The whirring of blades woke Blake up. The water around her churned and splashed as a helicopter hovered overhead. A seaman with a stretcher lowered down toward her. He checked her for wounds and injuries and wrapped her in a blanket. He tugged on the rope and they ascended to return to the ship from whence he came. Once aboard she was taken to a small room and given a hot drink and meal.

"Blake Belladonna. We thought you were dead," said a man as he walked into the room.

"Vincent. Why are you here?"

"SLVR was responding to another attack on Atlas ships. We were too late but found your distress call and investigated. Blake, we need to know everything that happened since the operation."

"Of course."

Blake told Vincent every detail during her incarceration. It wasn't much but every piece could help put an end to the slaughter. Vincent questioned every statement, prying for more details: names, how they looked, race, their accents. Anything that could lead to a capture to interrogate for more. She told them of the dust thefts, how the White Fang were controlling the grimm, and their plans to build an army. She mentioned a strange benefactor that was financing and supplying the White Fang but couldn't give any real details.

"If they were using the 'siren song' to control the grim why didn't they use it during your interrogation?"

"They did, but I passed out as soon as it started," Blake pulled the two devices from behind her ears, "And Sun gave me these. They're supposed to cancel out the music."

"How do they work?"

"I'm not certain exactly, but Sun told me they take a few seconds to kick in. So I heard the song for a few moments."

"But you weren't affected," Vincent nodded, "I'll be taking these to Rayner. Maybe he can figure them out and we can make more."

"By all means," Blake's eyes widened, "My team. We have to tell my team I'm still alive."

"Already been done. Transportation has been arranged to take you back to Vale once we make port," Vincent went to leave the room, "If you want to speak with them immediately there is an available comm station on the bridge."

Blake immediately ran out of the room and up to the bridge. She sat at the nearest free station and routed herself to Beacon. After navigating the directory and handling the operator she was finally able to speak with her team. The first few minutes were filled with half completed sentences and nervous talks as the four girls talked over each other. Blake reassured them and told them that SLVR had rescued her and Sun was still with the White Fang. She leaned into the console and whispered that as soon as she returned they would have to meet in secret to discuss everything she learned. Until then, it was a matter of patience.

General Ironwood stood at his window watching the aircraft fly around the maze of buildings. The imposing logo of Schnee Dust Company glared at him echoing the warning issued by Nicholas Schnee. The hour was drawing near. The general would not bend to the will of a heartless CEO. His options were limited. He was a general, not a spy or master of espionage. If this were a battle he would no issue dealing with Mr. Schnee, but that man maneuvered in unpredictable ways. Law, espionage, military, influence, diplomacy, everything was at Mr. Schnee's finger tips.

"I have no choice," General Ironwood made a call, "Clear the block. I'm going to have a word with our guest."

The general walked down a long well-lit hallway with cells lining both sides. Many were empty and had only the most necessary of accommodations. The walls were cold, hard, and sharp. Cameras examined every inch of the facility. Iron bars and complicated locks kept would be prisoners in check. Guards and armed droids would have normally been stationed every few meters but on his orders the area was cleared out.

General Ironwood stopped in front of the single occupied cell. Inside was a well-dressed gentleman waited. His orange hair covered the right side of his face leaving only one grey-green eye visible. The long white overcoat with a red interior was slowly turning a sick yellow from days of being unchanged. The black suit beneath was fading and his grey ascot was stained with sweat.

"Torchwick!"

"Well if it isn't General Ironwood. What brings you to my humble abode?" Torchwick threw his arms open, "As you can see I was just doing some cleaning, hanging a painting, just everyday chores, you know? If I had known you were coming I would have prepared dinner. And changed my clothes. You should really call ahead."

"Shut up and listen."

"Oh but where's the fun in that. I'd much rather ramble on and annoy you until –"

General Ironwood pounded the iron bars and made a loud gong. His iron eyes glared into Torchwick's taunting soul. Ironwood drew a pistol and pointed it right at his chest.

"My, my, the general is angry today," said Torchwick, "Alright, I'll listen to what you have to say. Not that I have much of a choice mind you."

