Asher was staring out the window of the train as it sped down the tracks, heading for it's destination an hour away. The scenery was hardly interesting, trees stretching endlessly in every direction, but Asher used it to cover his growing annoyance. The first thing he found bothersome about this particular job was the clothing. He'd had to trade in his preferred ensemble for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie, and he was not at all comfortable. The second was his general unease about the whole situation. He was used to working in a team, a team that had trust in each other to get the job done. Working alone was not something he found he enjoyed. The last he should have expected, but he'd been too caught up in the fact that he was getting that damn tracker taken off to think of who it was he was working for this time around. So, when he'd boarded the train three stops ago, he'd been taken completely by surprise by the black-haired, amber-eyed Blake Belladonna, seated in the seat next to him, turning pages in her book almost like clockwork. They'd ignored each other since, but Asher had the distinct feeling that she was there to keep tabs on him, and was even more sure that she was finding his anguish somehow amusing. Hoping to further take his mind off of things, he went over what he knew in his head, something he'd spent the weekend pouring over.

The set-up was easy. Asher, with his train ticket in hand, could easily board the train and simply ride it to a good spot, in this case three-hour stretch that connected Vale to one of the smaller cities on the border. Professor Ozpin had already promised that there would be an escape plane nearby, ready for pick up when needed, so that left merely getting to the goods and acquiring them. He'd gotten his hands on some of the blueprints for this particular train type, and had found where they kept the cargo, a few cars back from where he'd be seated. Knowing the Old Man, Asher was sure that a few guards weren't going to be it, and had taken into consideration that some of those robotic defense systems were probably in use, as they could easily be hidden as "cargo". The issue was taking those out. Once that was done, he'd grab the sword and whatever else he could reasonably shove in a bag, and then call in the plane and be done with the place. Now that he thought of it though, he had a hunter-in-training here with him now, someone a lot better than him. If she was here to keep an eye on him...

"Blake, are you here to help me or just watch?"

"Finally decided to talk, did you?" Asher could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

"You didn't answer the question."

"I'm here to keep tabs on you. Helping you was optional."

"So?"

"So what?"

Asher turned to face Blake, and found her book placed on her lap, amber eyes matching his own gaze, smirk clearly visible on her face. Called it. The gray-eyed of the pair frowned at her, then sighed. She was making this difficult on purpose, and was taking a lot of pleasure out of it. Well, he was being forced to play the game. He needed her support to make this job go smoothly, and thinking on it, Asher was sure that Ozpin had planned it that way. It was seeming more and more like the man was behind everything that seemed to happen, and if he hadn't known better, Asher would have sworn that Ozpin was behind him getting caught too.

"So, are you going to help me or not?"

"... I'll help."

"Well... that easy."

"There's no reason I shouldn't. Besides, Professor Ozpin hinted that I should, and even gave me a duffel bag full of stuff to use."

"Really? Where's that at?"

Blake reached under her seat and pulled out the large bag, sliding it along the floor over to Asher. He, in turn, bent down and unzipped the thing, quickly taking stock of what was inside. It was identical to his own bag, containing inside a crowbar, a gun, a taser, a flare gun and a mask. About the only thing it didn't have was a baton. Asher frowned at spotting the mask before pulling it out entirely, examining it more carefully. This one was similar to the one that was hidden away in his own duffel bag, a mask made of Grimm bone plating, and marked up to resemble the creatures they came from. Asher couldn't name offhand which Grimm this one was supposed to represent, but whatever it was, the mask would serve it's purpose. He offered the thing to Blake, who accepted it and examined it herself, if only to pretend to have something to do.

"A Death Stalker."

"You can tell that?"

"Yes. Each type of Grimm tends to have different markings on the bone plates. We learned about it in Grimm Studies."

