A day after Vastano had seen Persinette's stepmother take her out of the military academy, he didn't even wait. The first thing he did was to find her and today, he stood in front of the apartment building three blocks east of the academy. The paratrooper officer tightened his grip on his coat with the snowfall allowing him to be covered in snow. His helmet included.

After he breathed out the warm hair inside of his body, he took the chance to knock on the door. With three taps, his gloved hands clamped together to keep them from freezing.

Immediately, the door swung open, only for Captain Vastano to find Persinette's stepmother in the way. "What you doing here?" She demanded. "Come, get inside before someone sees us."

When he stepped through the doorway and found himself in the warm comforts of the home, he looked around to find the home much more enjoyable. However, he was brought to reality when the stepmother snapped her fingers. "Mrs. Jackson, I was hoping I could ask what the danger could be." He began.

"I'm sorry, captain. If you really want to help, I suggest you stay away from my family." Mrs. Jackson replied. "It is too dangerous for you to be caught up in this mess."

The captain crossed his arms. "With all due respect, you suddenly just yank my friend out of school for no apparent reason other than, she was in danger excuse. Mind if I ask, what kind of danger are you dealing with?"

The mother immediately shook her head. "You do not understand what you are getting yourself into." She explained. "Even if I told you, you couldn't even help us, because the people I am fighting against are not exactly normal."

Johnny Vastano chuckled at the warning. "Ma'am, I am part of a circle of friends who are not normal to begin with. Please, as Persinette and Jackson's friend, I wish to help."

Her face expressed a display of surprise. "You knew my husband?" She questioned.

He acknowledged with a nod. "Yes ma'am, he was my mentor in Able Company." Answered Vastano. "My men and I didn't know he had you and Perse, but at this point his family is ours. One way or another, I am going to pester you."

The blue-haired woman smiled. "I admire your willingness to help a widow and her daughter, but I am serious." After the last word, her smile disappeared. "You cannot be found with me, this is for my own safety. I will not let you get hurt if you get in my business."

Thus, the confrontation began. "Mrs. Jackson, your husband and I were sent behind enemy lines, with a slight chance to die, only to be surrounded by a very hostile army while under fire." Johnny explained to the stepmother. "I have my fair share of danger, in fact it is the reason why I am in this uniform."

"Look, I don't have time to explain."

"I just finished a war, I have plenty of time on my hands."

"Captain-" Before Mrs. Jackson could continue, they both turned their heads to the staircase on the other side of the entrance hall.

Persinette was well-dressed in her coat and had every single necessity to stay warm on the cold climate of Atlas. However, her face was filled with a cold stare. "Johnny?" She spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"Perse, I was just about to ask our guest to leave." Her mother explained.

After she arrived at the base of the stairs, Persinette confronted her. "Mom, I know you are trying to protect me, but he's a friend."

"I understand that, but right now I don't want him caught up in my mess." Suddenly, there was knocking on the door. "Who could that be?" Mrs. Jackson wondered as Vastano turned to the door and unlocked the door knob.

However, the paratrooper officer immediately recognized the person standing in the doorway. "Captain Argall, what the hell are you doing here?" The Chicago-American asked.

The British officer warmed his hands before he replied. "Lad, I followed your jeep after you said you would only take it out for fifteen minutes. Knowing you Yanks, I am not surprised to find that there was a girl involved."

There was an immediate cry from Persinette. "Hey, what the fuck does that mean?"

"Captain Vastano, I suggest you report back. Some of your superiors want a full recollection of events about your disappearance." Argall stated.

Vastano raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why?"

"I don't know, but if you don't get there you might be written off as absence without leave." He explained. "However, you are coming with me."

"Okay, I have to get going in a bit." He said to the British officer. "I just came to say hi."

Bill Edwards walked throughout the courtyard as his boots crushed the snow. While his hand dug deep into his pockets, he looked around to see the construction workers trying to repair the damage from the attack of the White Fang. He walked underneath a scaffold as the sounds of drills and machinery became music to his ears.

After he walked past the archway, he looked to his right to see a small specks of blood on the ground. "Strange." He whispered to himself. Yet, his eyes followed the trail, only to see it lead into the janitor's closet. However, a sense of suspicion entered his mind as there was one teenage boy standing in front of it. "I better check it out."

