"

"Right… you weren't here the last time," said Ruby, "In a nutshell, we've been doing a little investigation about the White Fang and what they've been up to. So far, we haven't got much."

"Mind if I continue?" asked Neptune, "Anyway, Sun and I found that cargo area while you were gone. Originally we thought they were just trying to make a nuisance to Schnee and Atlas, but then why would they keep all the equipment and material?"

"Weiss, you've had the most experience with them," said Pyrrha, "Does this look familiar?"

"When they attacked our trains and warehouses it wasn't uncommon for them to steal the goods too. They usually just sell it really quick though."

"This is military grade hardware though," said Ren, "It's not that easy to sell."

"Black market will buy anything," said Blake, "And the White Fang is a very big organization. All things considered."

"Problem is they're not selling it," said Neptune, "It's all moving to Mistral."

"Why Mistral?" asked Jaune.

"I'm guessing it's because SLVR kind of crushed one of their little espionage attempts," said Pyrrha, "We had a little encounter with the unions and a White Fang agent."

"And what could the unions do, exactly?" asked Nora.

"Unions control facilities and warehouses just like corporations," said Weiss, "They're also protected from intrusions by Atlas Civil Law. You saw what happened with the riot right? Schnee couldn't touch the unionists until their status was revoked."

"Give them shelter in exchange for some muscle," said Jaune, "Basic, but it works. I suppose."

Ruby cupper her cheek, "But why are they keeping the equipment? Are they building an army?"

"And repeat their little rebellions? I doubt it," Neptune pointed to Ironwood and Schee on the board, "My guess is they are trying to make the same project these two are. And that the only place they can hide it is in Mistral. But we couldn't exactly make out what the project was."

"So you and Sun decided to infiltrate the White Fang and get the answer directly," said Pyrrha.

Neptune nodded, "It was the fastest way."

"What makes you think that they'll even let Sun close?" asked Blake, "If they're keeping this wrapped up tight there's no way they'll let a new guy even close to it."

"Sun will be tracing the movements of the goods. Once the stuff stops moving," Neptune pulled out a smart device, "I'll personally go inside and find out. All we'll have to do is wait and trust he'll get the job done."

"I don't like this," said Nora.

"When Nora gets nervous you know something is up," said Ren, "Did you think this through?"

"It was our best option."