Inside Ozpin's office at the top of the castle-like school, two men had darkened the room and were busy looking at a myriad of papers and videos. Ironwood's expression couldn't have been happier than he is, the last time he was overjoyed was when Glynda actually paid attention to him for once.

"Ozpin, when I first heard of your honestly ludicrous idea, I never would have expected something to bear fruit so soon and to a large degree."

"James, you don't just have the fruit, you have the entire farm."

Ironwood swipes on the scroll placed on Ozpin's desk and the holographic display moved graphics and recordings from a certain cookie-eating leader.

"Look here, full reports both recorded conversations and transcribed from Miss Rose. Most of the tank's armaments, detail both created and potential weapons, vehicles, and other devices."

Ironwood then pulled a comically large amount of paper, pages leading up to the hundreds, maps of various unknown locations, and a lot of filed papers.

"And then this! A comprehensive account of the history of Earth and more specifically the following countries known as Germany, The Soviet Union, and The United States of America with more information on other countries! This is a massive breakthrough, there are other worlds out there!"

Ozpin chuckled. "Professor Oobleck had a field day when I asked him to just talk to the tanks. It took the man days but he was so intrigued and interested in it that he had forgotten to teach."

Ironwood's face slowly formed from happiness to seriousness soon after. "I'll say, most of the observations on their history are honestly... grim. National-Socialism, Communism, Fascism... these ideologies, how come they are so prevalent?"

"James, their history is so much different from ours, the freedoms of man fall beneath the desires of its people. This radicalism is up to many factors but one fact holds, don't give the masses a reason to hate you. James, this goes for you too."

Ironwood faces the neutral-looking headmaster. "What do you mean?"

"James, you're my friend but I know you know what I'm talking about. There's a reason why Atlas has contracts and deals with the SDC. Associating yourself with Jacques will lead to a negative outcome."

"I know... but there's no way I can wrestle out of it. He holds the world's dust supplies, one embargo, and Atlas and its military will fall. I wish there'd be a way, Oz."

Ozpin shuffled through his drawer and took out another file. Placing it on the table, Ironwood picked it up and scanned the title. He raises an eyebrow for glancing at a smiling Ozpin.

"This is?" Ironwood flipped pages over.

"Miss Schnee has done her meticulous research on a separate subject. It's designated as the Snow-Rose Company for Coal and Oil, in short, the SRCCO. It was a joint effort between Miss Rose's tanks and her, I also want to remind you that she doesn't want her father to know, hence the lack of the Schnee name on the company."

Ironwood snapped his eyes wide open, the details on the first few pages were alarming but also reinvigorating. "Oz! This is world-changing! All of this?! Is it all even possible?"

"I suggest you immediately begin extraction and testing while you can. While it may not power your airships, it can-"

The general stood up with an audible stomp. "You're right! Sorry, Oz, I must head back this instant."

Ironwood stood up with urgency, heading to the elevators he impatiently walks in and enters. Ozpin took a sip from his mug while he watched. "Enjoy, James."


[Beacon Cafeteria]

At first, it was debated whether to include the participation of the entirety of Team RWBY and the tanks or keep it only with Ruby. After the capture, the news was held until Ironwood could come to a decision.

The general eventually decided to release an official statement of the entire team's participation to the public, not including the tanks.

The school's reaction? Let's just say it was impactful.

"You fought Torchwick without us?" Jaune asked.

Nora took another massive bite of pancakes before exclaiming, "You broke his legs?!"

"Does this mean you're part of Atlas now?" Ren calmly ate his food as he spoke.

Ruby stood up and waved her arms in an attempt to silence the questioning. "Sshshshhhhhhh! Military secret and classified stuff!"

The table had perplexity written all over their faces. "It's not a military secret now that it's on the news, Ruby. You never told us that you planned on dealing with Torchwick." Pyrrha responds.

"Ruby, you're like a big deal now. Something like uh... a hero." Perhaps this wasn't the moment to utter hero, Jaune didn't think much of it but Ruby was ecstatic.

Ruby rubbed her knees together and started giggling. "Ehehehee~ Maybe I am now- ouch! Weeisssss, please don't hit my head like that- ow!"