The company commander followed the trail of blood as he left the snowing storm and into the safety of the buildings.

As he made his way towards the closet, he saw that the boy noticed his presence. Yet, he merely presented himself as if Edwards was a general coming into the hallway for inspection. Oddly enough, he noticed the teenager knock his hand onto the door of the closet.

Years of experience at West Point was enough for the captain to deduce what was going on. At the time, he was a student. No longer did that apply to this very moment. "Cadet, what reason do you have for standing in front of the janitor's closet?" Edwards began.

The young man shrugged his shoulder. "I just like standing here." The teenager replied. "Why are you here? You don't go here."

"No I don't." Edwards answered. "Though I do wonder why you're here. Unless you happen to be on community service, you should be finding something better to do."

The brown-haired teenager nodded his head. "You must be one of those soldiers from another world? What are you doing here?"

"A friend used to go here, but no longer."

Immediately, a painful cry roared on the other side of the door.

Then Captain Edwards confronted the boy a few years younger than him. "What is going on?"

The young man shook his head. "There isn't anything wrong here, sir."

Yet, the evidence behind his back said otherwise. A demanding voice cried out from the other side. "Quiet down, bitch!"

The only course of action he had not exhausted had now presented an opportunity for him. "Bullshit." Bill replied as he shoved the teenager aside and kicked the door open. Then he heard a girl cry out of surprise as the captain of Baker Company scanned the entire room, only to see a largely-built man that was around his same age. However, he was met with the eyes of a familiar bunny girl sitting in the corner of the closet… with tears in her eyes and blood on her bunny ears. "Velvet?"

The blonde and muscular student turned away from the faunus girl and began to tackle the captain to the ground. "Raldo, what did I tell you? Don't bring attention to yourself. Now I have to shut this guy up." Before Edwards could make a move, a tight grip had pressed his neck against the ground as he tried to gasp for air.

As the captain's life was against the wall, his eyes almost succumbed to the pain. Yet, sheer will allowed him to scream in agony.

Suddenly, his attacker looked up from the eyes of the captain, only to hear the accents of New Yorkers. "Wait-is that Edwards?" Bill heard from one of the men. "You there! Get your hands off the captain, now!"

Captain Edwards nodded up, only to see five cavalry riflemen with their weapons drawn as they aimed at his assailant. When the iron grip was released, his throat gasped for air as his body immediately regained some of his strength back.

When the assailant backed away from the fallen captain, one of the cavalry riflemen intimidated the cadet to stand aside the uniformed teenager. Then Bill rose from the ground as he bypassed the two academy students with his attention went to the care of the victim of their hands.

One of the riflemen made a question. "Sir, what do you want to do with these two?"

Realizing this was out of his hands, Edwards looked over his shoulder. "Keep those two there, I'll see to it that I inform General Ironwood of the situation." Then Bill came to the same level of the curling bunny girl as he noticed the damage already done. "Velvet, are you alright?" He asked.

After the girl's eyes were finally away from her arms, she met his gaze before she grabbed her left bunny ear. Then Edward's gave a different and sympathetic expression when he saw a nail drilled into the ear. "They… they nailed my ears."

An immediate scoff escaped from one of the bullies. "She's a fucking faunus and not long ago they attacked the academy. Her kind deserve this kind of punishment for the shit they pulled off at Beacon and Atlas." However, the following response irked him. "Faunus sympathizer."

"I'll see to it that your ears get fixed up, Velvet. I promise you that." Then he rose from her level and confronted the cadet face to face. "So you justify this by putting a goddamn nail in her ears?" Edwards demanded, but his only intimidation method was met with a grin.

"There has to be a reason to put animals on display. Those bunny ears would fit alongside those antlers." The unknown assailant replied.

"You think that is funny?"

There was a chuckle and Edwards joined in for a different reason.

Suddenly, a fist was coming from the captain.

To be put in the position of a politician made Colonel Strudwick to be very angry. While the Soviet officer from Stavka remained in the home camp, he was on his own to meet the Council of Remnant.

The colonel stood in front of two doors as he tapped the marble floor with his cane. However, he had to adjust his officer cap for this formal occasion. "I would feel better if Captain Argall was here to accompany me." He began.

