The Schnee Dust Company Security Force, often shortened to either the SDC Security Force or the more commonly used Schnee Security, was to most citizens of Remnant either a blessing or a curse. For those who saw the company as a beneficial entity, or even a necessary evil, the men and women of the Security Force were the paragons of discipline, duty and honor. To those that feared the company, they were the epitome of that fear, bringing with them the horrors of oppression and hate. Even those that praised the company had to agree that the militant arm of the dust monopoly was incredibly aggressive and sometimes unnecessarily brutal in their methods. One of the more famous cases had group razing a small faunas living camp to the ground, all while citing that it was "infested with Grimm". The incident both cemented their willingness to serve the company's interests, and their complete disregard for the faunas, if not outright loathing, inherited from their employers. For many, it signaled the absolute power of the Schnee Dust Company, especially when it was discovered that the government had been unable to bring any of these so called "Guards" in for questioning, much less convictions.

For Blake Belladonna, they were a nightmare, bringing back memories of times far worse than now. She'd had childhood horrors about the things these people, if they could even be called that, would do to the faunas. Back then, though, she'd only been a child. Back then, she'd only been able to watch as peaceful protests were pushed aside with armed violence. Riot control, they'd called it. Uncaring violence, more like. She'd fought them during her time as a White Fang, on numerous occasions, but never on such a closed environment as a train. And never with only one other at her side, Asher barely trained in combat at all. This was not going to be easy. She considered her options, trying to come up with some plan even as her ears strained themselves, hoping against hope that she'd hear the sounds of another dust plane. She had no luck, with either of her tasks, and for a moment, she started to panic. Then she felt a hand grip her arm, and her head swiveled to meet the grey eyes of her companion, who was wearing a warm, confident smile on his face, mask pulled up to rest on his forehead.

"Ain't this great?"

"What?!"

"The thrill of the heist! I was getting a little bored, with just the robots, but now? We've got the Schnees after us, and that means we're taking the right thing after all! This is AMAZING!"

Asher, on the inside, was panicking. For him, it was the worst possible thing that could happen during a robbery. Thankfully, Slate tended to avoid the Schnee Company as much as possible, although the occasional small time bank job was performed every now and then. He'd only ever run into the militant arm of the company once, and at that only a pair of the soldiers, and he'd had Bruno there to fight them off. Later, Bruno had commented on the things he'd seen them do over the years, and even the faunas, a man Asher thought one of the most fearless people he'd ever met, shuddered in terror. That alone told him all he ever wanted to know about them. But despite all that, the training he'd received at Slate's hands stuck. Asher, for better or worse, played the part of the leader. One of the first things he'd learned from Slate was that no matter what the situation, the leader above all other's must remain calm and confident. Even if you know the situation to be hopeless, play your role till the bitter end, and maybe the path out would present itself.

"You're insane!"

"Probably! Just don't panic until I panic!"

"What happens when you panic?!"

"It's already too late, so why panic?"

Asher slid the mask back into place, then hefted the two duffel bags again. If need be, they could ditch these, but the one Blake was holding they absolutely had to keep hold of. That one was the prize this time, and it was safest with her. Still, they needed to get to the safest place possible. Options. First one, stay where they were. They'd get hit from both sides that way. Second options, go back into the room with the robots. No. They would tire, and still get hit from both sides. Third option... attack? If they could break through one of the teams, then maybe they'd be able to buy enough time for their escape to arrive. A quick recap, and Asher decided that was the only option. At least, the only one he could see. He already knew he'd be relying heavily on Blake for this one. Maybe he could argue old Ozzy into giving her a week off or something. For now, they needed to start moving.

"Alright! I got a plan!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We need to attack one of the groups! And before you say it, yes, I know, I'm counting on you a little too much for this one, but I'll help when I can!"

"Which is to say, none at all."

Blake felt herself calming down, frayed nerves settling. Maybe it was because Asher seemed so confident about the whole thing, but somehow, the situation didn't seem so worrying anymore. She made sure the container and its contents were secure on her back, then stood and readied Gambol Shroud. She would lead the charge if need be. Blake was quickly cut off, however, as Asher started forward ahead of her, heading towards the rear of the train. She blinked in surprise, then hurried to catch up to him. He couldn't fight half-trained hunters, what was he going to do against highly trained professionals? She quickly got her answer. He leaped the gap between the train cars and continued on, sticking to the rooftops to hopefully avoid the enemy. Blake followed quickly behind, but their luck ran out quickly as they leaped the second gap they'd reached. The sudden gust of wind threatened to throw the pair off balance, and Blake glanced to her left to spot one of the Schnee Dust planes, side opened up to reveal another soldier, rifle aimed at them and loudspeakers blaring.

