Chapter 51, marking the beginning of the end. *Evil laugh*

Dragonslasher20: hey, welcome back! Good to see you're still with us.

A Flying Tomato: I love chaos. And it will get much, much worse :)

Tuutje07: I would love to work with Roosterteeth on things like plot, writing and dialogues. Thanks for the compliments :3

"To anyone who finds this…this is Doctor Azure, previously employed with Onyx's special weapon program, code-named ACE. I have done what only few scientists have done before and defected from this…this layer upon layer of complexes and madness. I don't think I'll last very long…someone's bound to find me here in Vale. So this…this is for the record.

I couldn't handle the scale. The sheer scale with which we worked…nobody knows it, but this group has been around since…since forever. The dark ages…the Grimm wars. They were there when Dust was discovered…they were there when the traditions were founded and mankind started winning. They have always been there…and they will always be here. You see, it's not a group of people. It's not an organization with funding. It's so much more…Onyx is a system. A cycle. It comes and goes every few decades to…to sweep and clean up. It leaves no traces, leaves no witnesses. Whenever things escalate…they clean up and disappear. They wiped out everything on the Northern continent to prevent the Grimm from overrunning the coastal cities and the other Kingdoms…it is the reason why nobody has ever heard of us. Them. I still need to get used to this.

The things I've done…I know I am going to pay for it. Perhaps in the afterlife, bit certainly with my current life. Or what's left of it. I am not sure if it is possible, but I think I paid with my soul for the things I have done. For the lives I have ruined…the pain I have caused. Sometimes I think I see them…glaring at me. Blaming me. And they are right. Greene is convinced that we did right…that we worked to safe mankind again each passing day. But I see the children we twisted and damaged and damned for our purposes. I see the haunted looks in my colleagues working with the Catalyst Program. I know what went on there. I know what IS going on there. The inhuman things we do…I will end up paying for it all. Because I never did a thing. I never helped…never TRIED to help. In a way, that makes me as much a monster as it has made Greene one. When I see the results of normal individuals wearing the suits…and I see the results of the Catalyst-implanted ones…I can't help but feel like the Grimm aren't the monsters.

I have considered taking my own life. I certainly have the means…the motivation…but I didn't. I have yet to fully take responsibility for my role in Vale's misfortune. I have let so many things happen…I have let so many things gone by unnoticed…I have to do something worthwhile. For once, I need to help someone. And I think I know how. Vale is the home of quiet a few individuals wronged by Onyx. And a few of them…I think I can ask Yale for help. He has the motivation as well. Love redeems, they say. And nothing hurts more than an unanswered love, lost without warning. If he can help the daughters even the slightest bit…it won't have been for nothing.

Ruby weakly moaned and opened her eyes, as slowly as she could muster. The light…it was so bright…too bright. Where was she? What was going on? Her head felt like it had been stepped on by a Grimm…

Grimm. The battle. Vale!

She shot upright and felt a stab of pain run down her abdomen. It was short but fierce, and she immediately dropped back down, whimpering quietly. There was something soft underneath her back and a warm pillow underneath her head, which felt heavier than it should. Were her friends safe? Was she safe?

"Ruby," a familiar and very, very welcome voice sounded. "Easy. Be careful!"

"Weiss?" she replied, trying to blink the blurriness away. "Where are you? I can't see-" She felt a soft hand caress her cheek and she sighed, content. Weiss…very, very much safe. "Is everyone alright?"

"Depends on what you mean with alright," Weiss replied. "Nobody died, but…"

Despite the injuries that she must have gained during the fighting, Ruby still pushed herself upright. She couldn't see her Heiress yet and her body still felt too heavy and warm to work, but she was getting there. She could already feel the hesitation in her partner's voice. "What do you mean?"

Slowly, her vision returned and she was able to make out where she was. There were bright windows and white walls and cozy beds –along with lots of equipment like heartbeat-monitors, IV drips and other stuff. Medical stuff. She could see someone lying in the bed opposite of her, and there were two boys standing next to it. Dove and Sky; team CRDL.

Ruby looked around, trying to find out what Weiss meant. "Weiss, what do you mean?" She could see Yang standing next to a bed and Blake sitting on the edge of hers, so everyone from her team was alright. Thank goodness. But team JNPR wasn't around, and she couldn't see team LACG. "What happened?"

"Ruby! You're awake, finally!" her sister then exclaimed, before proceeding to exorcise her of all the precious oxygen left in her young lungs. She grunted and kicked with her legs, silently praying that her ribs would hold under the punishing embrace of her sister. Yang's bare skin felt blisteringly hot against hers, nearly uncomfortably so. "Yes…love you too…please mercy…"

Finally Yang let go of her, immediately returning to the bed she had been keeping watch over. What had happened? Why were they here?

Wait…they had fought a terrible battle. Lured a massive Grimm towards the harbor, where Onyx had blown it up with a massive bomb. "Why are we at the sickbay? What happened?"

Blake was sitting cross-legged at her feet, a worried expression on her tired face. "We fell back to the east, away from the site of the explosion. A building collapsed right on top of us and you were…hit in the back of your head with a piece of rock." She paused and looked away. "Your Aura saved your life."

Wow. So that was why there was a perfectly-round gap in her memory; she had been knocked out. Again. That couldn't be healthy. "So that's why my head feels like it recently exploded."

"That's not something to joke about," Weiss sternly said. She sat by the right side of Ruby's bed with one leg folded over the other, her clothes damaged in multiple places. "Unconsciousness caused by blunt trauma can cause concussions, you know? They should check your head up as well!"

"Would you relax," Yang said with a shrug. She seemed the most relaxed of them all. "I have walked around with minor concussions as well. It's no big deal."

"But not everybody is you," Blake replied with the patience of a mother addressing her child. "Most of us can't walk properly with a concussion."

"So what happened to the mental Grimm? The big one…Tormentor? And where are JNPR and LACG?"

"LACG here," a male voice answered her question. "LACG wounded."

"Shrapnel!"

"Yes Lisa, you have shrapnel."

Ruby chuckled. She'd get to that later. "And Jaune's team?"

"They got lucky," Yang said. "They didn't get wounded enough to get send here. Probably didn't work as hard…"

Ruby was starting to remember more and more of the fight. Team CFVY falling, the Juggernaut appearing and the Tormentor fighting…Onyx and Ash and Frost. "So Jaune's team is alright? What about our Onyx friends? Cal, Ash and Lily?"

She saw Blake and Weiss exchanging a dark look. Yang didn't miss it either.

"What is going?" Ruby the asked, narrowing her eyes. "Who got hurt?"

Yang didn't meet her eyes, which was the first sign of trouble. She didn't move away from the side of the bed, as if there was something very important in there. Ruby couldn't see what. "Ehm…CFVY got badly hurt…Coco had some sort of seizure, Fox has a damaged spine and Velvet is really upset. Cal's staying with her right now." She paused, looking at the two boys of team CRDL. "Russel got a broken arm and Cardin has multiple fractures in his leg."

"Wait, how did that happen?"

"Grimm ambushed us," Dove quietly said. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and he too didn't meet anyone's eyes. "Russel found out first…but these things were wrong man. They did things that Beowolves shouldn't be capable of. Like kicking and using weapons."

Sky sighed. "We took special care to stick together, 'cause…we just stuck together. But that wasn't enough. There were just so many of them…"

"The Grimm had a leader," Blake replied. Her resentment towards team CRDL seemed to have disappeared rather suddenly…but that wasn't so strange, considering recent events. Ruby did wonder why the boys from CRDL had these haunted expressions on their faces...what had they gone through in the past few days? Something that had been sufficiently terrible to make them…well, like this. Silent, shocked and more humble. "It gave them directions."

