Here we go.


Cover Art: Mystery White Flame

Chapter 31


Jaune filed into the open door with his team coming in close behind. Winter closed it, and then ushered them to the small table in her Beacon-assigned dorm. They took seats quietly, waiting for her to begin. Winter moved to th window, closed the curtains, and then moved back to the door, opened it and looked outside, before she closed and locked it. Finally, she came back to the table, though she didn't sit.

"Team JCKP. I'm not sure how much you have heard – if anything. The headmaster of Beacon wants to keep what happened quiet to avoid panic or embarrassment. I'm aware of how quickly rumours spread in a school, however. What do you know?"

Nothing. Jaune looked to his teammates to see if they had anything better, but they all shook their heads.

"Nothing?" asked Winter. "Hmm. Beacon must be doing a better job than we expected. We don't exactly approve of that; avoiding panic is all well and good, but this is a school for huntsmen. You're unlikely to run around like headless chickens. We suspect there is more going on here, but whatever Beacon and Ozpin are doing is not your business. Your business is to be the woman who ambushed you in the city and now sabotaged the CCT tower here in Beacon, killing two of our soldiers as she went."

"Sabotaged?" asked Flynt. "But my signal was fine this morning. You guys?"

Neon checked her scroll and reported it was fine as well. Jaune didn't bother checking. Instead, he asked, "How do we know it's sabotaged if nothing has changed, ma'am?"

"Ruby Rose testified that the intruder was removing something from the mainframe terminal when she arrived, and that the screens briefly flashed with the symbol of a chess piece. We've bene unable to find any indications of a virus, however. Our engineers are still looking but there doesn't seem to be anything at all."

"And absence of evidence doesn't mean absence of a crime," said Neon. "In fact, it's more suspicious that we can't find anything when something was clearly uploaded onto the system."

Winter nodded. "Precisely. We know these to be the same people who were able to identify and steal the Paladin despite it being a classified project, and they've been able to overpower its software locks to pilot the vehicle. We obviously didn't leave it with the keys in the ignition as it were; there were powerful protections in place that were brushed aside. We assumed that was by the White Fang, as unlikely as it sounds, but now we know someone else is involved."

"The CCT is technically Atlas technology as well, isn't it?" asked Jaune. Winter nodded. "So, if someone could break into our systems to find the paladin, then break into its systems to turn off its security, then they could definitely break into the CCT and hide something on there. Do you think there's a traitor back home, ma'am?"

"Checks are underway. It may be, but it also may be a former operative of Atlas – or even a former software engineer who is just familiar with the way we do things. It could also be a concerted effort from White Fang sympathisers. We just don't know. It only takes one person leaking information to undo us, and Atlas' military is made up of over a hundred thousand men and women. And even more formerly employed who have retired, been dismissed, or gone rogue in the past."

"So, this angle isn't gonna narrow it down any," said Flynt. "Damn. Why aren't we taking the CCT down, then? I know it'd be a ball ache for everyone to lose signal, but surely we have a backup system somewhere. Rip out the hard drives, replace them all, and boot up a version that's a month old. It'd be a little outdated, sure, but we'd know for certain it wasn't compromised."

"That kind of thinking would be praised in Atlas," said Winter. "Alas, we're not in Atlas."

Neon snorted. "You can't be serious. Ma'am, are you seriously saying that Vale won't do something this simple?"

"It is the Vytal Festival, cadet. The economy is booming, businesses are thriving, and tens of thousands of people are descending on Vale from every other kingdom on Remnant. The Council of Vale is not interested in causing upheaval and embarrassment on the chance that something is wrong. Not without clear evidence we have been unable to provide."

Jaune couldn't… No. He could believe it. Politicians were forever ignoring things that weren't immediate problems, from potholes to dodgy laws to big businesses not paying their taxes. It would be more unbelievable to have a government that actually went and solved all those things proactively. What he did find surprising was that dead soldiers and a woman clearly sabotaging the CCT did not count as enough "evidence" for them.