"HALT! YOU ARE CURRENTLY VIOLATING THE LAW! PLACE ALL BAGS AND WEAPONS ON THE GROUND, LAY ON YOUR STOMACHS AND PLACE YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS!"

Blake glanced at Asher, and her companion just shrugged. Blake took that as a sign to do what she thought necessary, and Gambol Shroud was suddenly hurtling through the air, pistol end slamming into the man's face and sending him toppling to the ground, rifle firing off into the man's own plane. The aircraft wobbled in mid air as its pilot nearly lost control in surprise, but it had bought the pair enough time to drop to the doorway of the next cargo car and kick it in, slipping inside to avoid the dust planes and running headfirst into the rear squad of security forces, who were making their way towards the front, probably to grab the very thing that Blake was carrying. There was a lull as everyone blinked in surprise, and then the security forces reacted, bringing weapons to bear, even as Blake kicked Asher into cover behind a crate and threw herself into the air, leaving a clone in her wake to confuse the men. They fired into the clone as it dissipated instantly under the hail of gunfire. Then Blake was among them, Gambol Shroud switching to blade form, slashing at everyone around her, scoring some hits before they reacted and the rifles shifted form as well, turning into simple longswords. That was fine for the black-haired huntress. If it was a melee they wanted, it was a melee they'd get.

Unfortunately for Blake, these were not automated robots but trained soldiers, and they quickly worked to surround her with their superior numbers. Unlike her, however, they didn't have a semblance to aid them, and the cat faunas was soon darting everywhere, leaving clones in her wake to further confuse the enemy as she worked to fight them off. She had mixed success, getting in a few good hits and knocking two of the soldiers out of the fight before a lucky swing caught the strap on the sword case and sent the thing skittering across the floor. As luck would have it, the case fell open, revealing the blade within, and one of the soldiers spotted it and made a mad dash for it. Blake couldn't let him get his hands on it, and Gambol Shroud was hurled through the air, catching the man by the leg before she dragged him through the air to slam painfully into the ceiling. This left her exposed, however, and she felt a longsword graze her stomach as she suddenly lost concentration in her defense. Her acrobatic maneuvers faltered, and the soldiers closed in for the kill, certain they'd caught her. They'd forgotten about her partner, however.

"Hey buddy! Catch!"

The soldiers seemed to turn as one, and the one closest to the sudden exclamation let go of his weapon to catch the large duffel bag that had been thrown at him. As second later, and the man was down for the count, a police baton meeting his face with enough force to break the man's jaw. Asher brought his weapon back up in case another blow was needed, but upon seeing the man just laying there, he relaxed slightly. He hadn't actually expected that to work. Another soldier rushed him however, and the robber was quickly put on the defensive, trained sword techniques barely held off by a combination of an aura defense and desperate blocking. The damage was done to the securities assured victory however. The slight pause let Blake get back her concentration, and she launched into another series of attacks, her weapon hurtling through the air as she once again sped the thing through gratuitous use of gunfire. The four she still had fighting her settled into their own rhythm however, working in tandem to fend off her mid-range attacks. Unknowingly, Blake quickly found herself in the same position as another faunas Asher worked with regularly, eyes darting constantly between her own fight and Asher's.

And just like then, Asher's defenses were insufficient to the challenge. The enemy quickly pushed through his feeble guards and within only a few moves had him on the ground. Asher's face met the cold steel floor, and then the soldier delivered a solid punch to the criminal's stomach, and Blake flinched visibly at the sound of it. The soldier was quick to force the young man's arms behind his back and wrench them back, forcing him up and onto his knees. Blake desperately searched for an opening in her opponent's combined defense, but none presented itself. It was only made worse when the soldier holding her companion hostage pressed a gun to Asher's head as he faced her, cruel eyes shining and smirk bearing every ounce of ill will it possibly could have.

"Put the weapon down and cease fighting! Or perhaps you'd prefer he die?"

Blake's attacks halted, and Gambol Shroud snapped back into her hands, her body tense as she felt a struggle grow in her soldier's surrounding her backed off slightly, weapons switching to rifle form as they trained on her, ready to fire if she made a move. Moments passed, and then Blake tossed her weapon away and kneeled. They'd lost this one, and more than likely, once they removed her mask, they'd realize what she was and kill her on the spot. But it was her only option. If she could buy just a little more time, maybe she could somehow find a way out. There had to be a way.