Ruby nodded. "Lisa? Are you…alright?"

She couldn't hear what the other team was saying very well, as there were curtains closed around their beds, but at the very least they replied. Somewhat. "Sometimes, explosives don't work. Sometimes they blow apart a brick wall in your face, right Lisa?"

"Go screw yourself."

"What happened?" Sky asked.

"Shrapnel! It's here and there, it's everywhere!"

Ít was silent for a few seconds, before Alessa said, "Let's just leave it at that."

"So nobody died?" Ruby then verified. Speaking about haunted expressions and terrible things, she was missing someone important. "Where is Will? I've got some stories to tell him."

This time, there was absolutely no mistaking it. Weiss and Blake both looked at Yang, who went staring at the floor in utter silence. What had happened?

"Well…while you were sleeping," Weiss tentatively explained, "Professors Adamant and Oobleck had to do a…very thorough…brain-scan on Coco and him. The Tormentor was really thorough."

Alarm shot through Ruby and she threw her legs out of the bed. Weiss cried out in alarm and grabbed her by her shoulders, but she was just a bit too late. Ruby saw the section where Coco and Fox had to lie, blocked by the same curtains that barred team LACG off. She also saw a pale, scarred face sticking out above a bundle of sheets, just a few inches away from the spot Yang was guarding.

The next moment, both Blake as Weiss pounced on her and dragged her back to her bed, ignoring her frantic cries and pleads of revenge.

"I'm fine! Really! I just need to know what happened!"

"You are not fine!" Weiss told her in a strict manner, pointing a finger at her. "Nobody is! It's been hours since the battle –the VPD is still picking up wounded!"

"They found him lying in a side-alley," Yang said, affectionately ruffling his hair. She looked at him with a sort of longing on her face, but it could also be melancholy. Or worry. Ruby wasn't too sure. "Torn clothes, few wounds. It must have been the Tormentor."

"How would you know?" Sky carefully asked, as if he wasn't sure whether to keep his mouth shut or not. "If it was the Tormentor I mean."

"You clearly don't know him," Weiss than sneered. "That's about the only thing that can take him down."

"But why a brain-scan?" Ruby frantically demanded. "Why won't they wake up?"

"Professor Adamant said they will both wake up after about twenty hours," Dove quietly said. Upon being faced by Ruby's curious expression, he quickly added, "But so he thinks."

Ruby groaned and let herself fall back into her bed. She felt terrible. "Great…our friends are wounded or worse and the entire commercial district is ruined…"

"Actually, most of Vale has been leveled," Blake corrected her with an apologizing smile. "Onyx had to go real far to take out the Juggernaut…but the people got evacuated!" she quickly added upon seeing her pained expression. "And the death-toll wasn't as high as expected…"

"How about Torchwick?" Ruby then asked, glancing at the unconscious Cardin and Russel. There was something off about team CRDL as a whole, but she couldn't quite see just what it was. "Did they at least capture him?"

"Atlas did," Weiss proudly replied. "They found him after the dust had settled. Onyx teams were wiping the remaining Grimm. Vale is…officially ours. Again."

"Man, you've got to admit that those guys got timing," Yang said with a voice that was just a bit too cheerful to be honest. "Showing up with battleships of all things. Guess even the Juggernaut can't survive them, right?"

"They gave that thing a name already?" Dove asked, looking shocked.

"Actually, we kind of encountered one before," Ruby said with narrowed eyes, staring at the CRDL's. Something was off…wait, that was it! "Mud!"

The boys blinked. "Excuse me?" Sky said.

"You're covered in mud. Lots of mud. Where did you guys come from?" Ruby didn't want to address the fact that the all-boy team was being more polite and courteous than they had ever been before –she might scare it away.

Dove grunted and rubbed his elbow. "Sergeant-Professor Johnson took us the…the plains between Luna and Arcadia."

Ruby couldn't prevent a small gasp from escaping her lips, but she wasn't the only one. Both Blake as Weiss had audible reactions as well, while there was a very distinct "holy shit" coming from LACG's beds. Yang was the only one whose reaction was mild and controlled, but she did flash a quick look at Will.

"What, the place where the Death-War took place?" Weiss loudly said. "He took you there? For what purpose!"

"A temple," Sky wearily replied. "Dedicated to the fallen. We cleared it off the Grimm."

Was that respect Ruby detected in their voices? That was new. And scary in some way. She averted her eyes and looked around again, feeling like she was missing something. Heartbeat-monitors, IV-things, other glass stuff…Weiss lovingly caressing her cheek, Blake folded across her legs like a cat…Sky and Dove were just off.

"You're different," she eventually said, seeing no other way to put it. "Some time ago, you were still…"

"Bullying jerkweeds?" Yang suggested.

"Crude idiots?" Blake added.

"Naïve morons?" Weiss then finished.

"Not how I wanted to put it, but…well, yes."

Dove grew red and pulled his legs up and Sky too refused to meet their eyes. He did reply though. "Sometimes you need to broaden your perspective…"

Much to Ruby's surprise, her sister agreed. "Yeah, sometimes you should."

"So can I ask you a question then?" Dove then awkwardly said.

"I don't see why not?"

The boy seemed grateful for the opportunity to talk. Something awful must have happened to them. "What's the deal with him? I mean, I know he's not the bad guy people think, but…yeah…" It was funny how completely foreign everyone was to the idea that Will was not a crazy psycho, but just a teen with a serious case of PTSD.

"What do you mean, the deal?" Yang aggressively said, her loud voice echoing through the sickbay. But Ruby knew that the comment wasn't meant as an insult this time. It was an honest question and she would treat it like one. It didn't mean she would go into details, of course. There were aspects about Will that nobody whom he didn't personally tell should know. His experiences in the Luna-Arcadia conflict, having had to fight and possibly kill child-soldiers…his slowly-developing instability because of his conflicting feelings and his cute attraction to Yang.

"Relax Yang," she said. Of the remaining half of team CRDL, she asked, "A little bit more specific-ness never hurt anyone."

Sky and Dove looked at each other. "Ehm…you know…Onyx and…that thing with the Saboteur…and him being without a team…that sort of stuff."

"The basics," Sky said.

"The basics yeah."

They didn't know? They seriously didn't pay a lot of attention. "You know what Onyx is, right? Secret, non-government organization with lots of secrets?"

"I guess so."

"Well, the short version…he works for Onyx to protect mankind and got sent over to Beacon to assist. He had some problems, we had some problems…but we kind of grew on to each other." She paused, considering what she was saying. Her head was a bit vague. "Team RWBY and him…not…not me and him."

Weiss smirked. "I think that was obvious."

"And the long story?"

"That's classified," not one but four voices simultaneously said, indicating that team LACG still wasn't down for the count.

Sky and Dove both sighed and sat back in their respective chairs, looking more weary with every passing second. "And Onyx? We caught some rumors and things, but…they weren't really accurate."

What was accurate, concerning Onyx? That was the biggest issue; separating the truth from the lies. Even team RWBY didn't know the entire truth and what they did know was not meant for CRDL's ears. Some things weren't shared. Like Alessa's past, or…several of the things Will had told them.

"Real war never makes it to the books," Ruby said. "Will told me that. And Onyx revolves around it. They are supposed to be a worldwide network that aims to protect from all the threats it faces. They have stopped dozens of wars and saved millions of lives, but they have also claimed many thousands of lives."

