"Thank you for inviting me out on this clandestine mission of yours, friend Ruby. This is the first time I have been able to hang out with friends, even if it is in violation of Beacon's rules."
"Y-yea, um, happy to have you?" Ruby said, uncertain of how she was supposed to respond to Penny's odd phrasing. "Just stay low and keep your voice down. We don't want the White Fang to know we're here."
"Of course, friend Ruby. I will be completely silent and, if we are somehow discovered, I am combat-ready."
"Good to know."
Ruby returned to looking down the scope of Crescent Rose at the various Faunus that were entering the warehouse. Most looked nervous, like they'd just realized this might be a back idea and should leave but felt pressured to stay and attend the rally given how many people were present. Ruby couldn't quite understand how any of them could justify attending something like this, especially when Roman Torchwick was present. However, Blake had informed them how conditions in the Kingdoms often left Faunus feeling like they had no other choice or no one else to turn to. When it felt like the whole world was working against you, joining a group that promised equality and justice rather than spending your life with your head down and ignoring all the unfairness you were being made to endure made the choice to come that much easier. Often people simply attended with no real intention of joining. They simply came to see what was being offered. That was how it started. While some would join outright, the White Fang didn't expect this single rally to lead to a massive number of recruits. It simply offered a taste and they'd let you decide for yourself, trusting that the mistreatment they received at work and by greater society do the work for them.
Ruby watched as Blake and Sun dawned masks and entered the warehouse, the two White Fang Grunts showing no signs of having recognized either of them. She considered that to be due to the fact that Blake had changed her appearance a little before going out but a part of her suspected that is due to the fact that she had never been very well known during her time in the Fang. From what they'd learned of her past she'd been more of a participant than a figurehead. Were they members of the Fang she worked with in Atlas, they might have recognized her, but here in Vale, she was an unknown entity.
'Catnip and Abs have successfully entered the rally,' Ruby messaged her sister, using the code names they'd come up with for each other prior to going out much to Blake's annoyance and Sun's good humor.
'Roger that. Blue Crush and I are finishing up here. Learned some things that might be useful later. Any word from Snowflake?' Yang messaged back.
'Negative. I'll let you know if we hear anything. Notarobot and I will keep an eye on things here.'
'Copy. On my way now. Blondbombshell out.'
Ruby frowned as she put her scroll away and returned to watching the warehouse entrance down below. It had been at least an hour, maybe more since Weiss had blown up on them and walked out of their dorm. Ruby had been torn about what to do during the situation. On the one hand, she wanted to help Blake and believed that this was the best way to keep an eye on her. On the other hand, Weiss had made a good point and hopefully, she hadn't been serious about informing Headmaster Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch about what they were doing. Hopefully. The fact that they hadn't been called or seen either of them show up was a good enough sign. No news was good news, or so they said. Despite what people might think of her, Ruby wasn't naive. She'd known Weiss was suffering just not to what extent. After listening to her conversation with Yang through the door, however, she'd felt more guilty than ever about being unable to comfort her partner. She wanted to do something to help her, she just wasn't certain what she could or should do that might help.
Penny's contribution to their mission had been an unexpected but welcome surprise. It was nice to have someone to talk to, even if they were a little odd. That was quickly explained thanks to an unexpected chase through the back alleys of Vale after a couple of guys in suits came after her. They'd managed to evade them only for Ruby to find herself on a collision course with a truck. Penny's timely intervention saved her from suffering major injuries and revealed her true nature to Ruby as being an artificial human. It had been a surprise, one that certainly explained a few things, but not something that had put her off to keeping Penny as a friend. It had, however, given her an idea of how she could help them on their mission tonight and soon they found themselves camped out on a nearby rooftop, keeping a careful eye on the scene below.
"Friend Ruby, I have a question."
"What is it, Penny?" Ruby asked without looking up from her scope.
"Is it normal for people to fall asleep on rooftops?"
"I…guess?" Ruby replied.
