The resulting sheer force dealt by the blow was enough to cause the cockpit to explode into pieces, flinging the pilot several meters away, debris from the war machine scattered around him as he lay face down.
Shortly after which, Zen then exited the portal and helped Yang up before running over to the downed white fang member.
From first appearances, he seemed quite short in comparison, roughly Neo's height if he had to guess.
Zen then picked him up by the scruff of his uniform and pulled him to his feet, but as he did, he felt something cold and metallic pressed up against his chin.

"Zen!" Penny yelled in shock, preparing to leap at the faunus holding her friend and teammate at gunpoint, Oobleck stepping in at the last minute signalling her to stop as well as physically restraining her with one arm.

The surrounding fight had ceased, the fang, with the mech now out of commission and by extension outmatched, held their position.
Meanwhile the pair of teams did the same, all eyes now fixed on the situation at hand.

"None of you move or he gets it! Is that understood?" The boy yelled, digging the pistol deeper, causing Zen to shift slightly in discomfort.
His open hands slightly raised above his head in a surrendering fashion, with Spirit and Opportunity now laying on either side of him.
I guess all I can do now is talk my way out of this… as if using my whits hasn't gotten me out of trouble.

Upon thinking for a minute or so, he began to slightly chuckle, either he was in control or it was the adrenaline that did it, he couldn't help himself.

"Why are you laughing, what could be so funny at a time like this?" The boy asked, both in confusion and anger plaguing his tone.

"It's funny, do you realise how lucky you are to have us all in this position?
The thing is, I may be human, but I'm less than the ones standing around you.
One shot from your pistol and that's it for me."

"Wha- I don't- "

"But you, you are a Faunus, you have something more than them as well, you most likely have excellent hearing and sight, am I right?
And you seem to be pretty confident in what you're doing right now.
How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen?
You're just a kid.
Why are you getting tied up with a group like this?"

"Because we're faunus, we all got our own problems. We have to stick together."

"Okay then, what's yours?"

"Huh?"

"You said that you all have problems, tell me yours."

The boy turned to look at Weiss, giving her a look of utter malice.
"See, the problem is because of her lot."

He paused for a second before looking back up at Zen and continuing.
"See my parents and I, we're a poor lot, they work in dangerous conditions for weeks at a time in the quarries just outside of Vale.
I don't really see them much and when I do, usually they're pretty much exhausted and have a few injuries.
Sure, the company claims safety is a priority, and they reckon they meet safety standards. But you know what, they definitely can improve, and it wouldn't even cost them that much in the long run…
I guess the thought of forking out a few lien for a couple of pack mules isn't a worthy investment."

"Okay we have the motive, now we need the means." Zen reasoned aloud, his eyes looking up at nothing in particular, until they fell back upon his captor.

"The means?"

"Yes, what do you hope to achieve in fighting alongside the White Fang?"

"Because... They can make a difference, and once we have the power we will have nothing to fear."

"Really you think it's that simple? Just topple the existing government, rise up and call it your own."

"We will be different, we will show mercy, and get the respect we deserve, look at how we do now."

"You are too young to see, and from the sounds of it, you're only repeating what you have heard at one of those recruitment rallies… which only go so far in what they have to say to convince you to join.
But when you are older, you realise that the world isn't always so black and white, right and wrong can be a blur when you aren't on one specific side.
What you call respect...
No, it's not respect.
That is earned, as it should be.
No, what the white fang are doing is gaining respect through fear and violence.
When people are faced with the option of showing 'respect' or being assaulted to an inch of their life, you can guess what most will choose."

"It's not like that, those of us that wish to outwardly attack merely do so in self defense."

"Oh really, and what about attacking those who are unarmed?
Those who have a differing opinion to that of the company they're with?
Is that an act of self defense?
What about Adam Taurus, what does he say to these types of attacks?!"

"Don't you speak of Adam in that tone, he has done more for the white fang than any other soldier."