"You get ANYTHING out of that class? I can barely keep myself from falling asleep... You know what, never mind. Here, take a look at mine while I get ready to do this thing." Asher retrieved his own bag from under his seat and opened it up, extracting another mask and tossing into Blake's lap. Then he extracted the gun and the taser, checking each of proper operation before putting them in his lap and retrieving the only piece he still had on him from his old clothing. The pair of black gloves were pulled on, and as he felt them slide over his hands, Asher couldn't help but grin. The time to get to work was getting closer now. So much closer. Blake interrupted his thoughts as she handed him the mask back, commenting on it idly.

"A King Taijitu, by the looks of it."

"Which one was that again?"

"The snake."

"Ah, got it. You know the plan already?"

"I was told you would have one."

"Yup. Take out the guards. Make our way to the cargo. Grab the goods. Get the hell out."

"Not much of a plan."

"I prefer to wing it for most things. It's a safe bet complicated plans are going to get derailed at some point... no pun intended. We still got a few minutes before it's time to get started, so if you have any better ideas, I'm all ears."

"Not really... Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Depends on the question."

"Do you regret anything you've ever done?"

Asher gave Blake a look that conveyed his own confusion, but he leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling, considering everything he'd ever done. Did he regret any of it? The simplest answer was no. Every bank he'd ever robbed, every train he'd stolen from, every art museum he'd ever "liberated" of its contents, he could honestly say he'd enjoyed every minute of it. Well, except maybe that last one, having your face beaten into the ground multiple times while they "handcuffed" you wasn't fun. And maybe the first one, because that had been... Asher chose to divert attention to something else, hoping the girl next to him would get distracted if he started focusing on her instead of him.

"Kinda a funny question, coming from you."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I mean, your Blake Belladonna."

"And?"

"Well... I guess, to me, it seems like you're so detached from everything. Whenever I've ever seen you, your head is in a book, ignoring everything around you. Like it doesn't really matter to you or something."

"... It matters. And I do pay attention. I just... multitask."

"Can I ask why you want to know?"

"... I've done a lot of things I regret. At the time, I thought my reasons were good enough. That everything I was doing was worth it, if it changed something. Now though... all I ever did was cause more pain. And nothing really changed. Nothing truly got better."

"... I'd pry more, but that seems personal, and I don't like people poking their nose where it doesn't belong."

"You never answered my question."

"Hm? Oh. Uh... No, I don't regret the things I've done. Except maybe the getting caught part. That sucked."

Blake's eyes narrowed, he was holding something back and she was debating whether to push further or not. She finally just shook her head in exasperation before picking up her own mask again, frowning in distaste. For her, a mask is what she always wore, in the bow that hid her cat-like ears from sight. She didn't relish the opportunity to wear another one. However, logic won out in the end, forcing her to accept the fact that if she didn't wear it, she was likely going to end up in jail. Or worse, given what she'd read concerning this person simply called the Old Man. Her eyes refocused as she heard the click of a gun slide, and she glanced over at Asher, who had that slightly insane grin on his face as he slid a police baton into a special holster on his belt. The look disquieted Blake, it reminded her a little too much of some of her old White Fang comrades, but she pushed the thoughts down. They had work to do. She pulled the mask over her face, or at least started to, before she felt a gloved hand stop her, the woman glancing up at Asher's look of concern.

"You don't have to do this you know. I can figure out a way to do this on my own."

"... Hm. And let you escape whenever you please? I don't think so. Besides, you'll probably just get yourself caught again."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

Blake finished pulling the mask over her head, then pulled the taser out of her bag and made sure it worked. Everything seemed to be in order. Asher took the chance to pull on his own mask, securing it into place, before taking a deep breath and double checking his gloves were securely in place. Those were his subconscious signal after all. Once those were on, and the job was under way, be confident, be cocky, be unafraid. You were the criminal. The robber. And it was your job to liberate anything of value from your target. The thoughts reminded Asher of something, and he turned to Blake one last time to make sure of one last thing.

"From now on, you're no longer Blake Belladonna. That mask means you're Death Stalker. A robber. A criminal. And you're here to rob this train."

"Does that make you King Taijitu?"

"I don't know about a king. Maybe just Taijitu?"

"If you're going to use the names of Grimm, I'd use the full name. Besides, you are leading this little job, aren't you?"

