Phantom of Beacon

The next morning, General Ironwood stood in Ozpin's office with Goodwitch and Ozpin. After a moment, he slammed his fist down on Ozpin's desk in a rage. "They were here…dammit Ozpin they were here!"

"Yes, James. We're very much aware of that, thank you!" Goodwitch adjusted her glasses, her scowl towards Ironwood chilling Ozpin to the bone.

"Oh? Fantastic! You're aware. Now are we going to do something about this, or are we simply going to ignore what's right in front of us!" Ironwood shouted just as the elevator sounded.

Jaune stepped out of the elevator sheepishly, brushing off his shoulders as he stepped forward. "Sorry that took so long. Someone ran in and hit all the buttons right before the doors closed."

"Thank you for coming, Jaune. Are you and your team feeling alright?" Ozpin asked, motioning Jaune to come closer to them.

Jaune nodded. "We're alright, I suppose. A few bruises, but nothing a bit of Aura can't fix. Though I wish we could find smaller things to fight." He grinned nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

The three teachers stared at him silently.

"Ehehehe…that's the tone we're going for. Got it…"

Ironwood stepped forward and clapped Jaune on the shoulder. "Jaune, I deem it appropriate to let you know that you and your team displayed the exact behavior of true Huntsmen and Huntresses. You analyzed an immediate threat and worked together to keep the innocent safe."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, the General has informed us of the missing Atlas tech from his ship, but can you please explain to me what you and your team fought?" Ozpin asked, pressing his glasses further up his nose.

"Did it communicate at all? Did it mention any names?" Goodwitch chimed in.

Jaune's hand rose to his temple, scratching it slightly. "Honestly…I mean we called it a Titan. It was spliced together using different pieces of Atlesian tech. Pieces of the new paladins and knights all…melded together into that thing, but it sounded faulty. Its words kept jumping, like it was having trouble functioning properly. At first, it was targeting Blake, Yang, and Ruby, almost like it knew them by some sort of database, but then…" Jaune paused and thought for a moment. "Maybe I should leave out the part about where it targeted me." He looked back up, rubbing his knuckles. "Then a Grimm appeared from the ground below us. It was like a Beringel, but…it was different. More powerful. It flew straight into the Titan and took it over. It grew Grimm like armor and packed way more of a punch. We managed to get it down and delivered a final blow. The Grimm vanished and the Titan fell apart, whatever virus was controlling it vanished."

"A virus? Could you explain more on that?" Ozpin asked

Jaune nodded. "Do you have a piece of paper, sir?" Ozpin nodded and handed him a pencil and pad from his desk. Jaune scribbled on it a bit before turning it to the teachers. "It kind of looked like this. A black queen chess piece, hidden in the red of the eyes."

Ozpin, Ironwood, and Goodwitch looked at each other with concerned faces. "Thank you, Jaune. Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You've had a troubling night, and you all have a big day ahead of you."

Jaune nodded. "Yes sir, thank you." He headed towards the elevator and got in, the doors closing behind him.

Ironwood watched as the door closed. "Oz, I think we should question Mr. Arc for more informati-"

"Leave the boy alone, James. Mr. Arc has enough to deal with. Now, as for his teammates being targeted; any thoughts on why that may be?" Ozpin questioned, staring at the general.

Ironwood stiffened at the question, clenching his fists. "Are you implying something, Ozpin?"

"I think the real question is: have you been spying on our students, James?" Goodwitch retorted.

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"So…what happened?" Yang asked from her bunk, peering over to Jaune as he entered the room.

Jaune stretched, walking over to his bunk and packing a few things into his bag. "Well, I told them what happened with the Titan and everything."

Ruby's eyes widened, her hand going to her mouth in shock. "Everything?"

"Okay not everything everything. I left out the parts about being a ghost, the word Omega, and of course…well…" He gestured to the ginger haired girl sitting on Ruby's bed.

"I thank you for not mentioning me to the General. He would be…unhappy if he found me out and about…" Penny said, nervously rubbing her wrists.

Blake's ears perked up at this, turning her head towards the girl. "Are you telling me that General Ironwood was keeping you prisoner?!"

Yang, Ruby, and Jaune turned towards Penny, eyes wide in shock. "He…he told me it was to keep me safe, so he had footage sent to my father to make it seem like I was able to go about as was intended."