"Soldier… you said soldier.
As that's what you and the rest of these white fang members have been referred to in the past.
He isn't a leader, he makes this out to be a war doesn't he?
A war between the faunus and humans.
One where he takes the view that those traits I mentioned earlier justify superiority over humans."

"Uhm" He could hear the slight confusion as he began to spell it out for the boy.

"I also take it he doesn't take human prisoners does he?
Or else if he did, it would be for vital information, torturing them until he gets what he needs, terminating them after that."

"..."

Zen could barely hear his own thoughts as his heart beat drowned out his surroundings, though the sound of metal could be heard, and the feeling of the gun under his chin began to quiver slightly.

"..."

"I can tell you don't want to shoot me… do you?
In fact you aren't a fighter, you're a thinker.
That's how you can pilot that mech so well.
Isn't it?
That thing was designed with the Atlesian military in mind, I'm pretty sure not just anyone can pilot it effectively like you did.
Tell me, if you weren't in the white fang, what would you be doing if you had the choice of anything?"

"I-I- want to help, make the world a safer place..." His voice slightly cracking, Zen could tell the boy was thinking hard as to what was being asked of him.

"You mean safe as in free from Grimm?"

"No, safe like making armour or safety gear for workers.
Or machines that can assist to mine the dust without having people risking their lives to do it."

"So you want to be an inventor or engineer?"

"I guess you can call it that."

"Tell me something, what do you think when your parents go to the mines to work?"

"They... Get treated like dirt, less than the dirt they move, just to make ends meet."

"Yes this is true, but they do it nonetheless?"

"Yes?"

"See, that's the thing about some parents, they will work night and day, to the point of exhaustion, just so they can provide for their family.
In the hopes that their children may never have to work like that.
Do your parents even know you're in league with the white fang?"

"N-no" The boy replied, this time his voice trembling as well as becoming softer in tone.

"And how do you think they'll take it seeing you right now, holding up a gun to the head of a human, whom you've never met, who only wants to help you.
Not only to just help you yourself, but everyone here, human and faunus.
As the role of a huntsman, it is to the people… all the people.
See when it comes to problems, fighting them may seem like it's the easiest solution, but it's not always the right one."

"I-I-uh"

"And here's the other interesting thing I've noticed, we've all got auras here… well present company excluded.
So by virtue you could have necessarily fired a shot at any one of us who were held at gunpoint and we would have been fine, so why didn't you shoot…
Because it's something you can't do?
Were you trying to negotiate one of our lives so that you and the rest of your brothers and sisters can escape?
I don't believe so."

"..."

"C'mon kid, you are better than this, and right now I can see this going two ways.
Either I get shot, or I don't.
You will still have to face the law for what you have done, but come with us without any further resistance and I'll tell the judge you were acting without thinking.
Please, it doesn't have to be this way.
You may never get everyone to see eye to eye.
But right now, serving the white fang as you are currently isn't giving your kind a good name.
So please, give me the gun and we can give you a chance to do what you really want in life."

"I-I- I'm, I'm… I'm so sorry."
Tears began to pour behind the mask as Zen felt the pressure under his chin leave, and the weight of the gun now resting in his left palm which he had instinctively lowered when it was safe to do so.
No sooner did it happen, he felt his midsection tighten as the boy wrapped his arms around him, sobbing against his chest.

"I'm so sorry mum…" He heard the muffled voice say.

Zen looked around, a little confused as to what just happened, getting a relieved expression from everyone around him.
He looked at one of the white fang members who just shrugged at him.
Glancing back at Penny, she seemed glad, then expressed a look that said;
Hug him back.

And so Zen responded to comfort the teen, just letting him cry until he was ready to let go.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group had begun securing the rest of the fang members, tying up those that willingly surrendered while restraining the ones that were knocked out earlier on in the fight, the pair of bullheads landing after being given the all clear as well as a third arriving from the mining facility to act as transport for the white fang members that couldn't fit in the first two.