One of the soldiers came forward cautiously, inching towards her as he got closer, before he grabbed her hands and shoved her to the ground, knee at the base of her neck to keep control of her. Asher was similarly dealt with, the soldier at holding him at gun point simply shoving him onto his stomach before dropping his knee into the boy's neck. The remaining three others woke their comrades and began collecting the bags and weapons scattered about. The one holding Asher, who was quickly identifying himself as the leader, radioed his comrades further towards the front, asking for directions. A moment passed before they were instructed to bring the sword to the forward team, who apparently had an expert with them. The leader quickly directed four of his men to escort the prize, and as they left with blade, he grabbed Asher and forced him over to Blake, where he had two of his subordinates take hold of the two teens and force them to their knees.

"You know, when I got told about this job, I didn't expect a couple of robbers to beat us to the punch. Still, you did us a favor. Now we can look like the good guys, recovering a lost relic of the old days from the criminals that murdered the entire train and tried to make off with the cargo."

Blake's eyes widened in shock, while Asher tried to give the man a cocky grin. It didn't come out right when you were sporting a large welt on the side of your face and you could barely breath because of the pain in your stomach. Still, Asher forced himself to at least try to keep up the act. Getting shot execution style was not how he wanted to die. Especially not during an admittedly failed job.

"H-Hey! No reason to kill us, right? Not like we plan on talking to anyone about failing."

"Sorry, little man. But we just couldn't have a pair of cold-blooded murderers on the loose, now could we? Just have to wait for the word to start, and then we say our goodbyes."

The following silence was thick with blood lust and fear. Even Asher felt his mask of confidence, something he took pride in maintaining, begin to crack, and Blake, though appearing stoic, was subtly trembling. Soon, the radio buzzed to life again, saying they'd confirmed the package, and the team leader readied his pistol, placing it against Blake's head first. Before he could pull the trigger, however, an explosion from outside rocked the train car and grabbed his attention. The pistol was pulled away as he turned to one of his men, telling him to get outside and check while he radioed in. The man started to make his way towards the door, but Asher, noticing his own guard had done lax, stood and snapped his head back, shoving his skull into his captor's nose. The soldier stumbled back in pain and surprise, but Asher ignored him, instead diving sideways and tackling the second guard, freeing Blake. The woman was frozen for a moment, her surprise evident, then she was moving, leaping into the air and dropping on top of the stunned soldier, wrapping her legs around his neck and tightening her grip till she felt his body pitch forward. She rolled with him and onto her feet, ready to spring to Asher's aid, but he'd taken his opponent down just as quickly, driving his now bloody fist into the soldier's face until he'd stopped moving. The whole episode had happened in mere moments, and the team leader turned to stare at them for a second before his pistol came up and he started shouting.

"WEAPONS FREE!"

Blake grabbed Asher and threw them both behind a few crates, bullets bouncing off the ground where'd they been not moments before. They stayed huddled there for a moment, rounds getting fired at them, before Blake took the small opportunity to check over her companion. His face, and most likely his arms as well, were covered in bruises. Checking the back of his head, the girl found blood already seeping from a small gash located among his hair, and of course his fist had a number of cuts along his knuckles. But regardless of the damage, Asher seemed unconcerned.

"We've got bigger things to worry about."

"If you say so. Still, you're in no condition to be fighting anymore."

"What do you mean 'fighting anymore'? We need to find a way out of he-"

"ALL FORCES, RETREAT TO THE FRONT OF THE TRAIN! REPEAT, ALL FORCES RETREAT TO THE FRONT OF THE TRAIN! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK FROM AN UNIDENTIFIED DUST PLANE!"

The radio on the leader crackled to life, and the gunfire stopped before they heard the sound of footsteps on metal and then nothing. They stayed down a moment more, then Blake stood slowly, peeking over their hiding spot to find no one present except the two downed guards. For a moment, she was in disbelief, then another explosion rocked the train cars and she slipped from the hiding spot over to her guard, retrieving Gambol Shroud from his unconscious body. She felt better with the weapon in her hands, but she couldn't bring herself to relax. Not with all those people in danger in the passenger cars. Blake started towards the door, ready and willing to throw herself back into the fight, only to feel a hand grab hold of her arm and halt her progress forward. She turned angrily, ready to punch Asher, only to come face to face with his unmasked face.

"We can't, Stalker."

"Let me GO, Asher! I have to do something! We can't just let them die!"

"It wouldn't do any good and you know it! We have to leave them!"

The words struck her speechless, despite everything that had been said about him, Blake never thought Asher would actually say something like that. But when her eyes found his expression, she could see the pain, just as bad as her's. He didn't like the situation any more than she did, but he wasn't letting it get to him as much. Maybe she was only be hit this hard because of her own past, because of some of the things she'd done. Part of her felt ashamed, she was always the one to look at the situation logically. And logically, if they died here, more than likely she'd only make matters worse. Especially given her heritage. Leaving now would ensure that she had the opportunity later strike back at these horrible people. That alone would have to be enough this time.

