Being thrown through the portal and through space was disorienting, even with the hand on his shoulder, the woman taking it far better than he was. The colors stopped spinning, and he found himself stumbling slightly as they reached solid ground. He almost had a foothold before he was thrown to the ground with a harsh push.

"What were you doing on the train." The voice sounded distorted through the mask, and Sterling gave the person a rather cold look.

"That is none of your business." His voice was cold, lower than he intended but it had the same effect. He saw a dangerous flash of eyes from behind the mask before she lifted her hand up, taking her mask and removing it. The angry look on his face slid, eyes widening as he looked at the woman. "You…" It was as if a bolt of energy went through his mind, unlocking things pushed away, a sound as if yelling ringing in his ears. "You…" The flash of red eyes and black hair seemed to solidify in his mind, but her face had turned into that of fear, the world a sea of trees stained red with blood.

The world corrected itself as he opened his eyes. The energy hit him harder than he thought, finding himself on his knees, breathing heavily as locked-away memories came back to him. "You're Raven."

That seemed to shock the woman, who had stepped closer as the man had fallen. "So it's as Ozpin said, then." Her hand moved off the hilt of her blade. "But I saw you die."

A frown crossed Sterling's lips as he heard that. "I… but… that was only a dream… was it? I… but you were in it." He shook his head to clear the clouds in his head. "Raven, what is going on?" His voice took a tone of authority that he wasn't use to, shocking himself for a moment.

"Sterling… We have a lot to talk about…" It was as if she was going to say more, but the sound of a far-away siren broke both of their concentrations. That kicked his mind up, and a frown crossed his lips, before melting in horror. "Vale… they couldn't stop it… Yang… YANG!" His eyes widened, but before he could move Raven had him by the shoulder, fingertips digging into flesh.

"The Grimm are assaulting the city now, and it will take time for the defenses to mobilize. A lot of people are going to die because of what you did."

The cold tone in her voice sent a shiver down Sterling's spine, but he managed to steel himself before he spoke. "That train was never meant to crash. It seems my allies have lied to me. People will die. But…" He shook his head, defiance in his voice. "As much as I regret their deaths, the only one I care about is Yang. If she died… there will be hell to pay."

Raven seemed amused by that. "I wonder how often you have said those words, Sterling Moonstone. But someone requested your time." Before he could say anything, he felt a massive shock at the back of his head as her hand impacted it, knocking him out.

When Sterling woke up, everything felt dark to him. The room felt stuffy, small, and cold. He shifted, only to find that he was handcuffed to the metal chair he was sitting in. An irritated look crossed his face as he looked up, groggy eyes coming into focus to see Ozpin sitting in the chair across from him.

"I see you're awake now. Raven gave you quite the shock, I heard. We were worried you wouldn't wake up." It was the way that Ozpin said it that made Sterling frown, eyes narrowing.

"A shock like that won't kill a hunter outright. You know that, Professor."

"Oh please, Sterling. No need for such formalities here. Raven also reported that you got some of your memories back, although you didn't explain them in detail."

"Memories? Is that what they were? They were more like nightmares." Even with the sarcasm in his voice, he couldn't argue what Ozpin said, as confused about it as he was.

Ozpin stared at him for a long minute in dead silence before turning his head away, hand playing on the end of his cane. "Well, Sterling, if you are not going to take this meeting seriously. I suppose I should just hand you over to General Ironwood for the part you played in today's events."

A frown crossed Sterling's face. "I am taking this seriously. But do understand a drop of skepticism at being told what I saw was my own death as a memory and not a… vision."

That seemed to grab Ozpin, as he paused for a moment before settling back down fully in his chair. "Others that have had the same experiences have gone mad, but you seem sane enough. How… peculiar. You are here instead of in prison because I have an offer for you, Mister Moonstone. One that I believe is both in your best interest and too good an offer to pass up."

That gave Sterling pause, and he fell silent as he thought about what Ozpin wanted from him… and what he was offering. "What is it you're looking for, Professor."

A slight smile came to Ozpin's lips as he heard that. "You have the ability to move freely within the White Fang. I want you to… be an informant on the inside. We need to know what their next move is. Especially since our last scout went missing."