The question was a strange one, to be sure, but it wasn't unusual for Penny to ask something of that nature. As an artificially created Human, she was fairly young and quite naïve when it came to how things worked. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what had prompted such a question.
"Oh, that is good. I was wondering why the White Fang were sleeping on the warehouse roof but if that is a normal thing people do then it makes sense."
"Yea, when were we little we would…wait a minute, what do you mean the White Fang are sleeping?"
"I mean that I can see at least four White Fang members asleep on the warehouse roof adjacent to us," Penny said, pointing across the street.
Ruby angled her scope to look for herself and sure enough she could see found White Fang Grunts either lying on the roof or leaning against it. She was too far away to be able to tell if they were unconscious or dead but there were no visible wounds to suggest one or the other.
"Penny, did Atlas send a team here to infiltrate the rally?" Ruby asked.
"Negative. I do not detect any Atlas comm signatures in the area. If there were I would have informed you of them once we arrived. It would appear General Ironwood isn't aware of this rally nor of the White Fang's presence in this area."
"Then who knocked out those Grunts?" Ruby asked no one in particular. "Now of all times, I wish I had a flying semblance. I can't tell if they're alive or dead from here."
"I can help with that," Penny said, wrapping her arms around Ruby's waist from behind. "Hold on tight and please do not squirm."
"Penny, what are you- EEP!"
Before Ruby had time to protest, Penny had launched them into the air over the street thanks to the jets housed within her shoes. Their trip was short but frightening. Ruby had been on rollercoasters before and she especially loved the ones that left your feet dangling out from underneath you as you flew through the air. This was nothing like that. This felt more like she was being flown through the air on a crane with a metal cable cradling her under her armpits and no guarantee that it wouldn't snap or that she'd slip out of its grasp. The moment they landed and Penny let her go, Ruby fell to her knees, sucking in air in huge gulps.
"Friend Ruby, are you all right? Your heart rate is elevated and you're sweating more than- "
"Penny," Ruby interrupted.
"Yes, friend?"
Shakily rising to her feet, she contorted her face into the scariest glare she could manage before looking at Penny and saying, "don't ever do that again without my permission. Understand?"
"Of course," Penny said with a sunny smile, showing how little Ruby's panic had affected her.'
Defeated, Ruby simply sighed and shook her head before taking a cautionary glance over the lip of the roof onto the street below.
"Do you think they saw us?"
"Negative. My boot jets were designed with infiltration in mind. They are quiet enough that no one would notice us passing overhead. Unless someone had looked up, our presence will go unnoticed."
"You're sure no one saw us? We flew right over them."
"Our presence has not been noticed. If we had been spotted, I would know and would have informed you."
"I'll take your word for it," Ruby replied, shaking off the last of her nerves as she focused on checking on the White Fang Grunts. "They're breathing so someone must have knocked them out at least."
"It appears their assailant used a mild sedative to render them unconscious," Penny said, checking the nearest Grunts' vitals. "They should remain unconscious for a couple more hours at least."
"That's good but who did this and where are they now?"
"Hmm," Penny hummed, looking at one of the walkie-talkies stowed nearby. "Strange."
"What's strange."
"This communications device is being hacked," Penny said, showing Ruby a small device plugged into the port on the bottom. "What's more it's Atlas Military Hardware but the frequency being used is unknown to me."
"Can you hack it and find out who's using it?" Ruby asked.
"It will take me a few minutes," Penny said.
Holding up her finger, Ruby watched it open up and a series of small wires snaked out. She held them up to the device where they injected themselves into it. A few seconds passed before the device began to spark. Ruby almost panicked but quickly stopped herself by thinking to herself that it was simply Penny working her way through some firewalls or something. It was only after the device popped, destroying itself outright and rendering the walkie-talkie useless, that she began to worry.
"Penny, are you all right?"
"I am unharmed, friend Ruby. It would appear the assailant noticed my presence and sent a feedback loop in response, destroying the device in an attempt to prevent me from locating them."
