Big Issues

Trouble?

Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy located in the Kingdom of Vale on the continent of Sanus on the planet Remnant, knew something was wrong. The problem was that he couldn't tell what it was exactly.

Salem was quiet at the moment, that was both good and bad news. The good part was that it allowed the four Kingdoms to thrive and prosper peacefully, as much as life on Remnant could with Grimm everywhere. The bad was that he knew she was plotting and likely keeping her activities in the shadows. That uncertainty of her plans kept him worried in a portion of his own mind, not sure as to how she'd strike next be it instigating another war, assassinations, raising an army of her own, or simply ordering a massive surge of Grimm to attack.

Salem had rallied armies before to fight in her stead, several times actually. Fortunately, they were always beaten back one way or another. Subtler methods had a way of failing in odd circumstances, whether it be an assassin falling to his death when a ledge gave out from under him or being spotted by civilians at inopportune times. He'd even witnessed- in a past life- an attack that had failed due to a child's ball that was kicked into a street, which was hit by a car that sent the sphere rocketing to ricochet off a brick wall to hit a ladder, causing it to fall on the assailant, trapping him between the rungs and disarming him of his weapons. The capture of that agent of Salem's was relatively simple at that point, it is rather difficult to attack or flee with your arms pinned to your sides by a two-story ladder.

But this feeling was different, if it was from Salem or a third party he couldn't tell. Or if there was any sort of attack at all. Just a feeling that something was…off.

It could be the few pounds he'd put on lately. Despite being a strong Huntsman who did what he could to stay in shape, his job running the academy did keep him sedentary often. He had been drinking a bit more hot-chocolate that usual lately but that could be attributed to long nights ensuring that preparations for the Vytal Festival and Tournament were going well with the rest of the Vale Council. That involved the councils of the other kingdoms of Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo.

Perhaps he should check in with the other members of his inner circle, the headmasters of the other academies if they noticed anything out of the ordinary. It wouldn't be seen as odd as it has been a while since they'd last had a check in of that nature. Ozpin hadn't heard anything of note since the night of the White Fang attack at the docks when Qrow had sent his vague message 'Queen has pawns'.

Unfortunately, the man was currently occupied assisting a team from Vacuo defend an important trade town. Not only was the small city of Cloudspire vital for land travel, being nestled in a relatively small but well defensible area between Vale and Vacuo, but it was a great stop for air travel and wasn't too far from a small seaside settlement named Coral. Coral was also considered important and stable enough to have its own CCT support tower.

The waves of Grimm had been going for more than a week at this point, a small fleet of ships were sent to Coral to deal with the marine Grimm, a joint effort from Vale and Atlas. Vacuo provided Cloudspire some Huntsmen to stem the tide of Grimm inland. The last communication from the Mayor was that their defenses were holding strong, if more than a little strained.

The next morning…

"Good morning James, Leonardo, Theodore." Ozpin began. It was nearly noon for him, roughly the same for the Headmaster and General of Atlas, James Ironwood. For Leonardo Lionheart, it was late evening in Mistral, the sun having set over the mountains some time ago. By contrast, it was early morning for the Headmaster of Shade Academy in Vacuo, Theodore, who let out a long yawn before sipping some coffee to get him through the meeting.

"Any particular reason for us to talk Ozpin?" Leo asks as he relaxed in his office chair. "I would have thought that the Vytal Festival was going without issues thus far."

"As much as I'd like to discuss the upcoming festivities celebrating peace between our kingdoms, I have a feeling that something else is going on that we are not aware of." Ozpin was as vague as always, often leaving it to others to think for themselves with gentle guiding on his part.

"Something that we are not aware of" That is rather vague, even for you Oz." James' tone may have been light but his expression showed how serious he was. Due to his nature and his positions, security was paramount for him.

"Call it well earned caution if you must but something seems wrong yet different from what Salem and the Grimm might bring." Ozpin was firm in what he said, after all he had more history in the conflict against Salem than anyone, period. From the very beginning, in fact.

"What are you really asking?" Theodore drawled before gulping down the rest of his mug.

