Man, it's hot over here. And I'm still waiting on test results from doctor.


Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 33


They were back in the tunnel but this time lugging with them briefcases filled with carefully prepared explosives. It had taken them an embarrassing amount of time to find the dead-drop car Atlas had left for them, and it involved the four of them split up in a multi-storey carpark in the dark. Eventually they found it however, and the cases insides were packed full of dust-charges along with a small instruction leaflet on how to place and use them. It would have been troubling if anyone else had found these, but that was presumably the reason for how well hidden the vehicle was.

Jaune couldn't help but realise that this plan also meant that if they had been ambushed by the spies or caught by the White Fang on the way here, that they wouldn't have had access to any ordinance. It didn't much matter anyway since they'd got all the way here without being challenged by anything more than drunks asking for spare change or a light. Neon also had a thick set of combat pants on as well, so she was in a much better mood than the first time round.

They were all in decent spirits despite their gloomy and infested surroundings. Warden had informed them that General Ironwood's team had cracked the captives and three of them were now spilling their gut while the fourth remained silent. It didn't matter since they'd only needed the one. The information was being verified before being sent over to them so they weren't led astray, but Warden assured them they'd have full access since the intelligence directly pertained to their mission. It felt good to be in the loop, and to know that they were making genuine progress for once.

Even this, the planting of explosives, felt like a decided and deliberate move against the White Fang's plans. They might not know what those exactly were, but they obviously wanted this direct route between Mountain Glenn and Vale for something, and he doubted it was weekend barbecue parties, so shutting it down would cut their operations in half.

"We're coming up on where we staged the last ambush," said Jaune, holding up a hand for them to stop. The team did. They all knew this would be the obvious place for the White Fang to launch a counter-ambush, so that didn't need to be said. He was still pleased that all figured that out on their own and didn't feel the need to question him. "Flynt, you got the drone ready?"

Flynt chuckled and set his briefcases down, then removed a small four-wheeled dust-powered car from his hip. Calling it a remote controlled car didn't do the investment of Atlas military technology justice, because this thing was a camera-fed remote-controlled ATV drone that had enough hardware in it to resist gunshots and right itself from any position it might get stuck in. It probably cost thousands and was apparently used to investigate bomb sites and other incredibly dangerous locations you wouldn't feel comfortable sending living people into. Winter told them it was also used by infantry to check caves and other low-light locations for Grimm, since some of the smaller Grimm wouldn't even react to a non-living entity driving into their abode.

Kneeling, Flynt set the thing down and then started playing with the controller. It had a green screen propped up the front to relay the camera footage using night vision mode, hence the obnoxiously green tint. It was hard to make out a lot of details on it, but the tunnel was barren and didn't really have any good hiding spots anyway, so they were confident they'd spot anyone trying to set up a trap. After a second to get used to the controls, Flynt sent the little thing bumping and bouncing ahead with a cute little "whrrr" sound. The three of them crowded around behind him so they could look over his shoulder at the screen.

They were less than fifty metres out and it had a range of one hundred, or so it was advertised, but the signal down here must have been spotty at best because it kept blinking. Not enough to be unusable, however. The thing's view was a bouncing mess as it drove over rocks, stones, litter and then into the tunnel and against the train track. It wasn't until Flynt had it stop and settle that they could get a real look at things.

"The wreckage has been moved," said Neon. It had been, but not far. The vehicle Penny had turned to scrap and that they'd pretty much left behind had been shoved to the side of the tracks, pressed as far up against the wall as it could be, but that was it. "I wonder if they got out and moved it, or if something came by and just shunted it into the wall."

"You'd need a proper train to do that," said Flynt, "And I think that would have smashed it to pieces if it hit at full speed. Nah. They got out and pushed it. Look how there's no wreckage on the ground? They must have picked up the bits and pieces and tossed them aside too."

"Flynt is correct," said Penny. "This was a deliberate move. If lazy. They could have moved it into one of the side tunnels."