As if to emphasize Penny's statement, small pops echoed from several other devices on the rooftop. Ruby was sure that if they were to check them all they'd find small devices similar to his one imbedded into the walkie-talkies as well.
"What were those?"
"They are Atlas Military technology, often used by specialists and black ops agents to monitor adversarial communication without being detected. I am not sure how the White Fang came to possess such technology."
"Penny, I don't think it was the White Fang who were using them. I think someone else is here, someone who is also interested in bringing down the White Fang. Are you sure there are no Atlas operatives here tonight?"
"I am quite confident in that fact, Ruby. Even if the General had not informed me of a mission taking place, my clearance level would allow me to locate any briefings on the matter. If your theory is correct, however, then someone else here who is in possession of Atlas Military hardware is attending the rally and they now know we're here."
"If they know we're here then- "Ruby stopped, a sudden realization coming to mind that had her fumbling her scroll out of her skirt.
"Ruby, what is the matter? Your heart rate has elevated again."
"Blake's down there and if someone here is looking to take down the White Fang then she and Sun are going to be caught in the crossfire."
/-/
Blake was grateful for the mask covering her face. It helped to hide most of her expression when Torchwick pulled on a cord, dropping the White Fang flag to reveal the massive robot it was hiding behind it. It was easily two stories tall, making her wonder how they'd managed to get it inside not to mention smuggle it into Vale, and was loaded with weapons of all sorts. The more obvious ones were the large gatling gun strapped to the side of one of its hands as well as a few anti-airports along the top. No doubt there were more weapons stashed away on the behemoth that she wasn't even aware of. All of this simply helped to convince her of just how dangerous the White Fang had become since she left them and how little the authorities were doing to impede them if they had managed to bring something of this destructive power into the city.
She was so entranced by the sight of it, she almost didn't notice her scroll buzzing in her pocket. It took a moment for her to tear her eyes away and check it. The first thing that caught her attention was that it was a message from Ruby marked URGENT! Opening it up she found Ruby had sent both her and Yang the message 'RED ALERT! MISSION ABORT!' Usually, she'd have assumed this was just a bit of an exaggeration on Ruby's part but, considering what they'd been up to tonight, she could only guess that something had gone wrong and Ruby had wisely decided it was time for them to leave. At least with everything they'd witnessed tonight, they'd have more than enough evidence to bring to the Headmaster despite the detentions they were no doubt going to be made to suffer through.
"What's up?" Sun asked her.
"We need to leave," she replied curtly.
"Why? What's happened?"
"I don't know but we need to leave now before- "
"Excuse me but am I boring you?"
Torchwick's voice cut above the crowd, drawing all eyes to the pair of teenagers. Blake tentatively glanced up from her scroll, hoping the thief wouldn't recognize her. Up on stage, the man gazed down at her with a scrutinizing expression. It was obvious he was trying to place her and all at once Blake felt her fight or flight instincts lock into flight. It was too little too late, however, as the man's expression soon broke into a disgusting smile, she realized he'd finally placed her.
"Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here Kitty Kat."
Her hand slipped to her hip where Gambol Shroud was hidden, ready to fire off a few shots before bolting for the exit. All at once, though, the warehouse was thrown into darkness and everyone panicked.
/-/
Jaune sat on his perch up in the rafters, his gaze shifting between Torchwick up on stage and Blake Belladonna down in the crowd below. Despite his misgivings the girl had managed to maintain her cover, never once making any overt actions that would have drawn attention to herself. It had him hoping that she remained that way all night. The few attempts she made to interfere and apprehend Torchwick along with all the White Fang members present on her own, the easier time he'd have in disabling the Paladin currently standing behind Torchwick on the stage.
His current position gave him a decent view of the rally down below. He was able to make out all of the exits along with every White Fang grunt currently on guard or patrolling. None of them would be making their way up here, though. The Fang were confident that they're guards currently unconscious on the roof would be enough to impede or dissuade anyone from attempting to make their way up top. Given that none of them had aura, the Grunts had been quite easy to subdue. The added use of the sedative Calcipher had given him beforehand would be enough to ensure none of them would be waking up for a few hours, more than enough time for him to get the job done.