"Penny, we have to go to Ozpin about this! He can protect you!" Yang shouted, slamming her fist down.

Penny looked up, eyes wide and brimming with tears. "I couldn't! The General would find out, and he would trap me back in that…prison…"

Jaune placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "I understand the fear, Penny. If he found out about me, I'd be in just as bad a spot, but I have an idea! Yang, can you borrow some blonde hair dye from Coco?"

Yang blinked at her leader, tilting her head to the right. "Uhm Jaune, as a fellow natural blonde here, wouldn't she be a bit suspicious?"

"Just…say it's for a prank or something? Look, this could work!"

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The members of JBRY stared at Penny, admiring their work. "Jaune, I hate to say it, but this just might be the best idea you've ever had!" Yang cheered.

Penny sat in front of them, her once ginger curled hair now laying straight and blonde. She sat rigid as Yang brushed her hair more, color rising to her cheeks. "Are you sure that this will work, Jaune?"

Jaune grinned, eyes gleaming with pride. "Of course!" He pulled a pair of blue contacts from his bag, handing them to her. "Just pop these in, and the look will be complete! I have seven sisters running around out there, so who here will know that she isn't one of them? She looks just like Jamie with all this!" He flipped his wallet open, revealing a picture of the Arc family.

"Wow, she does look like your sister! And Jamie? Really? That's...similar." Ruby said, silver eyes gleaming. "So do we just tell Ozpin that she showed up for a surprise visit?"

Jaune nodded. "Exactly! Then she can just join us on our mission as a shadow! Surely Ozpin won't mind. You can fight, right Penny?"

She nodded, slamming her fist into her hand. "I'm combat ready!"

"Weirdest sense of deja-vu there…" Jaune thought as Yang threw a set of clothes at Penny.

"Alright Jamie, get changed so we can go find Ozpin!"

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Ozpin stared at JBRY+1 with a curious look on his face. "So you want me to allow Mr. Arc's sister on a school sanctioned mission where you, along with she will face dangers beyond the norm?"

Jaune nodded, a determined grin on his face. "Yes sir, Professor."

Ozpin sipped from his mug, sparing the five teenagers each a glance. "Well, okay. She's a Huntress in training, and in this case I will allow her to shadow you and your team, though a licensed Huntsman will be accompanying you. Now, as for your mission, I'm sending you all on a special assignment. General Ironwood's scouts spotted rogue movements coming from the ruins of Mountain Glenn. Your job is to track and document these movements, eliminating Grimm along the way." He paused to slurp from his mug. "Now originally I was going to have Doctor Oobleck accompany a team to this sector to eliminate the Grimm, but he will be moved elsewhere to accompany team PRWN."

Yang and Ruby grinned at the thought. "Yes! No more Oobleck than need-" Yang stopped when she saw Ozpin raise his eyebrow. "I-I mean, oh darn, no Dr. Oobleck!"

Ozpin chuckled, taking a final slurp from his mug and setting it down on his desk. "I want you five to be careful beyond the city walls. Grimm grow more…violent in the wilds. Your Huntsman mentor will guide you and be there in case of trouble. Understood?"

JBRY +1 shouted simultaneously, "Yes sir!"

Ozpin grinned and swiped through pictures of Huntsman on the screen. "Splendid! Now, your Huntsman is…"

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"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Yang shouted as she saw their mentor.

The man standing in front of JBRY +1 took a long drink from his flask as he looked at the teens, sizing them up. "Well Firecracker, you've definitely gotten stronger, but you're careless with your attacks. Ruby, you've still got some growing to do, pipsqueak."

Jaune and Blake stared blankly at the man in front of them, looking back and forth between the girls and him. "Uh, Ruby? Yang? Something you aren't telling us?" Jaune asked, scratching his head.

"Oh! This is our Un-"

"UNCLE QROWWW!" Ruby dashed forwards and latched onto his arm. "Hi!"

Qrow looked at the girl before ruffling her hair and looking at the others. "Name's Qrow. Ruby and Yang's must be Jaune Arc, team leader." Qrow said, stashing his flask in his pocket and sizing Jaune up. "Bit scrawny, but your dad was the same way."

Jaune blinked in surprise, "You knew my dad?"