Ironwood threw a small datapad at Torchwick's feet. The rogue flipped through the images and videos. Ships were dragged into the depths. Sailors were thrown into the waves to be torn to shreds by lurking grimm. Tons upon tons of cargo sank into the abyss, slipping beneath the red tinged waves.

"And how does this concern me?"

"I need you to kill whatever those damn things. I need you to save lives."

"And when has a body count ever disturbed the Great General Ironwood? I remember a little incident back during a little war where the Great General –"

"I'm not here to discuss that! I'm here to put you to work."

"And why would I do that? What could you possibly do that would make me want to work?"

"You are incarcerated on ground of conspiring to commit treason. That warrants the death penalty."

"Oh no, oh dear, I may die," Torchwick smirked, "And if I die who will be left to deal with your little problem?"

"There are thousands of engineers –"

"Yet you came to me," Torchwick snapped his fingers, "Which means there is no one else capable of doing this. What a profitable position I have found myself in. I wonder what I can get away with."

"If it's payment you –"

Torchwick burst out laughing, "Payment? Payment? The best you could come up with was payment? Explain to me exactly how money will benefit me behind bars. No, no, no, what I want is what was taken away from me."

"We're not setting you free."

"Then I'm not going to help. We can just chalk up the recently deceased to your already hefty body count. It's never bothered your conscious before."

"I did what was necessary!"

Torchwick leaped forward, grabbed the bars and snarled like a mad dog.

"And I told you that it wasn't ready. But in your narrow minded military wisdom you used it anyway. Friend, foe, military, civilian, even the damn pets! Nothing was spared. And I told you it was indiscriminate! To be used only against targets of command and control FAR TO THE REAR! NOT THE FRONT LINE! IT WASN'T READY!"

"We won the war," said Ironwood.

"You won the war. The great general that ended the war in a single swoop. Unconditional surrender of the Faunus rebels. And look at you now. A fancy office, wealth, women… or do you prefer men. Just wondering since I've never actually seen you with a girl; even in our younger days," Torchwood took a seat, "And then there was me. The mastermind behind the entire attack branded a war criminal. Good thing I faked my own death or I may not be here today facing my real one. From where I sit, releasing me is one small step towards the reparations you owe me."

"I'm not letting you go."

"Then I'm not going to help. You'll have to force me."

"That can be arranged. Mr. Schnee –"

"Mr. Schnee? Of Schnee Dust Company? I wonder what he could have to… Oh I see," Torchwick smirked, "He wants another one to destroy these monsters. Why not just use the one you already have?"

"I refuse to."

"Tired of seeing blood, general? Or perhaps you've grown attached to your guarantee to victory? I don't care. I refuse to help. From what I've seen, even if I do I will probably be killed in the process. With death down every road it really doesn't matter what path I take."

"Mr. Schnee –"

"Mr. Schnee can shove it up his ass! If he wants me tell him to come collect himself. And here I thought the Great General Ironwood finally wanted to have a real conversation," Torchwick leaned back into the shadows, "I refuse. And there is nothing you can do to change my mind."

The general holstered his pistol and glared at Torchwick. The prisoner smiled in the shadows as the general retreated back to his tower.

"Blake!" screamed Ruby as she jumped into her bosom.

Blake had barely stepped off the plane when her comrades swarmed her. Each of them were speaking and crying at a hundred miles a minute. After several moments of suffocating embraces Blake was finally free to greet her friends. In the middle of their happy reunion a non-descript black sedan pulled up on the tarmac. Headmaster Ozpin stepped out and sternly walked toward the group.

"I apologize for breaking up this happy occasion, but this is an urgent matter," he said coldly, "Ms. Belladonna, please come with me. I want to discuss your time incarcerated."

"I've told General Ironwood everything."

"Yes, well I'd like to hear it personally as the general seems to have omitted some details," Ozpin gestured to the car, "After you."

"I'll be back later guys," said Blake, "Keep the lights on."

Ozpin closed the door, "To Beacon, driver. Now, Ms. Belladonna, Ironwood informed me that the White Fang are plotting some sort of revolution."

"Yes, that's right. They were using the grimm to attack the ships in order to –"

"I'm less concerned with their methods and more interested in how you managed to learn their plan. The details of your escape seemed to have been glossed over as well," Ozpin looked straight into Blake's eyes, "Alone, deep beneath the waves, surrounded by extremists with a fondness for violence. One wonders how you managed to escape without so much as a scratch."