As he was considering the best course of action to take with the unexpected arrival of Blake, he heard Calcipher cut in on his earpiece, a telltale sign that something unexpected had been brought to their attention.
"We have a problem."
"You mean aside from the one that walked in the door not ten minutes ago?"
"Yes, it would appear Blake Belladonna brought friends. Atlesian friends."
Jaune paused, uncertain he'd heard Calcipher correctly.
"Atlas is here?" he asked, skeptical.
"Possibly one of their agents. I can't be sure but I noticed someone attempting to hack the communication devices we set up earlier. It appeared they were trying to trace the signal to their source. I managed to send a feedback signal through to all of them just in case but the program they were using is one I'm unfamiliar with. I can't be sure but it's either a new program they've just developed or one they don't often use and isn't on record. Regardless, I think we can assume our timetable has been moved up. You have the green light to proceed."
"Roger that."
He sighed and shook his head in frustration. Leave it to Atlas to choose the absolute worst time to get off their pompous ass' and do their jobs. He almost wished they'd been idle with carrying out this mission if only so he wouldn't have their interference to contest with. Slipping away from his seat, Jaune moved over to a large metal box he'd noted earlier that contained several large cables housed within. Given the overall layout of the building, he had a pretty good idea of what they were meant for and placed a small metal device inside before closing it shut. Within a few moments, it would discharge a corrosive substance that would chew through the cables, no doubt throwing the warehouse into darkness and rendering Torchwick blind as a result. As for the Faunus below, he had a pair of flash grenades that would disable them nicely, allowing him to make his way to the Paladin unimpeded.
It was a few moments before the grenade did its thing. A few moments when he saw Blake check something, her scroll no doubt, before conversing with Sun about something. Knowing their team's dynamic, he assumed it must have been a message from Ruby warning them of Atlas' interference and telling them to get out. It was too little too late, however, as Torchwick took notice of their presence, calling them out to the crowd below. Blake looked ready to run but, before either party could react, the lights inside the warehouse died. Screams erupted from below as people were caught off guard by the sudden blackout. Taking advantage of the panic, Jaune threw down the two grenades, covering his eyes and waiting for a few seconds before a bright flash erupted and a fresh wave of screams followed.
Satisfied, Jaune bound across the catwalk, uncaring whether or not someone heard him coming. Given the state things were in, the White Fang grunts below would either be blind or attempting to calm the panicked crowd that was no doubt pushing their way blindly toward the exits in a desperate attempt to escape whatever shakedown was occurring. Somewhere in the chaos would be Blake and Sun, as completely powerless to stop what was happening as the rest of the people present, making it that much easier for him to slip over to the stage and onto the Paladin. While there was a sequence involved for disabling the mechanized suit, he and Calcipher had opted for a more hands-on approach. Finding the maintenance hatch, he used his prosthetic arm to wrench it open before grabbing hold of the wires housed inside. One quick tug would render it inert, ensuring Roman wouldn't do anything aside from admiring it while they tipped off Atlas to its location.
Before he could move, however, he felt the Paladin lurch and heard its servos beginning to spin and grind as the machine reared up from its position. Jostle, Jaune latched onto the wires, ironically now needing them to remain in place so he could remain on the robot. He could only guess at what Roman was attempting to do and swore as the Paladin turned before barreling through the once-solid concrete wall of the warehouse and out into the city proper. His only saving grace was the fact that the rubble had been blocked by the Paladin, ensuring he wasn't hit by any of it. On the downside, though, he had to remain holding on for dear life given his current circumstances. Roman, who he assumed was the one piloting the machine, had decided to take the Paladin out onto the Vale highway system. Given where they had just been and who they had seen at the rally, it wasn't difficult for Jaune to assume that team RWBY were in pursuit, prompting the criminal to use the public as collateral to ensure they didn't do anything too destructive.