"They must not have had the manpower," said Jaune. The White Fang were amateur, but he wouldn't call terrorists lazy. If they hadn't carried it the twenty or so metres to the tunnel then it was probably because they lacked the ability. That thing looked heavy, and it wasn't like they could drive a tow-truck down here. "Question is: did they move it aside because they need the path clear for something coming to Vale, or was it just to get it out the way so they could drive another vehicle to Mountain Glenn?"

"Doesn't matter either way," said Flynt. "I don't see anyone waiting here." He waited for their agreement before wheeling the drone around to look down the opposite way. "And it's clear here as well. Looks like we're good."

"How half-arsed are they going to be about this?" Neon mused. "We literally kidnapped a bunch of their guys yesterday. Don't they have the slightest worry we'll be here to do it again? Are they that dumb?"

Dumb or focusing on something else. One or the two. Jaune stood with a creak of his bones and picked up his briefcase. The handle was cold in his hand. "Doesn't matter. Let's get this show on the road and we can figure out why they're letting us later. It might just be that they're disorganised or couldn't get in touch with a leadership figure within twenty-four hours. They're not like us where they can just report to General Ironwood; they have to keep their identities secret, and I bet they can't just call their boss on speed dial."

/-/

The four of them had been marching through the tunnels for a while now. They moved on at a decent pace. The average speed for troops on the move was around 4mph according to his lessons in Atlas but given the uneven quality of the ground down in the tunnel it wasn't unreasonable that they moved closer to 2-2.5mph. Jaune tracked an hour before calling them to a stop and turning to Penny.

"How far outside the walls are we?"

Penny leaned her head back, calculating in her head. "We are 2.45 miles outside Vale's walls."

It was pleasing to know he'd predicted it so accurately, and that his lessons in Atlas were still this relevant. He hadn't originally thought learning all this made much sense, but the teachers had said it was important in planning that a team leader could accurately judge distances and times on a map and make estimations to the fifteen-minute mark on how soon or late they could make it to any given location.

"General Ironwood said to plant them between two and three miles," he said. "This should do. I doubt anyone in Vale is going to notice these all the way out here." Kneeling, Jaune set his briefcase down and entered the four digit code he'd been given. It clicked open. Inside were eight rectangular packets, including adhesive backs, putty, separate fuses and a remote detonator with a plastic case over the button and several safety features meaning it couldn't be pushed accidentally. "I'd say one case for every fifty metres. That should make for a pretty hefty blockage."

"Two hundred metres of rubble?" laughed Neon. "Yeah, that ought to do it. Shotgun this spot."

"You-" Flynt groaned. "Ah, whatever. Shotgun the next."

"You're both children," said Jaune, shaking his head. "Fine. Penny and I will move on and handle things ahead. I shouldn't need to tell you all not to set anything off."

"When are we setting them off?" asked Flynt. "Down here or back in Vale?"

He wanted to say back in Vale but there was always the chance, slight as it may have been, that there could be an error or flaw in the device. "We'll back up several hundred metres and set them off. If we hear the explosion we're good, and we'll snap some photos just in case General Ironwood wants to know how thorough it was."

They should be safe either way. These tunnels were dug underground, so they had plenty of pressure to keep the walls up. If they had good distance then there shouldn't be any risk of a collapse other than directly around the explosives. They'd play it safe. Jaune closed his case again and started walking with Penny while Neon got to work affixing her bombs to the walls. He couldn't help but think Neon had forgotten that the last convoy came from Vale, so while her shotgun had saved her a bit of a walk, it also meant she'd have to be the first to react if trouble came their way.

He left Penny to take the third section and walked on to the fourth himself. There was no litter out here, them being so far outside Vale that no one would come this far. Wildlife had reclaimed a little of the tunnels though, and he saw bits of animal droppings large enough to suggest foxes as well as rats. There must have been some small cracks and holes they were using to get in and out for water and the likes. It went to show that life blossomed even when humans had long left. The Grimm in Mountain Glenn wouldn't bother them.

Which makes me wonder why they're not bothering us either. The thought came to him as he began sticking the first explosive to the wall and setting it to remote detonation. I know we're still at least a day's walk from Mountain Glenn, but there's no reason to think Grimm wouldn't have migrated this far in the years since it happened. Yet the tunnels are clear.