"So, let me get this straight," said Flynt. "Vale doesn't want to close down the CCT for even a few days because of the economic impact. Meanwhile, Atlas has been asked to look after security for the event despite the fact that this is happening in Vale. And lest I guess wrong, the security we're proving – basically our soldiers – are going to be paid by Atlas' taxes. Right?"

"That is correct, Cadet Coal."

"This is bullshit!" cried Neon. "Why are we paying for Vale's economic boom? Why are we working our asses off to take care of Vale's problems? Let them do something for a change!"

"Would that it was so simple," said Winter, shaking her head. "Vale is our ally. I realise from this point of view they're not looking like good ones, but it doesn't change the fact. It's also in our best interests to shore up Vale against White Fang action. To put it simply, this goes beyond economic considerations. Sadly, Vale doesn't see it that way. Or rather, the elected officials don't. Most people in Vale would likely agree with you all, but most people aren't where the power is. The power is centralised in big business, big lobbying groups, and influential individuals. They'll almost always be more interested in profit. It's the same back home. The military is just much more firmly entrenched in politics thanks to General Ironwood, and he makes sure they don't forget that. Not everyone approves. There are plenty of people who would see Ironwood out, and our system become more like Vale."

"No thanks," said Jaune. "Vale is a disaster."

Winter chuckled. "It's easy to say that now with the information we have. Not everyone does, and from an outside view Vale looks idyllic. Ironically, should we be successful, it will still look that way. No one will know we protected Vale's sovereignty, or that things would have been much worse without us."

Saving kingdoms from the shadows, not being thanked for it, but knowing they'd done the job they had to do. It sounded like the conclusion of a spy thriller. Jaune supposed they were that at the end of the day. They had a top secret mission, they were trying to save a kingdom, and they were thwarting the plans of dangerous terrorists. Maybe he could write a book about this in the future.

Not having lived in Atlas, he couldn't really feel the same anger Flynt and Neon did, though he could understand why they felt it. As they'd said, Atlas was funding the military, and the military was here doing work for Vale without any real reward. Vale was reaping the benefits of the festival, and Atlas was paying for it. That was bullshit no matter how you laid it out. It must have hurt all the more because, as far as he could tell, neither of them had come from well-off families. He hadn't either, obviously, but that was less of a problem in a quiet place like Ansel. The inequality gap was presumably a lot higher in a city where you had filthy rich people like the Schnee rubbing shoulders with average joes working nine through five.

"What's our goal, ma'am?" he asked. "Are we still after the Paladin, or are we after that woman now?"

"That woman is beyond your team otherwise I'd say yes. Don't worry, we have plans of our own we're implementing. Your objective is to continue acting against the Paladin, but now you have the added objective of capturing Roman Torchwick. He's obviously higher up than your White Fang mole and might be able to provide us more information. Furthermore," said Winter, crossing her arms, "We're losing patience with the Council of Vale and their nonsense. As such, General Ironwood has decided that he doesn't much mind if they become suspicious of us."

"We're going loud?"

"Not loud. Simply, more assertive. We don't want it known we're operating in an ideal world, but the enemy already knows and we're not going to hobble you for Vale's sake. Try to avoid detection as you did before, but you should no longer feel like you have to pull out if you're under threat of discovery. Similarly, Warden has been told they can be a lot more forceful with their plans."

"What if we're found out?" asked Neon. "What should we do?"

"Play silent and instruct them to speak to General Ironwood. You're not Valean students, nor citizens, so they can't demand anything from you without an arrest warrant. The same goes for the teachers of Beacon. They can make demands of you within school hours, but they have no say over what you do in your spare time."

Flynt whistled. "That'll piss them off and no mistake."

"We're done playing games, Team JCKP. We have tried to work within their rules, and our enemies have taken advantage of it. They are planning something for the festival – it's practically a guarantee – and we are in charge of its security. We are not going to tiptoe around on eggshells to satisfy the locals."

"And if they demand we stop, ma'am?" asked Penny. "What if they try and expel us from the country?"

"Then they will have to expel all of us, Cadet Polendina. And they will have to take care of their own security. An incident at the festival will reflect on us. It will become our fault. General Ironwood is not willing to accept fault for their insecurities." Winter nodded. "That is all. Warden will be in touch with your orders soon. You shouldn't be surprised for them to be much more direct than you're used to."