"Jaune, it's Calcipher. I have you on the CCT cameras running along the Valen highway system," Calcipher's voice cut in as the mic in his ear echoed his voice. "Don't try to speak. With the speed you're currently traveling the wind velocity will make it nearly impossible for me to hear. I've already alerted Atlas to Roman and the Paladin's current position as well as the route they're headed down though I believe that's redundant at this point. Just hand on tightly and look for any opportunity to sabotage the Paladin."
Jaune could only nod and hold on for dear life. Presently, it didn't look like Roman was intent on stopping anytime soon. It could be a while before that happened and there was no telling when Atlas would show up to intercept and possibly heard Roman to another part of the city where the collateral damage could be kept to a minimum. Best case scenario, he would wait until they left the more populated portions of Vale and then wrench the wires free in the hopes of disabling the Paladin and bringing Roman's little joyride to a stop. He wouldn't have a chance to implement his plan, however, as the revving of a motorcycle engine drew his attention. He looked towards it, barely making out a pair of heads through the headlight before he felt something smash against the Paladin and the two of them were falling. The sensation of falling had Jaune loosening his grip, watching as the ground below rose up to meet him, and launched himself off the Paladin's back. Counting the seconds, he rolled as he hit the ground. Hard.
He rolled for what felt like several minutes but must have been only seconds, as his Aura slowly drained from the impact. He came to an abrupt stop as his back smacked against a concrete pillar and he lay motionless, unsure of whether or not anything was broken but not willing to test the waters just yet. He could feel himself swimming in and out of consciousness and was vaguely aware that someone was standing over him.
"Penny is he okay?" he heard someone, a girl, say in a familiar voice.
"I am detecting no broken bones or fractures. However, he does have a bruised rib along with a mild concussion. His aura is still strong which must have prevented further damage."
The last person's voice he didn't recognize but her diagnosis of him helped to explain why it hurt to breathe and why his body was currently aching all over. Slowly, he pushed himself onto his knees, feeling his body protest but ignoring it. He slowly pulled himself to his feet while Ruby, who he'd only just started to recognize, cautioned him against moving too quickly. He ignored her, instead digging into one of the pockets of his vest and pulling out what looked to be a large pen. Pressing the button, a small needle extended from the end and, before either of them could intervene, he slammed it into his thigh, making sure to drop his aura before he did. A couple seconds later he felt the morphine beginning to take effect, dulling the pain to the point that he felt light on his feet.
"That's better," he said, tossing the pen away as he stumbled for a moment before finding his footing.
"What was that?" Ruby asked, giving the pen an unsettling glance.
"A morphine filled EpiPen. Standard issue for Atlas Special Forces units. How did you come into possession of such an item?" Penny asked.
"That's classified," he replied, more so out of a desire to avoid the subject than to waste time answering her question. "Tell me, Miss Rose, why you and your team decided to interfere in our investigation when we clearly told you to leave the White Fang alone?"
"Investigation?" the orange-haired girl, Penny, asked.
"Um," Ruby said, looking away awkwardly.
"You were told to leave this to the proper authorities."
"We couldn't just sit around and wait while the White Fang were out there. Besides, we have everything under control," she argued.
At that moment they heard her sister Yang cry out. Their gaze drawn towards the fight, they managed to catch sight of Yang as she was tossed through a concrete pillar, shattering it on impact and rolling several feet away.
"Really?" he asked, turning to Ruby.
"She's fine. Yang's semblance allows her to absorb the damage she receives and use it to strengthen her attacks. Torchwick's attacks are just making her more powerful."
"Assuming she isn't knocked out by one of them," he said, watching as Yang staggered to her feet before slamming a fist into the metal arm of the Paladin. In spite of her previous demonstration, the impact tore the Paladin's arm clean off, causing it to stagger backwards as a result. In retaliation, Torchwick opted for firing off a salvo of missiles housed in the shoulder plates, pelting the area with explosions.