Then as the boy settled down, Zen led him back to the ship, seating and keeping a watchful eye on him. The boy pulled off his hood to reveal a pair of fox ears, before tossing the Grimm mask out of the open craft as they flew away from the fight zone, his head down and silent for the rest of the journey.

Zen could only hazard a guess as to what was running through his head, as well as what Blake could be thinking during the ride back in her craft.

Once they had landed, the police were already waiting to take them away, the boy looked back at him, giving a small smile as he was being loaded into a police van.

A frown adorned Zen's features as he looked over to the two policemen that were talking between each other, without thinking he jogged over to them before asking the more senior of the two.
"Hey officer, what's going to happen to the kid?"

"Well, since he was grouped with the white fang he may be charged with acts of terrorism, and theft of military property, or the judge will go easy on him and place him in a youth penitentiary.
All depends on the report your mentor gives in fighting with them."

"Okay, thanks for the intel." Zen muttered as he turned to meet up with his team.

After being given the all clear by both Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port, the pair of teams parted ways, returning back to their respective dorms.

"So what now?" Ruby asked once they had gotten comfortable in their dorm.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked… though she had a feeling, as well as the others, as to what Ruby was referring to.

"I mean what do we do now?" She answered.

"The same thing we always do, just relax and unwind." Yang casually said.

"Have you completed all your assignments?" Weiss then inquired.

"As far as what I need to do, then yes. All up to date." Her leader responded.

"So, what would you do after a mission…?" Blake questioned, hoping she was right in her initial assessment.

"I mean usually I would go and help Penny and Zen with training, but I'm not sure he will want to- "

"Hey Ruby, remember that thing I told you a few nights ago, when you and I were alone... forget what I said.
The blonde said aloud, which received wide eyes from all three other girls, especially her younger sister.

Ruby had a slightly open mouth as she was still stunned to hear what she just heard, but then shook herself before asking.

"Could you say that again?"

"Go train with Penny and more importantly Zen, if he says he can't make it for any reason, just tell him I'm okay with it."

"You- you really mean it Yang?"

"Yeah I guess so."
The older sister was then smothered by her younger sibling, with several 'thank you's' being said directly into her left ear before the release of the embrace, followed by a blur of red with the door of the dorm slamming shut and several rose petals slowly falling to the ground.

"Well that was unexpected… what changed your mind?"

"I guess you could say he's earnt just enough of my trust to allow my sister to spend time with him."

"So you accept him for what he is, even after our little talk yesterday?" Weiss asked.

"No, not really." The blonde replied nonchalantly.

"Then why let Ruby… your sister go and train?" The heiress asked in confusion and somewhat annoyed.

"Because, as Blake said, it wouldn't last for long. So why fight what could be a losing battle."
If Zen was able to keep a level head while being held at gunpoint and remain that calm… well maybe there is something to him.
Yang thought to herself before continuing.
"I'll still keep an eye out for her, and if Zen says or does anything that remotely relates to anything we've talked about from yesterday, I won't hesitate to confront him.
For now, I'll let Ruby have her time with the two of them."

"I guess that mech kind of knocked some sense into you." Blake said before reaching under her bed to grab one of her older novels… as well as the journal with notes from her past.

Later, once Penny, Ruby and Zen had finished for the evening, Zen decided that now was a good time to see Ozpin.
As he exited the lift, Beacon's headmaster looked up from what he was reading and welcomed him in.

"Hello Mr Discovery, just the person I wanted to see."

"You did sir?"

"Indeed, I have just finished going over Dr Ooblecks' report of the mission, from the Grimm fight to the confrontation with the white fang.
He said your actions in the whole situation were commendable, and you should be proud of yourself."

"Huh, well I better thank him the next time I'm in his lecture." Zen answered, somewhat surprised.

"I think that wouldn't be a tall order, but now onto the real reason you're here."