"I was more than scratched during my time," said Blake, "Water torture, beaten, broken fingers. Just to name a few."

"Even more reason to question just how you managed" Ozpin watched Blake's eyes carefully, "Other than the mundane, I understand you were exposed to the Siren's Song again."

"Yes, but I passed out before it could work."

"For how long?"

"I don't know, several hours."

"Did they try it again?"

"Not that I know of. Even if they did it wouldn't have worked. I was –"

Blake shut her mouth. Mentioning Sun wouldn't do him any favours and having Ozpin and Ironwood poking around for an operative wasn't ideal.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "Who assisted you?"

"I didn't have help."

"Blake, without a counter to the song there is no way you would be above coercion. Passing out may have worked once, but I know how these people work. They wouldn't have let it happen again. Which means that in order to resist and escape you had to have help. Who helped you? I need a name."

"I didn't have help. I was alone."

"You realize that your accomplice is in even greater danger than you are. On one side is the White Fang who will probably torture him more gruesomely to try and weed out other spies and saboteurs. On the other are the intelligence and law enforcement services. If he is caught aiding the White Fang he will be sentenced to death in a very quick trial," Ozpin paused to let the thought sink in, "Then there is the third road. I can make it so that he will be a real operative for the kingdom. Proper training, proper resources, proper handling. But that can only happen if you help me."

"I was alone. My jailer let his guard down during the late night. I was able to knock him out with the metal tray they served my food on. The night was fairly empty so I was able to move rather freely. If I had to hide there were enough ducts and access ways to slip into. I managed to find the diving hatch, stole a suit, and escaped."

"And their plans?"

"I overheard a few of the crewmen talking while I was sneaking around," Blake snarled, "Not the answers you wanted? Even if I was lying would you force me to give the answer you want?"

"No," he said bluntly, "I sincerely hope you know what you are doing. And that you're ready to suffer the consequences."

Ruby and the others stood awkwardly on the tarmac fidgeting and whistling as they watched Ozpin and Blake roll away.

"So… that was… a crappy way to reunite with Blake," said Ruby.

"Well, no reason for us to stick around. Let's head back to Beacon," said Yang, "Weiss, you can pay for the cab right?"

"Oh no. I paid the way here, you can pay the way back."

"Does this outfit look like it had deep pockets?" Yang put her hands into her short shorts, "Can't you just call good ol' daddy for a ride?"

"Definitely not! The only time he sends a driver is if he wants something from me. And it's never a good thing."

A white luxury car rolled up to the bickering group. The driver stepped out and opened the passenger door. A young woman with white twin tail hair stepped out. Her suit was extravagant, made of black silk with silver snowflake symbols seemingly etched into the fabric itself. The symbols seemed to glow and shimmer of their own volition. Her tall white and black heels clacked on the cement.

"Weiss! How have you been, sis? Keeping well I hope."

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

"We have some business to attend to," Winter smiled at Ruby and Yang, "Hello, you two. Doing well? I'm fine thank you. Oh, wait, where's the other girl? The one dressed in black?"

"Blake. Her name's Blake," said Yang, "You just missed her. Maybe her white car as you pulled up."

"And she left you behind? Well, Weiss always had a problem with the strong silent types," Winter clapped her hands, "No problem, you can come with Weiss and me."

"Great!" said Yang rushing to the car.

Weiss grabbed Yang's collar, "We have other plans. And if your business is with me than we should discuss it with only us."

"Oh no, no, no, it's quite alright. I can drop you off. Actually, talking to all of you would probably save us a lot of time. You know, having to explaining things, making arrangements and making for why you're away," Winter giggled, "I remember one time when I was eighteen and daddy didn't want me to see my boyfriend. So Weiss and I –"

"Okay, okay, okay," Weiss pushed her friends, "We're getting in the car now."

"Excellent. So, shall we pick Blake up or will she meet us?"