Sterling's lips turned into a frown as he heard that. "So you want me to be a spy. Typical." He sighed, closing his eyes. "And what are you offering in return, Ozpin? Surely it's not merely a reduction or removal of a prison sentence."

The Headmaster was silent for a long moment, long enough to send a chill down Sterling's spine, before he spoke up. "You came to this school to be a hunter, to correct the injustices in the world and to be a defender of the weak. And yet you walk a dangerous path under people who don't follow your ideals, Sterling. Why do you think that is?" Before he could speak up, Ozpin continued. "You have a mix of innocence and precision I haven't seen in my students. And defiance. And I know of the nightmares that you suffer through. You wonder how you have a nightmare of your death, and whether it is a memory or a vision."

Ozpin leaned slightly over the table, lowering his voice half an octave. "For your services, Sterling, I can give you the answers you are looking for. Who you are, and what you are going through."

Sterling sat there for a long moment, absorbing what Ozpin had said. Out of everything, those nightmares were the one thing that troubled him. His eyes closed, and he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. "You have a deal." He said after he got control over himself fully. "You have me as an informant in the White Fang. But I want answers. What is going on… with me?"

Ozpin smiled slightly, sitting back in his chair. "I need you to know that everything I will say to you is the truth as far as I know it. I will not lie to you, Sterling, as I never lied to my friend." Sterling nodded, and Ozpin took that to continue. "The reason you have these nightmares is because your conscious mind isn't able to tap into them, but your unconscious mind can. The biology of it is… astounding. But it seems that coming together with your past brings these memories back to the forefront to you."

Sterling seemed bored with that explanation. "That doesn't tell me what it means."

"You have nightmares, the one that came up is one about your death. I already know the account of it, rather well in fact. I was distressed when it happened for two days."

Sterling narrowed his eyes. It seemed to be beating down at him, but the realization was being held back. "I'm… not sure what you're saying."

"Sterling Moonstone was a good man. We worked together since we were in the academy together. The most loyal partner I ever had. It was 18 years ago that he died while on a mission with Raven Branwen. You look remarkably like he did when he first entered the Academy."

Sterling shook his head slowly. "What are you saying?"

Ozpin leaned forward. "I'm saying, that Sterling Moonstone died. Whatever happened after his death, I don't know. A number of things could have happened. They could have taken him and cloned him. They could have brainwashed a kid and you gained his memories from his aura. But you are here. And you are not the original Sterling Moonstone."

There was a shattering sound in his mind, and even though he wanted to he couldn't deny what Ozpin said to him. He shook his head, gaze lowering to the table. "I… I… I can't believe that…. I am Sterling Moonstone…" But even those words rang hollow in his ears.

"However, even if you aren't who you were… you are here. And hopefully we can put things back on track. You died on a mission, killed by the guards of the facility you were sent to investigate with Raven. I would not be surprised if they raised and used you-"

"Father." It was a low tone, almost a curse word in Sterling's throat, and he slammed his fist on the table, indenting the metal.

"… Yes. I could understand how you would have… sour feelings about it now. However, I have a gift for you, of sorts." Ozpin reached under the table, pulling out two ring blades. They were remarkably like his own, except silver, sleeker. He could only say they were perfect compared to his. "These were given to Raven before he died and brought here. I only see fit to give these to you. He called them 'Silver Eclipse.' Do not soil the memory of these weapons."

Sterling slowly shifted his hands, only to feel them tug at the handcuffs. "I would thank you, Ozpin, if not for my restraints."

"We will get to those." Ozpin stood up. "I do not wish to overload your mind, Sterling. Having your past crash down onto you would not be good for your mental state. But I hope one day you see past… this…" He waved his hand across the room, as if to encompass the terrible setup to the discussion. "And we can continue where we left off."

Two soldiers came into the room, flanking Sterling and undoing a handcuff each. He rubbed his wrists before picking up the weapons in front of him, testing their weight and configuration. These… these were a thing of beauty. Lightweight, and every trigger he knew were on them, as well as a few he didn't recognize. Was this how he was able to create his own design? He slid them into his hoodie pockets, feeling them weight it down further.