"Take cover!"
They didn't need to be told twice and they quickly retreated behind nearby pillars as bits of rubble pelted their position.
"We need to take that thing down. I managed to pry open a maintenance hatch on its back containing wires linked to the cockpits operating panel. I just need to get close enough to tear them out."
"I'll distract him. We've been working on some team tactics that should keep him occupied. Penny, can you get him close?"
"Roger friend Ruby," Penny said, giving the girl a salute that made a loud banging sound for some odd reason. "I am combat-ready."
Before he could protest, Ruby had already used her semblance to rush towards her teammates. She called something out, being too far away for him to hear, and before long she and Blake were tag teaming the Paladin, confusing Torchwick enough that he was having a difficult time targeting them, let alone keeping the machine steady.
"Ready friend?" Penny asked.
"I'm not your friend," he replied and, with a tired sigh, said, "let's get this over with."
"Understood," she replied, hooking her arms under his and pulling him tightly against her chest. "Please try not to squirm too much or scream."
"Why would I- oh ffffuuuuuuucccccckkkkkkk!"
Somehow, they were flying at high speeds towards the Paladin. Whether through a flight-based semblance or something else entirely, they closed the distance between them and Torchwick in a few seconds. Jaune barely had time to latch onto the Paladin, let alone register what had just happened, as his attention was stolen from the impromptu flight to riding on the back of a giant robot like he was a cowboy hanging onto a bucking bronco. Thankfully Penny had aimed for the precise placement he needed to be able to grab hold of the cables. Holding on as best he could, he took hold of the exposed circuitry and yanked as hard as he could. He knew he was making progress when he felt electricity course through his arm, shocking his nerves and nearly throwing him off as a result. Pushing his aura to the fore, he grit his teeth as he continued to pry out the wires, feeling them loosen until, with one last good pull, the tubing holding them in place finally gave and he dropped to the ground, shivers from the latent electricity that was still shocking his nerves.
His actions had an immediate effect as the Paladin soon lost its momentum, powering down as it slumped forward, unable to move. Yang took advantage of the opening that had been given to her and with one rage-fueled punch, she slammed her fist into the robot hard enough to destroy it completely. Shards of metal and pieces of machinery rained down around them as Roman Torchwick was sent tumbling to the ground as well. He stumbled to his feet, fumbling for a cigar which he managed to pull out only to find it broken and useless. Frustrated, he tossed it away before turning his gaze to the four students and one vigilante who were currently closing in on him.
"Well kiddies, it's been fun, but sadly I must bide you all adieu," he said, giving them a theatrical bow.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Yang said, letting out a roar as she charged the man with her arm cocked back.
"Yang, wait!" Archangel yelled but his protests went ignored.
As Yang's fist found its mark, they were greeted by the sound of shattering glass as Torchwick broke into a thousand pieces not unlike bits of glass. They soon faded, giving them reason to believe it had all been an illusion before a bullhead swooped by overhead. Standing in the doorway they could see Torchwick along with a shorter woman with pink and chocolate-colored hair before the bullhead pulled away, leaving with their quarry.
"Tch, coward," Yang mocked.
"Should we go after him?" Blake asked.
"I would not recommend it. Given the speed at which that bullhead is moving there is no guarantee we would be able to maintain a visual on him with a bullhead of our own," Penny replied.
"Well, I'd chalk that up to a victory," Yang commented.
"Speak for yourself."
Their attention soon turned back to Archangel. Bruised and electrocuted, his right arm was still trembling from the latent electricity still setting off his nerves and the tips of his fingers had a slight burnt tinge to them. Despite all of this, he still managed to pull himself to his feet and give them each a sharp glare that had Ruby faltering under his gaze.
"Are you alright?" the little red reaper managed to ask.
"I'm fine," he snapped.
"I'm detecting two cracked ribs, mild bruising along his abdominal region, and some slight electrical burns on his right arm," Penny rattled off.