"They do the things that are supposed to necessary for our survival, but nobody else wants to do," Blake said in addition. "The actual nature of these matters is questionable at best, as is their effectiveness."

"Hey now," Yang retorted, "they are the reason that we managed to win today, Blake."

The Faunus crossed her arms in indignity. "I would hardly call today a victory. We nearly lost the city."

"A pyrrhic victory then," Dove interrupted them. "One at a great cost."

He didn't grace them with additional comments, as he looked down again. The CRDL's who were conscious seemed to be ashamed of themselves, or embarrassed in the company of RWBY and LACG. Ruby could easily imagine why that was; they had behaved like ungrateful, egocentric bullies for a long time. But people could change; who they were wasn't set in stone. Everybody deserved a chance, right?

" Yes," Yang said with a bit of snark in her voice, "we all remember our warfare lessons."

"Except for Atlas apparently," Weiss quickly replied, as if she didn't want Yang's insulting tone to ruin the sort-of peace they had going on. "Did you see how easily they fell?"

"That's not very fair," Ruby said. "Team CFVY had already proven their awesomeness and look at how that ended up."

"I know, but just came to…expect a lot of General Ironwood's military."

"Another lesson learnt then," Yang sarcastically said. "Big flashy shows of power don't impress ravening creatures of darkness and death that much. Weiss, checks on the list of things that can kill us?"

"Tormentor," Weiss immediately responded, holding one finger in the air. "Check."

"Juggernaut," Ruby suggested, amused with the way Weiss and Yang could act together.

Two fingers. "Check."

"Leader-Grimm," Blake added, wasting no time in joining their little game.

Three. "Check."

"Atlesian Paladin?" Yang proposed.

"We shall take it. Four."

"Alright then, new list of priorities!" Ruby exclaimed. "Number one is that leader-thing. Then the Tormentor and the Juggernaut. LACG?"

"Copy that," came from behind the curtains.

Sky pointed at the hidden team with his thumb and cast a questioning glance at Ruby. "What is-?"

"Privacy," Ruby replied, suppressing a snicker. "They're probably scheming."

"And conniving."

"Which would be sche-niving."

"Damnit Yang!"

The blonde grinned, but otherwise kept silent.

"Sorry, no diabolical master-plans yet," Cho said, sounding about as serious as always. "We've still got our own priorities."

"Such as?" Weiss asked.

"Shrapnel!" Lisa shouted again.

"Among others."

A few minutes after that, a nurse came along to check up on them. Only after Blake had verified that she was not a disguised Professor Adamant was the woman actually allowed to come close to them, albeit she kept a very careful eye on her. Suspicious Blake was a cute Blake.

As it turned out, there were still some nasty injuries with the students. Starting with CRDL, the nurse verified that Russel arm was broken in two places, both of them in the lower arm, near the wrist. Cardin's injuries to his leg were less severe; only a few fractures, again in the lower leg, near the ankles. Injuries painful and deliberating enough to prevent further movement.

After that, the woman moved on to RWBY. Ruby didn't have a concussion thankfully, but Yang did. She would experience some minor headaches and dizziness as her Aura sorted her head out, but it was only a light one and it wouldn't bother her too much. Weiss and Blake both had symptoms of exhaustion and stress, but they were clear of other injuries.

The nurse then skipped over Will and Coco, moving towards LACG. And then teams RWBY and CRDL were treated to ten minutes of Lisa shouting and swearing in indignity as the pieces of shrapnel in her arm were being removed. On several occasions, Yang had to cover Ruby's ears when a particularly bad oath was sworn.

"Damnit woman! Watch where you point those things!"

"Miss Adamant, I have pieces of brick, pieces of metal and explosive residue here. All in the same wound. What did you do?"

"I didn't do shit! Someone put a wall in my way!"

"Alright, I see –is that wood?"

"I have no idea where that came from."

"Mister Mauve, could you pass me that hose?"

"This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

"Do you want my professional opinion?"

"Oh heavens, I have flashbacks to Matt. Please don't."

Luckily, they had already reached the highest point of Lisa's passionate reactions to the tender administrations of the nurse, and soon they were alone again.

"So they finally got Torchwick then?" Ruby eventually asked again. "Did Atlas capture him?"

"They did," Yang replied. "Much to my disappointment. They should have executed him on the spot. "

"That's a bit harsh," Dove replied.

"He ordered his White Fang troopers to shoot Ruby to death."

"Do you still think there is time to visit him?" Weiss asked innocently. "After all. Ironwood's flagship is still here. And it has a brig."

"Can I come with?" Blake asked.

"Sure. The more the merrier."

"And then we give him to Onyx?"

"No," Yang growled. "I'll just tear him apart myself. No need for anything quick."

This time, Ruby couldn't stop herself from snickering. "And that was the day Yang turned into Grimm."

"What? You know he deserves it?"

"To actually do it is something else altogether."

"You know I could do it."

"Oh I know that. And that is exactly why you are staying right here, with us. Where we can keep an eye on you."

"I'll just have to wait until you fall asleep and-"

Glass fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, just half a meter away from her left. She heard metal hitting metal and something white fell to the ground, quickly followed by Yang shouting in surprise and Blake nearly falling from the bed.

"What-"

Ruby barely had time to jump upright and look at Yang when she heard people yelling in front of her. Will's bed was empty, his sheets and all sorts of medical equipment had fallen to the ground and Dove –he was being pinned to the wall by his chin, lifted a full foot above the ground.

"Will!"

The Operative wore a medical gown, reserved for the sick and the wounded. His arms were bare from the shoulders down, as were his legs, starting from the knees. Nasty scars were visible. And as he held the harmless Dove Bronzewing against the wall in a grip that made it look like he could break his neck with one careless move, Ruby saw that he was frantically reaching behind him, as if searching for something on his gown.

Dove was struggling against the soldier's iron grip with both of his hands, kicking with his legs and doing everything he could to get free. Sky didn't look like he dared to interfere and for once, his lack of action might well be a good thing. Will hadn't done anything to hurt his teammate, but only because he was preoccupied with himself. If something were to distract him from that…

"Hey, let him go!" Yang yelled at the confused Operative, who glanced over his shoulder with a confused expression on his face.

"Easy," Dove grunted. "Careful, you're hurting me."

The Operative dropped his victim and quickly stepped backwards, desperately looking around at the windows and the exit. Ruby saw that, even through his loose clothes, he was breathing very rapidly. It reminded her of that one evening on the rooftop, where he had been utterly detached from reality. There was panic and fright and, she now realized, a lack of weapons. He must have been looking for his knife and now that he couldn't find it…

Before he could actually hurt anyone –including himself- Yang reached for his left arm and effortlessly pulled him back to the bed, where he stumbled over his own feet and fell against its frame. "Calm down," she said, gently kneeling next to him and keeping a hold of his shoulder. "You're safe here. Nobody is going to harm you."

"Harm him?" Sky breathed, helping his partner back to his feet. "Nobody is worried about the people he nearly harms?"

"He wouldn't have felt anything," Weiss remarked. Dove gasped in relief and the Heiress smugly added, "He would have simply snapped your neck. No pain."

There was a line that could be crossed with such jokes. But considering who it was aimed at…said line was still far away.

"So much for twenty hours," Blake dryly commented. "Is Coco still unconscious?"

LACG's corner was quick to reply. "Eyup."

Funny how they had barely even reacted at all.

"Are you alright?" Yang asked, her calmness slowly making way for worry. "What happened?"