"Didn't realize it mattered that much."

"King Taijitu and Death Stalker. Can't say it's very original."

"Good thing no one asked you. There's three guards total in this car."

"I know."

"Really?"

"Like I said, I've done some things I regret."

"So you did. Let's get this party started."

At that, Asher stood, pointing the gun into the ceiling and firing. The shot halted any conversation that were being carried out, even as Blake spun out of her seat and sprinted down the aisle, taser striking the one guard that tried to stand in the chest, hand reaching for his gun. His body shook with the electric pulse, then he was down, collapsing instantly. The second guard started to stand, but Blake was in motion before he could react in any meaningful way, leg snapping up to kick him in the head and send him back into his seat. Another kick was delivered, just to ensure he was out, and then Blake's attention was on the last guard. He threw up his hands instantly, surrendering without a fight, and the cat-faunas stripped him of his weapons and tossed them out a window, doing the same for the other two as Asher started up his speech.

"Everybody remain calm and in your seats! We aren't here for your money, or your lives, or any of you at all, really. Just passing through to the cargo a few cars down. So if you'd all kindly just sit still, keep your mouths shut and leave us to our work, me and my associate there will be out of your lives before you know it. If not, well... let's try not to think about that one. Now if you'll excuse us, we have loot to plunder. Hey, Stalker, catch."

Asher tossed one of the duffel bags to Blake, who caught in and swung it over a shoulder, then he picked up the other and gestured for his companion to lead the way to the next car. The next few cars they passed through in a similar fashion to the first, Blake rushing forward to take out any guards while Asher made sure to tell the passengers to stay in their seats and avoid causing problems. They eventually reached the cargo car, and the pair halted just outside the door, taking a moment to prepare themselves. Blake frowned as her ears caught a distinct sound, one she'd heard before numerous times.

"130's."

"How'd you- Doesn't matter. Ready?"

"Yes."

Asher popped the door open, and Blake slipped inside, Gambol Shroud pulled from its place on her back and shifted into it's whip form, already hurtling through the air and impaling itself into one of the robotic defenders. The others, totaling some 17, "glanced" at their comrade, head sparking, before Blake twisted her weapon and fired, pulling it free and pulling it back to her. The AK-130's charged the girl, but Gambol Shroud was already shifting back to its blade form, and when the first of the defenders reached her, it's blades caught only empty air, an illusion left behind as she darted up and over, bring both blades down in a cross-cut and leaving the robot in four pieces. There was a pause in the melee, as if the world had slowed down around the faunas girl, then she exploded into motion, blades slashing around her and shadow-clones turning aside attacks. Asher would comment later that it was liking a single woman turn herself into an army, but for the moment, Blake was lost in the flow of combat and adrenaline. She busted through to the other side of the robots, and quickly counted three still standing, likely missed only because they were behind some of their fellows. She was about to charge back in only to hear the report of gunfire, and the last three went down. Asher stepped in from the doorway, gun barrel smoking slightly, letting out a whistle as he surveyed the damage.

"Well... can't say you aren't good at what you do."

"I try... Still, the security seems a little lacking, considering how important this sword is."

"Come on. Maybe he just doesn't know how valuable this thing is."

"I don't know. Even without the sword, there is still all the other cargo..."

"Let's just get these crates open. Sooner we get done, the sooner we can be gone."

The pair each grabbed their crowbars and set to work ripping open crates. The task took a few moments, and Blake, back turned to her partner in crime, only halted when she started hearing the clatter of metal against metal. A frown found its way onto her face, and she turned to face Asher to find him taking things that definitely weren't what they were looking for. She stared in disbelief for a moment before shaking away her surprise and interrupting his collecting.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh... My job?"

"We only came for one thing!"

"And how suspicious would it be if a couple of robbers stole only one thing? Come on. It can't hurt. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be selling em on the market or anything. You're supposed to make sure of that, right?"

"... Right..."