"How can you tell?" Yang asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," he agreed, eyeing Penny with suspicion.
"I- um- I'm very observant," Penny said, her statement coming off as more of a question than a reply.
"Indeed," he said, ignoring the issue of Penny's exemplary observation skills to return to the task at hand. "If memory serves, you were all told explicitly to stay away from the White Fang. You especially were told to avoid them and we even went so far as to allow you to assist us during one of our previous operations," he said, rounding on Blake.
"Wait, what? When was this?" Yang asked, turning to her partner.
"I- it was a while ago and that's beside the point. We couldn't just sit by and let the authorities handle things. Your actions already led to the Fang killing Tucson in his cell. There was no guarantee you wouldn't botch this operation too."
"The fact that you honestly believe Tucson is dead just proves how little you know and how well we're managing to hide our operations from the Fang," Archangel remarked.
"Wha- are you saying he's alive?" Blake asked, confused.
"Of course he's alive. You didn't honestly think we could place him in custody and not expect his former superiors to send an assassin, did you?"
The look of embarrassed frustration painted across Blake's face was enough to confirm his suspicions. The girl obviously had major trust issues, ones that would become a problem for her team if they weren't addressed soon.
"We had a plant in place for when they did send an assassin. Unfortunately, it wasn't the Fang who attacked. We weren't certain of whom but that girl we saw with Torchwick matches the description of the assailant sent to remove Tucson from the equation."
"So he's alive?"
"He's alive and far removed from the White Fang's reach, including yours," he said, making it clear she wasn't counted as an ally. "Now, seeing how you were wrong about Tucson, care to take a guess as to what else you were wrong about."
Blake snarled, turning away in frustration. It was an obvious jab meant to bring up the fact that they had interfered in his operation against Torchwick.
"We were just trying to help. We couldn't sit by while the White Fang and Torchwick were committing crimes in broad daylight," Ruby argued.
"Just because you don't see anything being done to stop them doesn't mean nothing is being done. More often than not, if you don't notice us actively working against our adversaries then chances are they're just as ignorant to the fact as well."
"But we're Huntresses- "
"In training," he cut her off. "You're barely finished with your first year and the only person here who has any experience to fall back on when it comes to the White Fang spent five years as one of them."
His gaze lingered over each of them in turn, taking note of their expressions before continuing on.
"Did none of you consider the consequences of your actions should you fail?"
"We didn't actually fail, Torchwick just got away," Yang remarked.
"What I mean, Miss Xio Long, is what would you have done if he'd taken the Paladin into an urban area such as a mall? How would you have protected all those civilians from a machine designed to eradicate Grimm?"
Unsurprisingly, none of them had an answer. They all had various expressions of guilt and, in Blake's case, frustration. It was moments like this that left Jaune wondering if they'd always been this way and, if so, why no one had ever called them out on it. Hell, none of the teachers had ever reprimanded them for it, including Professor Ozpin. It was certainly something to bring up with Calcipher when he met with him tonight.
"What does it matter? No one got hurt. We managed to keep the collateral to a minimum this time," Blake argued, completely bulldozing through his previous statement, a common theme with her it seemed.
"One, people did get hurt. Apart from the people attending the rally, whom you all conveniently forgot about," he said, eliciting a fresh wave of guilt from the girls, "Torchwick's little jaunt across the highway no doubt caused a massive accident with injuries in abundance and I highly doubt any of those civilians have their aura unlocked or the training necessary to use it properly."
By this point, the girls, aside from Blake, looked to have been properly chastised. It was enough to leave him under the impression that it was time to leave and return to base but Blake had other plans.
"It wasn't our fault. We weren't the ones who spooked Torchwick. If you hadn't interfered, we would have been able to capture him without any fuss."
"Does the rest of your team agree with that sentiment?" he asked, tired of her constant arguing and more than properly equipped to counter her argument.
Blake looked around, expecting her teammates to back her up but quickly found them unwilling to pitch in. Even Penny was silent and that girl was unusually chatty.