"Yang?" The disappearance of his confusion was as sudden as it was heartwarming. He turned to face Yang and actually initiated a hug with her, completely willingly too; he shot upwards and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist, pressing himself against her chest and closing his eyes as if he could finally allow himself to relax. "Is everything okay?"

Ruby winced. Will had completely no idea what had just happened –what he had almost done to someone who couldn't even remotely threaten him. His weak hold on rationality and reason was blatantly visible for people who didn't deserve to know about it –people she knew he could never trust.

The curtains of LACG's beds were roughly pushed aside to reveal the angry face of Lisa Adamant. "People are trying to look at their shrapnel!" she angrily said.

"Sorry for the noise," Blake replied. "We're on it."

Technically, Yang was on it. The way she and Will fell back to the bed together was endearing in one way, but mildly disturbing in the other. The way she got the soldier to completely turn his behavior around with a simple touch or word was all fun and games, but team CRDL didn't seem to have any idea what it was about. And Ruby wasn't about to explain that her loveable sister and the vulnerable Operative had a crush on each other.

As evidenced by their well-placed commentary. "What just happened?" Sky asked.

"Is…is this normal?" Dove muttered with an expression of pure terror on his face.

"Pretty much," Weiss said. "You'll get used to it."

The two boys exchanged an awkward glance with each other, but Ruby was a bit too worried about the strange behavior to her left. Just like the situation with Pyrrha, back in the North…it was only normal that he would attack the one who posed the biggest "threat" to him, but…this time was really off. It was anything but normal and Ruby really didn't want to get used to it.

But she had the feeling that they were getting very close to something. If his conversation with Yang was to be believed, it all revolved around his late partner and the circumstances regarding her death. But how they could plague him like that…the Tormentor must have been responsible.

In a way, Ruby felt proud that their little Operative would wake up so much sooner than Coco. In a way, she knew that it would probably be better if he had just taken the night off. All of them could use a night off, as a matter of fact.

Headmaster's office, 19:33

Headmaster Ozpin was in the middle of an urgent communication-line with General James Ironwood when the door behind him burst him.

"Ozpin!"

He sighed and, glancing one more time at his conversational partner, terminated the link. The General was…not amused with the outcome of the Battle for Vale. Dozens of Atlas soldiers had died, millions of Lien worthy of equipment had been lost and large droves of civilians had lost their lives during the combat. Innocent men and women, all of them simply living their lives in peace. And then the Grimm had broken through. His people were still puzzling together just what had happened, but he had the feeling that team RWBY was right in the center of it all.

"Professor Adamant. Do come in." He turned around and saw that he didn't have one, but two visitors. "Who is your lovely companion?"

"Just your regular old deadly assassin for hire. Listen, I have something important." The Adamant paused and stared at the holo-table for a second. "Wait, was that Ironwood?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Not important. What do you have?"

"Yes. Right. Ehm…yes. Well. I have the results of Coco and Greystone's brain-scans."

The Headmaster sat back in his chair and placed his hand against his forehead. "Do continue."

Placing down several files and printed images on the table, Matt started explaining. Sort of. "So I ran them through both CT-scans and MRI-scans and…I have mixed results."

"I'm Maraine, by the way," the assassin told him. Ozpin nodded at her, appreciating her manners. He had seen her a few times before and it seemed like the Adamant had a strange obsession with her…though he had strange obsessions with lots of things.

"I went to Coco first, scanning for hemorrhages. And then degeneration of brain cells, traces of neurotoxins and even potential congenital maladies. Iatrogenesis was ruled out because she went down before any medication could be administered and her blood-flows were normal."

"And this means?"

Matt sighed in agitation. "It means that I scanned her brain. Lots of methods, lots of ways, no results. She's…physically fine. Only she nearly died from stress, psychological damage and an influx of hormones. Hormones that shouldn't be influxing, mind you. Female sex hormones and the like –not very healthy. She's resting now, but her brain-activity is off the charts. Nightmares, no doubt."

"This Tormentor," Ozpin asked, "attacked her mind directly. Her Aura didn't stop it?"

"Nope. Aura fed it. Like the one team RWBY encountered during their mission before the North, it directly attacks using the memories and feelings it finds. Like a Mind Breaker. There is only one problem."

"Yes?"

The assassin scraped her throat. "Ehm…if I could interject? The Beacon files don't have any dark or troubling events in Miss Adel's…file. So if there are no traumatizing memories or stressful feelings for it to use…how did it take her down?"

"Like I said, influx of hormones and neurotransmitters. Doesn't anybody listen to me?"

Despite the urgency of the situation, Ozpin found himself smiling somewhat at the Professor's antics. "I wonder why you would think such a thing."

"Right. So Coco's situation can be explained using these…" multiple graphs and tables were dumped at his desk and Maraine sighed as well.

"These work better if you explain where you even got them."

"We don't have time for that sweetie. Now…Adel is actually pretty much a bit fine. A bit. A tick. Finer than Greystone, anyway."

The Headmaster frowned. "What do you mean? Is the Operative more susceptible to the Tormentor than Coco Adel?"

"Yes and no. No in that he has proven to be unfettered in situations which would break some adults, yes in that contact with the Tormentor might have worsened his…situation."

"Situation?"

More graphs and files rained upon the table, as well as some pictures and links to sites. And a book. "I have good news and I have bad news."

"I could really use some good news right now."

"The good news is the Tormentor doesn't seem capable of causing physical damage and that Beacon isn't in any immediate danger right now."

"That is a relief-"

"The BAD news is that Greystone is suffering from a very rare form of progressive degenerative dementia. Didn't encounter any abnormal protein aggregates yet but the spindle neurons do seem damaged enough."

"Dementia?" Ozpin repeated slowly. "A brain disease? What led you to this…particular conclusion?"

"Physically? Brain-damage and a different metabolic pattern. Behaviorally? I've had a few talks here and there…watched some tapes…had some interviews. Hypothetically, it started just before the North when the first Tormentor showed up. According to Ruby, that was when he showed signs of his Semblance. Still no sign of his Aura though."

"And individuals who cannot use their Aura, but have gone through extensive combat training, are very rare," Maraine added. Perfectly in sync, Ozpin had to admit.

"Yes, that was a clear sign as well. Anyway, the North. It started subtly, with him hearing and seeing things he wasn't supposed to. Lisa said that he shot a phone saying that it rang, except it never did. Blake didn't hear what he heard, Alessa didn't see what he saw and both of them are experts in what they do."

"So he is delusional? Restless?"

"Perhaps even suicidal. The moron never shows any of it, but team RWBY notices it all. Memory problems, restlessness, disinhibition and lack of control…as Pyrrha Nikos nearly found out the hard way."

"That is a serious problem," Ozpin said, recalling his conversation with the young Operative and how…unhinged he had seemed. "Is there a way we can help him?"

Professor Adamant inhaled sharply, opened his mouth, then looked away. His new partner looked at him with mild surprise and the Headmaster frowned.

"Professor Adamant, can we treat him?"

Looking very distracted, Matt still gave his answer. "No, we can't. There might not be many extreme or late symptoms, but the disease has already reached its final stage. From the looks of things, it's been festering for well over ten months…I'd say about a year."

"There is no cure?" Maraine asked.

"There is no cure," the Headmaster said. Matt's expression was enough information for him. "And no treatment too, I'd wager."

"Wager correctly."

He sighed and resisted the urge to break something. "How long…?"

"How long does he have until his vital organs give out and he dies of a stroke or lung failure or-"

"We get the image."