"You will be sent to speak to General Ironwood about the next steps in the operation. You'll have some time in transit to think of what you wish to do in this." Ozpin nodded his head, and the guards turned around, escorting Sterling out of the room. Two more guards were waiting outside, and Sterling walked between the four, leaving the tower and heading down the courtyard towards the awaiting airship.

Halfway to the ship Sterling stopped, puzzling two of the guards as he turned his head. There had been a flash of Yellow and Black from the corner of his eye, and he saw Yang and Raven to the side, speaking. It took a moment for the two to look back, and the shift in Yang's eye color didn't bode well in Sterling's mind. "Give some space, guys." He said softly. "You don't want to get in the way of this."

The guards seemed to take him seriously, stepping away as Yang approached, seemingly calm but her eyes gave her away. He opened his mouth to speak, but before anything could come out he heard the click of her gauntlet, the impact of her fist against his cheek, and he was spiraling through the air, landing a good five feet back. He got up with a groan, holding a hand up as Yang approached. "Wait! Let me explain."

"Explain?!" Yang was furious, giving in to her anger. "Explain what? How you lied to me? How you're working with the White Fang!?" The guards moved their hands to their guns, but Sterling lifted a hand up to them to stop them.

"I want to say, Yang, that I never lied to you. I could never. Explaining everything… would take hours. But when I get back, I promise to tell you everything you want to know."

She was still fuming. "Make it short, then."

Sterling took a deep breath to calm himself, as well as to kill the stinging in his cheek. "I never meant for things to come out the way that they did." He looked around before leaning in, whispering low so only she could hear. "Ozpin has me on the inside now, to get all the information he can get to stop them. They conditioned me for loyalty to them… But two people have broken it down. I can see the truth of what's going on. And it's going to come to an end, one way or another. I never lied to you though, Yang. And I won't hide anything from you."

Yang seemed to fume a bit, but at least her eyes went back to the lilac he adored. "You have a lot to answer for."

"I know."

"You know I hate you for this."

A slow sigh left his body, eyes closing and head lowering. "…I know."

He felt a hand on his stinging cheek, and he was about to withdraw before he felt soft lips against his. He opened his eyes as she pulled away, seeing a slight smile on her face. "That's for coming to save me on the train." He stood there in silence as he watched her walk away, back towards Raven. He shook his head, starting to walk back towards the airship, the guards falling in line.

Ironwood was standing next to a desk on his ship when Sterling was brought in, boxed in by his guard entourage. Ironwood was quick to dismiss the troops, leaving the two of them alone. "I'm told you're regaining some of your memories, Sterling. Has anything of your team come back to you?"

A frown crossed Sterling's face, before he shook his head. "Nothing. The memories are… choppy at best. What I think of it… I don't know. It's too early to tell. But I believe Ozpin on it, so there's a point."

"Indeed." There was a halfhearted chuckle from the General. "You believe his words, but can you trust him? After all, he let the Breach happen."

"We all let the Breach happen, General. Don't try to shift blame on the issue. It's more a matter of if it was a ploy or not."

"If that is how they make a ploy, then I shudder to see how they really work."

"Exactly." Sterling moved to sit down, looking up at the General. "Things will be quiet, I won't be able to get information for a while-"

"You know who is doing this." Ironwood was quick to interrupt. "Tell me, who are they and where are they? We can take them down quickly and with small effort."

"You're thinking small, General." Sterling countered with a frown. "They work like a hydra. Cut off one head and more come back. If you take down the leaders now, then more take their place, and we're in for a worse war than before."

"You sound like Ozpin." Ironwood muttered. "Then what do you suggest?"

"We wait until they make their move. I can get information on where and when that will be. We cut off reinforcements. Make sure the head can't come back."

Ironwood seemed unhappy with that answer, but he nodded. "Making a show of destroying them won't make the public safe. Make them know we have them captured will help them. We'll set up for the capture, just get us the information. Dismissed."

"Yes, General." Sterling stood and bowed, before turning and leaving the room. His escort was waiting for him, although they didn't see the shadow of a smirk on his face as they walked back to the ship.