Weiss had put two solid chops to the leader's noggin. She had been irritated ever since Ruby had been fooling around instead of being serious.

"Don't let it get to your head! You weren't even close to the one taking Torchwick down, Tiger, Iosif, and Sherman did. Where are they anyways? They've not been with us since yesterday."

Ruby rubbed the spot where she got hit before replying. "Ehh... Sherman is unavailable due to repairs so I left him at the workshop. As for Tiger and Iosif, I don't know. They've been gone since we completed your thingy."

"Don't call it a thingy." Weiss crossed her arms. "It's going to be my answer to father's control, so just so you know, don't act like it's not a big deal."

Blake looked up from her meal, her bow twitching for a moment as she calls to the group. "I appreciate all of your carefree attitudes after the whole ordeal."

Yang smiled, she pulled Blake closer with her arm and made the Faunus turn to her. "Stop being such a wet blanket or should I say stop being a wet Blake-ket! It's all over, isn't it? Torchwick is caught and even his little midget was as well. The dance is close by."

"Yang! I almost forgot." Weiss remembered something important. "Speaking of the dance, Team CFVY is expected to be delayed so it's up to us to handle everything."

"Seriously?! Alright! Time to liven up the place with a Yang!"

Blake groaned lightly. "You used that pun too many times, it's getting old. There might be more out there and we don't know it. How can you all sit here happy, we took one out but the White Fang can still function."

"Blake, just relax. If someone was having nefarious plans or otherwise, wouldn't they be delayed since we took out Torchwick? If you keep getting all worked up, you might end up getting wrinkles."

Yang pulled her closer, to slight annoyance of Blake. "Your pretty as is, smile for once, kay?"

"…Fine."

"Great! Now then, let's plan some stuff for the dance. Who are all of you going to take by the way?"

"Sun asked me to but I'm not up for it. I might just take one of the tanks instead."

Damn, even an object has a better chance of getting Blake as a date. Good thing Yang had some wingman tendencies in her. "Aww, don't do him like that. He did help you out on two separate occasions. Give him at least one dance?"

"…I'll think about it."

"What about you, Weiss?"

"I already have someone in mind, thank you very much. Aren't you the one who's not with someone to dance with? Also, Ruby doesn't have one either."

Yang almost coughed as a defense mechanism. "Ahem! ...I'm just too good for anyone! Also, I won't let anyone date my sister-"

"I have one too!" Ruby yelled.

*CRACK!*

Yang's neck audibly snapped towards her always smiling sister.

"Who?"

Yang's eyes turned red. The air was rife with fury, and a blanket of fear approached those within striking distance. Every man suddenly had the urge to cover their loins in fear.

"Tiger!"

Yang's fiery gaze died down as her eyes went back to the normal lilac. "Oh. Phew! Crisis averted, if I found out you've been meeting some boy behind my back I would've castrated and broken every single bone in their body. Where is Tiger anyways?"


[Ruby's Workshop]

Iosif was in the front, a proud aura of expression came from him. "Gentlemen, this is the most important talk we have had in years. After days of thinking, we finally have a plan of action! Rejoice!"

"Why are you suddenly like this, Iosif? It's odd you would be in a chipper tone. Now that I think about it, aren't both you and Tiger similar in your personalities?"

"What? No! Aren't you the same?!" Iosif denied, being compared to and saying he and a German was similar was not to his tastes.

"Unlike you two, I am calm."

Flashback to Sherman yelling obscenities at Torchwick and being aggressive in his attacks. ""Doubtful."" the two tanks said.

"Stop giving me that look, I only become like that when you wake the sleeping giant."

Tiger rolled his eyes if he had any. "Suuuree… when a person needs to remind how they act, usually what they say is the opposite. Anyways, Iosif. What do you mean by 'we'? I wasn't told anything but 'be ready'."

"My plan becomes our plan. I'm scheming on getting people together for the dance."

"Oh, that? I thought it'd be important."

"It is important! Don't you see? Pyrrha and Jaune. Weiss and Ruby. Blake and Yang. We will make this a reality!"