Qrow grinned and put his arms behind his head. "Oh me and Jon go way back! He was at Beacon the same time as me, and there's some stories there, the best ones being highly inappropriate."

Yang grinned and Ruby made barfing noises as Blake and Jaune laughed. Penny shifted uneasily from her spot near Blake, Jaune taking notice.

"See Jamie, I told you dad was trouble when he was younger!" Jaune said to Penny, Qrow finally acknowledging the girl. "Qrow, this is my sister, Jamie Arc. She showed up by surprise, so Ozpin sai-"

"Oz said she could tag along. Fine by me, but we need to get going. Grab your packs and get in the Bullhead. I'll explain more once we're there." Qrow said, hefting his own pack over his shoulder and walking towards the docks.

The girls grabbed their packs and started to follow, only to stop and see Jaune frozen in place. "Jaune?" Blake asked.

"Did he say Bullheads?"

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Jaune grabbed the porcelain bowl for dear life as he retched up his breakfast. Having not wanted to disturb the others, Jaune shut the door behind him, only for it to open and Blake to step inside.

"You doing alright, Jaune?" She asked, leaning against the wall.

He nodded weakly, the sickly sensation having not yet left his body. "Just a bit…woozy."

She nodded and placed her hands on his back, moving them in slow circles. "I know you get a bit airsick, Jaune, so I had a thought. If you stayed in here with the door closed, you could use your powers to float just above the Bullhead's floor."

Jaune tilted his head in confusion as he sighed in relief at Blake's movements. "But what would that d-oh! I think I understand now." He shifted his form, eyes turning their brilliant green and hair ghost white. Jaune took a moment to stand before floating just above the floor, and to his surprise, the sickly feeling vanished. "Blake, you may just be the smartest person I've ever met."

She blushed at his words, grinning softly. Her hand was suddenly wrapped in his, and her blush grew further. "It's…no big deal, Jaune. I'm sure you'd have figured something out if it were me."

"But you're always there, Blake. You're always helping me."

Blake squeezed his hand gently, turning her head so that amber eyes met green. "You would do the same for any of us. I'm simply…returning the favor forwards."

As Jaune was about to lean in, he jolted back at a loud banging on the door. "If you're done in there, we're about to land! Clean yourself up and let's go, kid!" Qrow shouted.

"Guess that's our que to leave. Hey Blake?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any gum?"

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JBRY+1 took in the sight of the ruins around them. Once tall buildings now stood in ruin, crumbling with lack of care and attention. Some had collapsed completely, their stone framing almost giving up against the weight of the world around them.

"This is…this is awful. What happened here?" Jaune asked, peering into one of the burnt houses.

Qrow closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "New settlements always have trouble going up. See, when you're building a whole town, there tends to be a bit of…negativity from others. That negativity attracts the Grimm. Huntsmen and Huntresses repel the Grimm, and the work continues. But there's another problem here beyond the walls: Bandits. People who move from place to place, taking whatever they want, and they're usually skilled fighters. One night after a Grimm attack, a group of Bandits snuck their way in, and so it began. The panic, the fear…the Huntsmen were already exhausted, and between trying to evacuate the city and hold the line against the Bandits…it was too much. Another pack of Grimm showed up, this time much larger than the first, and…it was a slaughter." Qrow took a long drink from his flask, the gravity of his words setting in. "You five haven't been outside the kingdoms yet, so I warn you: Be careful. Stick with me, stay sharp, and I'll make sure that no one dies."

JBRY+1 nodded nervously, Ruby shifting uncomfortably at the last word. Yang placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, giving it a knowing squeeze.

"Alright, enough of the history lesson. There's six of us here, so we'll be splitting into two. Jaune, Blake, and Jamie in one team, and myself, Yang, and Ruby in the other. Oz said there was movement down here, and we need to know why. Stay in communication at all times, and we'll rendezvous here in a few hours. Got it?" Qrow ordered, earning a nod from the teens. "Good, let's go then."

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Jaune peered over the edge of the ruined skyscraper he stood atop, hood pulled over his head as the night crept in. Just as he was about to lean back, he saw two men walking into the ruins of an old factory just below him. "Blake, two targets spotted below. Pursuing now."

"Got it. Jamie and I will be there in three." Blake said over the comms.