Had the White Fang dealt with them? They couldn't just ignore the Grimm like animals could, and if they wanted to accomplish something in the ruined city then they'd need to create themselves a beachhead. He had to wonder how many lives that cost them, because they couldn't have many huntsmen among them. If it was average townsfolk given guns then some of them must have died. Quite a lot of them, he imagined. It was astounding how they managed to keep morale up.

"Or how far down we've upset them that they'd put up with this…"

It wasn't his job to feel bad about that, but he considered himself a part of Atlas now, and it was undeniable that Atlas had been a major factor in the formation of the violent White Fang. No one liked to say it, mostly for fear of upsetting Atlas, but everyone knew it. More faunus like Neon in the military was a sign that things were getting better, but that wouldn't help those who had bene pushed out the kingdom years before.

Not that such reasons excused what they were doing now. Jaune took the last bomb from the case and affixed it to the wall. Four on either side, from about six feet up to one foot off the ground. It probably would have been better to space them everywhere, but he couldn't exactly reach the ceiling and they hadn't brought a stepladder. Having them balance on each other's shoulders with high explosives was a health and safety violation they might not survive, too. This would have to do.

"I'm done over here!" shouted Neon.

"Mine is done too!" called Flynt.

Jaune checked his one last time before walking back to where Penny was already finishing up. She had the benefit of using her wires to attach the explosives to the ceiling in a perfectly spaced pattern. She smiled at him as he approached. "The tunnel is demolition ready!"

"Then I guess we should make some distance and-"

"Hold up!" said Flynt, holding his hands out suddenly. "Do you feel that?"

Feel-? Jaune froze, as did the others, looking around and trying to figure out what it was Flynt meant. The air was as cold as it had always been, there was nothing he could see coming the way they'd come either. Jaune opened his mouth to ask what he meant when he felt it at last. A vibration through the floor. A faint shaking.

"I feel it too," said Neon. "Grimm? An earthquake?"

Jaune stared down the tunnel. The walls in the distance were faintly beginning to glow.

"No. It's a train…" He stumbled back, eyes flashing around. They were miles away from their tunnel leading off the main one, and there was only the one straight passage to Mountain Glenn now. Nowhere to duck into to hide. "Run!" he ordered. "Run back!"

To their credit, they didn't hesitate. The four of them turned and sprinted as fast as their legs could take them, feet crunching on stone as the vibrations grew and turned into a rumble, and until they could finally hear the clanking of the wheels. It was getting closer. Of course it was; the train was barrelling down the tunnel toward Vale.

"We'll never make it!" shouted Flynt.

"We don't have to." Jaune looked back. They weren't very far, maybe two hundred metres at best, but it would have to do. He flipped the safety on the detonator off. "Brace for explosion! Hit the deck!"

He was already striking the floor on his front when he said that, and the others threw themselves down as he pressed the button down with a click. There was a horrifying second of nothingness, a cloying moment of fear that they might have set them up wrong and that a runaway train would crush them, and then fire bloomed down the tunnel and rock shattered. The explosion was oddly muffled, directed back into the rock by the charges. It sounded like a thousand chisels striking a block of stone at once and making a singular, deafening crack echo. The tunnel groaned and collapsed behind them, cutting off all light.

"D-Do we keep running?" asked Neon.

"No point," said Jaune. "Either that stops it or it doesn't." At best they could press themselves against the walls and hope there was room. "I wouldn't stop bracing just yet, Neon!"

He heard the train rattle down the tracks and knew it wouldn't be able to brake in time. If the White Fang had even installed brakes. Jaune held his hands over his head and tensed, and seconds later there was the most awful sound in the distance. The crash was like a second explosion, and he wished he could see what was happening. Did it stop on the first blockage? Did it break through the rubble? Even if it did, it would bleed some momentum when it hit the second. There were four for it to get through, four piles of solid rock, and surely it wouldn't have the power to conquer all of that.

It almost did.

Jaune gasped when the nose of the train smashed through the last barrier and its headlight, cracked, washed over them like some horrific beast. It stopped as if it was sizing them up as prey, but it had stopped. Once the shock and adrenaline wore off, he realised it had come to a stop after breaking through three of the blockades and hitting the fourth, and now it was wedged in there.