He steepled his fingers as he rested his elbows on his desk and leaned forward for emphasis as he spoke. "Have any of you heard anything unusual from your security staff?" He watched as all three moved to check their desks, James typing away at his computer with the screen next to the video feed, Leo shuffled through a stack of paper that he pulled into view, Theodore sifted through the messages on his scroll for alerts that he may have missed. Ozpin had already checked with his schools' security and found nothing of note.

"Everything appears to be without incident in Atlas." James was the first to respond.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Theodore echoed the sentiment as he relaxed in his chair as the caffeine began to kick in.

Lionheart flipped through a few more pages before responding. "My security seems to be doing well, even added a few new cameras a few weeks ago after some students found a blind spot."

"I'm glad that was taken care of, Leo." James comments with a smile. One of the easiest and most effective ways to minimize crime and rule breaking was for potential trespassers to know that there would be a witness. Of course, a camera could be blocked or turned off in some way but recordings and multiple angles minimized that risk.

"Is there anything else Oz? As much as I'd like to go back to bed, I should get my work done so I can get the sleep early for once." Theodore says as he glances at the pile of paperwork and the incoming messages on his scroll. Rumpole seemed to know that he was up already and sending him work when he'd rather have a spar to truly wake up.

"If you have nothing of note for the rest of us, the go ahead and get an early start. Just… keep an eye out for trouble." Ozpin leans back in his chair as his fellow headmaster's nod in acceptance and close the feeds.

The rhythmic clack of heels approaching the desk accompanied the ticking of the gears overhead let him know that he wasn't alone.

"Do you really think something is wrong with the academies?" Glynda asks as she stands in front of the desk.

"I'm not sure, I'm simply getting the feeling that someone knows something that is or will be obvious to all yet not knowing what or who is always at the back of my mind lately. It's troubling honestly."

"Like a rumor being spread to everyone but you, but it's about you?"

"Even more subtle and obscure than that, I'm afraid."

"Then I'll make sure that I remain more vigilant than usual, sir." The Deputy Headmistress responds as she absently adjusts the waistband of her skirt.

Ozpin spins his chair around to watch the students and faculty through his window on the ground far below as Glynda walks back to the elevator. As the door closed, she heard one last thing, "I'm sure you will."

Two weeks of near constant attacks against Cloudspire and Coral finally broke down into smaller, scattered attacks. Still too many to be considered normal but the packs were small and spaced out enough that the Huntsmen and Huntresses who'd survived to finally get some rest.

Those attacks dwindled to next to nothing over the next week, much to the relief of the defenders who began the repairs to the walls, bury the dead, and celebrate their survival. During that time, the few airships that managed to retain functionality began ferrying soldiers and Huntsmen to and from the city- fresh fighters in and the injured out.

Among those flights was a one-way trip for a team of Huntsmen from Vacuo heading to Vale.

"Four-Seven-Niner, this is Vale Air Traffic Control, Beacon Division. Glad to see you coming back."

"Thanks Traffic Control. Did I miss anything good while picking up our guests?"

"There have been a few… big things happening around here."

"C'mon Poppy, don't leave me hangin'."

"Sorry, not allowed to say on the open channel."

"Really? Is it that hush-hush?"

"It's hardly a secret and you might notice the issue depending on who you meet."

"Tommy lose another bet?"

"I think the better question there would be 'Does he ever win?'"

"Ha-ha, that's true. Can't you give me any hints?"

"You'll be briefed on the situation just like your passengers. Orders from the Vale Council."

"Well, that's a dick move."

"Not my call, I'm just the massager."

"Dick. Move."

"I'm not arguing that but I do see that your schedule is open for the weekend, we can catch up then."

"Alright, I'm game so long as you're buying. Three weeks is too long to live on emergency rations."

"You poor baby."

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up Poppy. Now where can I park this thing?"

"Landing pad four is open for you… um… Four-Seven-Niner? What is your altimeter reading? You're a little high."

"My altimeter is reading ten thousand meters and holding. We're fine. Just wanting to have a little fun for the first time in a month."

"Oh no! Please don't do it again!"

"We'll be landing in a few minutes, Poppy." The pilot ignores anything else from Traffic Control as she turned to yell back to the passengers. "Hey kids, I hope you're buckled in!" She turns back to face her controls, one hand going to a certain lever.