The interior of the car was more spacious than they thought. There were white leather seats and tinted windows. The pairs of sisters say beside each other. In true bourgeoisie fashion, a bottle of wine on ice with four glasses sat between Weiss and Winter. Winter poured the sparkling wine into glasses and offered it to her guests. Yang and Ruby quickly accepted while Weiss pushed the glass away. The time was filled with idle chatter about a host of unimportant topics. However, when Ruby wanted to pry a little bit into Weiss and Winter's past, Weiss quickly changed the topic. The car pulled into beacon drawing the stares of the student body. When Winter stepped out every male suddenly fixed their attention on her.

"Oh this brings back memories," sighed Winter, "Everything still looks exactly the same. So, where's your dorm? I assume that's where she'll meet us."

"Just this way," said Ruby, "So, what was your dorm number when you were here?"

"I was on the top floor in the penthouse. It didn't have a number but if I had to put one I'd say… twenty-twenty. That seems about right. What floor is yours on?"

"Seventh."

"Lucky room 777?"

"No, 732."

"Oh darn. Lucky 7 was my best friend's room. I used to visit on my days off from Atlas. Anyway, let's find Blake!"

Winter hummed every step of the way to their dorm. It was midafternoon and the place was mostly empty. When Ruby opened the door to their room Winter's jaw dropped. Assorted clothing and hygienic items were scattered everywhere. One of the curtains was cut in half. A wall poster was hidden behind a wall of books. Portraits and pictures were askew and chairs were toppled over. The biggest abomination was the haphazard jury rigged pair of bunk beds. The first was just a bed, with a blanket canopy, dangerously suspended over another by a pair of hastily tied ropes drilled into the ceiling. The other was a full sized bed wobbling over a stack of varying sized books at each leg. How these managed to stay standing was a mystery beyond the capacities of the greatest detectives.

"Oh my goodness," said Winter gaping, "What you've done to this room… is marvelous! I love what you've done with the beds. And where is, Blake?"

"Right behind you."

Blake walked around the corner toward the room.

"Winter Schnee, right?"

"The one and only," Winter stepped into the room, "Now that we're all here let's discuss business."

RWBY took their places around the room, in the beds or chairs as they saw fit. Winter checked the hallway then closed the door. She took a seat by the window and grinned. She closed the curtains with a swish of her hand and sighed.

"Sis, you know who sent me. And you know you can't say no. So, we leave as soon as possible."

"Leave for what exactly?" asked Blake, "And why would we help you? As far as I'm concerned we've done our part for Schnee."

"Yes, and those were catastrophic failures."

"I'd say we did pretty well on the first one. One submarine destroyed and the giant squid maimed."

"The kraken, as we've started to call it, wasn't killed and your failure to follow up made it so it recovered and would sink more ships later."

Blake raised her voice, "We couldn't have possibly known –"

"A proper hunter makes sure the job is done," said Winter, "We could spend the rest day arguing about what you did and did not do, but that is not what I am here for. I am here to collect you for work."

"I refuse," said Blake.

"A shame, and you two?" she asked looking at Yang and Ruby.

"I don't agree to things I know nothing about," said Yang cheekily.

"Smart girl," Winter laughed, "Of course I wouldn't expect you to agree without knowing the mission."

"Let me guess," said Weiss scowling, "Father wants us to collect a certain package from a competitor. Ideally without knowing it was us."

Winter touched her nose, "That's right, sis. Just like our adventures before but with more responsibility and greater consequences. Oh, and it won't be from a competitor. We're taking from good old General Ironwood."

"He's insane," said Ruby, "That's means you're taking on the entire Atlas military right?"

"More or less, but only if we get caught," said Winter, "Daddy dearest wouldn't consider this unless he exhausted all other options."

Weiss crossed her arms, "He must be desperate if he's calling on me too."

"Actually you weren't part of the original plan," admitted Winter, "But I said to daddy, 'Father, I need someone capable, strong, clever, and someone I can trust'. So, he gave a list of his personal friends but I stomped my foot and said, 'I want Weiss. If she doesn't go then I don't' go.' And after a while he agreed."

"Uh huh," Weiss rolled her eyes, "So what does father want us to collect?"

"Not so much what as who."

"Kidnapping, great."

"Weiss, you used to do this stuff?"

"This and much more," said Winter, "Of course back then it was more petty than critical."