/-/

It was strange how everyone else acted like nothing was wrong. Winter had said it best, but Jaune really expected some rumours to spread. There had been dead bodies for crying out loud. Instead, it seemed like the only team who knew anything was Team RWBY, and they'd somehow been convinced to stay quiet on it. This from a team that consistently went out and caused trouble in the city. It was ridiculous.

"This new no fucks given attitude from Atlas is honestly a relief," said Flynt. They had retreated to their room to discuss the change in operational parameters, after performing a quick sweep for any new bugs. There were none that they could find.

"What do you reckon the mission will be?" asked Neon. "You think we're going to go put the squeeze on Perry some more?"

"Maybe," said Jaune. "But we're after Torchwick now. I guess Warden are going to hack police reports or rental details and try to find him. Do you really think it's him behind this, though? He's a petty thief as far as I can tell."

"Hundred lien says it's that huntress herself," said Flynt. "Either way, all we have on her is hair colour, gender, and a fighting style. They'll have already checked the records for anyone with a style or Semblance like that, and the fact no one has been arrested as good as says they've found nothing."

"How does a huntress slip through the net like that?"

"According to records, it is easier than it sounds," said Penny. There was a distant quality to her voice like she was slitting her attention between them and something else. "I'm looking at some now." Ah, that explained it. Convenient. "The academies are the primary method for people to become huntsmen, but they're not the only one. There are apprenticeships to existing huntsmen, private tuition, and then there are those who grew strong enough through undefined means and sign up for a license later. According to statistics in Atlas, 75% of our crime committed by huntsmen and huntresses is done by former students."

"That many?" Jaune couldn't believe it. "Why?"

"It doesn't look like it is any fault of the academy, Jaune. It is just that there are more huntsmen in Atlas who studied at the academy than who earned their licenses via other means. Publicly available statistics in Vale put that figure closer to 50-50, while Vacuo has only 30% of crime committed by former students."

"So, what that really means is that Vacuo has a whole lot of unregistered huntsmen that got their skills in places law enforcement doesn't know about, right?" asked Neon. Penny nodded. "Makes sense. Put like that, it means Atlas keeps a better track of everyone who has aura. Vale being 50-50 isn't so bad. Some of those criminals might have come from other countries. Do we know where Torchwick falls into that? Is he trained?"

"Former Beacon student. The information isn't available, but an in-depth search shows he represented Beacon in a Vytal Festival held in Vacuo, getting to the second stages with his team before being knocked out by the team who would go on to win it. He was taken out in the two-on-two rounds fighting alongside… Bartholomew Oobleck?"

Jaune's head came up. "Isn't he one of the teachers here?"

"Yes," said Neon. "History. Funny guy with green hair."

"Do you think we should talk to him?" asked Flynt.

"Atlas must have made the connection already," said Jaune. He noticed their looks. "Okay, we'll tell Warden about it and see if they have. I know Winter said we shouldn't be afraid to be more obvious, but I think going right up to one of Beacon's teachers is probably not what she meant."

"Even crazier idea," said Flynt, "and hear me out – we should bug Team RWBY's room. They've been involved in this too, and Rose saw that woman. You can be your ass off they'll be talking about it, and there might be something we can use there."

It was a good idea despite Jaune's initial reluctance to it. A lot of that was founded around not wanting to put listening devices in the room of four girls, which he felt was a very reasonable sentiment to have. That said, they weren't here to be nice. They were here to find out what was going on in Vale and stop it. "I'll ask Winter," he said, standing. "Because I've a feeling she won't be happy if we do anything involving Weiss without clearing it with her first."

"You're going now?" asked Neon. "Not going to wait for Warden?"

"Team RWBY isn't going to hold off on their gossip until the weekend, are they? It might be too late by then."

/-/

"You want to bug my sister's room…"

"Her team's dorm," said Jaune, trying valiantly to change the subject. "We think they might investigate this on their own – they did with the White Fang – and us knowing what's going on could be a big advantage. It wouldn't have to be us listening in if that's the issue, ma'am. It could be you. Or a team back in Atlas since you're busy."