"Let me go, Taijitu."

"Not until I'm sure you understand."

"I get it. I do. Just... let's get out of here."

Asher examined her for a moment, then released Blake's arm and took a hasty step back. She dusted herself off, then led the way to the door and climbed up to the roof. Asher followed behind, and when they were both on top of the train car, they spotted the other, unmarked dust plane. A flash of red light exploded out of the open side, then the pair saw a ball of fire shoot into the train, rocking the cars again. Then, as if noticing them, the dust plane slowed and brought itself in line with their car, revealing Glynda Goodwitch, looking as disapproving as ever. Still, once the two students were on board and had rested a few minutes, the professor came forward, needing answers.

"What happened?"

"We found it. Then the Schnee guys showed up. They took it. Almost killed us. Did kill all the civilians on the train..."

The silence that followed seemed to weigh heavily on the two teenagers, and Glynda, for a moment, broke her facade of stern teacher and briefly considered comforting them in some way. But the idea was discarded quickly, what they needed now was time to come to terms with what had happened. She left them alone, heading up to the cockpit with the pilot to give the two space. Blake, as soon as her teacher was out of sight, began to sob openly, uncaring of who else might see her. Everything she'd done as a member of the White Fang hadn't been as brutal as outright murder. Sure, she'd helped destroy factories, steal dust shipments, even the occasional kidnapping. But she'd never outright massacred people, and it was because the White Fang were getting more and more violent that she'd left. Faced with something like this. Asher could only watch as she cried, unused to having to deal with other people's emotions. He considered treating her like he would his sister, all those years ago, but he pulled away from the thought. His sister was one person, who had probably changed in the years since he'd left. Besides, he assumed Blake wouldn't much like him ruffling her hair or giving her a hug. So he simply sat in silence, the girl's sobs eating at his conscience, even though he could barely hear them over the roar of the engines.

The news was filled with stories of the blood filled train the next day. The government had been quick to take control of the situation, but someone, somewhere had leaked pictures to the media, and that was all it took. The fuzzy images, while hard to make out, did give the public everything they needed to start getting antsy. The first few showed the hazy image of a pair, wearing masks made to look like the bony armor of the Grimm. The others all showed the aftermath. Destroyed AK-130's, ransacked cargo, and the civilians, brutally murdered and left to rot inside the passenger cars. Questions were raised as to what the government was doing to catch the criminals, but the police kept their mouths shut. There were higher powers at work, now, and the government wasn't about to reveal everything it knew. Not when the most powerful company in the world had supposedly uncovered the mess.

All this, of course, was old news to a certain Head of Security. Normally, the man might have even been pleased with the outcome. This particular day, however, he was very unhappy. Not only had his men allowed two people, the criminals in question even, escape, but while they had brought back a sword, it wasn't the right one. An extremely good replica, perhaps, but not the right one. He'd been sorely tempted to shoot his expert and find a new one, but he doubted that would have changed the answer. Someone had anticipated the robbery, and had placed a decoy because of it. There was only one man in a position to do that. Remnant's most elusive Black Market dealer. And now, the Schnee Dust Company would be hunting for him.

There would be no place on Remnant safe enough for the Old Man.

The news was taken an entirely different way for a certain pair of robbers, hiding away in a rundown apartment complex within Vale's more unsavory districts. Yeah, the murdering had been horrifying, but they knew that the criminals hadn't done it. In particular, one of them wouldn't have done it, and that was the one they were most interested in.

"See the way he moves. Cocky bastard when he's in character."

"I'm not blind, Bruno. I can see that's him just as much as you can."

"Honestly didn't expect them to use him, though. Wouldn't be the first move I'd make. Still, Slate'll be pleased."

"He was right though. Asher is the only one they have with the experience. And I wouldn't trust any old criminal off the street."

"Yeah, but there's no way to contact him now. They found your little trick after all, Ianthe. Even the boss isn't sure how we're going to work this one."

"Bruno, Bruno, Bruno. You just have to know where to look. Yeah, they have our faces. But they don't have Slate's. And there's this lovely little party coming up in a few months that's held every year at Beacon Academy..."

Bruno frowned in thought a moment, then a smile found it's way onto his face. The Remembrance Day Ball. A student affair, really, although there were always a few outsiders invited to the occasion. That could work. That could work really, really well. And if they did it right...

"I'll go talk to Slate. He's gonna love this."

"Why do you think I thought of it?"