"So why are you going after someone again?" asked Yang

"Well you see General Ironwood has a small problem with sharing. He had something in his possession that could have easily solved this little monster we've been having. However much like Ozpin's resistance to using real hunters, General Ironwood is equally adamant in keeping this weapon to himself."

"Then why don't we just steal the weapon?" asked Blake.

"I thought you weren't interested," said Winter, "Well, we can't steal it because too heavy a guard. But the man will be lightly guarded. The poor general thinks he is very adept at covert operations. Truly, espionage in Atlas belongs to the corporations. Anyway, so rather than steal the weapon we'll take the man who made it and make one of our own."

"And with your vast company resources I bet you can achieve that in a very short amount of time."

"Yes quite. Oh Weiss, don't worry you won't be needed after that unless you want to come. So, pack your things and get ready to go."

"I don't remember agreeing," said Weiss.

"And we won't let you split the team," said Ruby, "We work together. If Blake refuses than we do too."

"Well that is your prerogative I suppose, but Weiss has to come with me," Winter's smile went away.

"What? Why?"

Winter crossed her legs and folded her hands. She tilted her head slightly and became like a portrait. Here warm aura became cool and icier than Weiss. Her eyes narrowed and looked straight into Weiss' eyes.

"Weiss, you know I try my best to look out for my little sis, but I can only do so much. Father's resilience is one of his best qualities however even he has limits. Quite frankly from where he sits he's been more than kind. And with the recent fiasco he was strongly considering cutting you off completely."

"That would mean Weiss would be on her own right?" said Ruby.

"Yes, that's what it normally implies. Weiss if you believe you are capable on your own I will have no qualms with leaving you behind but that would mean you lose everything. And I mean everything. Your credit cards, your allowance, the countless company perks and benefits, even your tuition and scholarships would vanish."

"What is wrong with him?" shouted Yang, "How could any father do that to his daughter!"

"Mr. Schnee isn't a father," said Weiss, "He's a businessman and only a businessman.

"Sis, you know better. He's a CEO. A CEO," Winter sighed, "Anyway, what's your choice sis? I won't mind if you want to stay, but I can't help you anymore after this. It was hard enough trying to convince him to let you come with me to try and redeem yourself."

"Redeem myself?"

"Yes, this is an opportunity to prove that you have the skills it takes to properly carry the Schnee name," said Winter, "Of course, sis, I always believed you were capable, but father… needs proof. And this would be a good stepping stone. So, will you join me?"

Weiss clenched her fist and grit her teeth, "Yes. I don't really have a choice do I."

"Marvelous! Are you three still out of it?"

"When we succeed you dad will be proven wrong, yeah?" Yang smiled, "Then I can't wait to shove his opinion back up his backside."

Weiss whined, "You don't even know my dad!"

"Yang's right though," said Ruby, "You're the best among us."

"Clearly not since she didn't make team leader," said Winter under her breath, "Oh, sorry. Was that out loud?"

"Weiss, we're here for you. Thick and thin, better or worse. Right, Blake?"

Everyone's eyes fixed on Blake.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine, I'm going too."

"Fantastic!" declared Winter, "This is what I like to see, a good team coming together to take on greater challenges. We leave right away."

"But we have to finish our assignments for the week," said Ruby, "We're already behind because of those missions."

"Don't worry I've already made arrangements to pay other students to complete those assignments for you. Rest assured they will be handed in on time and will receive top marks."

"Isn't that cheating?" Ruby smiled nervously.

"Only if you get caught," Winter said deviously, "Oh and don't worry my little eavesdroppers your assignments will be done too, provided you keep your mouth shut."

Winter opened the door and let JNPR spill into the room. The four tumbled over each other with Nora eventually landing softly on top of the mass of bodies. They smiled meekly and made an awkward greeting. Winter chuckled at them and closed the door.

"And who might you lot be?"

"Oh! Oh! I can answer that," said Nora, "That's Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha. And I'm Nora! We're team JNPR and Ruby's neighbors across the hall."

"You're a chipper one aren't you? I like you. You wanna go do something?" offered Winter.

"Ahem," coughed Weiss, "Sis, I think you should be more concerned with what they heard. Jaune, how long were you listening?"