Winter hummed. It was clear she didn't like it. "Miss Rose assured us that she'd told us everything she knew about the intruder. You think she held something back?"

"Not intentionally. But she might remember something, or they might find something and decide to look on their own rather than tell a teacher." He paused for emphasis. "Like they did the last two times already, ma'am. With all due respect, they've shown they'll do things on their own regardless of the risks."

"Weiss was never like that before," said Winter. She sighed. "No doubt her team is encouraging her, and she doesn't know how to say no." Another sigh, heavier this time. "I will be the one to bug her room. Do not take that as my questioning your motives-"

"I understand, ma'am. It's your sister. I'd feel uncomfortable spying on them anyway."

"I'm glad you understand. I also severely doubt you or your team could get yourself invited into their room as I could. Leave the matter to me. I shall request that Warden parse through what they hear. Any relevant information will be forwarded to your team. Good work on bringing this to my attention. Feel free to bring any similar ideas to me."

Jaune saluted. "Ma'am. Uh. There was one other thing. We found out Torchwick's old partner is a teacher here-"

"Doctor Oobleck, yes."

"Atlas already knows? We assumed so but-"

"He volunteered the information to us and answered questions as best he could. Their breakup was years ago. Torchwick was disillusioned with huntsman life after the fall of Mountain Glenn. A perfectly reasonable sentiment given what happened, but his turn to crime is less forgivable, especially now that he's involved in terrorism. Doctor Oobleck did speak to Torchwick's character to say that this last part was uncharacteristic of him. Apparently, Roman Torchwick is anti-government, but more in the sense that he wishes to expose and humiliate them. Doctor Oobleck thinks it unlikely that, after abandoning the system over their failure to protect innocent people, he would go on to join a group putting innocent people at risk."

Thief to terrorist was a bit of a leap. They were both criminal, sure, but one was a career move focused on money, and the other was usually based around ideals. Terrorists typically wanted to evoke big change, whereas a thief just wanted to have money. "By all accounts, ma'am, he was a successful thief. It is a little strange."

"Yes. We're almost certain he's been coerced in some way but that doesn't matter. We will still need to capture and interrogate him. General Ironwood is prepared to offer a plea deal if he rolls on the ones behind this, but that doesn't change anything in the immediate future. You will need to track him down and capture him. Ciel Soleil has been instructed to assist in the search."

"And the capture?"

"That will depend on other factors. For now, trust she's looking into matters as well. We'll ask you not to co-operate."

"Why?"

"There is a chance your investigations could contaminate one another if you did," explained Winter. "If one of you picks up a false lead and tells the other, you'll both be dragged on a wild goose chase. A wider net will catch more fish."

"Understood. Is that all, ma'am?"

"Yes. Dismissed. I will speak with Weiss in her dorm tonight and plant the bugs."

/-/

Two days came and went without news either from Warden, Winter, or the general media of Vale. There wasn't even mention of the two dead soldiers, which had to be rubbing General Ironwood the wrong way. It certainly bothered their team. They attended lessons in silence, stuck to themselves, and spent almost every evening in a huddle on the floor of their dorm going over old findings of Torchwick, or trying themselves to identify the huntress with long black hair.

It was a hopeless endeavour when all they had to go on was a gender and a hair colour. They could only hope the team in Atlas had more, as they gathered on a Friday evening and swiped open the app to connect through to them.

"Team JCKP. We have information."

Flynt grinned and gave Jaune a thumbs up, while Neon leaned in, and Penny clapped her hands together silently. Jaune cleared his throat. "We're listening, Warden."

"Our preliminary investigations of the huntress labelled simply as Antag-1 has been inconclusive; she simply isn't on record. That has let us narrow out many options, but leaves Torchwick as our primary lead, as was originally the case. Eavesdropped conversation in Team RWBY's dorm confirmed your suspicions that they intend to continue searching for him in their own time – and also dropped a particular detail about the White Fang's operations taking place in a certain direction."