Again the Adamant sighed and again he refused to meet the Headmaster's eyes. "I don't know how much his motoric functions have degraded…at this point, he should be falling every three steps. Could be a month...could be a few days. Could be tomorrow."

"And there is nothing we can do?"

"Nothing. Except wait it out. But when it happens…"

"It will have big consequences." Ozpin didn't know what would be more of a crushing defeat to his students; the destruction of a large portion of their city, or the death of a fellow student –and in some cases, a good friend. Even he didn't know how to deal with this news right now; he couldn't believe that things were coming to an end like this. It felt so…unreal. "But…we can't afford to let people know. Not so soon after the battle they have fought through."

"That's horrible. We should at least notify him of this –people deserve to know what happens to them!"

Strange. An assassin with a heart. No wonder Matt had taken her with him. "Actually…that is another matter of concern. With no ruling government left in Vale, Atlas is left to take up control. Onyx won't let them…and Ironwood doesn't trust that we can deal with this situation on our own. We have reason to believe that Operative Greystone is suicidal; if he were to finds out that he was dying, he might turn to deeds he would come to regret. And James Ironwood would be one of the first targets if that were to transpire."

"So Ironwood is still in control then? Wait…why would he be a target?"

So many questions, so little answers. What would Onyx do now? How would Atlas try to fix this? How could they ask for help if the Cross-Continental Tower was down? He needed help, even if he was reluctant to admit it. He needed Yale. "I am afraid I have more urgent manners to attend to. Professor Adamant, I want to thank you for informing me about this. Could you please take your lovely accomplish and find Lieutenant Yale?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, sure. I think I'm going to pay Ironwood a visit…he has someone I really want to meet."

Ozpin would warn the brash Adamant not to do anything foolish, but he knew it would be foolish to attempt it. After all, nothing really stopped him from doing the things he wanted to do if he really had his mind set to it. It was what had allowed him to make the decision of weighing off three-hundred lives against three-thousand lives. Not that it was a good thing, necessarily.

It took Yale a few minutes to show up. When he did, he looked about as tired and worn-out as the rest of the staff.

"Ozpin?"

"Take a seat," the Headmaster said. He watched the Onyx soldier sit down on the opposite end of the desk and sighed. "Vale was heavily damaged because of the bomb Onyx detonated. Approximately fifty percent of all infrastructure has been damaged in the fight. The death-toll reached the dozens, with hundreds of civilians and personnel missing."

"We regret not being able to offer our forces in the fight," Yale quietly droned, looking at a point past Ozpin. He looked downright exhausted. "It has been deemed necessary not to interfere with the city too much."

"Yale, are you alright?"

The man blinked and their eyes met. "Yes…no. Ozpin, did you read RWBY's report?"

"I have. As well as CRDL's and LACG's."

"White Fang troopers on the train, unidentified female aiding in survival…this Torchwick isn't the primary target here."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow? "Oh? Are you saying that he might be working for someone more dangerous and gifted than he ever could be on his own? That his actions were merely a start of a plan set in motion years ago?"

"Actually, no. That's all true, but…with him out of the picture, there are still multiple individuals we need to eliminate. What I am interested in…is who this woman was, and why she decided to aid Miss Xiao Long in her time of need."

The headmaster sighed. That particular mystery was not something he wanted to break his head over. There was something else that he was worried about. "Without details, we will never know. What we do know is that a lot of Faunus died in those tunnels. Professor Oobleck told me that they had to fight their way through the entire train…knocking at least a dozen White Fang members off during their frantic chase. Into the arms of the waiting Grimm."

"I don't see how that's a problem?"

No, the Onyx officer wouldn't. "Let me put it this way. Throughout their career, they have been fighting for justice, but never resorting to taking lives. And now, they have indirectly caused the unfortunate demise of more than ten men and women, Faunus or not."

"…alright, I think I can see how that is a problem."

"Oh yes. And knowing the White Fang, these Faunus will be made into martyrs."

"And the insanity will continue. But later. Now, they will replenish their numbers and take care of the wounded. They struck a blow today, nearly a decisive one. But the way I hear it, the hunt for their leader has turned up something good." Yale paused and looked away again, with clenched muscles in his jaw. "Ironwood didn't take it well."

"That is a subtle way of putting it."

"After the destruction of most of his sent-in troops and ordnance, he wanted to pin the blame on someone. Beacon for being incompetent enough to let this happen…Onyx for not interfering when they should have. My guess? Anything goes wrong now and he'll move his entire army towards Vale."

"You sound threatened."

"Any and all concern I feel is for Atlas only. We have nothing to fear…the same cannot be said for them. It matters who has the biggest stick, but it matters more how it is being swung."

Ozpin remembered what he had wanted to talk with Yale about; Matt's research had been awfully timed. "About that…can I trust that what we discuss will remain inside these walls? I don't need Onyx meddling with matters that do not need meddling."

"Not if there is a large risk that we need to be aware of."

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I want to know what Operative Greystone did, a year ago."

Yale raised an eyebrow. "Do you expect me to remember the activities of all our soldiers? Soldiers I who I don't even have anything to do with?"

"Don't play around here now. Twice now I have been informed that Greystone will be a future threat to Atlas and twice now I have been forced to overthink why that would be. I don't want to risk Atlas becoming our enemy…and neither am I willing to make a mentally-fragile person think he is in any danger when he is not. I am quite certain you know what I am talking about."

"My guess? You are talking about something that is miles above my pay-grade, and leagues above yours. Let me be clear on this, Ozpin: I might have more sympathy for Beacon than Onyx, but my loyalty still lies with them. There are some things I am not allowed to know...and even more I am not allowed to talk about."

"There is a fine line between not being allowed to tell and not allowing yourself to tell. As you are most certainly aware of. I must admit that I have more questions for you than you could possibly hope to answer…but make no mistake. If I must choose, I will always choose for my students. And if I look at the past…I see that Onyx has caused more grief than good. Alessa Noctis, the Adamant Clan, Operatives Blackwood and Mantis. " He quietly took a sip from his coffee, before adding, "Rose."

"It is always such. Only the good die young, while the evil live forever. I could point out the many, many good things we have done, but I would be wasting time. I don't think that Greystone will be a threat to Beacon…but when he threatens the peace between Atlas and Vale…Onyx will make steps to ensure that the peace will not be threatened."

Ozpin only glared at the man. "As I said, when faced with a decision, I will always choose my students. You would do well to remember that."

Will sat down next to his blonde friend and averted his eyes, not wishing to impose on her privacy as she changed her clothes. "That's a lot to take in. White Fang, Grimm, Oobleck. You've been busy."

"We HAVE been busy," Yang gleefully said. "We found out the main base of the bad guys. That's not something."

"Finding it was easy enough. Ruby literally stumbled in."

"Yeah? What have you been doing then?"

He ignored the desire to lie and formulated an explanation that wouldn't hurt any of them. "I've been doing some research."

Yang finished changing into her pajamas and enthusiastically bounced down on the bed, nearly knocking him off. "We've been kicking ass while you were researching."

"I read the report. You encountered another martial artist whose abilities were unknown and you got hurt for it. You charged at her, didn't you?"

"Don't tell me what not to do!" Yang exclaimed, angrily pointing a finger at him. "You've gotten your ass handed to your more often than I did!"

"Did you or did you not charge at her?"

"What –no, I- I…fine! I got pissed to see that bitch from Torchwick in our way again and I lost my patience."

"You could have gotten badly hurt. You got lucky!"