"Express elevator going down!" She yells with a smile as she yanks back on the lever. Immediately the Bullheads engines cut out and the craft began to drop like a rock.

"You have got to be kidding me!" A male voice complains as the owner fought the lack of gravity to haul himself into his seat and strap himself in.

"It's not that bad!" A dark-haired girl comments from her own seat, looking relatively relaxed.

"Maybe for you but the rest of us prefer to keep our feet on the ground." Another girl says from the next seat.

"This is a good trick and all… but does she know when she's gone too far?" The mechanical ears on the last girl swiveled to focus on her team and one at the cockpit. Her eyes stayed glued to the window as she watched the ground rapidly coming closer, the few people near the air pads running away.

"Four-Seven-Niner! Engage your engines now! Do it before you kill yourself!"

"Three… two… one… here we go!" The pilot reengaged the engines and cranked their output to their maximum, forcing herself and the team behind her to fight gravity as it reasserted itself with a vengeance.

All downward momentum was halted in a few seconds to leave the aircraft hovering a meter over the assigned landing platform. The landing struts descended from the fuselage and the craft gently touched down as the engines shut off for the final time that day.

"Ground floor! Everybody out!" Four-Seven-Niner yells as she unstraps herself while shutting down all systems before stepping out of the cockpit to find her guests clutching the armrests with white knuckles and shaking.

"Hey!" She yells again, emphasizing it with a slap on the sole male's shoulder. "We're done. Get your shit and get out."

With that said, the pilot exited the Bullhead and waited outside the door where a minute later the boy and three girls shakily walked out carrying their bags. As soon as they were out, she slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Alrighty then, maybe now we can get some real food now that we're not in a warzone." The pilots comment managed to stop the shakes and bring some hope to the youths. At least until a tall and heavily built man with a short dark beard and hair came stomping onto the platform.

"Are you out of your mind!" Was the first thing out of his mouth, yet in spite of the aura of anger around him the pilot was calm and confident. "One small mistake and you could have killed everyone on board and destroy the entire platform!"

"Aww… you do care Teddy." The sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Don't you give me that crap! Try it again and I'll make sure that the Council pulls your license."

"Ha! You know they don't want to lose their best pilot and you don't have the authority to convince them, Mister Mechanic."

"That's Chief Mechanic to you! I was promoted while you were away." Now he was getting smug.

"If they promoted you, then I'm due to get my Captains bars. That'll look good with my other medals."

Teddy, if possible, turned even redder at the pilots' flippant attitude. Yet he also knew that she had the skills to back up her awards. Even then he had information that she didn't and now was the best time to hold it over her.

"We've had some big issues come up while you've been gone."

"Poppy told me something about that as we got here."

"She didn't tell you anything, did she?"

"Just that I'd be told once I landed."

"Fine, come with me and I'll cover the basics." Teddy finally seemed to take notice of his audience and flipped out his scroll. "Hmmm…. So, you're Team DAIT, huh? Ya don't look like much."

Four-Seven-Niner drove an elbow into his ribs for the comment. "Those kids did more than their fair share of killing Grimm at Cloudspire. The city would have been overrun if it wasn't for them."

Teddy rubbed his ribs with a grumble. "I'll believe it when I see the news. But Professor Ozpin wants to see you four ASAP."

A few minutes later found the quartet being led by the girl with prosthetic ears as she studied her scroll for directions to the Headmasters office.

"How much longer?" The shortest girl asks as they walk down a large hallway.

"Left, right, left, left, right, up, down, left, right, up." Was the simple answer.

"Um…"

The boy looks over the girls' shoulder to see exactly what the directions were himself. A few moments later he smiles, recognizing the game she was playing.

"How about a shortcut?" He offers before hitting a button next to a door. It opened to reveal itself to be an elevator. A glance at the controls showed that it led to their destination.

The guide grinned at being caught while the other two gave her a tired glare before following their male teammate.

Ozpin looked up from his desk at the sound of the elevators chime, the door opening to show three young women and a young man walking out into his office proper. Upon noticing the ears on the one girl twitching in time with the gears overhead, he had the resist the urge to smile at the sight. Although, a welcoming smile would cover that well enough and it was deserved after what they had gone through over the past few weeks.