"Talk about a close call," said Flynt, shaken. "We… uh… Do we report this in and leave or…?"

"We report it." Jaune had his scroll out. "Warden. Warden, we have a ruined train we managed to stop. Suspected White Fang convoy or attack. It's trapped in the wreckage from the bombs we set. We're about two and a half miles out from Vale. Advise."

"Warden copies. Are you in immediate danger?"

"Negative. But it probably had people on it." There was a roar in the distance, and this one didn't sound like it came from an engine. "And it sounds like there were Grimm following it from Mountain Glenn."

"Copy that, Team Jackpot. If you are in no immediate danger, then we'll have you hold position and act as relays while we send squads out to your location. Winter Schnee is en route aboveground. An access and exit hole will be blown to your location for your extraction, and any surviving terrorists can be taken into custody while the site is secured. Please confirm parameters viable."

"We can handle that, Warden. There's little movement through the rocks and no amount of jury-rigging is going to get this thing moving again. Activating beacons."

"We have them. ETA 7 minutes."

Jaune hung up and set his scroll down. "You guys get that?" he asked his team. They all nodded. "Cool. So, I mean, not quite how the mission was supposed to go but I guess this means we don't have to go to Mountain Glenn."

"You think there are survivors on board?" asked Neon uneasily. "With the Grimm I'm hearing, I can't help but think it'd be kinder if there weren't."

"I'm more interested in what the White Fang's overall plan for this was," said Flynt. "So, you drive a train to Vale. All right. What next? What does that do? What could they be trying to transport there that they could only get in Mountain Glenn?" He answered his own question a moment after. "Grimm? No way. You don't think they were capturing Grimm to store in train cars and then unleash them in the city, do you?"

"I didn't before you brought it up," said Jaune. "But now that sounds like it'd have a much bigger impact than anything else they could pull off. It's a good job we were here to stop it. Not that Vale will realise or give us any credit."

"Atlas will," said Neon. "Atlas knows and we'll probably get medals for this."

Flynt puffed up. "Yeah? That'd be cool. Imagine us earning medals at our age. We're not even graduates yet."

They were nervous. Jaune knew they were because he was nervous. The banter was a good way to keep themselves steady when they were faced with orders to stay in place when there might well be people getting killed by Grimm nearby. People that they had incapacitated and left helpless. It wasn't that he thought they should let the terrorists do whatever they planned in Vale, but he wanted them arrested. Not dead. Their plan had been to close the tunnel to cut off reinforcements, not to cause a train crash that might have left people dead, dying, or crippled for life.

It was the White Fang's fault at the end of the day but, much like if someone crashed a car into yours, you still didn't want to sit back and watch them die in the wreckage if you could pull them out. The problem was that if they went through then even if they could hold the Grimm off, the White Fang would escape or shoot them in the back, and there was just as good a chance they'd unleash whatever scheme they had on Vale. Plus, if the Grimm were that numerous then some might slip through and make the trip to Vale. It was too much risk. Warden's plan was best, and Atlas could quarantine this and seal up the tunnels to make sure no Grimm got through.

We can't put our feelings above the safety of the people of Vale. That's pure arrogance.

"Jaune!" Penny sounded worried. She had a hand to her ear. "I've intercepted an emergency call from the train – it's from Ruby Rose's scroll."

Ruby-? Team RWBY's mission to Mountain Glenn! Jaune swore loudly and yanked his scroll out. "Warden! This is Team Jackpot; we have confirmation Beacon team designation RWBY are still on the train trapped underground. Advise."

"Warden copies. Information will be relayed to Winter Schnee. You are weapons free to engage if you believe it safe. Priority must be preventing White Fang action, and rescue of allied huntsmen secondary concern. That said, you're free to make the attempt if it doesn't jeopardise the locals."

"Got it." He hung up. "Winter should be mere minutes out. Penny, can you cut a hole through for us? Neon and Flynt; I want you two to stay here and cover the exit. Make sure no one, or any Grimm, get through. Penny and I will search for Team RWBY. Send Winter through once she's here."