She punched him on the shoulder. "You almost sound worried. Touching."

Will frowned. "I am worried. I don't want to see you get hurt."

She grinned and pulled him to her bed. It was precariously balancing another one on top of it, as if the team had been lacking room for their stuff. "You're such a lady-killer."

Will winced. "I don't kill ladies! At least…only in self-defense. At least…"

"It's a saying, idiot." Yang ruffled his hair again and he sighed, secretly damning his lack of education and general sense of…commonness. "And a sarcastic one at that." Before he knew it, the girl had dragged him right on top of her bed. "And by the way, you had me worried too. On plenty of occasions. Guess you have something to make up for, right?"

Did he have something to make up for? Well…plenty of things actually. Being a Saboteur…attempts at suicide and emotional outbursts…owing her a dance. Generally trying to kill people when he shouldn't have. "Agreed."

Yang wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close. "You know, after everything that's happened at the dance, I think you forgot one little thing."

Now it was his time to grin. Somewhat. A bit. More of a slight smile actually. He still wasn't used to the sensation of smiling and now that he was actually thinking about it, he should have been smiling a lot more. And now he had a reason to smile. "I think I remember. We were going to dance."

"Oh, we were going to do more than that. If I remember correctly, before we were disturbed by your buddy Frost-"

"He's not my buddy. "

"-we were going to do something."

Will remembered very vividly what they were going to do. He thought. "If I remember correctly, I called you Angel and then we danced."

Yang very nearly purred with satisfaction and she leaned close to him, nearly touching his nose with hers. "You did. But instead of "angel", you can call me "sir"."

He felt her hand moving up his legs and closed his eyes for a brief moment. Right here, right now, he felt safe. Truly, properly safe. Nothing could harm him now. He was at peace. Yang's body felt hot against him, hotter than anything organic could feel. But he enjoyed her warmth so much…he could spent an eternity in her embrace. Her soft, golden hair rustled past his neck and her breath felt humid against his skin.

Her lips brushed against his, warm and wet. He went for her hand with his, gently pinning it against his thigh. Her breath seemed to come in quick gasps, like she was getting excited. But he was getting excited. It was a strange feeling he couldn't describe; he wanted to touch her and feel her, but he didn't dare to do anything that might harm this moment. It felt so conflicting; what was it?"

Yang pulled back for a split-second and then leaned forwards, placing her lips on his. The sensations that followed were…unlike anything he had ever felt before. He felt the hot rush of medicinal drugs, the burning ache in his stomach of searing pain and above it all, the sheer satisfaction of…of…something completely different from completing mission or saving lives or even ending wars. It was so utterly new and it was amazing. He placed his hands on her back and felt her nose brush against his again, their foreheads bumping against each other.

Something wet and slippery pushed past his lips and Yang pressed herself against his body, pulling him into an even tighter embrace. There were so many sensations…so many things he felt. He couldn't make sense of it all; her warmth, her smell, her touch and her breathing. He couldn't handle it all.

Yang moaned and slowly brought her hands lower, to a point on his lower back. She pulled herself back and broke the intimate contact.

Will gasped, and not just for a lack of air. He whispered her name and she giggled. "That was new, wasn't it?" she whispered in his ear.

"Very new…" he breathed. "Was that your tongue?"

Yang brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and raised herself again, straightening her back and caressing his cheek. "Is that a problem?"

"No! No, not at all…" He didn't even know what he was supposed to feel, let alone say. "I…"

But he didn't need to say anything else. Yang lay down next to him and pressed her face against his chest, moaning quietly. "I've been waiting for a long time to do that…"

She had told him about that…the disappearance of her first mother, the thought that she could have accidentally murdered her second one…it would leave scars. So many things could leave so many scars…how did you change that? Could it even be changed? He didn't know what to do. He had never truly known what to do…he just followed orders.

…no. That had changed. Right now, he followed something else. Wait…something was off. Yang was easily one of the prettiest girls he had seen in a long time; wouldn't she have had a lot of attention from people? "A long time? You've…you've never done…this before?"

"You sound surprised."

"I am."

She smiled and affectionately nudged him. "Ever since my mother disappeared, I've been trying to find out what happened to her. I trained…and I fought…but I still lived my life. It worked, you know? It all fit into a life with action and thrilling experiences and I enjoyed it. But as it turned out, most guys don't really like it if a girl's stronger or more confident than them. They've all got their stereotypical views and their ego…and I haven't met a lot of other girls yet. That's what I like about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah." She hugged him tighter, pressing her chest against his. It was a pleasant feeling…soft and warm. "You're nothing like the people I've met before. It's…a bit hard to describe. You're different and I love it."

Compliments…how to react to those? He didn't know how to feel about hearing them…it was always a question of whether to respond with a compliment, or simply thank. Maybe it was because any and all compliments were either not true or based on a mission debriefing. "I'm different…but you're sure that's a positive thing? I mean...you know it will be hard. I don't want you to feel disappointed…"

Again she tenderly placed a hand on his cheek and again he like the touch alone drove out all thoughts and considerations. "Don't be such a downer! We'll be fine. Besides; we've been through plenty of stuff already. I think we can handle whatever's thrown at us."

Will heard footsteps rapidly approaching them and he sighed. "Can you handle RWBY?"

On the very next second the door was violently thrust open and Will immediately checked to see if he was still fully clothed, despite the fact that nothing had happened at all.

"Yang!" Ruby's cheerful and loud voice rang through the room. "You're here! Wait, why are you cuddling with Will?"

"Because he is cuddly?"

Ruby, Blake and Weiss walked into the room, but luckily their timing wasn't as bad as that of other people in the past. "Cuddly? Will? I don't think so. He's not soft, not warm and he doesn't have lady-parts."

"That doesn't matter if you're focusing on the right place. So where did you guys come from?"

What was that supposed to mean?

"Oh you know, this and that. Visiting people, reading stuff, not suffering from deliberating injuries…those sorts of things."

"Why," Weiss then loudly said, placing her hands on her hips like a disapproving female instructor, "are you already in your pajamas?"

Blake agreed. "It looks a bit weird. And suspicious."

Suspicious? They hadn't done anything. Unless…was kissing considered suspicious? Had they broken rules?

...had they been safe? People always talked about being safe during intimate moments. Was someone threatening them?

"Since when are pajamas suspicious?" Yang asked.

It was quiet for a few seconds, after which Ruby muttered, "Blake's bow went great with her pajamas…"

What?

"It would've been more awkward if he had been wearing his pajamas," Yang then said, crawling upright again.

"And why is that?" Weiss instantly retorted.

"Because I don't have any."

"Oh," Ruby relied. She blinked a few times and then gasped. "Oh!"

"The penny drops?" Blake asked, before sitting down at her bed and reaching for the remote. How late was it?

"So how was team CRDL? Still recovering?"

"Actually, they are," Weiss said. "And they are still acting strange."

"An Ursai broke their limbs. They'll just have to bear with it."

"Yang, please don't…"

What was wrong? An inside joke?

"It's true!" Yang then said. "But I didn't schnee the problem!"

Will chuckled, shaking his head at the horrible pun. It seemed to be Yang's thing to make the worst jokes possible at the strangest times. But he was probably the least qualified person to judge humor and as long as it was funny, he wouldn't complain.