"Team DAIT, it has been a while." He greets them.

"Nearly three years or so." The boy says with a smile.

"And you've been making names for yourselves." Ozpin pauses to sip from his mug and watching their faces turn shocked for a moment before shifting to resignation. "Especially during your time at Cloudspire."

"There was a lot of fighting, sir." The shortest girl speaks up.

"I'm sure there was, 'Wind Walker'." She seemed a bit proud of the moniker, but Ozpin had to admit that it was very suited for her.

"Sir, we heard that there were some issues going on?" The red and black clad girl next to 'Wind Walker' asks.

The Headmaster sighs, the girl never was one for prolonged conversation or much social interaction, though he understood how she became that way. "The four of you know that you are here for the Vytal Festival but not partaking in the tournament."

"Maybe if we did, we could find an actual challenge." The boy scoffs.

"Perhaps," Ozpin smiles, "But it is something that you agreed to when your team was formed. Instead, you are here for security.

"Like undercover operatives?" Prosthetic ears rose in anticipation.

"Essentially, yes. Yet you are all still students who have to attend classes as any other students." He nods at her deduction. "However, we believe that any wrongdoers would overlook your team because you are students and not think of you as security."

"Because they would change how they act in front of authorities." Her ears twitched with her words.

Ozpin nods in affirmation, "Do keep in mind that our interactions should be kept as professional as possible. Any information you find should be passed along to myself or Glynda discreetly."

"So… what else is there?" The boy asks as he runs a hand through his already messy blonde hair.

At this point Ozpin rose from his chair and began pacing in front of his desk, a sign that this was troubling the Headmaster greatly and needed some way to vest.

"Over the past month, there has been an indirect attack on this school. However, it is not an isolated incident to Beacon, but also Haven, Atlas, and Shade Academies."

"What kind of attack was it? We didn't see any damage on our way here." The girls' prosthetics were standing at attention to make sure that she caught everything.

"So far we've been lucky that nothing so obvious as a bombing has happened and security has remained tight to ensure that our computers and communications haven't been hacked into or compromised."

"If it wasn't anything like that but it's hitting all of the combat schools, what is it?" The boy asks for clarification. The girl in red and black next to him crossed her arms in impatience due to Ozpin dancing around the subject so far.

"It's not all of the combat schools around Remnant like Signal or Sanctum, only the four main Huntsman Academies, at least for now." The Headmaster states and received a nod of understanding from the blonde and a gesture to get to the point from the girl.

"The attack, we have determined, targeted each schools water supply. That water is used for all food, drink, sanitation, and other needs. How whoever did this, we have no ideas as of yet but it required a great deal of research, planning, and coordination."

"Is the water safe?" The short girl asks.

"The water source itself is safe in the aquifers and have remained uncontaminated."

"That's good." She was really hoping for a decent shower. The last one at Cloudspire didn't exactly allow for relaxation since the Fire Dust in the water heaters had been repurposed to repel Grimm.

"So, the problem is in the plumbing." The blonde deduces.

"That's correct, all of the Academies have been going over their pipes, pumps, and holding tanks for the past two weeks. Along with the filtration and treatment systems."

"You didn't mention finding anything yet." More twitches from the prosthetics.

Ozpin sighs, looking older than he physically was before addressing the accusation. "Because we haven't found the source of our issues yet. Did you know that the plumbing in Beacon Academy could wrap around Vale several times over?" He chuckled a bit at the shock on their faces. "Yes, I had to learn that fact as well."

"So, you know it's in the plumbing but what is it and what does it do?" The young man asks as his own patience was wearing thin. Though that may have something to do with the far more impatient girl next to him tapping her foot and drumming her fingers on her arm.

A ding from the elevator behind the teens brought a smile to the Headmaster's face as they turned to see who arrived.

"Ah! Glynda, perfect timing."

The Deputy Headmistress and sparring class teacher strode forward to stand with her boss while taking note of the team.

"You were about to tell them about our water problem but wanted me here as an example, didn't you?" She accused him while crossing her arms under her bust.

"As I recall, neither of us believed it was happening until overwhelming evidence was presented to us." His tone was light as he relaxed to lean against the desk behind him while his assistant, friend, and employee sighed in frustration.