"Nice job, kid. Stay in the shadows and keep your eyes on them. I want to know what's going on here." Qrow said over the comms, with a bit more static due to the distance. "We'll get to your position as fast as possible, but stay safe, kid."

Jaune switched into his ghost form, leaping down from the rooftop. He slowly floated down, making no noise as his feet touched the ground. Quickly rushing after the two men, he saw them go through a large metal door with a staircase leading underground. He willed himself to turn invisible and crept towards the door, phasing through it and heading underground, not noticing the blinking green light behind him.

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Far below the ruins, the White Fang was hard at work hauling crates and barrels onto a train. Roman Torchwick stepped out from one of the cars, his brows creased in anger. "Let's move it you animals! You aren't being paid to stand around doing nothing! Can't teach a beast to do a humans job..."

"What was that, Roman?"

Roman jumped, turning around and his angry look being replaced with one of fear. "Adam! So...nice to see you! And I was just complimenting your subordinates on their work!"

Adam cocked his head to the side, his brows creasing as he drew his blade. "Listen well, Roman. I have no desire to spend more time in your presence than necessary. I only came to supervise this phase, as I have...other arrangements to attend to. Cinder told me to mention that we won't need your..Neo to join us at Beacon. Keep her ready in case though."

Roman scoffed for a moment before remembering the blade at his chest. "Right! No Neo, stay out of trouble! Come on, kid, lighten up!"

"If this is all you needed me for, I shall take my leave. Don't do anything stupid, Roman." Adam walked to a cart heading opposite to the train and took off, leaving his mask in his wake.

Jaune crept down and grabbed the mask off the ground, examining it closely. "Wonder why he left this behind?" He said aloud.

"Who said that?!"

"Ah...shit."

An alarm sounded, blaring throughout the caves. Jaune flew for the ceiling but crashed into a glowing green barrier, shocking him and sending him to the ground.

"Well well, Ghost Boy! Fancy seeing you down here!" Roman said walking over to Jaune, giving him a kick in the ribs for good measure. "Why is it that you keep showing up at all of my operations?" He kicked Jaune again, a yelp of pain emanating outwards. "Lock him up on the train! Use the cuffs that she had made, and Neo, keep an eye on him."

A White Fang member ran over and slapped a set of cuffs on Jaune. He then slung the boy over his shoulder and walked towards the train, throwing him in a compartment. "Nighty night, freak."

Neo skipped over and jumped into the compartment, smirking as the door closed.

"JAUNE!"

Roman looked to see Yang beating down the White Fang left and right, the others not far behind her. "Change of plans! We move out, now!" He ran to the engine room and kicked it to life, the gears whirring and cogs creaking to life.

"Hey! Stop that train!" Ruby shouted, running after it. Yang, Blake, Penny, and Qrow followed her, just barely managing to grab onto the back compartment before it disappeared into the tunnel.

Qrow reached behind his back and drew his sword, the blade expanding to its full length as the mechanics came to life. "Alright kids! We have two objectives here! Find Jaune, and stop this train! Blake, see what's in the compartment below us!"

Blake ran to the hatch, opening it to reveal a series of bombs inside. "We've got a bomb!"

"Detach the compartment! Everyone else jump ahead to the next!" Qrow ordered, the team following suit.

Blake drew Gambol Shroud to cut the line, but the locks opened on their own, the compartment drifting a ways before it exploded. "It detached itself!"

Qrow gritted his teeth. "Yang, if there's a bomb in this one, we've got a pro-"

"Bomb here too!" She shouted. "What do we do?"

Ruby groaned aloud. "Jaune could have just phased them through the tunnel or something!"

Qrow's mouth dropped slightly. "Did you say phased?"

"Yes?" She answered honestly. "Why? It's just part of his semblance."

"Well...whatever the case he isn't here, and we need to stop these bombs from destroying any more of the tunnel! Quick, jump to the next car!" The five hopped onto the next car and Qrow fired a round into the wheels, sending the compartment tumbling off the rails. "If we can't stop them, we can at least send them off course! Ruby, I want you up here with me! The rest of you, go find Jaune!"

Yang, Blake, and Penny nodded, hopping into the next car up ahead. "Think he's being guarded?" Blake asked.