Instead, he lowered his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. The bed was soft, the air was warm and Yang smelt nice. Right now, he didn't need to be afraid. He didn't need to feel tensed. He could relax and allow himself to calm down. He still felt Yang's soft lips on his, even though the fleeting moment had long since passed. Ruby and Weiss were chattering away with each other as well and Blake was watching a show on the television, with her dark-purple ears completely revealed to her team. The black ribbon she usually used to conceal her Faunus-heritage lay on her desk, carefully tied up and placed in front of a mirror.

"Now yang on a second there," Ruby replied with a chuckle. "I didn't schnee the problem either!"

"Seriously?" Weiss said. "Are we going to do this tonight, of all things?"

"I drink milk. Your argument is invalid."

Blake took a deep breath. "What Ruby and Yang really want to say, is that none of us consider making jokes at team CRDL's expense an issue." She changed the channel on the television to some channel about animals.

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't generally make jokes…but Cardin's team makes for an easy target."

"That's what you showed Dove today," Ruby said with a smile. "I think he honestly thought you would kill him."

"Yes…" he looked away and felt Yang wrap an arm around his waist. "I ehm…was a bit confused."

"At times."

"Rarely."

"Once under a blue shattered moon."

"It's a bit of a reflex…I woke up, saw someone who wasn't RWBY and the rest just took over."

"Nobody is judging you," Ruby said, still laughing. "If I woke up with entire team CRDL in front of me, I'd go bonkers too."

"So it's not just me?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Right." This was actually quite pleasant, spending time in RWBY's dorm instead of the hangar bay or the woods, thinking of ways to make new traps with sharpened sticks and camouflaging foliage. It made him feel at ease. He liked that.

"Nah," Yang said. "I can understand. What I can't understand is why you and Mantis are friends now all of a sudden."

"But I already explained it."

"You said that the details are expunged! That's like, worse than classified!"

"It's a sudden topic change. "

"And poor fickly Operative can't handle that? You need more lessons from Professor Adamant. You'll be handling ten topics a minute."

He placed a hand on her thigh and opened his eyes again. "I know this is going to haunt me, but I don't really trust Adamant. He's…a lot to take in."

"Yeah, he is. But once you get to know him-"

Will never found out what would happen once you got to know the Professor. The show that Blake was watching suddenly changed and the newscaster from the VNN became visible.

"What's that?" Ruby said, eyeing the sudden change with interest.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a special news report. An anonymous organization has acquired and subsequently published a series of disturbing files regarding the mysterious NGO that goes by the name of Onyx-"

"No," Will whispered. He got upright and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"-regarding their questionable activities in Vale. Copies seem to have been sent to all noticeable authorities and powers in the Kingdom, including the Atlesian fleet governed by General James Ironwood. The News Network has also received a digital version of these files…"

"What is this?" Yang asked. "Did you know about this?"

"…said spokesman has not responded as of yet." The screen changed again and a copy of said dossiers appeared. Much to Will's horror, he recognized it within a second.

It was his dossier. Together with Mantis, Blackwood…everyone in Vale. All of them flashed by, with accompanying commentary. "…identified as child-soldiers, spirited away by the organization during unseen or unspoken wars, or even from their homes in stable environments. The soldiers depicted as "Operatives", such as the enigmatic Mantis or infamous Greystone, were confirmed to have been taken at five years old. The leaked dossiers also mentioned the various individuals seen accompanying Beacon, such as the supposedly-deceased "Frost" Schnee, stolen from his house at the age of eight, or the Fireteams employed through the Kingdom, at ages from ten to twelve years old…"

The four girls of team RWBY couldn't take their eyes away from the television. Greystone couldn't either. For the first time in years his body didn't do what he wanted to. He was forced to watch as his life was being destroyed in a way he had been dreading for so long.

"…the validity of the dossiers has been confirmed by military advisors and long-running Huntsmen from abroad. There have been no public statements. These "Children of the Damned" have been confirmed as unstable or dangerous and people are advised to keep a distance from them."

Panic. Complete, total panic. There was nothing he could do anymore –nothing at all. He wanted to shout at the television, scream that it was lying and that it wasn't like that. Curse it for destroying the little things they had left in their lives –for failing to see what they were doing. But he couldn't. He couldn't even turn to face the four people he thought he could trust, but who would certainly try to harm him now.

"…rumors of many hundreds of Fireteams employed…"

It wasn't his fault! He didn't choose it! It…it had been necessary! It…he didn't do it! It wasn't what he had wanted!

"…we can only hope that the Atlas military can set this gross crime of war right and protect the thousands of civilians put at risk-"

The transmission was promptly cut off at the source, as the newscast transitioned into a white static and noise. At that point, Greystone felt his instincts kick back in. Before any of the students could even finish their sentences, he turned towards the door and fled. He couldn't think, he couldn't act, he could only move. Such was always the case. It was the one fundamental quality of his life and it was fake. Drilled into him by years of conditioning and training, the only thing he could do whenever he couldn't think his way out of a situation was move. Move to kill, move to take cover.

Move to run. His whole life, his entire life revolved around making sacrifices to protect all of mankind. All of it! All the Faunus, all the men and women and children. All the screaming lunatics demanding his blood, all the rotten civilians hating him and the others and calling them names and cursing them for what they did. They had fought and killed and bled for the future of all. Everything they had gone through was for them! And now…all of it had been wasted. All the sacrifices had been undone…his entire life was over.

Questions burned in his mind, as well as answers and feelings he hadn't felt in ages. Who? Why? How? Who had managed to get their hands on these files of all? The White Fang? Ironwood? Subject Fall? Why had they gone to the news to publish them, how had they managed to get away with it! Did they know what they had done? What they had caused? The peace and the order and the justice that had been created by Onyx would all be undone! Turned to nothingness! Whoever had done this had won. They had officially won.

The Operative stopped at an intersection he did not remember seeing before. There was right and there was left. Both directions were unknowns.

He knew it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. In the end, his past had caught up with him again. And this time it had finished him. It had killed him as it had killed her. His body didn't know it yet. He was dead without having died.

Alice stared at the television screen with an increasing sense of dread in her heart. Word for word, the complete essence of her life was being stripped down right to what defined her, but what she had never wanted to be defined by.

"Child soldiers"

Bared for all in the world to see, too. She couldn't believe it. Her mind was unable to process it. It had to be a ruse, a sick joke, a nightmare. A terrible, horrible nightmare of her entire life falling apart and breaking up into a thousand little pieces.

But she didn't wake up. She wasn't dreaming, no matter how hard she prayed that this was not real. And deep down, she knew she couldn't keep staring at the little screen like that. There were people around her, older students and exchange students from abroad. They didn't know her, but their reactions alone felt like they had already struck at her with their weaponry. These people who lived their lives in safety because of the horrors that they had been through.

She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. She could feel tears stinging in her eyes –a new and unfamiliar feeling. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair! She had escaped! She was gone, she had left it all behind! It wasn't her life anymore, she had moved on!

Blake…

Alice took another shuddering breath and tore her gaze away from the broadcast that had systematically destroyed her life. Fuck all of these stupid little blind people who didn't know better; what would Blake think? The one person she had felt somewhat connected to. The ONE person she felt like she could be honest with and then this had come by and screwed her over.

Beacon wasn't safe anymore. It was a good thing that she hadn't personally gone to deliver Will's data; they would have been swept away in a torrent of outrage. Professors would come to aid their students, students would come to aid their friends and it would be the world against them all over again.

Perhaps it would have been better to let Onyx catch her.

There was only one thing left to do now…after Alessa had brought Will the hardened DSM cache containing the information he was so zealously chasing after, they could find the Catalyst together and escape this wretched place.