"To clarify, Blake, Torchwick recognized you almost instantly. I have recordings from the warehouse interior to confirm that. The fact is, he was completely unaware of my presence, and had you not been in attendance he wouldn't have taken notice and decided to make an escape attempt in a giant robot."
"We were in disguise," she countered.
"An outfit change and a White Fang mask don't constitute a proper disguise. They were about as effective at hiding your identity as that bow is at hiding your heritage," he said, taking a small degree of pleasure at the cringe looks her teammates adopted. "That's completely ignoring the fact that you were accompanied by the same guy who was with you at the Vale Docks where you first encountered Torchwick and he was wearing the same open white shirt, jean shorts, and Tennie shoes that he always wears. You couldn't have made yourselves stand out more unless you'd painted yourselves in neon."
By the looks on their faces, whatever arguments they'd had brewing had clearly died in their throats. No one had anything that they could say to further justify their actions and if they did, they no doubt assumed he had a strong enough argument waiting in the wings to completely blow them out of the water. Satisfied that his job was finished, he turned to leave, holding his side slightly where he could feel the bruising and cracked ribs being mended by his aura.
"Excuse me," he heard someone say.
He stopped momentarily, glancing back to see an orange-haired girl he didn't recognize smiling at him. "Would you be so kind as to give yourself up to the Atlas authorities?"
"Excuse me?"
"Um, Penny, what are you doing?" Ruby asked nervously.
"You are Archangel, a well-known vigilante operating within the Kingdom of Vale without their consent. As an ally to their Kingdom, Atlas has been asked to apprehend you on their behalf."
"I don't know where you get your information from, little girl, but here working on behalf of Vale to clean up the mess caused by Atlas' negligence," he said, gesturing to the wreckage of the Paladin nearby. "So, why don't you focus your efforts on fixing the problems that are obviously inherent within your own system and I'll focus on fixing things out here?"
"If you will not come with me willingly, then I have been authorized to bring you in by force," she said, deploying her swords a moment later.
"Penny, no!" Ruby yelped, torn between supporting her friend and stepping in to stop the situation from escalating any further.
Jaune, for his part, remained calm as he stared down the swords hovering menacingly overhead. Reaching up to his chest, he extracted what looked to be a smoke grenade before pulling the pin and dropping it at his feet.
"Fuck this."
The grenade spun as smoke was expelled from both ends, engulfing him entirely. Penny, for her part, looked quite confident but her expression faltered slightly as something happened that she hadn't anticipated. She quickly rotated her swords, turning them into a makeshift turbine that was meant to dissipate the smoke quickly. Despite her efforts, the smoke took longer than anticipated to clear by which point Archangel had disappeared, leaving little if any evidence behind of where he'd gone.
"What just happened?" Blake asked, looking to Penny for an explanation.
"He deployed a specially designed gas grenade meant to conceal a person from Faunus night vision and infrared. I was unable to locate him when he escaped. I hadn't anticipated him possessing Atlas military hardware."
"That seems to be a running theme with this guy," Yang pointed out.
"So what do we do now?" Blake asked.
"Grab the boys and head back to Beacon?" Yang suggested. "To be honest, I'm beat. That fight took more out of me than I realized. I could use a snack and a hot shower before bed."
Ruby nodded in silent agreement. The night had not gone as planned, what with Torchwick taking the Paladin for a joyride and Archangel giving them a lecture afterward. She just wanted the night to be over and to head to bed. Hopefully, things would be better once morning came and things returned to normal.
I had been looking forward to this point of the story for a while. So much about the warehouse scene that had me asking questions about how any of the girls had thought they could attend without being noticed or how they managed to enter into open warfare on the freeway and yet not have anyone call them out for putting civilian lives in danger. More often than not, the explanation is that Ozpin stepped into smooth things over but I still believe that they should have been called out for being so reckless.
The next chapters will expand upon this idea as you'll see moving forward. Actions have consequences after all and no one is able to escape everything they've done without having someone retaliate.