Yang nodded, eyes flashing a brilliant red. "I saw that girl from the night of the Paladin fight. The short one that looked like ice cream. She has him." Yang's voice was full of anger at the thought.

"Girl from when?" Penny asked looking back and forth between the two.

Blake sighed aloud, sliding a special dust cartridge into Gambol Shroud. "We went investigating, found a White Fang meeting, and found out that someone in the Atlas military is providing them with prototype Atlesian tech before the street date. Torchwick chased us in a Paladin, we took it down. Torchwick only got away because of a weird girl that seemingly teleported in and out of the area."

"Now she has Jaune, and she could be doing Oum knows what to him…"

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"Ugh…where?" A wisp of cold air blew from his mouth as he regained full consciousness and saw his captor. "You!" Jaune hopped to his feet and ran towards Neo, only to get pulled back by the chains holding his cuffs to the wall. "What? Seriously? I'll just phase out of-okay nevermind that!" He said as he tried and failed, his powers having no effect on the cuffs. "What do you want from me?"

Neo walked towards him and blinked her eyes, pink and brown switching back and forth until she blinked again and a ghostly green took over.

"Wait, you're like me?" He asked, tugging at his chains.

Neo raised an eyebrow and pointed at him. She made a 'so-so' motion at him, then pointed at herself, raising her finger into a one.

Jaune looked at her, puzzled. "So I'm a half ghost, and you're a…you're a full ghost!" He yelled, thrashing his chains behind him.

Neo rushed forwards and kicked him square in the chin, knocking him to his feet. She wagged her finger at him, as if to say 'no no no', and turned from him.

"Get back here! We aren't done!" Jaune shouted on deaf ears as she left his compartment. "Great!"

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Yang opened the door to the first open compartment, taking a look inside before signaling the others to follow her. From the opposite side, a wolfish looking man stepped out, bearing a low top hat and clawed gloves.

"Fresh meat…excellent." He spoke in a thick accent, licking his lips hungrily. He flashed his claws at the girls, eyes glinting with delight. "'Fraid this is your last stop, girlies. Boss man said no interference."

Penny stepped forwards, drawing her swords from her backpack, the blades combining into two double bladed swords. "Leave him to me! Find Jaune!" Before Yang and Blake could protest, she rocketed forwards, swinging her blades like a mad woman.

The wolf man dodged, giving Blake and Yang enough time to slip past him into the next compartment.

"Oh you're gonna pay for that, little girl!" He got down on all fours and began to glow a sickly white. His teeth grew a bit, and his hair poked out more from his hat as his mutton chops grew slightly as well. "You've just unleashed the wolf, and now you get to die!" He ran at her with blinding speeds, slashing his claws like a feral beast.

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Blake and Yang slipped into the next compartment, this time spotting Neo in their way. The pinkette smirked and curtsied at the pair before raising her eyebrow tauntingly.

"She's mine!" Yang shouted, blasting herself off the floor towards Neo, missing completely as she dodged with ease. "Blake, find Jaun-" She was silenced as Neo kicked her across the cheek.

Neo drew a blade from her parasol, flashing it at the blonde before delivering a series of strikes that rivaled Weiss' speed with her glyphs. As another strike was about to connect, a black blade appeared and blocked it, Blake glowering behind it.

"No way! We take her together!" Blake pulled the trigger on Gambol Shroud and a green energy took the blade over. She swung and connected with Neo, the pinkette's arm showing a slight gash.

Neo glared with rage as she looked between Blake and her now injured arm, green blood dripping to the floor. Her eyes flashed from pink to green before she flew towards the pair, swinging and stabbing with everything she could muster.

Blake and Yang dodged as well as they could, but Neo's attacks were relentless. As Blake went to counter a strike, Neo teleported above the two and bashed their heads together, knocking them unconscious. She made to finish the pair when a portal opened near her, a woman jumping out and slashing at her. Neo jumped back and her face paled, her eyes switching back to pink and brown.

The woman appeared fully, wearing black and red clothing and a full faced Grimm mask. Her jet black hair flowed down her back as she sheathed her sword, the sheath switching the blade to a blood red one.

Neo jumped backwards and teleported away, the shattering sound waking Blake and Yang. The two groggily watched as the woman opened another portal and vanished through it without a trace. "Who was…Jaune!"