"Sir I-"

"You want me to put in a word to the judge about the boy in the white fang that held you at gunpoint?"

"Sir, he's only thirteen, barely has his life started and he was only scared what would happen to him."

"Mr Discovery you don't-"

"And he did finally give me the gun once I talked him out of it and nothing further transpired afterwards."

"Mr Discovery?"

"Sir, I gave him my word that we'd go easy on him."

"ZEN!"
The shout from the normally calm and reserved headmaster nearly caused Zen to fall back in surprise, his babbling ceased, mind fully alert."

"Y-yes S-sir?"

"You do not need to worry, as you said, he is only thirteen, therefore he is still a minor, most likely he will have to report to a probation officer and do community service given Oobleck and Port's report.
Where he will be placed, that however, is where I can talk to the judge.
Were there any places in particular? Perhaps the patent office, research and development or even a testing facility?"

"Wait, can he do that for community service?"

"I take it from that remark it seems like a foreign concept to you?"

"Well you're right in that regard."

"Well it's not out of the question, and if he's competent enough, he might gain an apprenticeship. Consider this, Miss Rose was allowed to attend Beacon at fifteen as she proved herself to gain the opportunity, it's not every day a vigilante is rewarded for stopping a robbery."

"Okay, well thank you for that sir.
Oh and just one more thing.
How exactly did you know that he was interested in engineering?"

"Doctor Oobleck is one for a very detailed and thorough report."

"Thank you again sir."

"Not a problem, now best head back before lights out. Goodnight Mr Discovery."

As the elevator doors shut and the hum of the motor filled the compartment, Zen sighed as his mind started to wander to that afternoon, when he and the rest of his team were chatting in the halls on the way to their dorm before going to spar..

Recounting what exactly happened in those halls…

"Are you sure you two can't come to spar with us, maybe you can give tips to Zen on how to improve quickly reloading his weapons?" Penny asked, with as much hope and puppy dog eyes as she could muster to Sivi, all the while Ciel was chuckling at her teammate's awkwardness.

"I would like to Penny, but I- we really have to take care of our own duties."

Zen merely smiled as he listened to the three, not really contributing too much as he just looked at the other groups of students who were conversing in the halls…

And that's when he saw them.

Emerald, Mercury, no sign of Neo and more importantly…
Cinder.

He felt his fists clench, he was sure the tendons in his hand were going to snap from how much he held them like that.
She's still too far away to be within striking range… but if he could clear the distance between them….
Right then and there, here and now, why wait for those weeks before the Vytal festival when all of that trouble and effort could be saved if it could be ended right then and now.

He could feel himself taking a step in their direction, Spirit felt like it was calling to him as his right hand-

"Zen are you coming?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming." He replied, feeling himself relax as he followed behind Penny, looking back at the group which hadn't noticed him staring before turning a corner and disappearing from his view.

A/N:

See, told you I wouldn't be too long.

Was it worth separating the two chapters or could I have combined the two?

Anyhow, we finally have the REAL big bad making an appearance.

This chapter I feel was an interesting one to write simply because it was dialogue heavy, but I will say that it took me about four different attempts to get that first paragraph right...

This is the original version I wrote when I just let my thoughts wander before editing:

As the cockpit of the mech exploded into pieces, the pilot flew a few metres away laying face first on the ground. Zen entered the portal and got Yang to her feet, then ran to the downed white fang member. He seemed to be quite short compared to Zen, perhaps Neo's height. He picked him up by the scruff of his uniform and pulled him to his feet, but as he did, he felt something cold and metallic pressed up against his chin.

Pretty much just a quick look at how I initially write before editing,
Next chapter I'm not sure how long it will take to get out, but I'll try to get it done ASAP (so see me in another three - six months ;P ).
As always thank you for taking the time to read the fic,
Comments and feedback are welcome.
See you in the next chapter and have a good night/ morning/ rest of the day.