Penny brought out her knives and had them circle as green light flickered between them. They all knew to shield their eyes as the beam cut into the rock and carved a human-sized hole right through it. Some fell to fill the gap, but it soon settled, and they were able to crouch and crawl through. The other side was a mess. The train had come off the tracks and bunched up like a twisted snake, with some of the carriages vertical and others crushed. Huge, robotic arms hung out from some of them. Mechs the likes of which only Atlas could make – which raised the question of how they had so many. Reverse-engineering might be a thing, but they'd only had the Paladin for a couple of weeks. Where the hell had they found the factories and manufacturing materials to make all this?

Their view much further was blocked by the second section of fallen rocks, but the train itself had pushed through that. Jaune ran to the lead car and smashed the lock off with the butt of his weapon, then wrenched the door open. The engine was off, thankfully, and probably destroyed. There was a man crumpled against it, likely hurled forward from the impact, and sent crashing into the engine block. He had a white coat and orange hair. Roman Torchwick. Jaune stepped over and knelt, touching two fingers to the man's neck and searching for a pulse.

"Dead…" His voice was steady, which was strange because he was shaking. "He's dead."

"He must not have seen the impact coming," said Penny. "We should look for more survivors."

Though they couldn't get past the fallen rocks, the train had already pierced them, so as they ran down the lead carriages, they inevitably found themselves passing under and through those openings. There weren't many passengers in the forward-most cars. There was equipment and mech machinery, but few people. Only two that he counted, and both were dead. Tossed about violently by the crash and left crushed between heavy metal machines and the train's walls.

"I see someone ahead!" shouted Penny. "Movement."

It was a girl – Blake Belladonna, in fact. The momentary confusion and time it took to recognise her was in no small part due to the blood running down her face and her wet hair lank over half her face. She was clinging to a railing, slumped over and clutching her other arm to her side. Her eyes flashed dangerously as they approached.

"Friendly!" Jaune shouted. "Friendly! Where is your team?"

"You-? Ugh."

Blake clutched her head and slid to her knees. Penny was there, peeling her fingers away and fulfilling her role as the team medic. He realised at that moment the reason why she'd fought for the role; it was because she'd known that if anyone else had the job then they might have expected to look over her injuries and find a suspicious lack of blood or human organs.

"Your head is split, and you are likely concussed," said Penny. She was already taking out some supplies and wiping blood away from Blake's scalp. "I will call Neon and have her come collect you. Please try not to move. Reinforcements are on the way."

"T-The W-White Fang…"

"We know."

"T-Torchwick- H-Have to stop-"

"Torchwick is dead." His callous words had her eyes widening. He gently pushed her down. "Just sit here and try to relax. Penny is going to administer painkillers and then we'll go look for your teammates. Can you tell me where they are?"

"B-Back," slurred Blake, obviously exhausted but forcing the words out. "O-Oobleck too. And a dog. W-Why a dog? Ugh. Yang stayed. Fight girl. Bombs. D-Disarmed them. On train. Meant for Vale. G-Grimm behind."

It was a disjointed mess of a report, but he got the general idea. The White Fang had packed a train with bombs and planned to send it to Vale, where they'd presumably climb into the mechs to survive the impact and explosion, and then escape while the Grimm poured out to cause chaos. It was a good thing Team RWBY had managed to take care of the bombs, and even better Team JCKP stopped the train reaching Vale, though he doubted Blake felt that way right now. The girl lurched forward and threw up on the train floor.

"Take care of her," said Jaune. "I'll keep moving. Contact Neon and Flynt and have one of them come through while the other holds. I'll hit my emergency beacon if I need help."

"Ruby is alive and conscious at the very least," said Penny. "Her scroll is active. Try calling her."

A simple solution, and probably the best. Jaune moved down the train car and into the next as he thumbed through his contacts for Ruby's number. He hoped she wasn't trapped under rubble and that this was her only way to communicate with the world. If so, then it was he who pulled the trigger to crush the girl. Not one second after he made the call did she answer, obviously desperate.