An Atlas soldier spotted her leaving and turned towards her, reaching out with his hand for her shoulder. "Hold on."

Alice clenched her fists and stopped herself from lashing out at the man. She wanted to ask him if she could help him. Play cool and escape his notice. But she couldn't talk; she couldn't find the words she needed and those she had, came out like a choked whisper.

"Can I see your ID please?"

He was on to her. She wasn't a student and she didn't belong here. She had to kill him –there wasn't any other choice.

…no. She was sick of all the killing and the reek of death. She had done enough.

"Your Beacon scroll will suffice ma'am."

Alice leant close to the man, pretending to reach for her scroll. The next second she struck him in the stomach with a quick jab, before smashing her forehead against his face. The impact knocked him out cold and she caught his body as it fell, gently lowering it to the ground. The exhilarating feeling of combat shook her out of her stupor and she scraped her throat, getting ready to escape. "Someone help! He's not well!"

Multiple soldiers and students rushed to her aid at once and in the commotion, she turned around and ran away. There were too many people around and she needed to think; a few moments of peace and sanity to gather her thoughts and just get herself together. She didn't need panic; panic led to the wrong decisions.

Someone had gotten their hands on some very, very classified dossiers. Those dossiers had been copied and sent to…to everyone important. Everybody who could pose a threat to the now-confused and threatened soldiers. The "Children of the Damned", as the newscast appropriately called them. They were all in mortal danger right now. But who? Had it been the bitch herself? Or someone else? The timing couldn't have been worse…now Atlas had every reason to declare war, even if it was just to appease Ironwood's ego. And when it came to war…

Despite the situation, Alice suppressed a shiver. Despite the desperation and mental damage that drove him, Greystone was still very, very capable. And he had his Semblance now too, unstable as it was. If he found out that Atlas would declare war…there would be no end to the carnage he would cause to prevent that.

One crisis at a time. Right now, getting away from Beacon in one piece. Then finding out who had procured the files and discover the details surrounding the whistleblower. And then eliminate them.

Damnit! She had been so close, too. So close to finally finding something akin to home. Would she really have to leave? Maybe…maybe someone would understand that it wasn't her fault? That…that she hadn't chosen this? Beacon was the place that accepted misfits. Matt Adamant after his act of genocide, Braunschweiger after that kidnap and even Jaune without his credentials!

But even as she cooked up those attempts at comfort, the ex-Operative knew that she had crossed a line. That her life was the crossed line. There was a difference between them…and her. Will was too far gone to help her…and the rest of the stricken soldiers were still ordered to eliminate or capture her on sight.

She was so tired…so vulnerable…so alone.

Unidentified outpost, ruined docks, 22:04

The Harpy-Faunus sat down in front of him with a weary sigh, holding his helmet under his right arm. "How could we have let this happen?"

"We didn't let this happen," Field Agent Frost replied as he drew the sharp edge of his knife over the wet piece of wood slick with small pieces of gravel and stones. "That would suggest we knew that this would occur."

"This could be the end of our operations in this Kingdom," Granit said without pausing. "Worse, it could spark a war. Somewhere, someone truly messed up."

"Don't get your feathers in a ruffle. We'll sort it out. We always do."

Granit placed a clawed hand on the table and looked at him. The light of the moon shone down through the cargo-net above their heads, blanketing their temporary outpost in pale light. The dark nails at his long fingers were especially pronounced now that they finally saw the "light of day". "How can you be so calm? Your name was mentioned on the news throughout the entire Kingdom!"

"Onyx cut the transmission, didn't they? The VNN was cleaned up."

"But think of the family! Think of the White Fang! You can't keep operating on your own now, people will target you."

"I really don't care. What's the worst that could happen at this point?"

"Mister Schnee can send people after you."

"I sure hope he does; I still need a reason to bring the Company to the ground."

Granit lowered his voice. "That's cold, even for you."

"The first thing they taught me at training? Stay frosty."

"That's not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be. I'm not here to be nice."

"No, you're not. You're here to solve this mess."

"Great. It was that mad scientist, Cassandra something. She's been aiding Subject Fall since she escaped custody, but she made a mistake."

Granit stared at him. "She did?"

"She said I was "stolen from my house" by Onyx. Except it wasn't them. So somewhere she either acquired faulty intelligence or simply made something up, both of which would be mistakes on her part. We'll get her."

"Still surprised Mantis didn't get her first. Or Greystone, for that matter. I knew I'd constantly watch my feathers if I knew any of them were after me."

"That's the power of abusing children. She did what Onyx couldn't and got them scared."

"I guess so. Man, I never knew it was that bad. No wonder Blackwood went crazy."

"And thank you for that."

"It's different with you. You had motivation."

"With emphasis on "had". It all blurs together in the end."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Now?" Frost shrugged. "The word's out big guy. Everybody knows that Frost Schnee is still alive. What's more; he's working for Onyx."

"So?"

"That's sure to get people all riled up. And the Fang's still pissy over the guys they lost to team RWBY. It's safe to say that they've never been more upset than now."

"That's one way of putting it."

Frost nodded. "So with that in mind, I think I am going to pay an old acquaintance a little visit. See if his chainsaw hasn't oxidized too much."

"I really don't think that is a good idea. Will you take Amber with you too?"

Amber? "No. She's finally sleeping. And I don't want to put her through that again. Seeing White Fang troopers would trigger her like nothing before –and I wouldn't be able to hold her."

"So how did you hold her here in Vale? I heard she slipped into a full Trance again."

"She did. She also lost nearly three liters of her blood in the process, but she did. I found her and knocked her out with a combination of a polypseudomorphine and the poison from the Valorian Rose. It took a while. And blood-loss on my part.

"So finally a good night's sleep for her…"

"She has nothing to worry about. All this shite about security breaches and public opinion goes right above her head. She just needs someone to point her next victim out."

"What a life."

Yeah…what a life. A life that he knew would eventually wear her humanity out to a point where she would literally be nothing but the wild animals that the White Fang were called. But that wasn't going to happen…he would make sure of that. He had the problem that the whole Kingdom knew his name now…secrecy had been his greatest ally and virtue. He had been able to do everything because nobody ever saw him coming. He was the behind-the-scenes guy who cleaned up after big-shots like Greystone and…well, Fireteam Sable. Amber. And now that had all changed…everything had changed. Vale would have to become a police-state or something to prevent anarchy from breaking out. No government, no supervision and Atlas with a serious grudge. Onyx…he was left with two choices. Pull out or take control.

He didn't want to pull out. Now that he had been called out in public on the news, his life as Field Agent "Frost" was over. Everybody knew he was still alive…everybody knew what Onyx had done. Or so they thought. What they didn't know was the big, ugly truth. The truth was in clear view of everybody in the world and yet everybody refused to see.

No matter. Soon enough, they would all find out. When faced with extinction, every alternative was preferable.

"In the wake of the massive reveal of our most clandestine decisions, we are left with very little choices. Soon the entire world will know what we have done. Soon, they will make their own decisions. Will they accept and let go, or will they refuse and oppose? What we cannot afford to have anarchy or chaos now. When nothing rises up to fill the void, we will have to do so ourselves. We have reached that dreaded moment where the world knows…us. Yet it doesn't truly know what we are. They are not allowed to. They cannot find out more than this. This is where we will stop the rest from finding out. This is where we will hold our line."

-Onyx Themeluesi

Next time: driven to the utmost desperation and with all of Vale against him, Operative "Will" Greystone makes his move. Field Agent "Amber" makes a move as well, so someone will die.