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Penny was struggling against the wolf man, having to rely on dodging due to the speed of his semblance.

"I can keep this up all night, girly! But the question is, how long can you?!" He pounced at her, only to have his claws blocked. "Ah, got a bit of backbone in there! Good! I like them feisty! Maybe that's why they let Neo have your friend there. By the time she's done with him, he'll be begging to die." He let out a howlish laugh.

The compartment echoed with his laughter before the doors slammed shut on either side. Penny stepped forwards, her eyes glowing green as she willed her swords out in front of her, seemingly by telekinesis. "You will not hurt anyone, ever again!" She threw her arms out, sending her blades flying towards the man at a speed rivaling his own. One struck him on the shoulder, cutting through his aura and leaving a deep gash.

"Gah! You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" He yelled, only to receive a hilt to the face.

"That is not my name!" She sent out a wave of energy, causing his gloves to go haywire, firing off dust rounds everywhere.

The wolf man panicked, releasing his gloves from his wrists and throwing them to the floor. "What the heck are you?!"

Penny glared at him, green eyes chilling him to the bone. "I am Penny! Master of technology!" She sent her blades towards him again, aiming directly for his chest.

Just before they hit, he stepped on a plate in the floor, causing the panel he was on to fall out below, leaving him behind. "Catch ya next time, Penny!" He shouted before running off through an exit tunnel as the Grimm came pouring through the holes behind the train.

Penny glared for a moment before running from her compartment.

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Jaune pulled at his chains more and more, straining himself as he fell to his knees again. "Dammit!"

The door slid open, Yang and Blake rushing in. "Jaune!" They shouted as they ran to him. Blake drew Gambol Shroud and slashed at the chains, freeing Jaune from the wall.

"Why didn't you just phase out of here? We could have really used you back there!" Yang said, hugging him tightly.

Jaune let out a noise of 'OOF' as he was embraced. "Yang…too…tight!"

She winked at him. "You think THAT was tight, wait til-"

"YANG! Not the time! We have a mission to finish!" Blake shouted as Yang rubbed her head as if to say 'oops'. "I'm assuming these cuffs did something to you?"

Jaune nodded, now holding his arms in front of him, looking at the cuffs on his wrists. "They suppress my powers. I can't do much of anything with these on."

Yang grabbed his wrists and shattered the locks on the cuffs, sending them to the floor. "There you go! All better now!" She grinned at him, earning an honest smile.

"Thank you, both of you, now don't we have a train to stop?"

As if on cue, the hatch above them opened, revealing Ruby and Qrow. "If you three are done down there, we have a problem! Torchwick broke the controls and jumped ship, and this is a one way tunnel!"

Jaune jumped up and pulled himself to the roof, seeing the end of the tunnel coming fast. Everyone hold onto something!" Jaune slammed his palms down on the roof, turning his body and the one compartment intangible. The energy flowed through to the others, everyone glowing a bright blue as the end of the tunnel came.

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Jaune groaned as he stirred, slowly standing up in the town square. He offered a hand to Blake, who stood up slower than he did. Glancing around, he saw that Yang and Ruby were okay, but no sign of Qrow. The ground behind them was covered in boulders like a mountain after a rockslide, but no Grimm. "We did it!"

The rubble burst open as Grimm came pouring through. Civilians screamed and ran, only drawing more Grimm from the hole in the ground. An Omega King Taijitu slithered from the hole and coiled itself around JBRY's stand, the beast much larger than a normal King Taijitu.

"Guys! Hold the line!" Jaune ordered as his team drew their weapons. The Omega swung its head down at Jaune, fangs bearing down towards his head.

"Jaune!" The girls cried as the snake struck, only for it to crash into the ground as Jaune seemingly split into two.

"What the?" The Jaune's spoke together. "I can copy myself? Awesome!" The two Jaunes flew towards the beast, one clawing at the eyes and the other tearing down the back with his sword.

The Omega howled and phased into the ground, seemingly defeated.

The Jaunes cheered before high fiving and merging back into one, then collapsing to one knee. " Every time! Can't I get a new power and it just be easy?"

Yang hoisted him to his feet, brushing him off. "Sorry Jaune, but no sleeping on the job!"

A Beowolf roared, signaling the other Grimm to attack. Ruby planted Crescent Rose on the ground before kicking away the Grimm in a circle, knocking them back without causing any lasting damage.