"Meh, I prefer Yang and Ruby."

The two tanks turned their turrets menacingly to Sherman idling with parts of himself still being repaired.

Silence settled as the whirrs of turret rings within the Soviet and German tanks filled the ambiance and then ceased. Their guns were primed and ready, Sherman looked with confusion.

""What?""

Tiger roared his engine in an expression of distraught and offense. "American! Stop reinforcing the stereotype. They. Are. Sisters! I thought you were from Ohio! Wait, does this mean someone in your crew was from Alabama?! I gotta bring out the gas chamber for this one."

"It's not like they're fully related, right? Plus, they have that whole sister bonding thing that siblings have-"

"One more word and I will go final solution on your ass."

Iosif was disgusted as well. "I agree with the German, as much as I gag at the thought. You went way too far on this one, Capitalist."

"Fine then. How are we doing this plan of yours then? I'll just keep everything to myself."

"Each of us will nudge them in the right direction. Starting tomorrow we will have to close on them and talk. I think everyone here should be capable of something like convincing them to dance with each other?" Iosif knew riling up their pride will do the trick.

"Are you doubting my abilities, Ivan?"

"The hell you say, Commie? We Americans are always better than you lot!"

Iosif grinned but without a mouth. "And so, the powder keg is lit. Let's hope nothing is going to go wrong."


[Random Motel]

"Cuuuuuurrrrssseee youuuuuuu Ruuuuuubbbbyyy Rooooooooossse!"

A howl of both anger and pain, Cinder wasn't one to be openly displaying rage but she was human, she needed an outlet somehow. A random place would do, one with excellent soundproofing, Mercury was the one who had to fork over the money though.

"Hey, are you sure we don't need to send Cinder to a mental ward? She's been doing that for a few days now." Mercury whispered to his partner, she agreed but she wouldn't offend her mistress.

"Mercury, keep your voice down."

The yells finalized with one last sentence. Cinder was livid but her pent-up rage was released. "And that idiot Torchwick too! My nefarious plans! Ruined!"

She whipped her head back and approached Mercury with malicious intent. "You."

Mercury looked around and pointed to Emerald. "Her?"

"You!" she reiterated.

"Yes?" he asked.

"This can still be fixed. Our operations in Mountain Glenn are still progressing, I can handle them but if that twerp will ever stop bothering us, then you will have to do something for me, Mercury."

Mercury felt excited, his specialty was always assassination. It'd been drilled into him by his abusive father, maybe this time he could kill someone after all.

"Really? What is it-"

"Seduce her."

"..."

"..."

Expectation. Confusion. Thought. Acceptance. Mercury went through different phases when he heard those two words. He had to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.

Cinder slammed the door open and then closed it, she left with her usually mature attitude. The two subordinates were left alone, Mercury was thoroughly confused.

"She's gone mad."

"Get going, lover boy. I'll investigate more on my own. I don't trust the news that a bunch of teenagers could catch not only Torchwick but his little assassin too. There's more to this that the media is leading on."

Cinder didn't even explain why, Mercury assumed it was for spying purposes once he got close to Ruby, but then again, Mercury still questioned all of it.

"Is this what I killed my old man for? I don't even think it's legal for me to do anything she asks. Ruby Rose… how do I even start?" Mercury might kill but professionals have standards, seducing a baby-faced girl was not on his list.


[Lower Cairn]

Blades. Bullets. Grimm.

The frigid night was filled with these three things, it wasn't a particularly fond memory for the four in team CFVY. A distress signal was sent, their words of emergency and terror were all it took for the second-year team to take up the mission.

"Yatsuhashi!"

Their leader called out, and a pair of Ursaes took her by surprise. She was in the middle of reloading her minigun handbag, Gianduja.

"Don't worry!" With a single call, a greatsword the size of a human was swung. Cleaving both oversized monstrous bears in a single slice.

The tall man hefts his weapon, wiping off the sweat from his brow he continues his close defense.

"Move!" Coco commanded.

Yatsuhashi nods, jumping away with a great leap before landing behind her.