Asher continued tossing artifacts and objects into the duffel bag, making sure to get the flare gun out so he wouldn't have to go digging around for it later. Blake hesitated a moment, then followed suit, filling her bag with objects as well. Minutes later, Blake found a case inside one of the containers, and she hauled it out to get a better look. Asher was almost instantly at her side, and he helped her put it down on the floor and open it up to discover the blade they were looking for, runes inscribed along the metal, resting there peacefully. Asher slipped a picture of the thing out his pocket and checked them against each other, and decided it looked right. He was not expert though. They'd have to leave that to someone with more knowledge about the sword. For now, Asher replaced the blade into the case and closed it up again before zipping up his duffel bag and hoisting both onto his shoulders. Blake started to reach for her bag as well, only to hear the clanking of metal against metal and the sound of robotic systems booting up. She straightened out, instantly on alert, and the door opposite the one they came in from exploded inwards, another wave of robots charging in to confront the intruders. Blake counted almost 30 just in her quick assessment, but she spared a moment to shoot a glare at Asher, who almost instantly moaned in grief.

"I told you so."

"Yeah, score one for Death Stalker. Think you can hold them?"

"Easily."

Blake sprang into action, Gambol Shroud once again in its whip form, hurtling through the air and dismembering robots with ease. As moments passed, Blake fired her weapon, sending the whip-like blade even faster along its path. The robot security, armed only with bladed arms, could only be destroyed as they tried to reach the woman at the center of the deadly dance. Asher took the opportunity to drag all three bags outside the door, depositing them before pulling out the flare gun and firing it into the air. A minimum of five minutes till the dust plane arrived, and as much fun as Asher thought fighting off a horde of robots was, it would probably be better to retreat to the roofs of the cars. It was from there, after all, the dust plane would actually be able to pick them up. The man discarded the now useless flare gun, instead drawing the normal one and turning to face the inside of the car again.

"Death Stalker! It's time to go!"

Blake immediately broke off her assault, weapon snapping back into her hands, and she cut through a few that were in her path before sprinting for the door. The crack of gunfire was heard, and Blake watched a few of the robots hit through ground as their feeble armor gave under the attacks. By the time the faunas had reached the door, however, some of the AKs armed with machine guns were pushing past their fellows and opening fire themselves, forcing both thieves to take cover outside. Blake took a deep breath to calm herself down, while Asher muttered something about wishing he had a machine gun about now and then pointed to the passenger car opposite them.

"Get on top of that car! We'll see if we can hold out up there, and if need be we can make our way towards the front!"

"Got it!"

Blake used the access ladder to reach the roof of the passenger car, then turned back to catch the bags as Asher tossed them up. That done, the man blindly fired the remainder of his magazine into the cargo car, not really caring if he hit anything, then discarded the weapon and scrambled up the access ladder after his partner. He grabbed hold of the two duffel bags and slung them over his shoulder, grunting at the weight. He wasn't going to be moving very fast with these. Blake took the container carrying their prize, but before she could secure on her back, the unmistakable sounds of dust planes reached her more sensitive ears. She paused a moment, confused about why there would be more than one to pick up two people, only to have her mind suddenly reach a different conclusion. Her eye's snapped up, searching the skies above her, and she spotted them instantly, little dots hovering there. She couldn't make them out very well, but she tapped Asher's arm regardless, pointing to the planes.

"As- I mean, Taijitu. I think we have company."

"Company? The cops wouldn't have reacted this fast to-"

Asher turned to take a look just as the dust planes, four in total, dropped down, coming in parallel to the train, two in front, two in back. Almost instantly, both Asher and Blake tensed at the logo painted on the side of each, signaling something very bad, even as the hatches on the sides opened up and began depositing their soldier loads onto the train. As it was, Asher could only think of one thing to say about the situation, and even if Blake wasn't willing to say it herself, she had to agree it summed it up nicely.

"Fuck."

The snowflake emblem of Remnant's largest producer and distributor of dust, not to mention one of the most powerful organizations in existence, crossed from behind by twin sabers, marking them to be part of one particularly violent branch of the company.

The SDC Security Forces had just crashed the train heist.