Yang fired Ember Celica into the ground and launched herself into the sky, bombarding the Grimm on the ground. Just as she was making some headway, three Nevermores crashed into her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Blake slashed Gambol Shroud at a Beowolf, working around it and stabbing it in the throat before turning and firing on the other approaching Grimm, hitting several Creeps and sending them to the ground.

Jaune jumped around three Beowolves, slashing his claws at them before sending a wave of ecto-energy at them, bisecting them. "Take that!" A Deathstalker started towards him, only to have a car hit it in the face. Jaune turned around to see Yang hefting car after car towards the approaching Grimm.

She threw one final car at the mob of Grimm before shouting, "Hit the deck!". Jaune ducked as she fired a round at one of the cars, causing a massive explosion and destroying a decent amount of Grimm.

"Nice work, sis!" Ruby shouted as she slashed at a Creep in front of her, only for a Beringel to roar next to her. She backed up in surprise only for a shot to ring out, startling both Ruby and the Grimm.

From the east, Nora came flying in on her hammer towards the Beringel, slamming it on the head and killing the beast.

"And smash!" She cried as the rest of PRWN leaped down from a Bullhead.

Pyrrha drew her weapons, swinging her blade at the Grimm. "Let's move!" She ordered as the four took off towards the beasts.

As a large Ursa fell, Sun and Neptune appeared from behind it, flashing badges towards the two teams. "Nobody move, junior detectives!" Sun shouted.

"We have badges, so you know it's official" Neptune said, bumping fists with Sun.

A ship roared in the sky, with the Atlesian Military flagship coming into view. From inside, dropships flew out and began deploying Atlesian Knight-200 units onto the battlefield.

Sun and Neptune looked up in awe of the fleet, dropping their badges to the ground.

As Team JBRY looked up in the sky, an Ursa leaped at Jaune from behind. Before the strike could connect, one of the dropships fired a chaingun burst at it, killing it instantly.

As the robotic Knights deployed, they started firing at the Grimm. Two of the Knights were stampeded on by a Boarbatusk, but a separate group of three Knights fired on another Ursa.

Cinder appeared from an alleyway, nodding her head, signalling Mercury and Emerald to attack the Grimm as she walks off.

Mercury fired his boots into the ground, launching himself at a Beowolf and striking it in the face, leaving Emerald open to the Ursa Major behind her.

She drew her pistols from their holsters, flicking the blades out as the guns whirred to life. The Alpha charged at her, blocking her pistol rounds before she extended the blades fully and launching them out on chains, swinging around the beast until it fell to the ground, dead.

The rubble pile burst again, only for Qrow and Penny to come out, each slashing at groups of Grimm, destroying them easily.

From above, another Bullhead roared, dropping off Team CFVY into the fray. Yatsuhashi landed first, only to be surrounded by a pack of Grimm. He hefted and swung his greatsword onto the ground, unleashing a shockwave and sending the Grimm flying.

Velvet and Fox jumped into the air, each kicking and punching at approaching Grimm. Fox jumped forwards and unleashed a combo of slashes at another Ursa Major, delivering a final blow as he channeled Aura into his strike, sending the dead Ursa flying into a pack of Grimm before it exploded, sending spikes into the Grimm around it.

Coco walked forwards and gave Fox a light slap on the butt, JBRY and PRWN watching in shock and awe. "Nice hustle, Fox. Good job." She walked towards a Beowolf, sizing it up under her sunglasses. "You just destroyed my favorite clothing store." She spat on the ground. "Prepare to die." The Beowolf swung at her, only for Coco to swat its paw away and kick it in the crotch. As it fell, she slammed her handbag onto its head, killing it.

Some of the remaining Grimm began to rush her, and Velvet went to draw her weapon from behind her, only to be stopped by Coco.

"Hey, come on, you just spent all the semester building that up. Don't waste it here." Velvet nodded before stepping back. Coco stepped forwards and transformed her handbag into a giant minigun, firing a relentlesss barrage of rounds towards the advancing horde of Grimm, decimating them entirely.

Jaune slashed at a Beowolf's throat as the remaining Grimm were killed off, a cheer emanating from his lungs. "We did it!"