"We have delved deeper into that and also liaised with your mole within the organisation, eventually finding that he has been sent into old subway tunnels. This, combined with information from Team RWBY, suggests that the White Fang are opening a path to the former colony of Mountain Glenn."

"Isn't that overrun with Grimm?"

"Yes. That said, the Paladin is an anti-Grimm weapon and would be more than capable of defending the White Fang there. We cannot yet ascertain if the White Fang have an interest in Mountain Glenn, or if it's simply being used as a place to safely store the stolen weapon alongside munitions and dust of their own."

"Will that be our job to find out?"

"Sadly, no. It would take you a significant time to reach the colony and such an absence cannot be explained away. Instead, you will be exploring the subway tunnels on Vale's side and looking for anything suspicious. You will also be placing – and hiding – listening and video recording equipment there. Finally, if possible, you will ambush, subdue, and capture some faunus trying to sneak through the tunnels so that we can take them in for interrogation."

Scouting, information gathering, and combat. Winter was right that they were being more proactive now. This was a lot more than they usually got. "Okay. Will you be sending us coordinates for the tunnels, or should we search on our own?"

"We will be sending you details, and you will enter as a full team. Should you see Roman Torchwick you are free to act on your own. Should you see Antag-1, you are to remain hidden or retreat immediately if you are seen. Take no aggressive action against her."

That was a given. They hadn't been able to beat her before, and they weren't about to try anything stupid here. Warden couldn't be sure though, so it was worth mentioning. "Understood, sir. We'll avoid combat with any huntsmen or huntresses."

"Do we know how they're getting to Mountain Glenn?" asked Neon. "Walking there would take days. They must have some method of transport."

"We do not know. Anything they have must have been brought in through Mountain Glenn rather than Vale, because even the Valeans couldn't possibly miss vehicles being smuggled down the old tunnels. We suspect a buggy or ATV of some sort. If you see anything, bug it. We'll track where they go and try to get a better picture of where exactly in Mountain Glenn they are."

"And if you find them?" asked Flynt.

"Atlas has been unable to act directly due to the fear of causing innocent casualties in the city. That will not be a concern in Mountain Glenn. We are fully prepared to deploy squads to take the battle to them if necessary. Collateral damage will not be our concern."

"Nice!" Flynt rocked forward. "Do we get to be a part of that?"

Warden chuckled over the line. "I'm afraid not. Airlifting you out the city would surely raise the alarm if there are spies in Beacon as we expect. It's better a raid happen when you're visibly at Beacon, so the enemy don't suspect it."

"Will Team RWBY be doing anything?" asked Penny. "Do we know if they're going out?"

"Team RWBY have no leads currently but after looking through Beacon's systems we've found that Headmaster Ozpin has approved for them a mission to Mountain Glenn, alongside Bartholomew Oobleck."

That was… convenient…

"That's way too suspicious!" said Neon.

"General Ironwood agrees, but unable to dictate Beacon policy. That Bartholomew Oobleck is being sent after his old teammate is sensible, but the team is not. We're looking into why they were chosen, but the headmaster keeps information close to his chest. We know that Glynda Goodwitch does not approve, suggesting he's overruled her in the matter. We will be keeping an eye on things, but the best we can do is map out their entry and exit points."

"We'll get onto that tonight," said Jaune. "Send us the coordinates and we'll make sure you know every way in and out of Vale that they're using."

"The details are being sent over. Good luck. Warden out."

The call ended with a click. Flynt sighed. "Feels like we keep going round in circles. Meanwhile, Team RWBY gets given a golden ticket to go fight them head on. Question is, why them? They're just first years. What obsession does Ozpin have with them?"

"I think that's something Winter will want to know with her sister being on that team," said Neon. "But out job is to stop the White Fang."

"Then we'd best get started on that. Let's go."


The stray cat has discovered how to turn on the motion-controlled security light outside my window, and does so at 4am, then meows loudly until I come out with breakfast for her. I'm going to deactivate the damn thing today. Sleep interrupted four days in a row by this.


Next Chapter: 27th May

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