"Well not much just the part about –"

"We heard everything," said Pyrrha, "And it seems like a bad idea, Weiss. I might not know much about Atlas law, but I'm certain this is illegal."

"Your advice is duly noted but she's made her decision," said Winter, "Now will you keep your mouth shut or will I have to undertake measures that we'll all regret?"

Weiss pulled Pyrrha back, "It's fine, Pyrrha. I know the risks better than anyone."

"Then we're coming too," said Jaune.

"You're staying here," said Weiss, "This is a family… and team matter. Don't worry yourself."

"But –"

Ren grabbed Jaune shoulder, "She's made her decision. Just Pyrrha and I won't let you interfere with our problems in Mistral, we should interfere with Weiss issues."

"I'm with Jaune on this one," said Pyrrha, "We have to –"

"No!" Weiss put her foot down, "You are staying here and that's final. This matter doesn't involve you any further. If you try to get involved I will everything in my power to make sure you fail. Even if that means hurting myself. Do you understand?"

Winter grinned, "I wish father saw that. Now with that settled all you four have to do is carry on with your day. And don't breath, write, or even think about what happened in this room otherwise we'll have words. Very, very, painful words. Now, ladies, let us depart. To the airport! Again."

Another car, another long flight, another drive through the city streets. The unbearable amount of travel was made much more acceptable by the private vehicles and luxuries provided by the privileged Schnee family. High class food and drink was always available and the latest in entertainment technology was by their side. Winter spared no expense in playing the gracious host as they made their way through the city.

Their driver dropped them off at a terminal building. Decrepit and dishevelled workers clutched tickets as they boarded trains and buses. Tubes of elevators continually ascended and descended delivering people to the many levels of atlas. Security personnel kept discriminating eyes fixed on the lower class patrons. Winter walked to the map and traced a route with her finger. The roads and streets lit up.

"This is his route," said Winter, "Assuming all goes well he should reach his destination in roughly one hour from point of departure. Right, let's go down then."

"Wait, that's it?" said Ruby, "No plan at all?"

"Plan? We're just meeting a friend," smiled Winter, "Come now, it's a long walk to the meeting place."

"Weiss," whispered Ruby, "Are we really going in without a plan."

"Just give her a few minutes. She'll tell you what you need to know when you need to know."

Winter and her comrades descended to the deepest levels of the city. Sewage flowed in open rivers to the treatment plants. RWBY pinched their noses. The putrid smell was inescapable and with the humidity it would infect their clothing and skin for days to come. A masked peddler saw their pained expressions and offered them four masks for a 'reasonable' price. Just as Ruby reached for her card Winter shoved the peddler away and forced him away.

"Poor quality," she said bluntly, "Don't worry. You'll get used to the smell."

They continued on foot trough the filthy streets. Everything was permanently covered in a thick coating of grim and grease. Rust crept along every exposed inch of metal. Mold and moss grew on anything they could grip. The people huddled into corners beneath sheet metal roofs. Fire burned in abandoned oil drums to keep them warm. A few had kerosene lanterns to keep the darkness away. The very lucky owned a small minimalist room in the dilapidated tenements. Beggars wandered toward them but Winter kept them at a safe distance. The team climbed up an old ladder to the roof of a building overlooking a narrow road.

"This is the last point where we'll encounter the group," said Winter, "And also the narrowest point. A good spot to set up an ambush. But if they get across that sewage river its over."

"Then shouldn't we take them further up their route?" asked Yang.

"You should definitely. I'll be waiting here."

"You're not coming with us, sis?"

"No. I'm trusting you to take care of it. But if you fail, I'll be here and nothing gets by me," Winter pulled a pen from her pocket and sketched in the grime, "There will be three cars each with four people. They're just run of the mill security from one of the medium sized companies. I'm sure you can handle it. Take them anywhere you like, I trust you to make the best of it. Alright? Good luck, sis."

"Winter, you forgot to tell us who we're grabbing."

"Don't worry you'll know when you see him."

Ruby raised her hand, "About those security guys…"

"Oh don't mind them. Alive, dead, maimed, doesn't really matter. Daddy isn't quite particular and any damage you make we can cover up," Winter looked at her watch, "Ahead of schedule. The convoy leaves ten minutes. Best of luck of to you."