Ozpin waved a hand to the irritated woman beside him. "Team DAIT, as may have noticed, Glynda is a prime example of what the contamination does, though it effects everybody who's consumed it."

Glynda hadn't seemed to age at all since their team was formed and when they last saw her, not that three years would show on most adults anyway. Even her outfit was the same.

The same clean white blouse with a keyhole opening over her chest, black skirt and leggings, complete her black and gold heels and her black and purple cape with her golden crown symbol on it. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun and green eyes watched them through glasses, just like the last time they'd met.

However, there were a few big changes since then as well.

Her face was a little fuller, making her seem a little younger than she actually was. The chest window seemed to be pulled wider than it was meant to if the strain on the button holding her collar closed was any indication. Despite her sleeves being puffier by design, the thickness of the limbs' underneath was evident. Beneath her bust, her shirt remained tight as it had to navigate around a thicker waist and a small potbelly before tucking under the skirt that hugged her hips tightly and emphasized the larger trunk behind her. Her legs were still strong as ever since she was an active Huntress but the tights showed the slight ripples that traveled along the extremities when she walked.

"As you can see, the victims of this attack put on weight. Quite rapidly given that it has been roughly a month since the effects were first noticed." Ozpin explains as he gestures once again towards his larger than normal confidant.

"What we have noticed is that the gains are not the same all around." Glynda begins, pulling her weapon of choice- a riding crop called the Disciplinarian- from its holster on her right boot. "Obviously, it hits men less than it does women." She emphasized her words with a sharp jab to the Headmasters gut to show his own gains.

"I… suppose I deserved that." The man admits as he rubs his soft and sore stomach.

"So… what has been done to fix this?" The team leader asks despite his curiosity at how far the two of them would go with the back-and-forth jabs, verbal and physical.

Ozpin sighs at the question while Glynda crosses her arms with a huff.

"Fixing… is not on the table yet." He begins, pausing to let the news sink into the team. "The most we have been able to do is identify and mitigate while we try to cope."

"Cope?" Ears moved and shook the messy ponytail on her head.

"We, as well as the other Headmasters and Councils, have decided to carry on as usual as much as possible." Glynda walks to one of the large windows to look over the school grounds. "Naturally, the water system is unable to be trusted and has since been undergoing draining and testing but that is going slowly as the engineers and researchers are being very thorough. And so temporary facilities have been assembled and the water we use comes from Vale's supply by way of transport ships."

Ozpin jumps in, "In case you are wondering, yes we do test the water during the loading process, when it arrives, while it's in our holding tanks which are under constant guard, and several more monitoring points in our new filtration and treatment system. More testing points are at the main junctures in the plumbing in use and at every faucet with an automatic shut-off once it detects any of the chemicals that should not be there."

"Okay… what are these chemicals?" The short girl asks as she eyes the older woman's figure.

"While we are not chemists or biologists, those who are have explained the basics to us. The details will be sent to your scrolls in the safety reminder that was sent to all students and staff." Glynda withdrew her own scroll and flips through a few screens before a quartet of chirps indicating a new message was received sounded out.

Seeing that the team was more willing to hear the explanation from her rather than read about it, at the moment, the teacher began her short lecture that was perfected with practice on the many students she taught.

"The contamination in our water is actually a collection of chemicals that create a hormonal response within the victims. Most notably causing those affected to gain weight rapidly due to the chemicals forcing a 'Starvation Response'. This response forces the body to store as much energy as possible as though food is scarce. The increased reaction in females is due to another chemical that mimics the hormone release during pregnancy to store fat.

However, there have been no negative health effects noted so far. To ensure that remains the case and to monitor those effected, weekly full exams are to be undergone by all students and faculty. Atlas has provided top of the line scanning equipment which will take your vitals and measurements. The school nurse will also be assisted by physicians in the collection of samples during those mandatory exams. Blood, mucus, and urine are expected to be collected during those visits. Other samples will need to be collected by the patient themselves such as stool, semen, and menstrual discharge and provide those samples to the nurse as soon as possible to avoid contamination.

These exams and samples are to monitor any and all changes within those affected and help to develop countermeasures."