Yet, the British officer was not alone in this endeavor. "You fret too much, Colonel Strudwick."

Looking over his right shoulder, Strudwick noted Doctor Sauer's scientist appearance with his labcoat over most of his clothes. "Tell me, Sauer, I understand I requested you here, but we can handle the matters of my current objective at another time."

"True, but I would like to forward this very important information to you before you meet with the Council."

"Really, do tell?" Requested the colonel.

Sauer answered. "My… creatures have notified me that enemy was responsible behind the attack of Atlas Academy in order to draw out the Winter Maiden."

"Pardon me, but who is this Winter Maiden you speak of?"

"I will explain this after your meeting with the Council. Do not worry, I will explain this to you."

Suddenly, the main doors opened as Colonel Strudwick entered the room, only to find two people standing in front of a large computer screen. The first man he immediately recognized as the second man was quite familiar. "General Ironwood, it is a surprise to find a man such as yourself to be here."

The Atlas general gave his hand out in acknowledgement. "I am one of the members of the Council." After both men shook hands, they turned their attention to the second person in the room. "This is Mr. Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company."

When the colonel brought his hand out to the business man, Mr. Schnee's expression seemed to be hidden underneath that mustache of his. "It is quite an honor to meet a man from another world."

After the two men shook hands, the colonel smiled. "Likewise, Mr. Schnee." Colonel Strudwick replied.

"Gentlemen." General Ironwood began. "Let us commence our meeting with the Council."

Immediately, the three men turned their eyes towards the screen as it flashed to life. The display showed two figures, who were kept in the shadows, as the only showed object on the screen was a wooden table. Their voices were distorted as they began to speak up. It was difficult to tell which one was speaking, but Strudwick noticed movement on one shadow figure on the left. "You must be Colonel Strudwick." He began. "General Ironwood has spoken highly of you."

The colonel didn't give them the satisfaction of his true thoughts about them. "I see that the general has discussed some mention of me."

"Of course, but the issue at hand is whether we should trust you." Replied the stranger. "I don't understand how everyone works in your world, but Remnant is different and I find it difficult to believe you came here with peaceful intentions."

Strudwick raised an eyebrow. "You believe I came here with the intention of invasion."

The second stranger in the display gave his reasoning. "Yes, one does not simply bring an entire army and establish a military base for no reason. I understand there was a war recently waged based upon Ironwood's report about the situation."

Then the Atlesian general stepped in. "Yes, I sent you my report. However, it is safe to say that the Allies actually have an agenda which perfectly summarizes their need to use military force."

Mr. Schnee spoke up. "Really, it's hard to trust a man who works for an intelligence agency."

A sigh was all that escaped the colonel's lips. "Gentlemen, I have participated in a major conflict. However, the war I have been fighting in has come to a close. I can assure all of you, we have no intention of declaring war upon another nation in another world. The destruction of an entire continent is enough for old soldiers like myself and the lads are itching to go home and receive a victory parade in their home towns." Then he cleared his throat. "Yet, there is one problem which is preventing us from celebration a problem which originates in Remnant."

"A problem from our world affecting yours, preposterous." Commented the businessman. "Colonel, I understand that you are a veteran of a couple wars, but to say Remnant is a problem would only end in trouble for you."

He shook his head. "I have discussed this matter with the Americans and the Soviets, allies of the British Intelligence, and we have a problem which I hope this council can help with."

"Do tell." Requested one of the council members hidden in the dark. "Please tell me what problem you face."

"This is where our interests align, but someone is sending the Grimm our way… and they're the same people responsible for your fall of Beacon."

Two of the hidden council members scoffed at his revelation. "Pardon me, but why should I trust your word? You're a stranger getting into our affairs."

"True, but think of the benefits if you do help us handle this problem. The Office of Strategic Services is set in a world where monsters do not exist until now. Unlike Remnant, we have world-wide access to our resources whereas your countries are forced to be restricted into kingdoms in order to survive." The colonel explained. "Considering the exhaustion of the recent conflict, we might show gratitude to Remnant in the form of raw resources."

"What are you suggesting?" Questioned General Ironwood.

"A reward, general." Colonel Strudwick answered. "In some ways, a cultural exchange between two worlds."