"Where are you?" he snapped. "Rescue is on the train."

"Eh-? Jaune? How are you on the train? I was calling Beacon for help-"

"Reinforcements are on the way. ETA a few minutes." The fact Ruby could waste time expressing surprise was either a sign she was in an okay situation, or a sign of how undisciplined she was. He chose to believe the first since she would have surely been in agony otherwise. "We have Blake injured and unable to move but alive. Where are you and what's the status of your team?"

"Um. Ah. I'm with Weiss – she used her Semblance to keep us safe. We were on the roof, and we jumped off when we saw the tunnel ahead closed. We're bruised pretty bad, but I don't think it's anything compared to those that crashed. There are a lot of Grimm chasing us, though."

"Can you hold them off for two, maybe three minutes?"

"Yeah. We're holding a narrow opening in the rock where the train went through the rubble. They can't get at us more than single file. I was just calling Beacon to let them know what's going on and get some help. It's kinda crazy how fast you guys responded. I mean, maybe it's been longer than I thought but I could have sworn it wasn't minutes-"

"Ruby, there's no time to talk. Hold the Grimm. Tell Weiss her sister is on the way. You were with Oobleck, right? And Yang. Where are they?"

"Yang was in one of the back carts – I… I think that means she's okay, right? It's the front that took the brunt of things. Right!?"

"Ruby. Focus! Oobleck. Where?"

"He was on the roof with us. He didn't jump off. I don't know where he is."

Hopefully not still on the roof or he was likely dead or buried under rubble. He was a professional huntsman though, so odds were that he'd had the time and intelligence to see the problem coming and react. Weiss and Ruby had. Jaune hung up and jogged through the train, scrambling up the vertical parts and sliding down the other side. He found more bodies the further back it went, many dead but some alive and moaning in agony. None had the strength to stop him or even complain, so he kept going, barging his shoulder into one door and through. A bark from a dog had his head snap to the side where he found the teacher slumped against the wall. A corgi was curled up between his legs.

"Shit!"

"Ahah. I feel that, yes." The dead body opened one eye. "I'm alive, young man," he coughed out. "Though I hardly feel it. Would you believe I shielded a dog rather than myself? Rather silly when you think about it."

"Help is on the way, sir," said Jaune. "Are you stable?"

"Stable, yes. Unhurt, no. I've patched my own wound. How is the team?"

"Ruby and Weiss are holding the Grimm off and alive. Blake is badly hurt but being tended to by my team medic. I'm looking for the last one. Help is on the way."

"I see." Oobleck eyed him shrewdly. "Very fast response by Atlas to be here mere minutes after an unexpected crash down here." He smiled weakly. "Undercover mission, is it? No, don't say anything. I know you can't confirm it. Ahah. Well, I won't deny it's probably better we crashed here than in the city. I trust this is a safe distance outside the walls?"

"Two and a half miles, sir."

"Good. Good. You Atlas types always were efficient about these kinds of things. Ironic that I should be hurt in a collapsed tunnel from Mountain Glenn after what I did." His laughter was hoarse and strained. "Zwei, boy. Help Mr Arc out, won't you? Let's see. Hmm." Oobleck forced a high-pitched voice, like one might to excite a dog. "Where's Miss Xiao-? No. Where's Yang? Yang!"

The dog's ears perked up. He recognised the name. Jaune instantly realised what he was doing and took over, kneeling and smiling at the dog. "Do you know where Yang is, boy? Find Yang. Get her. Go get Yang. Yang wants to play."

"Arf! Arf!"

The corgi bounded on the spot, thrust its nose into the air and began sniffing. It looked ahead and back, left and right, before finally spinning one-eighty and rushing to the back of the train. A dog's nose was nothing to scoff at.

"There you have it," said Oobleck. "Follow him. Let us hope Miss Xiao-Long is safe."

"Will you be all right here?"

"I will survive, Mr Arc. Go!"


Technically speaking, this counts as a better event than canon. Sure, Team RWBY and everyone managed to close the breach by virtue of plot power and all that, but it would have been better from Vale's point of view for it not to have happened.


Next Chapter: 10th June

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