"Anything else?" The girl in red and black asks, though she seemed far more patient now.

"Yes, in all dorms only the toilets will have water. All other faucets, showers, and fountains have been shut off and capped within the school grounds. Showering facilities have been erected and the public bathrooms have a small handwashing station installed since the sinks are out of order until further notice." Ozpin explains before sitting back in his chair, the desk hiding the small gut from the team.

"What about the kitchens?" The short girl sounded almost upset at the thought of them being shut down.

"The kitchens are fully functional at present and all water goes through more than a dozen safety checks before being used to cook. EVERYTHING in the kitchens have been cleaned inside and out, from the floors, ovens, ceiling, the cabinets, and all of the plumbing. It still goes through a weekly cleaning on top of the standard cleanings after every meal." The Headmaster answers her. "To be honest, I have never seen the place shine so much."

"That's a relief." The girl rests a hand on her stomach which growled loudly. "When can we eat?"

"Dinner will begin being served at five and ends at eight o'clock sharp." Glynda responds. "And to make sure that you are aware, we do know that our activities as Huntsmen and Huntresses do create large appetites, but the staff will watch how much you are getting. So do not go overboard. You four may not have the chemicals in your systems but that will be no excuse to 'pig out' during meals."

"That brings up an excellent point Glynda. With you four being among the very few in all of the academies who have managed to avoid consuming the contaminated water, the doctors will be keen to utilize your exam results as a base line for their studies."

"Great." The blonde voiced the teams' excitement by way of monotone.

Glynda begins walking towards the elevator, "Very well. Pick up your bags and I'll give you a brief tour of the facilities before showing you to your dormitory."

"Here are the storage tanks and processing for our current water supply. As you may be able to tell, we are near the kitchens. The security here helps to scan all of the staffs supplies along with keeping the water safe and secure." The older blonde explains as they quintet walks outside, the security guards watching them all the entire time complete with cameras tracking them.

As they turned a corner, they could see a large structure, one that did not match the rest of the school's architecture and while appearing hastily erected bore signs of recent additions to make it more permanent.

"These are the showers for staff and students. The faculties facilities are separated by a full wall as are the male and female sides for both students and staff." Glynda adjusts her glasses before looking at her scroll briefly. "Do keep in mind that due to our limited supply of water, all showers are limited to five minutes, with a few exceptions on a case-by-case basis. You will require your scrolls to begin bathing, it will help us keep track of who is where and why."

"Keeping track of us in the showers? That's pretty risqué for you Miss Goodwitch." Prosthetic ears matched her eyebrows as they wiggle suggestively, complete with a wide teasing grin.

The teacher didn't seem amused, looking at the girl with a flat look. "They are for security purposes only. While there are cameras around the bathing facility, there are none within beyond watching the entrances from the inside."

"So, we don't have to worry about anyone watching us?" The short girl asks.

"Miss Eaglewing, we are a combat school. Should anyone be caught, peeping, I will make sure that they are punished but I might take any 'immediate punishment' into account when considering official punishments."

The three girls suddenly had rather evil looking grins on their faces as they read between the lines. The sole male began feeling sorry for anyone caught by them… before he'd lend his own help if possible while waiting for security or faculty.

The boy flopped onto his back onto the bed with a sigh. "This bed is great!"

"You're telling me, bro!"

"Do we have to get up tomorrow?"

"We still have a day before classes."

"That's good. I think I'll sleep all day."

"Ha! No you won't. You'll be in the lunch hall all day if they let you 'Windwalker'."

"Hey! I lost weight on that last mission. And those rations sucked! Couldn't tell if it was food or the cardboard it came in."

"True."

"How will it feel being the skinny girl for once?"

"That'll be weird but you still need some meat on your bones."

"I'm filling out just fine. Puberty just hit me a bit late."

"LALALALA!"

"Knock it off! You're acting like a kid. Some big brother you are."

"Shut up both of you! I just want to get a nap before dinner."

"Fine, oh great gloomy one."

AN: Reviews are welcome. The new team here were purposely kept vague, proper introductions in the next chapter. Keep in mind that this story is a little different from most. Congrats if you read through all of the chapters, not that the story is bad but most stop here. Likely to have updates at least once a week.