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A few hours later, JBRY sat on the landing dock of Beacon, watching Bullheads fly in and out of the city.

Yang stretched her arms up, yawning slightly. "Well, Jaune was right. We did it!"

"We did it." Blake said blandly, earning a squeeze from Jaune.

"Think we'll get some extra credit? My Grimm theory grade sure could use a boost!" Jaune said, grinning like an idiot. The others laughed at him.

"Jaune, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it." Yang said, earning another laugh from the team.

Ruby took this chance to pipe up. "Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this, and Torchwick got away!"

"Not to mention the fact that that…Neo girl is a ghost! And not a half like me, she's full on specter!" Jaune shouted, waving his arms over his head.

Blake looked at her partner, letting out a sigh. "Unfortunately, we don't have all the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we could be proud of."

Ruby pumped her fist to the sky. "Yeah! And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them!"

Yang stretched out backwards, laying herself on the ground. "Yay, teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright, good job... So, what now?"

The rest of JBRY was silent.

"Uhh... Time for bed?" Ruby let out a breath of exhaustion.

Yang let out a groan from her relaxed pose. "Please."

"Absolutely" Blake chimed in.

"I think I'm ready to sleep forever." Jaune said as the girls laughed at him, the team standing and making their way to the dorms.

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Screens were lit all around Ozpin as the Council reached a verdict. "Ozpin, this went too far. You should have sent an experienced team to investigate this, and now not only is the city damaged, but people live in fear!"

"Yes sir, I understand, but also remember that this is a scho-"

"No, Ozpin! Not this time! The Council has decided to appoint General Ironwood head of security for the Tournament, as well as up his clearance at Beacon. Wherever you go, he will be."

"Very well…" Ozpin spoke with disdain.

"On another note, Qrow. You are to remain at Beacon for the time being. We'll deal with you later." The screens shut down, and Qrow let out a groan.

"Thanks, Jimmy. Now the people get to live in fear with the only person who gives a damn has a babysitter!" He shouted, drawing his flask and taking a swig.

"Silence, Qrow. This is for the best. You two will see it, one way or another…" Ironwood trailed off as he left the office, causing Ozpin and Qrow to look at each other with concern.

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Cinder finished her work and took a step back to admire it. "Perfect. Looking like this, no one will recognize you here, Adam."

Adam stood, his once red hair now shining a brilliant gold. He pulled a mask over his mouth and nose, his red eyes flashing around the room. "If I see her when this all goes down, don't expect me to hold back."

Cinder placed her hand on his cheek, raising the heat ever so slightly. "If you see her before then, you will tolerate her and not get too close. She could be the only one that would recognize you here, and we can't have anyone else interfering with our plans. Now, why don't we go down to the training rooms and see what you're made of?"

A/N: I AM SO. SORRY. This has been a HELLUVA two weeks, what with work, then being sick for a week, and the stupid election, and more work. Ugh. Rambling. So to make up for it, an extra long chapter! A LOT happened this time around, what with the mission and the breach, and NEO BEING A F*CKING GHOST. Did anyone see that coming? I did. But now we enter the phase of the Vytal Festival! EXCITEMENT! I'll do my best to get the next chapter out sooner rather than later, so please don't think I've lost interest in this story! Now…ONTO REVIEWS!

Nexus Bladeguard: Right! And this time around we had Penny, master of technology! I'm not done with her yet! *Evil laugh* Oh, and that Jaune/Taiyang meme. Bahahahaha.

NinjaFang1331: Thank you!

desdelor97: Gratzie!

Guest: Good wow? Bad wow? Thank you?

Dante R Vale: Cue the M. Knight memes

Rjstx: Yeah, I kind of like it. Oh, and now Michael and Lindsay are having a kid. Dope!

.1: Yep! She's up to WAY MORE than meets the eye. Like a Transformer!

Quathis: Thanks! I may be throwing a certain Arc sister into the fray soon, so maybe she can help with it!

CrowBlood666: Not really? Omega are more like…reverse world Grimm. Way stronger, and they possess ghost abilities. As for the reality trip reference, maybe! Stay tuned!

thatrandomguy42: Thanks!

Well guys, that makes 10, count them, TEN CHAPTERS of this story! I'm pumped for what's yet to come, so until then…

REVIEW PLEASE!