Coco smirks, a smell of fire and smoke reaching her nose. "And here I thought I needed to push up my aviators. Thanks, big boy."

The small skirmish ended and a field was desecrated with the signs of a struggle. The four rest on the ground near a tree. They were all visibly tired, half an hour of constant fighting made it hard.

"Yatsuhashi, status on the village?"

Yatsuhashi looks at the increasing distance of the horizon. Days have gone by after the distress signal and with no sign of the villagers. "Goliaths are still trampling over a small distance away from the village. I doubt they would come back for another round."

Coco stretched her back, standing up after doing so and pointing in another direction. "Good, we get our bearings after a while and head that way. Based on the places we searched we could expect more days of looking around. I'm glad we left it up to team RWBY for the dance."

"Coco." Velvet suddenly felt her ears hear something in the distance. "I hear something over there." she points in the completely opposite way from where Coco pointed earlier.

"Hmm? What is it, Bun?"

"It sounds like... gunfire and cannons? I hear three?... no- six? I can't tell, I can only hear machinegun fire and the cannons. Coco, the villagers might be over there!"

Coco pets the Faunus, Velvet responding with a slight tint of red on her cheeks from the warmth the head pat gave. "Good job, Velvet. Let's head over there, I want to take a bath soon after all this."

With the four barely rested, the lives of those in the previously untouched villages ushered them on. The fate of those cowering under the Grimm lay in their hands, with that in mind they follow Velvet's ears to where she heard the noise.

"I can hear them now too." Fox Alistair spoke up. "Did someone else come here? Or did the villagers have access to weapons?"

Coco readjust her handbag, tightly keeping it to herself as she picked up the pace. "Doesn't matter what happened back then, we need to get there now. Start running!"

The four begin to run, the sounds getting close and closer as they approached the nearby battlefields.

"What... are... those?" Velvet asked, the others had the same question in mind, apart from the outgoing Coco Adel.

"I want one. Velvet can you copy those things and let me flaunt them around Beacon?"

The bunny-Faunus quickly swayed her head. "I can copy weapons but I don't think I can copy those."

"Boo~ Let's go meet the people inside them shall we?"

An orchestra of machine guns kept the night alight. Cannons filled with High-Explosive shells shredded any Grimm coming close to the vehicles.

One shot from the center came and disintegrated an entire group of Beowolves and then another group, and then another group. Coco at this point was grinning at the display, she wanted one right away.

The cannons ceased fire, and the horde of Grimm attracted to the location slowly faded into the atmosphere, black flakes of their skin and bone powdering in the wind.

"Hello! We are not enemies!" Velvet declared, raising her arms just in case to avoid receiving friendly fire. "We are second-years from Beacon sent to search and rescue the villagers of Lower Cairn!"

The tank turned its turret in their direction and a loud puff of exhaust gets heard as a voice came from the tank.

"Bet my cattle and hit me dirty! I didn't think I'd last another day without running out of shells! You're from Beacon, right? Y'all heard of a Ruby Rose?" said an overly friendly tone.

"Ruby Rose?" Velvet uttered. "You know her?"

"Darn right!" the tank suddenly calls out to the other tank beside him. "Hey, Centurion, tell 'em what we're looking for and such."

"Greetings." the other tank said. "I believe the lass assumes right. We're subordinates to her as if she were the monarch. Pershing here would tell you otherwise but he follows her like a leader either way. There are people here in the cave in need of aid."

"Pershing? Centurion? Are you the only ones piloting these vehicles of yours?" Velvet continues. "We'll have to escort you all out, so we either wait in bullheads or leave your vehicles."

"No worries about that lady!" Pershing yelled before shrinking in size and heading for the cave. "I'll call the people in this here cave. By the way, we ain't people!"

They were silent, it shrunk! The thing shrunk! Not people too?! They repeated in their minds.

"If I may be so crass, is it possible for one of you to lift me? I'm afraid of losing my fuel short of meeting her majesty."

Centurion shrinks down to knee height as he approached Coco. The girl tilted her shades down, revealing dark brown eyes underneath.

Looking at the ground with a fierce smirk she says, "My~ Now I really want one!"